Europe 1 06:54, August 22, 2022
As in The weekend walks, Vanessa Zha begins her columns by taking us on a journey and giving good plans for the summer.
Marion Sauveur focuses on a product every day.
Discover Postman Cheval's Ideal Palace with Vanessa Zha.
We go for a walk in the Drome in Hautes Rives to celebrate the 110th anniversary of an extraordinary Palace, that of a certain postman.
Postman Cheval's Ideal Palace.
26 meters long, 12 wide, 12 high, built by one man for 33 years.
To give you an idea of the construction site, that means: 10,000 days, 93,000 hours.
It was while making his rounds, 32 kilometers a day, that he picked up the stones he found on his way.
And then each night, by candlelight, he assembled them, sculpted them one by one, to create his ideal palace.
His dream: a mixture of all the cultures of the world.
There are a multitude of references, elephants, lions, cheetahs.
It is a place of total creation!
For many it looks like an Angkor temple.
Where did this crazy idea come from, because he didn't travel?
He read the illustrated magazines of the time, especially The picturesque magazine: with travelogues, extracts from novels and especially engravings.
And it is thanks to this that he will discover the world and want to recreate it in his own way by mixing symbols.
We therefore find in his Palace both a Hindu temple, the Maison Carrée d'Alger, a mosque, Swiss chalets, an Egyptian temple...
What is planned for its 110th birthday?
Something grand.
Very beautiful creations by Jean Michel Othoniel bring to life another dream that the postman had: The dream of water.
Frederic Legros, the director of the Palace lifts the veil for us.
It is absolutely magnetic, with purple, yellow or green amber colors.
It is also moving the fountains dialogue with the Palace.
All this in an incredible serenity, we are lulled by the flow of water.
Othoniel extended the Postman's dream.
What do you suggest we do around the Palace?
Not around but “above”.
Fly over the Ideal Palace, the lands and hills of the Horseman in a hot air balloon.
Superb at nightfall, the stones turn pink.
Otherwise another proposal: you can also fly over the slopes of St Joseph, Rhone and Ardèche.
A favorite address?
Five unusual accommodations perched on the hill of Hauterives, in the heart of the Forest, bordered by ponds.
Home of the woods 65 euros per night for two people.
Taste the sardine with Marion Sauveur.
All this summer, Marion Sauveur tells us about the products of our region.
This morning, it's a fish.
A must on our summer plates is the sardine.
We are in the middle of the season: the sardines have reached a good size and an ideal fat content.
They are part of fatty fish, excellent for health: rich in protein, vitamin D and omega-3.
Sardines have been fished since ancient times.
In France, it is a popular dish in the Middle Ages.
It is eaten fresh directly on port quays or preserved in salt.
And at the beginning of the 20th century, the great development of canneries, with the birth of cans of sardines in oil.
Sardine is a pelagic fish.
It evolves in the open sea, in shallow waters and in large, tight schools.
They are fished on all the French coasts in the Channel, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
In general, the smaller ones traditionally come from the Mediterranean, the medium-sized ones from the English Channel and the larger ones from Brittany.
It is a fragile fish.
It is necessary to choose the very fresh sardine on the stalls of the fishmongers.
In order not to be mistaken, it is necessary to check that it has a very rigid, naturally curved body and red gills.
And like all fresh fish: a very shiny and domed eye.
How do you advise us to prepare it?
Today, I want to taste it rolled up as an aperitif.
It's fun and delicious.
We start by preparing a marinade by mixing the juice of a lemon and a lime with olive oil.
Place the sardine fillets in this marinade and leave them in the fridge for an hour.
Once the sardines are marinated, spread cream cheese on one side of the fillet, add some lemon zest and mint and tarragon leaves.
A few sliced radishes, we roll the fillets and hold them together with toothpicks.
Every day, you ask a chef for a tip.
Today, direction Lyon.
Chef Floriant Rémont, from the Bistrot du Potager, gives us his advice for cooking fried sardines.
“Don't hesitate to ask the fishmonger to lift them butterfly-style, that is to say lift them from the belly.
Remove the head and bones.
They are held just by the back.
It makes a nice double fillet.
And I like to flour them at home and fry them in fairly hot oil, so that the product remains very undercooked inside but very crispy inside.
Taken out of frying, well sponged with a little fleur de sel and lemon juice.
You can eat that with homemade ketchup or mayonnaise to nibble on with your fingertips as an aperitif like that”.
It is eaten minute, still very hot.
In his restaurant, Le Bistrot du Potager, chef Floriant Rémont prepares sardine fillets marinated in elderberry vinegar.
They are served with tomatoes… and basil.
A very fresh starter and served on the spot.
https://www.lebistrotdupotager.com/actualites/
A second address to taste sardines?
We change region, direction Rennes.
The chef at Racines, Virginie Giboire, makes a starter of breaded sardines in breadcrumbs made mainly from pistachios.
They are served with cucumber slices and a pistachio condiment.
A combination full of freshness and delicacy.
https://www.racines-restaurant.fr/
RECEIPTS
Sardine rolls with cream cheese
12 Sardine fillet
1 pot fresh cheese
½ bunch of tarragon
½ bunch of mint
1 lemon
1 lime
60cl of olive oil
salt
pepper
Start by preparing a marinade by mixing the juice of a lemon and a lime with olive oil.
Place the sardine fillets in this marinade and leave them in the fridge for an hour.
Once the sardines are marinated, spread cream cheese on one side of the fillet, add some lemon zest and mint and tarragon leaves.
A few sliced radishes and roll up the fillets.
Hold them together with toothpicks.