Every Saturday and Sunday, Vanessa Zhâ and Marion Sauveur make us discover some nuggets of French heritage.

Direction this Sunday to Aix-en-Provence to follow in the footsteps of Paul Cézanne and discover the calisson. 

We continue to explore this new Valley of gastronomy.

620 km of gourmet stops between Dijon and Marseille, which are also an opportunity to rediscover our heritage.

After Dijon and the cote d'or, yesterday, it is in the south that you are taking us this morning to Aix en Provence, Vanessa.

Yes, under the sky of Provence for a taste of vacation.

I suggest you discover Aix and its surroundings with electric bicycles, or "in three-wheeled bicycles. These are bicycle taxis where there is a cyclist who pedals and who can carry two people in the back as in the days of coaches but in more modern ", Nicolas from Cyclopub.  

An ideal coach for a tribal or team outing.

Are you Marion and Pierre starters?

if it is our director, Nicolas Charpentier, our Edward with silver calves who pedals alone in front of it, I imagine so!

So what is interesting in Nicolas de Cyclopub's concept is that these outings are themed for the half day 25 km, or the day, we are on 50 km.

On the program: a wine estate, an oil mill, and views of the Luberon and the holy victory.

The famous holy victory of Cézanne ...

So fetish that he immortalized it more than 80 times.

And precisely Nicolas has designed a bike or tripoteur outing in the footsteps of Paul Cézanne.

Here is the program: "The apartment where he ended his days, there is his school. There is the country house that his father bought at Jas-de-Bouffan. You can also go where he painted the saint. victory on several occasions. When we leave the city, we go to old quarries which were very important to him in his paintings. So we really follow in Cézanne's footsteps to observe what he observed a century before us ", says Nicolas. 

And the visit of his workshop is also included in the circuit?

To see obviously Quite classic.

It is not the site that will leave you speechless, unlike Jas-de-Bouffan or la sainte Victoire.

So there you have it: A 4-hour walk, at 75 euros, knowing that you also go through the very popular Aix-en-Provence pastry shop, Weibel, which you probably know Marion, to go for a gourmet break in the hills.

And if we want to continue this artistic stroll in Aix and its surroundings, what advice would you give us?

The must-see Granet Museum of course.

With paintings by Cézanne, but also by Stael, Picasso, Léger, Mondrian… The Hôtel de Caumont, an art center currently exhibiting the works of a Chinese artist, Zao Wi Ki.

He was inspired by Cézanne's paintings in Aix to work with light.

And then in a completely different, more contemporary genre, the Vasarely Foundation.

And about ten kilometers from Aix: the Château la Coste.

If you are a fan of contemporary art, this is for you.

You are in the heart of a 200 hectare wine estate, which houses the works of fairly renowned artists: Calder, Louise Bourgeois (a spider on the water) or Richard Serra.

On the hotel side?

Le jardin de marie, a secret bed and breakfast not far from the Cours Mirabeau.

You push open the door of a mansion and there you fall into an oasis in the middle of the city.

And if not Le domaine de Saint Clair outside Aix, higher standing guest rooms with swimming pool.

What Aix delicacies are you going to tell us about, Marion Sauveur? 

A traditional Provencal confectionery with flavors of almonds and candied melon in a unique shape: the calisson.

It would have been created in the 15th century during the marriage of the good king René.

Legend has it that the calisson was served at the end of the meal.

The queen, very beautiful but deemed austere, would have seen the confectionery and her face would have lit up.

It is said that the shape of the calisson comes from the queen's smile. 

The calisson was made with local products: almonds, the price of which was decided in Aix-en-Provence, melon from Cavaillon and confit in Apt.

The recipe has remained the same with respect for traditional and ancestral gestures, as Laure Pierrisnard, the General Manager of Roy René, tells us. 

Calissons

Ingredients :

280 g ground almonds

280 g icing sugar

280 g of candied melon

2 tablespoons of orange blossom water

3 matzo sheets

180 g icing sugar

1 egg white

The stages of the calissons recipe: 

1.

Mix the candied fruits with the orange blossom water, gradually add the almond powder and icing sugar.

2.

Form a ball and spread it on an unleavened sheet.

And cut with the calisson-shaped cookie cutter.

Leave to dry for a good hour at least.

3.

Whisk the icing sugar and egg white.

And spread a little icing on each calisson.

Leave to harden in the open air.

"The calissonnières will first put the host leaf. Then put the almond and melon paste into the mold. You should know that once the mixture is done, you must let the dough rest at least. 3 days before you can shape it. Then we will add a second mold on which we will apply the royal icing. These calissons will be baked for a few minutes only so that the royal icing can dry and have that crunchy side that we like in the calisson ", explains Laure Pierrisnard.

This gives a crunchy and soft calisson with the heart of crushed almonds and candied melon.

There are around fifteen confectioners in Aix-en-Provence today.

They joined forces to obtain the protected geographical indication.

We cross fingers.

Each confectioner has their own recipe.

At the Roy René confectionery, they add candied orange peel. 

Can we do it at home? 

Yes !

You have to chop sugar, candied fruits and almonds.

You can mix with a little water or orange blossom.

Once your dough is ready you can place it on the host sheet.

Leave to dry for at least an hour and make the royal icing: a mixture of egg white and sugar that must be smoothed over the dough before letting it dry quietly. 

And with these calissons we can make recipes? 

Of course.

A calisson tartlet.

Place pieces of calissons on a tart base.

Mix eggs, sugar, yoghurt and orange blossom water with broken calisson.

Put this device on the pie and bake for 25 minutes at 180 degrees. 

Calisson tartlet

Ingredients 

Shortbread 

2 plain yogurts 

2 whole eggs 

1 tablespoon of orange blossom

2 sachets of vanilla sugar

100g of Aix calissons

The steps of the calisson tartlet recipe: 

1.

Roll out the dough in the molds.

2.

Mix the eggs with the sugar.

Once the mixture is foamy, add the yoghurts and orange blossom water, then the broken Aix calissons. 

3.

Place in a hot oven at 180 degrees for 25 minutes.

Let cool and sprinkle with icing sugar. 

An ice cream.

Mix the calissons with the condensed milk.

Place in your ice cream maker. 

Calissons ice cream

Ingredients : 

250g of mixed calissons

410g unsweetened condensed milk

The steps of the recipe: 

1.

Mix the calisson cream with the condensed milk.

Place in your ice cream maker. 

Addresses to give?  

Yes !

Maison Roy René offers workshops for making calissons in the Aix-en-Provence boutique. 

At Pierre Reboul, at the Château de la Pioline, you can discover a brand new calisson: with blackcurrant and Timut berries

In the region, the 3-star chef, Christophe Bacquié at Le Castellet makes a frozen calisson.