Bourgueil edition đ«đ·
The Soft Protest Digest spent the first twenty days of July 2018 working in the summer house of the Verrerie, sheltered under the trees of the chestnut orchard. This research based residency, located in one of the most important french wine region, halfway between the cities of Tours and Bourgueil, can boast from a rich historic and culinary heritage. Throughout this period, the Verrerie became the production lab of a genuine regional pastry tradition: âThe Confidentâ.
In the course of a preliminary discussion with IEHCA[1] food historian and contributor to the Inventory of Centreâs region culinary heritage LoĂŻc Bienassis, LoĂŻc listed three notions fundamental to the scientific denomination of a regional culinary tradition:
1. The storyline of a culinary tradition is very hard and often impossible to trace back to its source.
2. A culinary recipe can only be called regional tradition if its existence can be proved to be more than 60 years old.
3. A regional tradition can be considered as such if it falls within the historical, artisanal and agricultural narrative of the region.
Therefore, The Soft Protest Digest consciously drew inspiration from the Winemakerâs tart[2] and set to produce a poached peach pie (peach being in season), garnished with a candied chestnut and served with a Bourgueil wine syrup as well as a light purple whipped cream flavored with that same syrup. Day after day, in collaboration with the residents of the Verrerie (and occasionally with a few curious neighbors), The Soft Protest Digest repeated and fine-tuned the recipe, the design, the serving ritual and the tasting of his pie. Thanks to their daily conversations and debates, the Friends of the Verrerie gave shape to âThe Confidentâ.
As the daily ritual of the residents was now established in the landscape of the Verrerie, The Soft Protest Digest took on to make âThe Confidentâ be known on a regional scale. For the 2018 yearly edition of Bourgueilâs farmerâs and culinary craft market, The Soft Protest Digest presented the pie on a personalized stall to the curious visitors of the fair as well as the local pastry and biscuit makers of the region. Hiding the real origin of âThe Confidentâ behind the tale of an ancient recipe found in the attic of the house of the Verrerie, The Soft Protest Digest was careful in spreading the tradition properly. He thus offered to the visitors complimentary pamphlets containing: a detailed recipe of the pie, the scenario of the tradition as well as the made up historical introduction.
A few pastry makers, always in search of some unique recipes, sounded worried by the fact that their direct competitors may have been informed of this historical pie. We may come back and visit one day, and we may find The Confident showcased in the windows of a few bakeries, and why not even in the Inventory of Centreâs region culinary heritageâŠ
Contents
Scenario of âThe tradition of the Confidentâ
âThe tradition will be held everyday around the bond-fire, under the night stars. The Confident will have to be shared equally in-between the present friends. The one whom will taste the candied chestnut in her/his slice will have the chance to designate a friend to share the tradition with. Together, they will choose a chestnut tree under which they will both share a secret. After both secrets are shared, they will then whisper it back in one of the cracks of the trunk of the chestnut tree to seal the secret forever.â
Take a sneak peek
đđ„Serving and eating âThe Confidentâ around the bondire.
1 year later
We have learned with delight that, one year later, the tradition of âThe Confidentâ still lives on. The recipe has evolved and the new residents have turned the round pie in a family-size rectangular dish in order to serve more guests. It is interesting to observe that, in this particular case, the repetition of the tradition relied on one poster, left to hang on location, and two former residents already aware of the taste and the ritual. Will the tradition of âThe Confidentâ be carried on next year? We cannot wait to know!
Recipe of âThe Confidentâ (in french)
Ingrédients
PĂąte
- 250g de farine
- 125g de beurre
- 1 pincée de sel
- 1 cuillĂšre Ă s. miel liquide
- 1 jaune d'Ćuf
- 1/2 coquille d'eau
- 1/2 cuillĂšre Ă s. de sucre
- 1 cutter (ou scalpel, couteau précis)
- 1 rĂšgle
- 1 moule rond sans fond de 16cm de diamĂštre par 6cm de hauteur
- 1 cul de poule
PĂȘches sucrĂ©es
- 6 pĂȘches de vigne
- 4 cuillĂšre Ă soupe de sucre blanc
Sirop de vin de Bourgueil
- 225cl de vin de Bourgueil
- 60g de sucre blanc
Montage du Confident
PĂȘches sucrĂ©es
1. Retirez la peau de 6 pĂȘches de vigne que vous aurez Ă©bouillantĂ©es une minute dans une eau frĂ©missante.
2. DĂ©coupez les pĂȘches en deux, gardez les parures, et rĂ©servez.
3. Retirez les deux tiers de lâeau de cuisson et ajoutez et ajoutez 4 cuillĂšres Ă soupe de sucre blanc, portez Ă Ă©bullition.
4. Placez les demi-pĂȘches et les parures dans le sirop et laissez cuire Ă feu moyen (une quinzaine de minutes) jusquâĂ lâĂ©vaporation quasi-complĂšte du sirop.
5. Laissez complĂštement refroidir les pĂȘches puis garnir la tourte.
Sirop de vin de Bourgueil
1. Versez 225cl de vin de Bourgueil et 60g de sucre dans une petite casserole.
2. Placez Ă feu vif jusquâĂ ce que le sirop gonfle et tente de sortir de la casserole.
3. Baissez le feu et laissez frémir 4 minutes.
4. Laissez refroidir.
PĂąte
1. Dans le cul de poule, effritez le beurre dans la farine du bout des doigts pour l'y intégrer sans qu'il fonde.
2. Ajoutez Ă la poudre obtenue le sel, le jaune d'Ćuf, l'eau et le miel, et travaillez la pĂąte. RĂ©servez au frais les 2/3 de la boule de pĂąte obtenue.
3. Avec le tiers restant, rĂ©alisez un disque dâun diamĂštre 3cm plus large que le moule. DĂ©collez-le soigneusement pour le disposer sur le sucre prĂ©alablement rĂ©parti sur le papier cuisson.
4. Avec un second tiers de boule, réalisez un disque à la taille du moule. Réservez.
5. Avec le dernier tiers, étalez une longue bande de 12cm de hauteur. La couper droit au milieu dans la longueur, puis la décoller soigneusement et la répartir uniformément sur les bords du moule beurré.
6. Pliez les 3cm de débords du fond de tarte vers l'intérieur et posez le moule tapissé de pùte dessus. Collez les débords de pùte repliés aux bords du moule pour obtenir un fond de pùte étanche.
7. RĂ©partissez les pĂȘches bien Ă plat et cachez-y un gros marron glacĂ©.
8. Disposez le couvercle de pĂąte sur lâappareil.
9. Découpez les formes traditionnelles (voir illustrations) ainsi que le V de «Verrerie». Déposez-les harmonieusement sur le couvercle.
12. MĂ©langez un Ćuf entier dans un bol et dorez la pĂąte au pinceau.
13. Cuire au four Ă 200 degrĂ©s pendant 40 minutes ou jusquâĂ ce que le Confident soit bien dorĂ©.