Roquefort with Port is Pretty Much Heaven on Your Tongue

Aug 24, 2022

Even though I feel like hell, I got on the coach to go to Valence in order to go to Anne-Sophie Pic’s cooking school because I’ve heard such amazing things about her food, but I’m also very intrigued by her story.

As it was told to me, Anne-Sophie’s father, Jacques, was a three Michelin starred chef who died suddenly. Anne-Sophie’s brother took over cooking while she ran the front of house, and the restaurant lost its third Michelin star. Upset by this, Anne-Sophie returned to the kitchen and the restaurant regained its third star. If you want to see more about her, watch The Final Table Episode 9 “France” on Netflix. She’s the guest judge.

Our afternoon at Scook, Madame Pic’s cooking school in Valence, her hometown, began with a cheese and wine pairing class. I had promised myself that I wouldn’t drink more, but that did not last. We had Côtes du Vivarais blanc 2021 – Domaine Gallery with Picodon AOC (goat cheese), Côtes du Rhône by Michel Chapoutier with Camembert de Normandie OAC, and Rivesaltes tuilé 2009 by Domaine des Chênes with Roquefort AOC (the AOC means they are officially recognized).

If you drink a little wine, then eat a little cheese, then drink a little more wine, it’s as if you are a creating an entirely new different dish. The Rivesaltes (a fortified wine, kind of like a port) with the Roquefort was one of the best bites of food I’ve ever had. So simple, but so delicious and complementary; it was really a revelation.

*See that chocolate behind the wine? It’s Valrhona, which is from the little town of Tain l’Hermitage where our ship docked.*

After our tasting, we took a plating class with a chef. He made three tomato preparations: tomato espuma (foam), tomato chutney, and tomato powder. The tomato foam was made from tomato water and the tomato powder was made from the dried skins of the tomato. The dish was topped with a perfectly poached egg.

This was really fun. The dish was delicious and so creative. Everything tasted like tomato, but not like A tomato, if that makes any sense.

Now, we are back on the ship, sailing toward Lyon. The airport is named Saint Exupéry for the author of The Little Prince, who was born in Lyon (which I didn’t know until I saw that we were leaving from this airport). And so, although I hope to continue my blog, I will leave you with these words as we say goodbye to France:

“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.”