l'eau de vie

T H I S+W E E K Veritable Venice By John Krich A summer resident savors the city's eternal spirit -- and contemporary contradictions Australia by horseback By Pippa Gordon Here's a novel way to see Queensland -- and to share a mother-daughter journey D E P A R T M E N T S Road Warrior By Don George Adventures of the Business Traveler > The Surreal Gourmet By Bob Blumer L'eau de vie: Cognac with every meal Mondo Weirdo Hippos in the night Readers' Tips and Tales Lost in the Sahara - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Your virtual travel agency - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - LA S T+W E E K Tuesday, Sept. 16, 1997 Lost in the Sahara By Jeffrey Tayler A simple overnight trip becomes a battle for survival A N D Dunescapes By Pamela Roberson A desert portfolio A full list of all Wanderlust articles

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - COGNAC IS BEST ENJOYED AS AN APERITIF, A PALATE CLEANSER, A DIGESTIVE AND IN SAUCE WITH EVERY MEAL. THE SURREAL GOURMET greetings from Cognac, France. The air here is so heavy with the intoxicating aroma of cognac that even the teetotalers (both of them) are lightheaded. It is estimated that every year the equivalent of 22 million bottles evaporate through the porous oak casks into the air and skies over this seven-century-old town. The loss is referred to by the locals as the "angel's share." If this figure is accurate, it may be worth slipping St. Peter a C-note to insure some prime heavenly real estate over the town. Luckily, with five major producers (Remy Martin, Courvoisier, Bisquit, Hennessy and Martell) and hundreds of family-run operations, there's plenty of Napoleon's beverage of choice left for us mere mortals -- despite my best efforts to put a dent in the reserves. So far I have enjoyed it mixed with tonic as an aperitif, between courses as a palate cleanser and after meals as a digestive -- and that was just at lunch! Prior to my visit, I had never dedicated much of my precious drinking time thinking about how, and by whom, cognac is made. If I did pause momentarily before ordering a brand, it was usually to decide which late evening scenario, as depicted in the glossy magazine ads, I hoped to emulate. Je m'excuse. Cognac is double distilled from grapes grown in a tiny, and strictly controlled, region in the southwest of France. After the distillation process is complete, the resulting "eau de vie" is stored in handmade oak casks, where it sits in musty stone basements for anywhere from four to 50-plus years, depending on the desired smoothness and finesse. The art of the master blender is to extract as much unique flavor as possible from each individual oak barrel through aging, then blend it with the differing characteristics of the other batches to achieve the desired balance. Expert blenders don't even taste, they just smell. As a cocaine dealer once told me, the nose knows. If you sip a "très venerable" (very old) cognac, chances are that it was distilled by one generation, aged and nurtured by a second, then blended and bottled by a third. In family-run operations, one can only hope that the pressure to follow in the father's footsteps is tempered by the fringe benefits. If all this information seems like a lot to swallow, you will be reassured to know that there are no tests following the distillery tours -- just a complimentary tasting. The next time you uncork a bottle of cognac at home, use your will power to reserve a little, and try your hand at this regional specialty, as shared with me by a local gourmand: - - - - - - - - - - - - MOULES MOUCLAD (MUSSELS IN A COGNAC CREAM SAUCE) (Serves 2) Ingredients 4 pounds mussels 1 cup white wine 1 clove garlic, minced 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 1 "bouquet garnis" or a few dry sage leaves, a bay leaf and a couple sprigs of thyme -- or any close approximation 1-1/2 tablespoon butter 3 tablespoons flour 1 egg yolk 1/4 cup whipping cream 2-3 tablespoons cognac 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 1/4 cup parsley, diced finely 1. Debeard and clean the mussels. Discard any mussels with cracked shells, as well as those that will not close when tapped. Then put them in a big casserole pot with the white wine, garlic, lemon juice and herbs. 2. Over high heat, cover and bring to a boil until mussels have opened (about 5 minutes). 3. Remove from heat and extract mussels with a slotted spoon. Discard any mussels that did not open. Remove and discard one half of each mussel shell, returning all juices to the pot. Place remaining shells with meat in a large shallow serving bowl and keep warm in your oven at 200 degrees F. 4. In a sauté pan over medium heat, make a light "roux" by melting butter, then slowly stirring in flour -- and a tablespoon or so of the boiling juices -- until it gains a light brown color. 5. Strain the juices that the mussels were boiled in, discard the solids and slowly stir two cups into the roux. 6. In a bowl, beat the egg yolk and the cream. Slowly add mixture into the roux and juices. Stir in cognac and pepper. 7. Remove mussels from the oven, pour sauce over the top and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately. Le Secret: Use the freshest available mussels. The Adventure Club: Follow in the French tradition by serving a selection of aged cheeses after dinner. Note: This dish is naturally quite salty. Music To Cook By: Anything by Yves Montand Wine: A dry, white Bordeaux Sept. 23, 1997 - - - - - - - - - - - - Want to make your own tour of the French countryside? Find out where to stay in the France area of Wanderlust Marketplace. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Photos by Bob Blumer (aka the Surreal Gourmet). Browse the Surreal Gourmet Archives The Surreal Gourmet's Web Site is located at http://surrealgourmet.com.

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