One of the benefits of a walking trip is that you don't feel any hesitation in indulging in delicious meals, knowing that the next day's hike will burn off some calories.
Flammekueche or tarte flambée is a dish that epitomizes Alsace and is much loved by locals. It is basically a very thin pizza, traditionally topped with crème fraîche (heavy cream), thin-sliced onions and lardons (bacon). We had many variations of this dish with toppings ranging from mushrooms, artichoke hearts, peppers, onions and escargot (snails!).
An oyster mushroom burger with roasted beet salad.
Grilled salmon with pesto on top of dill risotto.
Salad with grilled shrimp and white asparagus, France's spring treat! This flavorful and tender asparagus is mainly grown in Alsace. Highly prized, it grows underground and is harvested before it reaches sunlight, giving it its mother-of-pearl coloring.
Chickpea curry with strips of pickled rhubarb.
Even the simplest of green salads was bursting with fresh flavors.
The foodie highlight was dining at Thierry Schwartz-Le Restaurant named after the chef and creator of "nature cuisine." https://www.thierry-schwartz.fr/le-chef-thierry-schwartz/
Named best young chef in France in 2006, he was recognized with a Michelin star in 2003 and most recently with an additional green Michelin star for his work in sustainable gastronomy.
We chose the six-course vegetarian menu. All the ingredients for the dishes were sourced within 50km of the restaurant. The chef presented and explained the first two dishes himself. We began with tiny onion tarts with flowers, chickpea crisps and cucumber flowers charred and stuffed with black mustard.
An incredible salad of leaves, flowers, seeds and fermented Christmas tree needles!
A lovely flaky brioche roll. However, when we were seated, the served pointed to a basket with dough resting in it and explained she would now put "OUR" bread in the oven to bake. When the small aromatic loaf was brought to our table, it was accompanied by another server who had a little butter churn and made butter for us right there at table-side!
I really don't even like butter very much but THIS butter made from the cream of local dairy cows was so sweet...I ate it all!
Oyster mushrooms and trout eggs in onion bullion.
Baby peas, caviar and a mousse made from "salad".
Kohlrabi with mustard seeds and juice from a fermented apple, pressed table side.
The "egg in an egg" with shaved truffle and fresh-made almond milk. We were overwhelmed with the presentations we forgot to take a photo.
Ice cream topped with caramelized whole strawberries, poppy seeds, and poppy flower petals.
Macaroons, ice-cream balls coated in spent barley malt, delicate fried dough sprinkled with hemp seeds.
We dined outside under a beautiful evening sky and the entire meal was 3-hours long. Truly memorable!
Naturally there were plenty of stops for French pastries like these eclairs. The top one is filled with rhubarb cream and the one below is filled with mango-passionfruit.
As the Alsace region shares a border with Germany, Black Forest cake is also a local favorite.
During our friend Neil's birthday weekend, we often ended the night at Brasserie de la Lanterne. The house-brewed craft beer is served in these tall beer towers called giraffes that hold 6-7 pints.
More stories and pictures to come...
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