Every meal of my Voyage de Fromage was an extremely enjoyable experience of saveur locale presented with regional pride and kind hospitality. I can highly recommend the Jura as a delicious destination for even the most finicky of gourmet travellers.
Here’s a look at the best bites of my trip.
The first meal of my trip was a hearty lunch served with homespun charm at the rustic Chalet de la Frasse. Deep in the forest atop the Haut-Jura (but not really all that long of a drive from Geneva Airport), this mountain retreat offers basic but cosy accommodation for hikers and skiers and traditional fare for any guest with a wide-eyed appetite. Baked on site was the most ginormous bread I’ve ever seen in my life, which used to make the most ginormous piece of tartine I’ve ever eaten. The fondu was delicious too. Homemade desserts such as myrtle tarte and orange blossom flan delighted with subtle flavour.
Another delectable moment was at a cooking demo held at the cellars of Fromageries Vagne, with local chef Emmanuel Chamouton, head of Tic Tac Toque catering service and cookery school, leading the way. Chamouton shared a variety of recipes using Comté as a key ingredient. Dishes included fig, honey, pigeon, and Comté on five grain toast; leeks with caramelized hazelnuts and Comté; and mini croques-madames made with quail eggs.
Epicurea is a wine and cheese boutique focused on local specialties, such as absinthe, natural wines from the Jura, and a range of aged Comtés. Located in the heart of quaint Poligny, it’s a fine shop for tasty souvenir shopping, with a wonderful bar for wine tastings accompanied with cheeseboards and charcuterie.
La Table du Marc Tupin at l’Hostellerie Saint-Germain
One of my most memorable meals – not just of this trip but of the year – was the seven-course “surprise” tasting menu at Chef Marc Tupin’s restaurant at the hotel where I stayed the last night of my trip. A highlight was the main course of rose veal served with croquant d’aligot of Comté (aligot is a regional potato dish with an almost fondu-like texture), asparagus and morels.
This hokey little hotel and restaurant sits on the French-Swiss border and proved a perfect last stop before heading back to Geneva for my return flight. A lunch of regional dishes was rich and of generous proportion. My visit consisted of dining in France and using the toilet in Switzerland (and stepping over a slumbering Bearnaise mountain dog en route between the two).
Be sure to check back here soon for more highlights from my Voyage de Fromage.
