Franche Comte Raymond Blanc: The Very Hungry Frenchman

Raymond Blanc arrived in Britain in 1972 as a 22-year-old,

unemployed, French waiter with only a shaky grasp of English.

Ten years later, he was a chef with two Michelin stars

which he still holds today.

Good texture. Lovely, lovely.

While he has been successful in his adopted home,

he has never forgotten his first love.

Food, food, glorious food, my God.

-The food and wine of France.

-Beautiful.

Now, Raymond is back to his favourite French regions

so that he can reconnect with the wonderful food

and people that have inspired him.

Ah, voila.

Oooh, oh, la, la.

The flavour is intense.

It just... Melting.

In each region, he will take over a restaurant for one night only.

Ooh, la, la.

And cook a feast inspired by his journey.

He will be serving a menu that features his version

of famous local dishes.

Helping the master in his homeland will be two lucky, young chefs

from his restaurant in Oxfordshire.

-Kush and Katie-Beth.

-Oh, la, la. Oh, la, la.

Despite 30 years at the top in the UK,

this will be the first time Raymond has had a chance

to be chef in France.

I've never cooked in France and I'm slightly, slightly anxious.

Ooh, la, la, stop it. Stop, stop, stop, don't grow up.

Ah.

It's a daunting, nerve-wracking and exciting task

but one perfectly suited to Raymond Blanc.

The Very Hungry Frenchman.

Every great chef has a rich bank of memories

that shape their love of food.

And for Raymond Blanc, it's here in the high, green pastures

of the county of his birth,

a little-known region of France called Franche-Comte.

Oh, OK, I get a bit emotional because it is my county and lesser known

to many people which is, in a way, a shame

because it begs to be discovered.

Tucked away on the Swiss border in the easternmost part of the country,

the food and cooking of Franche-Comte are the foundations

of Raymond's lifelong pursuit of culinary excellence.

It's going to be hearty food, I know exactly,

all is going to be local

and just going to be a very simple, inexpensive meal

with the best produce I can possibly think of.

The feed of this region is mountain food, grown in the summer

and eaten all winter.

It's food for hearty appetites.

That is lovely.

In the past, surviving long, cold winters

meant smoky, preserved meats, bottled summer fruits

and wheels of strong, hard cheese.

Food, food, glorious food, my God. This is glorious food. Um.

Raymond loves coming home and for him, home is food.

Its ingredients are created by the earth, the weather,

the history, the people and their craft.

Five words in English, one word in French, terroir.

Each region has got its own character, its own definitions.

Always there's a connection with everything here.

That beautiful Jura wine fitting so well with that magnificent Comte.

Then that morille goes so well with that wine.

That's the perfect union.

Then you have that beautiful smoked ham,

smoked with the wood of that forest.

Cows providing the milk for that beautiful fondue.

The terroir is one memory, it's, it's, it's, phwww

it's, it's, I don't know, it's...

The terroir is my memory of taste, my memory of my friends.

Of when we went to fetch those mushrooms together.

The fun. That hunger we had in our belly coming back home

because we hunted those mushrooms all day long.

True food is all about that.

Raymond grew up in Saone, a small, country village near Besancon.

Here, the surrounding countryside was a larder,

a place to play and forage with friends.

His childhood home sits atop the village

where his parents still live today.

Raymond's mother can always be found in the kitchen.

And it's she Raymond credits with inspiring his love of food.

Oh, mon brave!

Ah.

Maman Blanc is nearly 90 years old.

She and Raymond's father built this house

with the help of their neighbours.

Home, it's about the familiar.

OK, but a degree of expectation of very good food that's simple

and delicious and it's turned out, here, in this house,

it was turned out every time we sat down.

Although we were not very rich, at all, we ate like kings.

Raymond believes Maman Blanc

to be one of the most gifted cooks he knows.

The family home was always filled

with the enticing aromas of home cooking.

Il n'y a pas de remede pour les rides.

She says, not too close, please.

She doesn't like to show her wrinkles, OK.

She looks like a little apple, an old apple, all crumpled

and beautiful and cuddly as well.

When he was growing up, the garden provided

much of what the family ate and it's still the same today.

The garden is much smaller than it used to be

but my mum does look after it all by herself,

OK, so I think it's quite amazing.

CHURCH BELL RINGS

That's quite interesting, see,

that used to be the church we used to go to,

of course, I was an altar boy but not a very good one.

Because I used to eat the Communion bread

and there was none for the guests.

So to speak.

-Ooh, la, la. La reine des glaces.

-La reine des glaces.

Maman Blanc still grows Raymond's favourite lettuce.

Tasting great quality food as a child

helped set Raymond's high culinary standards.

It's one of these little flavours and textures.

It's all linked with my childhood,

it's all linked to a particular taste.

If you taste that salad,

it's the best summer salad you can possibly get.

So, she gave me some pretty good stuff.

That is typical, that is exactly what she shouldn't be doing

but she still goes on to do it all the time.

Jumping like a little girl, she thinks she's on a mountain.

Maman, tu vas arreter de monter sur la dessus. Voila, merci.

Maman Blanc is, reluctantly, letting Raymond cook.

And he's making a family favourite, a sausage and potato salad.

It's a very traditional salade Franc-Comtoise.

With potatoes, with white wine

and also this wonderful sausage de Morteau

and a bit of salad, very simple.

I think this sausage is the best sausage in the whole world.

Yet, nobody knows it in England, it's unbelievable.

That smell is so right, the colour,

the smell, the whole house smells of Morteau sausage.

And that goes directly here. Beautiful.

Maman Blanc is determined to help.

She's chopping some shallots for the salad dressing,

using a curved knife that once belonged to Raymond's grandmother.

My mum is good, very, very good

but my grandmother was a mind-blowing feat of creativity

and she grew everything and there was this amazing verger

where all the food would be grown.

Ah, Maman Blanc in action. C'est parfait, Maman. Tres bien.

To complement the warm potatoes and rich sausage,

Raymond is making a vinegar and white wine dressing.

It's infused over a gentle heat with herbs and the shallots.

And I'm going to pour that in here, very hot.

They're going to soak that beautiful dressing.

Look, this beautiful saucisse de Morteau.

The warm dressing is soaked up by the potatoes

before being topped with the smoky sausage.

That's a home dish that you would do in any family and that's homely,

it's simple and it's delicious.

-Alors, voila, Sylvette.

-Bonjour.

-Bonjour, bonjour, Sylvette.

-Bonjour, Raymond.

-Ca va, Raymond.

As well as friends and family,

Raymond has invited his two assistant chefs,

Katie-Beth and Kush,

who will be helping him create his homecoming feast.

Oh, les belles fleurs, oh, les belles fleurs.

At room temperature,

all the flavours of the salad have combined beautifully.

Allez, enfants. Comme a la maison.

-Une goutte.

-Ah, Maman. Voila, c'est parfait, ca.

-Oui.

The gathering of friends

and family bring older brother Gerard to the table.

-Ca va?

-Oui.

Time for Raymond to discuss his plans

for his first ever Franc-Comtois menu.

Most importantly, a dish that always reminds him of this house.

I will cook rabbit. It's a dish in our region which is important.

It was a dish of the poor. Every family would own their own rabbits,

not as pets.

Actually, I'm going to prepare it here.

I'm going to kill the rabbit here.

When Raymond was young, the family always kept rabbits

but there were no Thumpers or Cottontails here.

These rabbits were not pets, they were for the pot.

Raymond and his brothers would often kill

and skin a rabbit for his mother to cook.

His father taught his older brother Gerard

and Gerard would help the young Raymond.

And it's the same today.

Gerard is an experienced hunter

while Raymond usually leaves this to his butcher.

Oui, oui. So do I. I find it very difficult, I must say.

Encore deux minutes.

You've got to be precise to ensure that the animal doesn't suffer.

And actually do it humanely.

And also, it translates in good taste, of course.

An animal which has been stressed while it's being killed,

believe me, it's not very nice at all.

Raymond has always believed in staying close

to the source of his food.

Food is not separated from my life. It's all part of it.

And it's got its own cycle, its own seasonality, OK, around it as well.

And I think that it's very much the basics

of my whole philosophy.

Voila.

Franche-Comte is one of France's most rural regions.

Pretty villages dot the landscape,

many with their own, traditional restaurants.

Raymond has persuaded a friend, Arnauld Berthet,

to let him stage the feast at his bistro

in the village of Port-Lesney.

-Bienvenue, Raymond.

-Merci, merci beaucoup.

-Welcome home.

The Bistrot Port-Lesney is typical of the region.

Red-checked tablecloths, bentwood chairs

and a long history of serving a demanding, local clientele.

Raymond may be at the top of his profession in the UK

but this dinner is about more than the food he will serve.

It will be a homage to the cooking of his region

and a celebration of the people that matter most. Friends and family.

It's the first time for French guests in my own region.

So, I better make sure that we give them the best and more.

The restaurant is situated on the banks of the River Loue

in an area known as the Jura.

It's a great location for sourcing local ingredients.

He is using some specialities, some good products from the area.

So, obviously, we're very curious about it

and we have no idea what he's going to cook.

So, no, we're quite impatient, actually.

It's a five-star kitchen. It's a seven-star kitchen.

It's going to be a real pleasure.

I'm bringing with me some real gastronomes

and they will be very curious about it.

So, I'm sure it's going to be a nice evening.

It's fantastic. There's proper light, proper extraction.

You can do pastry, you know.

It's fantastic. It's straight, it's not like that.

If life had taken a different turn,

this could have been where Raymond Blanc made his name,

a local French bistro rather than an Oxfordshire manor house.

The menu for the feast will include Raymond's interpretation

of the great recipes of Franche-Comte.

The first dish he and his team want to try

is braised rabbit with mustard.

Rabbit may have seen a culinary renaissance recently in the UK

but, here in France,

it's always been as popular as Raymond's musical references.

You would look very good, Kush.

-You look brilliant with that.

-What is it?

-A wonderful singer, Lady, Lady...

-Gaga.

-Lady Gaga.

Shall we compete with her?

This will be a dish that everyone at the feast will recognise.

The challenge is to make it the best it can be.

The meat is slowly browning beautifully.

The juices are leaking out

and are settling down to a wonderful caramel at the base of it.

And there is no drying, just slow cooking, OK, perfect.

In France, a slow braise like this will always include some local wine.

-A quick boil, two seconds to remove the alcohol.

-Oui.

This Vin Jaune is unique to this area of Franche-Comte.

Of all the wines of the world I know,

-there's only two I can recognise when I cook them.

-Oui.

-It's a Vin Jaune.

-Oui.

-And the second?

-The Gewurztraminer we use at work, chef.

-That's right.

Another layer of flavour, fresh thyme and sage.

I know you'll be very tempted, Kush, to turn it around.

You would like to, I know. It... Don't.

-Many people would have stirred it to death.

-Oui.

OK, so, before you start, you've got a dead rabbit. OK.

Twice dead. Twice dead.

For acidity and depth, some vinegar.

Beautiful.

More essential flavours come in the form of onions, garlic

and mushrooms.

Some water lengthens the sauce.

-Now, Kush, oh, la, la. A bit of cold water.

-Precision is everything.

That's how you mess up, that is exactly... Quickly.

You must never, never boil.

-OK, it's my fault, completely my fault. I...

-It's a new stove.

It's a new stove, OK.

A quick taste and it's off to a low oven.

The jus.

I can smell the Vin Jaune. Oh, yes, we can smell it.

Voila. Beautiful.

Raymond is sure his guests will love that local favourite,

cooked in his own special way.

It's vintage Raymond, a bit like his lovely old car.

Don't laugh at my Deux Chevaux, she's a classic, OK, look at that.

And she's seen a lot. Can I show you?

And I wish she'd seen much more with me. Fantastic.

Raymond left Franche-Comte in a car like this 40 years ago.

It took him four days to drive to Oxford.

At the time, he was still living here in Besancon.

Like most French towns, food and eating is knitted into its soul.

And for Raymond, a country boy, moving here on his own at 19,

he felt like he'd really arrived.

He was feeling quite rich

when one day he found himself here at the Poker d'As.

I was passing by this restaurant and suddenly I smelt something heavenly

and those smells were absolutely unbelievable,

different from my mother's cuisine, more structured.

And rich and, oh, it was beautiful.

So, I couldn't help it, I entered the restaurant.

The maitre d' look at me, you know, "Good morning, young man,

"what do you want?"

And I said, "Well, what are you cooking today?

"I smell something heavenly."

"Ah, today the menu du jour is rognons de veau

"with Hermitage red wine."

Wow. You know, I say, "OK, I will sit down."

He looked at me, "That's going to be expensive, young man, you know."

I said, "Oh, no problem, no problem." I feel very sort of, no problem,

playing the part of a very wealthy bon vivant, you know.

And I said, "How much is it?"

And he tell the price and I was like, oh, my God,

I'm going to spend all that money here.

But I say, "OK, let's treat myself."

It was my first gastronomic experience in this little place

and, I must say, it was one of the happiest moments of my life.

Oh, I was in heaven.

Rognons de veau, look, rognons de veau.

It's with white wine, not my rognons de veau.

So, I won't go here at lunchtime.

No, we're not lost at all.

I get it a little bit wrong, I always get it wrong.

I've got no sense of direction.

-In a forest, yes, in a city, no way. So, it's...

-Over there.

-OK.

It may well have been Raymond's destiny to be a chef

and, as a customer, he has never minded spending money on good food.

As the purse is emptied, the heart is filled.

Victor Hugo wrote that. He's from Besancon too.

Here, in this his very place, that's when I really met my destiny.

I was a young man of 19 and a half, it was very late at night,

I decided to walk here in Place Granvelle.

Beside my friend Victor Hugo.

This square was home to the Palais de la Biere,

the restaurant that gave Raymond his first job.

And this legendary chef patron started right at the bottom.

I ended up working here but I was not given the job as a head chef.

I was given the job as a cleaner and, my God, I came in here

and I cleaned that place.

It was beautiful, it was shiny.

The toilets were sparkling, never toilets had been so clean.

Then I was given my first jacket and I started to be a waiter.

For me, that was very important, formative years.

That's where I learnt discipline, I learnt teamwork and, really,

I learnt the meaning of a great restaurant.

While Raymond was working his way up, he lived on this street.

Now home to his favourite restaurant in Besancon, Le Vin et l'Assiette.

It's a restaurant above a wine shop, both of which are owned

by his old friend and wine expert Bernard Leroy.

Absolutely famished.

-Tu as vraiment faim? You're hungry?

-Thank you very much.

While he's here, Raymond wants to start thinking about the wines

for his menu.

You've got to help me because you know every single small producer.

-Juste pour...

-Pour commencer.

-For starting.

-For starters.

-For start.

Bernard's first suggestion is a Trousseau.

It's a very fruity wine to start.

Sante. To our beautiful country.

-The Trousseau grape is indigenous to the region.

-It goes very well.

It's lovely.

-Sante. Quel plaisir.

-Bon appetit, Raymond.

The Trousseau complements the fried pike

but what about Raymond's rabbit?

Next, some Vin Jaune.

It is usually served at the end of a meal

but, Raymond thinks, could be drunk with the rabbit.

-Don't speak. Don't speak, don't talk.

-The best way is to try.

Taste, taste, taste.

-Raymond has a theory about vin jaune's sherry-like quality.

-Ah?

-Maybe.

-The history of Franche-Comte.

-Franche-Comte was owned by Austria.

-Yes.

-Then by Spain.

In Spain, they do a lot of sherry, which is a very similar technique

so have the Spanish copied the French or the French copied the Spanish?

No, no, no.

This is a really, a really original wine from Franche-Comte.

This is very French wine. It's not a pale copy of Spanish wine.

Bernard has an idea to help Raymond decide.

The best choice for you,

for me, for the rabbit is to meet a really nice winemaker.

-That would be absolutely lovely.

-We can make it.

Although, that trip will have to wait until tomorrow.

-Aglouglouglou.

-No, no, no.

BOTH: # Il est des notres

# Il a bu sa biere comme les autres

# C'est un ivrogne. #

A new day and Raymond's favourite day trip.

Franche-Comte has a small but very special wine-growing area.

It's in the beautiful Jura countryside,

close to the restaurant where Raymond will put on his menu.

Bernard has brought Raymond to meet one of his favourite winemakers...

whose cellar is in the village of Montigny-les-Arsures.

-Monsieur Gahier, enchante.

-Enchante.

-Pleased to meet you.

Jura is about terroir. The foods, the vegetables, the game.

The saucisse de Morteau, the charcuterie

but also, of course, its wonderful wines.

But the king of the Jura wine, of course, is a Vin Jaune.

Monsieur Gahier makes some of the very best Vin Jaune

and other wines in the Jura.

What makes Vin Jaune so special is that, unlike normal wine,

air is let into the barrel

which allows a thin layer of yeast to form.

That veil of yeast spends six years slowly passing through the wine

and only then can Vin Jaune be drunk.

Two things happen.

The wine evaporates, the liquid evaporates

and equally on the top,

you have some yeast forming that we call the veil.

The very finest veil made of bacteria,

sitting at the top of the wine.

Giving wonderful, little flavour,

slightly oxidised which is very typical of that wine.

You can see it right at the top. It's being formed.

It's only a three-year-old wine at the moment.

So, it's just being formed.

This wine can grow up to 200 or 300 years of age.

And you can put me anywhere in the world, across the world,

you know, in a dark room, in an inhospitable place.

And you put in front of me a Chateau Chalon,

I will know it is Chateau Chalon.

I will know it's a Vin Jaune. I know it's my Jura.

There's only one thing left to do.

Have a taste.

Oh, look at that colour. Look at that colour. Liquid gold.

Vin Jaune's rich taste has a peculiar affinity

with one of Raymond's great food loves,

the most famous cheese of the region, Comte.

To me, one of the most heavenly matches on Earth

is Comte and Savagnin Vin Jaune.

Anyone, a boy, a five-year-old, would enjoy it too.

You don't need to be Raymond Blanc or Bernard, you know.

It is so incredible what you get when you eat those two.

This amazing complexity of flavours, merging together.

OK, well, maybe not a five-year-old boy

but this combination of Comte and Vin Jaune,

to Raymond, it is nothing short of a miracle.

-Thank you.

-Sante.

It's just a pity that Raymond is driving.

Voila.

Soon, Raymond will cook his first meal as a chef

in his home region, Franche-Comte.

And it's unthinkable that his menu won't include Comte cheese.

We'll have a look.

So, he's using it to make a cloud of cheese souffle

inside a crisp pastry case.

This is Raymond's Comte Cheese Tart.

The perfect finish requires well-rested pastry.

Ah! I'm doing very well, for f... Beep, beep, beep, beep.

Clingfilm saves the day.

With raw pastry, you just lift it, right in the middle, here.

Push it in, push it in, push it in.

Voila. Voila.

Once cooked to a light, golden brown, the case is left to cool.

The filling is next. For that, Raymond is going on a pilgrimage.

COWBELLS CLANK

Raymond is going back to the mountains

where he spent his holidays as a boy, 20 miles from home.

Montbeliarde cows are everywhere in the high pasture.

They are renowned for their rich, high-fat milk.

The milk that is used to make Comte.

These cows must have a three-star Michelin meal every day.

Would you look at that?

You cannot get better than that.

So many varieties, so many nutrients, so many flavours.

You're bound to have fabulous cheese.

These mountains form the French border

and are dotted with the forts built to defend the country

from Prussia in the 19th century.

Now, Fort Lucotte in Saint Antoine is a different kind of bastion.

Raymond is evangelical about what's inside.

So he's bought his commis Katie-Beth to see for herself.

Look at this. Look, there's millions. Actually, there's 100,000.

100,000 cheese, Comte, here.

OK, it's a cathedral of cheese.

Like fine wine, cheese benefits from care and attention.

This fort has the perfect temperature

and humidity to make Comte cheese one of the world's great cheeses.

I really, I really feel it, Katie,

I'm right in the heart of my Franche-Comte. I smell it.

Through my heart, through my brain,

through all my senses I smell my Franche-Comte.

It's incredible.

Machines turn, brush and salt every wheel, every week.

But there are some things a machine will never be able to do.

And one of them is understanding

when a cheese has reached perfection.

Monsieur Querry is a master affineur.

He inspects over 300 cheeses every day.

The affineur's craft employs all five senses.

Sight, touch, smell, taste and hearing.

And he rather enjoys talking about cheese too.

-It's not a hammer. OK.

-Ca s'appelle une sonde.

-It's a sonde.

In which, of course, you can screw some cheese from here

-and you can also tap it.

-Oui.

-On ne tape pas un fromage.

-Non.

-On le sonne.

You don't tap cheese, you ring it.

So, by ringing it, he understands the texture

if it's tight or not, if it's moist or not.

For me, that cheese would eat very well today but it still feels,

feel the raw milk, the lactic quality.

Each cheese is branded with a number so the affineur knows

which village and which cows are responsible for which cheese.

But do they really taste different?

-So, we're going to try these different cheese.

-Oui.

-That come from different villages, same day.

-Les odeurs de fermenter.

Oh, c'est incroyable. It's different.

It's two different worlds, two different cheese almost.

Raymond has waited longer than can be expected of any Frenchman.

A little bread, a little wine - time to eat.

The Comte is at the very heart of our gastronomies.

There's no doubt about that, now.

I very much look forward to serve it cooked, to serve it whole.

But we certainly serve it with joy

and to celebrate that wonderful, fantastic taste.

Ma Franche-Comte, regarde.

Back at the bistro, it's time to finish

the tart's delectably light cheese souffle filling.

I'm going to cook it very slowly. I don't want to cook it fast.

And I want to cook it perfectly to a blond roux

which is going, in turn, to give that amazing, nutty flavour.

A bechamel sauce is the base of most savoury souffles.

Voila.

So, now, your bechamel is cooked. Now, we'll cool it down a tiny bit.

-Want to enrich it with mustard.

-Oui, chef.

Allez, hop. Now, the yolk.

OK.

That's your souffle base, we are ready.

In goes the grated Comte.

It gets very smooth.

Voila.

And for lift, egg whites.

That's perfect. Perfect. That's great. Just a little like that.

Tres bien. And then, now...

Voila, tres bien.

-Then, after, fold.

-Oui, chef.

-You break it then you fold.

At this stage, the souffle needs careful handling.

Folding gently, maximising the air bubbles needed.

Voila.

-Give me some cheese for the top.

-Yes, chef.

Just like that.

-Voila. Let's go.

-Oui, back into the oven?

-Into the oven, yes.

A medium oven gives rise, colour and a wonderful texture.

Voila. Ah! Comme c'est joli.

Tres bien. So, now, let's serve it.

Oh, makes all the difference.

Merci. Beautiful.

Parfait.

That's a very smart tart, Raymond.

But this one won't keep.

Mmm.

That's fantastic.

If Comte cheese has a rival for the affections of the locals,

then it's the Morteau sausage.

Although almost unknown in the UK, it's something Raymond adores.

Being a proud local, he always replenishes his stocks

to share with friends and family at home in Oxford.

Key to their unique taste is long smoking in tuyes, or chimneys,

that are a common feature on farmhouses in the region.

The most famous locally is the tuye of Papy Gaby.

Jean-Francois Nicolet is the owner and as well as sausage,

he smokes whole joints of ham and beef.

C'est incroyable.

C'est formidable. C'est merveilleux.

Oh, tous ces saucissons.

Oh, these delicious dinners, imagine, hanging up there.

That is a cathedral of sausages.

And the smell, that smell is incredible.

It's so powerful, this beautiful rounded smoke.

I feel like, already, a great, big saucisse de Morteau.

Absolutely all smoked up.

I hope they're very well hung. They're not going to fall on my head.

-No problem.

-Ca va? Sure?

-You're not sure.

They're huge, they're massive. Ooh, la, la.

This tuye is over 60 years old and the largest in Franche-Comte.

As a technique, smoking isn't just about flavour,

it's about survival.

A beautiful piece of artisanry, lovely craft.

What lovely smoke.

Smoking helps preserve the meat

so it can be kept through the long, cold winters.

These people couldn't get out of these valleys for three months.

So, that provided that food. That was their own sustenance.

Not bad, mind you, I wouldn't mind.

Good home-made bread, OK, Comte cheese,

a couple of bottles of Jura wine,

I think I could live with that for three months.

Time to get those sausages.

When I go back, OK, at home, I give the sausage de Morteau to my sons.

And the passengers beside me they go, "Oh, lovely."

Not like cheese, with cheese, people go...

Voila.

Voila.

Parfait.

The hunter and the gatherer.

Tres bien.

And before he goes, one vital job.

-Oui, oui, oui, OK.

-Tres bien.

Voila.

Not quite as flammable as it looks.

Voila.

-I think we are. On est des maitres.

-Des maitres de feu.

Des maitres de feu. We are controlling fire and smoke.

Of course, Raymond can't leave without trying the food.

A good quality pork. Bien sur, c'est saucisson.

Smoked, smoked. C'est delicieux.

You don't eat your own food? Vous ne mangez pas votre propre..?

For Raymond, Morteau sausage is just one taste

that stirs memories of a happy childhood.

The food and recipes that he learnt at home

have been handed down through generations.

Raymond's grandmother was the housekeeper at a manor house.

His grandfather was the gardener.

As a small boy, Raymond used to visit them

at what he called Le Chateau.

Everything would grow here because of the microclimate.

Everything would grow, vine would grow, peaches, apricots.

Figs would grow. And an immaculately looked after garden.

My grandfather was this great gardener

and I learnt all about seasonality at a very early age.

About four or five.

Bonjour, chef.

The house is now known by Monsieur and Madame Grappin

and they've invited Raymond to come

and have a look around his old playground.

It was a complete cycle from earth, from seeds into the earth,

then growing that life force, OK, that cycle,

that seasonality which was worshipped into our house.

And that gorgeous food and those figs, that deliciousness.

And those smells in this house, it was unbelievable.

From what was grown in the garden to what was cooked in the kitchen,

this place has been an inspiration to Raymond.

The cellar where summer fruit was turned into liqueur

holds a particular memory.

When I was a kid, I came down these stairs, that smell completely hit me.

That smell of raw alcohol which was fermenting.

And the vapours, I just, in two seconds,

I got all that incredible looks, that incredible experience.

Then, I got very drunk.

And I stumbled upstairs and there, who was there, my grandma.

And she gave me the biggest spanking of my life.

"How could you care at four years of age to get drunk?"

I never drunk a thing, of course, I'd just smelled, that's all.

Fortunately,

the memory hasn't dulled his love for his grandmother's cooking.

She was a creative genius and a natural cook.

A cook, you know, who just saw a produce

and was so quickly able to make it sing, make it taste heavenly.

Raymond used to stay overnight with his grandparents in a building

across the courtyard, now overgrown.

My room was here. That's my room.

I love this house.

It holds so many wonderful, incredible, precious memories,

OK, of my dear grandparents.

And it was lovely.

Seasonality is core to Raymond's cooking.

So, he's decided to start the feast with the freshest vegetables

and a dish dedicated to his mother, Salade Maman Blanc.

Although simple, the quality of the ingredients is vital.

One of the best market gardeners in the region

is just a few miles from the bistro in the village of Cleron.

Laurent and Julie Pierrat used to work in Switzerland

but they've returned to Franche-Comte

to set up on their own.

-Bonjour, Monsieur Laurent.

-Hello. Hi.

It's really lovely.

We came here, Laurent, because we've been told

that, in your place, you grow the most beautiful sweet chard.

Le plus beau cardon.

-This one...

-On va les ausculter.

-Ils sont jolis. Une belle. Quelle variete?

-C'est la...

-..la regione d'Ampuis, quoi.

-Hmm.

-Oui.

Raymond is also looking for chard to serve with his cheese tart.

-I am preparing a tarte au fromage souffle.

-OK.

OK, and I would like to have a little blette on the side.

So, those are fantastic.

This beautiful chard is going to have pride of place

on the plate next to Raymond's Comte cheese tart at the feast.

-Vous les cusinez aussi? You cook them?

-Oui, oui.

-Is that your wife?

-No.

-No, you cook. You grow your food and you cook it.

-My wife is good at the dessert.

-Yeah.

And I prefer cooking salty dishes.

Every Frenchman I've asked, you know, "Do you cook?"

-"No, no, my wife cooks."

-OK.

So, you grow and you cook, well done. Bravo.

Thank you.

Chard is a member of the beetroot family, bitter when raw.

When cooked, it is sweet and delicate.

Get a bit of raw beetroot. It's all organic, OK.

Here we are lucky because Laurent has grown three varieties of beetroot.

The albino is the white one.

-Chioggia. I think we have it as well.

-Candy.

-Candy beetroot.

-Candy beetroot, yes. Have you got some yellow ones?

-Oui.

-The Italian variety.

Hmm. Forget about yellow, pas de jaune.

So, we'll have a good mix of everything. Ca c'est vraiment mieux.

Your garden and this beautiful area, and these fantastic mountains

surrounded with wonderful mountains, it's really lovely.

A rewarding afternoon in the garden can only end one way.

Eating food fresh from the earth.

This is the life Raymond left behind for England.

The food of his home, saucisson, cheese

and intense vegetable purees.

-You have tasted this?

-Never before.

-Oh, you must taste that, beautiful.

-You can't come to Franche-Comte without tasting that.

-Exactly.

Pontarlier-Anis, the taste of a warm, summer evening

in Franche-Comte.

Merci bien, parfait.

I think this baby must be a very happy baby.

Cos in all these little pots here, they're all little beetroots.

Yellow, white, purple, from just in that little plot, here.

And that little baby's fed on it. Imagine.

From that deep terroir, for that real flavour.

So, they learn very early what terroir means. As early as that.

Well, I would say that the French, they know how to live,

there's no doubt about that.

I just visited an organic garden, here, that's it.

And with saucisson and that the beautiful Pontarlier aperitif.

With organic carrots, courgette, potirons, Gruyere.

The lot. It's fantastic. It's wonderful.

Quiet. No noise. Mountains around, clear air. Life cannot be better.

I think I'm staying here. I think I'm going to stay here.

At the Bistrot Porte-Lesney,

Katie-Beth and Kush are preparing for the feast.

The menu is settled except for one course, the dessert.

The dessert is the evening's finale

and Raymond wants to leave his guests with something to remember.

Cherries are in season, so he's come home to Maman Blanc -

she has one Griottine tree still fruiting.

This tree is specially created for...

IN FRENCH:

Les tartes, les clafoutis. Oui?

Tres bien, Maman!

Yeah. Like she said, my mum, OK, that's for clafoutis,

OK, but it's quite sharp.

So it's a bit of an acquired taste, but mostly it's for...

Griottes are for liqueur.

Cherries cook in a...

OK, so actually...

I'm going to show you...

-Elle... She's right, again, Mummy's absolutely right.

-Voila.

We pickle them now, ready for Christmas,

and they'll be perfectly ready when the syrup - the kirsch syrup goes right through,

OK, the fruit, and macerates them for about six months.

-They will soak up...

-Jusqu'a Noel, voila.

You can also dip it into a fondant and then chocolat.

And you let the fondant for at least a week,

melt down, the kirsch fondant, that is absolutely stunning.

There's going to be a lovely cherry dessert on the menu, definitely, but not those.

Those are going to be for the alcohol - for my two sons, Olivier and Sebastien.

The childhood memories of cherries means they will be the key ingredient in his dessert.

The dessert Raymond has chosen will show off the fruit to its best -

a cherry jubilee.

It starts with a sabayon - a foam made with egg yolk and sugar

and a little sweet white wine.

Very simple dessert wine - don't use expensive dessert wine.

I'm bringing air into it.

The sabayon is so versatile, Raymond will be serving it two ways -

frozen and gratinated.

For richness, cream, and to enhance the cherry flavour, kirsch.

Just as much as a tin of beans, kirsch should be in your cupboard.

For sharpness, lemon juice and another layer of flavour - cayenne pepper.

Tiny bit, not very much.

Voila. Enfin, whoa, stop.

It's not a tandoori we're doing here, OK?

Freezing the sabayon turns it into a light parfait -

a contrast to the warm cherries.

Even with the best cherries, Raymond likes to use a simple technique

to maximise their flavour -

maceration in a little sugar and kirsch.

I don't want a compote - I want the cherry to burst in your mouth

with all the juices, with all of the flavour, OK?

First, a circle of the frozen sabayon.

Then the luscious cherries...

The creamy sabayon, gently gratinated.

It will brown beautifully.

And for added texture, croutons and sugary almonds.

-Is lovely.

-Thank you.

Menu complete. Now what was it?

Er...

I'm cooking it... I'm cooking it, I still don't know what I'm writing!

It's difficult for me! OK, er...!

Eh, bien, er... Oui.

"Tarte au fromage soufflee."

Oh, not "fromage", sorry! They will hang me high and dry.

Here we're talking about Comte.

Bon ap... Appetit, deux "p" in French, or one p?

LAUGHTER

I always get confused! In England, two. France, one.

That's terrible! Ooh, la la!

The bistro Port-Lesney in the heart of Franche-Comte

is being prepared for one of the most significant nights in Raymond's professional life.

Nearly 40 years ago, he left Franche-Comte as a waiter,

to travel to Oxfordshire, where he found his passion

and developed the skills he is now bringing home.

Morilles, I'm going to do that now.

In the years since, he has gained two Michelin stars,

trained a generation of chefs and entertained royalty.

We are going got start again with my counting.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight...

The cherries. We need to cook the cherries now, before they oxidise.

Tres bien.

Tres bien. Ca, on va le mettre sur la meme assiette.

-OK, right after the tarte au fromage, we'll start cooking the rabbit.

-Oui, chef.

But tonight he cooks for the most important people in his life.

I'm cooking for a big family tonight and most of it is MY family!

It'd better be good or else I'll be in trouble with my first employer,

my first teacher, I've got my first boss, you know.

And lots of friends I know, voila.

-And your mother!

-And my mum, OK, so voila.

And would you believe it, they've turned up early.

Oh, Maman!

You are very kind here, arriving half an hour in advance.

In England, people arrive half an hour late.

Even Raymond's elderly father has managed to make the journey.

C'est une belle soiree. OK?

But it's not just family and friends that Raymond wants to impress.

The local gastronomes have turned up in force -

the bistro's managers, Arnaud and Vanessa, know they're not easily impressed.

Yes, those people are very regular clients from the bistro

and from the chateau, so they know their food, actually.

-We're just putting the pressure on, are we?

-Yeah, a little bit.

-Yeah!

We are ready now to serve in five minutes,

we can send effectively the crudites.

To start the feast, some delicate canapes, and a Comte cheese fondue.

It's a little on the thin side. Easily rectified, though.

-More cheese, please, some more cheese - quickly.

-Oui, chef.

-Thank you, mon petit.

-Oui, chef.

Where is the Vin Jaune?

Voila.

Ah! Oh...

Parfait.

That makes all the difference, that's my beautiful Franche-Comte, lovely.

Voila.

S'il vous plait, service, monsieur!

The first course is ready to be served.

Salade Maman Blanc,

with the fresh vegetables from market garden owner Laurent.

A tribute to his mother's kitchen.

CONVERSATION DROWNS HIS DESCRIPTION OF THE DISH

The signs are good - not only has Maman Blanc cleaned her plate,

Laurent looks happy too.

-Donc, ca va. Combien de...?

-Cinq.

-Cinq, tres bien.

-Quatre, huit...

What time is it?

-Half seven, chef.

-Half past seven, perfect. Beautiful. Lovely.

Perfect, guys.

Next, the souffle tart, made with that local essential, Comte cheese.

Beautiful.

The top... Non, non, non. Voila.

Will it live up to the exacting standards of the local foodies?

Having a great time, great food, great company.

The flan, fantastic.

Now, the rabbit with mustard, made with Vin Jaune,

rather than the traditional red wine.

Will this variation surprise and delight?

-Fast, let's go fast, guys. Got 35 guests.

-Chef.

-Oui.

We'll be in a mess, otherwise.

What will the verdict be from his fellow Franc-Comtois?

I cook it at home, I cook it in red wine,

so I do it quite regularly, but it's different on this one.

I would like to have the recipe!

Raymond's rabbit is a success.

Voila - what time is it?

Nine. Perfect.

OK, tres bien, les enfants. Well done.

Raymond has time to join the party for a moment.

-Raymond is confident of a fantastic finish.

-Bit of kirsch, please.

The final course is the cherry jubilee.

Bon... Stop.

OK. Sabayon.

Tres bien.

Can we go on the rest, please? Katie?

Perfect.

Voila.

C'est fait. C'est tout! Simple, is it!

APPLAUSE

As a homecoming, this has been challenging, but fulfilling.

The feast is the glorious finale to Raymond's visit

and smiling faces of friends and family, the ultimate reward.

Tonight, what I loved most is cooking for the first time

back into my own county.

I have discovered a little bit more my country,

I rediscovered its values,

its ethics, its people. I feel I've showed my best.

I think you have here the very heart of France,

in so much it's about celebrations, about food, about a table.

It's about bringing the friends around the table - it's fantastic.

Life can be like that. It can be as charming as that.

As fantastic as that. And the food tonight was the means,

the medium to bring all these wonderful people around

and celebrate life. And that's enough.

That's fantastic.

C'est tout.

Next time, Raymond continues his journey in Burgundy.

When I think of Burgundy, I think of wines.

Merci.

Boeuf bourgignon.

I'm a very 'appy Frenchman.

I thought I knew all the French cheeses, but my God, I only knew that much.

Don't compete with me, rooster - be careful, OK?!

You have a chef beside you!

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