Insolite-Tours

In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the holiday season is when French cuisine proudly goes Christmas 🎄 A festive celebration centered on rich seasonal food and shared at the table with family and friends. In our region the meal often reflects the region’s mountains, farms, and long culinary traditions.

The Entrée (Starter or as we often say the apéro) of the holiday meal, usually begins with :

• Foie gras (duck or goose liver😉) served with toasted bread and fruit chutney, especially for festive occasions
• Regional charcuterie, such as cured ham, saucisson (a traditional French dry-cured sausage) or terrines Similar to a pâté, but usually more rustic and textured. And you may ask what is pâté? It can be describes as a smooth or sometimes coarsely textured spread made from finely ground ingredients, most often meat or liver, mixed with fat, seasonings, and sometimes alcohol.

My mother in-law makes her own foie gras 🪄✨

This is then followed by:

Plat (Main Course)

The main dish is hearty and comforting, perfect for winter:

Roast turkey or capon with chestnuts is a Christmas classic, and in some homes, a slow-cooked dish like pot-au-feu or braised meats is served.

This year in our home we opted for suprême (the tender breast) of Chapon with morels cream sauce,

Suprême de Chapon: A thick, tender cut of premium chicken breast from a chapon, prized in French cuisine for its superior flavor and softness. It is typically pan-roasted or gently cooked and served with an elegant sauce—often cream-based, mushroom, truffle, or wine—alongside seasonal vegetables or potatoes. A traditional festive dish, especially popular at Christmas.

Side dishes often include gratin dauphinois (creamy potato gratin), roasted vegetables, or mushrooms. In Lyon there is also the typical Cardons gratin.

This year our friend Gilles brought his family’s version of gratin (recipe follows below! )

Cheese usually follows the main course, and can feature famous regional cheeses such as Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Beaufort, or Bleu d’Auvergne. Our table had Bémontois and Brie – slightly truffled ….

If there is still room for more food, dessert follows

Dessert is festive and indulgent:

The iconic bûche de Noël, a log-shaped cake symbolizing the Yule log like this one is often served.

(Candied Chestnuts) Marrons glacés are chestnuts from the region which are candied in sugar syrup and often served as an after dinner treat, and chocolate !

Did anyone say papillotes?

Christmas in Auvergne Rhône-Alpes, isn’t just a meal – it’s a hidden treasure of flavors, traditions, and a pinch of regional magic waiting to be discovered !

Joyeux Noël – Merry Christmas 💫

🎄Gratin de Cardons: The Christmas Vegetable That Thinks It’s Cheese

At first glance, gratin de cardons looks harmless—creamy, golden, often bubbling with melted cheese. Then you’re told the truth: it’s made from cardons, a vegetable that looks like oversized celery and is actually related to the artichoke. Confusion is normal.

A true holiday classic in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, especially around Lyon, gratin de cardons is a dish that quietly steals the show. The cardons are carefully peeled, blanched, and tamed (this vegetable does not surrender easily), then baked in a rich white sauce, often enriched with bone marrow and topped with Gruyère or Comté cheese.

To American or British visitors, this dish feels delightfully “insolite”:

• It’s a vegetable, but behaves like a main course
• It’s creamy, but not trying to be healthy
• It tastes delicate and slightly bitter, yet indulgent and festive

Gratin de cardons traditionally appears at Christmas dinner, proudly holding its place next to roasted meats and cheeses. Locals will tell you it’s essential—not optional, not negotiable. You may not recognize the vegetable, but you’ll definitely remember the flavor.

How about trying the typical Gratin de Cardons recipe ?

Simple Gratin de Cardons (French Holiday Classic)

Serves: 4–6
Good to know: Cardoons look like giant celery and taste a bit like artichokes.

Ingredients

• 2 lb (about 1 kg) cardoons
  (If you can’t find cardoons, celery plus a little lemon zest is a mild substitute—less authentic, but still tasty.)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice (to prevent browning)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• ½ cup grated Gruyère or Comté cheese (Swiss cheese works in a pinch)
• Salt and black pepper
• A pinch of nutmeg (optional but very French)

(Optional traditional upgrade: replace ½ cup of milk with beef stock / add a little bone marrow if you can find some.)

Instructions

1. Prepare the cardoons
   • Remove tough outer strings (like you would with celery).
   • Cut into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces.
   • Place immediately in water with lemon juice.
2. Cook the cardoons

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add cardoons and simmer for 30–40 minutes, until tender.
3. Drain well.
4. Make the white sauce (béchamel)

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat
2. Stir in flour and cook for 1–2 minutes (don’t let it brown)
3. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth
4. Simmer gently until thickened
5. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

1. Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C
2. Butter a baking dish
3. Spread cardoons evenly in the dish
4. Pour sauce over the top and sprinkle with cheese.

1. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until bubbly and golden on top
2. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

How to Describe the Taste

Creamy like a potato gratin, slightly bitter like artichoke, and rich enough to feel like Christmas!

Enjoy your meal – Bon appétit and ….

Merry Christmas 🎄