I'm all for home cooking, but one attempt at homemade aligot was enough for me. I see that some American cooks have been hardy enough to cook aligot at home and I respect them for that. Then again, they may not be able to buy aligot manufactured by the Jeune Montagne cheese cooperative in Laguiole. In Aveyron, I can purchase this specialty in any supermarket, and I find it compares quite favorably with the homemade version. It sure is less tiring on my arm, at any rate.
6 comments:
Ahhhh, another fond memory of when we visited you several years ago... Aligot in Laguiole. Mmmmmmm! I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but I can still kind of remember what it looked like. (Why didn't I take more pictures?)
The only time I've eaten aligot was at the Ambassade d'Auvergne restaurant in Paris, near the Pompidou Center. It was served with an Auvergnate sausage.
I can't say I was impressed. The sausage is rich already, and the purée of potatoes enriched with all that cheese is a little much. I think an aligot could stand by itself as a main course, accompanied by a green vegetable or a good salad (salade verte with a home-made vinaigrette). I'll have to try to make an aligot -- if I can find tomme d'auvergne here in the Loire Valley.
this sounds like something i'd love to try -- but i don't know if i can find tomme cheese here -- the cook's food thesaurus says muenster is an acceptable substitute -- would you agree?
(hi betty, found you through the foodwriting list.)
I agree with Ken, sausage and aligot are a bit much. I prefer aligot served with a leaner meat, or, as Ken suggested, with a good salad.
It's also a great dish after a day in the snow up in the Aubrac mountains.
The best pre-prepared Aligot I've eaten is Marie de Livinhac's :
http://www.testadaz.com/mic/00570.html
I've published the above comment with its link, in the name of freedom of blogging, although I don't want to particularly advertise any specific product.
Marie de Livinhac, a local company makes a freeze-dried style aligot that is really quite good for that type of product. If you can't buy a vacuum-packed or "traiteur"-style aligot, it's certainly a good way to get an idea of what aligot tastes like.
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