This was a news report where leaders of Europe, Middle East and North Africa attended the traditional Bastille Day celebration in Paris last July 14. There was a military parade at the Champs-Elysees while “jets trailing smoke of red, white and blue roared overhead.”
Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille in July 14, 1789. The Bastille was a prison considered as a symbol of the absolute powers of the ruling monarchy and the attack marked the beginning of the French revolution. Celebrations are held worldwide and in Cebu, Mr. & Mrs. Michel Lhuillier, and Les Amis de la France hosted a reception and dinner to celebrate the National Day of France with the presence of H. E. The Ambassador of France and Mme. Gerard Chesnel at the Pino Filipino Restaurant.
The national anthems of the Philippines and France were sung during the opening ceremonies led by Rhea Mae Judilla and Rhina Rose Echevarri. When I heard the La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, I was surprised at the length of the musical piece (A total of seven verses – what was sung were the first, fifth and sixth and its accompanying chorus), almost thrice that of the Philippines’. It was said to be composed by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, a captain of the engineers in a single night during the French Revolution (April 24, 1792). Its original name was the Chant de guerre de l’armeé du Rhin (War Song of the Army of the Rhine). It was renamed La Marseillaise because of its popularity with revolutionary forces from Marseilles. Very patriotic gyud these French citizens to stand still for a very long time when the La Marseillaise is played!
Opening drinks to the festivities was Champagne and when you have a most generous host like Michel Lhuillier, excuse me, only Moët et Chandon Brut Imperial and Dom Pérignon vintage 1999 are served. Your favorite food columnist had only one glass of each brand because it is very difficult to be held captive to a brand beyond the reach of his pockets! Accompanying canapés were Saumon a la crème fraiche (Salmon with cream cheese), Melon au jambon de Parme (Parma Ham with Melon) and Charcuteries et olives fourrées (Salami trumpet with stuffed olives).
The management and staff of Pino Filipino restaurant (Wilson St., Lahug, phone number 2320939) had to work double time to prepare classic French dishes like Langue aux câpres (Ox tongue in white sauce with capers), Crevettes sauce Mornay (Grilled Tiger Prawns a la Mornay), Gigot d’agneau (Roasted French Rack of Lamb), Entrecôte (roast U.S. Prime Rib Eye), Cassoulet and Saumon en croûte de sel (Oven baked whole salmon wrapped in salt.
The cassoulet caught my attention because earlier in the week, I had sampled this dish and I learned later from Pino’s Joel del Prado that the cassoulet served came from another restaurant. There are several versions of the cassoulet and to set a standard, the Etats Generaux de la Gastronomie Francaise of 1966 decreed that the cassoulet should conform to this ratio: 30 percent pork (sausages, mutton and even preserved goose) and 70 percent beans (haricot beans, pork rinds, herbs and flavorings). In the John Burton Race TV series, “French Leave,” I saw a Society dedicated to Art of the Cassoulet, murag La Chaine des Rotisseurs.
If you like to cook the Saumon en croûte de sel (Oven baked whole salmon wrapped in salt), make sure you have at least seven eggs because egg white is added to the salt to coat the fish. Salt will enhance the flavor of the fish and cracking open the hardened salt wrap is an excellent conversation piece. If you forget the egg white, do not worry; you will produce the perfect “tinabal.”
Cheese and wine are an absolute necessity in a French dinner and your favorite food columnist was very hard at work: drinking the Château Haut Reygnac and Château Barde-Haut 2000 while savoring those fine cheeses – the Chèvre (goat cheese), Roquefort (blue cheese) and Brie de Meaux.
As dinner came to a close, I was staring at the icing on the dessert plate (Trio de crème brûlée) colored red, white and blue and I was reminded that these represent the French Republic’s three ideals: Liberty, Equality and Fraternity for all French citizens.