Limousin has been, traditionally, one of the poorest regions of France. It's food is thus described as hearty and rustic - though people have also described it as dull and austere. While Limousins have relied historically on turnips and chestnuts to survive when everything went wrong, their diets have improved significantly over the centuries. Pork raising was introduced in the 17th century, with lamb shepherding exploding in the 18th (due to a program of shooting down wolves) and and since the 19th century, they've developed their own breed of cattle. They have apples, strawberries, blueberries and cherries to make desserts with, mushrooms to gather and game to hunt.

As most of Limousin recipes rely on the particular variants of foodstuff grown in the region, one probably needs to visit Limousin to know what the food is supposed to taste like. I can only hope that one day I'll be able to. Meanwhile, I tried one dessert recipe with the ingredients I could find in California.

For my quick sojourn into Limousin cuisine, I made:

Flognarde

Apple Flan

Limousin's most famous dessert is clafoutis, an oven baked cherry dessert which falls somewhere between a crepe and a flan. When it's made with other fruits, however, this dessert becomes flognarde. In Limousin, it's usually made with Limousin's golden apples or with pears, though other fruits can be used as well.

It is winter as I write this, so my supermarket is filled with lots of variants of apples, including some beautiful golden ones. I'd bought one for Christmas and it was delicious, but the ones the supermarket delivered to use in this recipe were less so - which probably influenced the outcome. I also suspect that the apples I used were much larger than the Limousin golden apples, as there was too much fruit in the dessert - two apples would have been more than sufficient. The crepe portion of the dessert, however, was absolutely delicious - not too sweet, and felt like a hug in that cold winter day. I'm actually thinking about making the dessert again with another fruit, but use it far more sparingly.

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Flognarde Ingredients 6 Tbsp butter, divided 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp sugar, divided 4 Golden apples 3 eggs pinch of salt 3/4 cup all purpose flour 2 cups milk 1 Tbsp Calvados, apple brandy or rum 1/2 tsp vanilla extract Directions Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 9" x 13" or equivalent baking dish with 1/2 Tbsp of butter. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp sugar on the bottom and sides. Set aside. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Heat 2 Tbsp butter on a saute pan over medium heat. Add the apple slices and lightly brown. Layer the apples at the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and whisk them until combined. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and a pinch of salt and continue whisking until it becomes frothy. Gradually whisk in the flour, making sure you eliminate all lumps. Warm the milk in the microwave or stove. Add the remaining 3 1/2 Tbsp of butter and mix until combined. Whisk in the milk mixture onto the flour mixture until combined. Add the apple brandy and vanilla and mix until smooth. Pour mixture on top of the apples. Bake for 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 to 20 minutes before serving.

Adapted from Chantal Aubisse's recipe at Destination Limoges

French cuisines I've explored so far: French, Alsatian, Auvergnat, Belgian, Bordeaux, Bourguignonne, Breton, Champagnoise, Corsican, Gascon, Luxembourger

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