Tartiflette à la Daniel

For the food fair, I prepared my version of tartiflette, a regional specialty of Savoie-Alpes, which is served all throughout regional France, particularly in the South. It is a little-known dish outside of France, however in my recent trip I noticed it was undoubtedly the most common plat du jour of restaurants and attracted the longest queues in all the Christmas markets I came across. As discussed in my first blog, the dish is native to the Savoie region, and originates from the more traditional pela, which is essentially the same dish without the lardon or cheese. It is a gratin-style baked dish, with copious cheese, lardons, and white wine and was very enjoyable and satisfying to make.

The dish calls for a very specific, Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée restricted cheese which cannot be imported into Australia, meaning that however much my dish may have resembled tartiflette, it cannot be sold or considered a true tartiflette. Instead of the Reblochon cheese which all recipes called for, I was forced to use a Camembert, which again could not have been a Camembert de Normandie under AOC laws. In spite of this, I enjoyed the experience of making it, and was surprised (given the unbelievable amount of cream and cheese in the recipe) to see that it was quite popular among other students. I presented it in the oven-proof ceramic dish in which I baked it, due to both the impracticality of transferring it, and to keep within the framework of a warming, replenishing regional Alpine dish, usually home-cooked and served in winter.