Recipes of Lévézou specialities

The "Régal du Régalou"

Since the summer of 2006, several local bakers have been making the "Régal du Régalou". It is a cake made with local flour, butter made from sheep's milk, raspberry coulis, almond powder, and covered with crumble. This local delicacy is getting more and more popular. 

The "Bleu des Causses" cheese

The Bleu des Causses is made of cow whole milk. This cheese has been produced in the region (South of the Massif Central and later the Rouergue land) from as far back as records go.

The Causses is a large, rocky, wild land where the climat is hard and extreme. Here the cows eat the aromatic plants of the region. 

Its maturing zone is limited to a few areas of Aveyron : Campagnac, Cornus, Millau, Peyreleau et Saint-Affrique. The natural cavities created by masses of fallen limestones in the Grands Causses, mainly in the Gorges du Tarn cliffs, make ideal cellers for maturing the cheese, thanks to their properties for airing and thermic regulation which are keys to this Bleu. Taste: tender, smooth, melt in your mouth, with a powerful yet soft taste, and a sophisticated aroma.

Facts and figures :

The Bleu des Causses is a cylinder-shape cheese weighting 2.3 to 2.8 kg.

The annual production is 800 tons, involving 250 milk producers, 2 cheese dairies, 3 maturing caves and 3 cheese refiners.

The Bleu des Causses was labeled AOC (Appelation d'Origine Contrôlée - Controlled Origin Label) in 1953, and AOP (Appelation d'Origine Protégée - Protected Origin Label) in 1996. 

How to use:

The Bleu des Causses matures better in a cool humid cellar. Thus, in order to preserve its taste, wrap it with foil and place it in the fridge, and take it out 1 hour before savouring it.

The Bleu des Causses is firstly cut in half vertically, then each piece is split again horizontally.

On a cheeseboard, present either a 1/4 or a 1/8 of cheese.

Last important detail: the Bleu des Causses can be frozen; to defrost, leave it a few hours in the fridge: your guests won't notice the difference!

The "Tripous"

The tripous are made of veal, lamb's liver, ham, paunch, "fraise" (the membrane of the veal's bowel), parsley, salt and pepper.

The paunch is cut in rectangles big enough to wrap the mix of "fraise", ham, parsley, salt and pepper. Tie them up, then let them simmer 4 hours in a broth made of beef bone broth with white wine, celeri, carrots and onions. Keep them in jars or tins.

Note: the tripoux (with an "x") are from Auvergne and made of sheep; the tripous (with an "s") of Rouergue are made of veal. 

Grandmother's Sauce "Saupiquet "

Recipe created by Mrs Denise REYNES / VILLEFRANCHE de PANAT

Ingredients

- 1 kilo of schallots
- 1 big piece of local ham

- 1 bottle of good old red wine

- Salt, pepper, thyme, 1 pinch of grounded juniper
- 1 spoon of flour, 1 glass of rabbit or hare blood

- 1 spoon of duck fat

Preparation

- In a cooking pot, brown the sliced schallots in the duck fat. Add the flour, the ham and the wine.
- Incorporate the seasoning (salt, pepper, thyme, juniper), cover and let gently boil at a low temperature for about one hour.
- Once cooked, mix and filter.
- Add the blood, and keep the pot warm by placing it in a pan of hot water.
- Serve hot (it goes best with a game).

The "Aligot"

Recipe for 6

Mash a kilo of potatoes. Add crushed garlic, melted lard, and butter (as much as you like).

Add a little quantity of milk or 500 gr of creme fraiche (boil it before use).

Cut 600g of fresh "tome" (local cheese) into thin strips and add to the puree while it's hot. Stir the mix firmly in the same direction until it is homogeneous and creamy: the aligot is ready!

Bon appétit! 

The "Tripous"

Ingredients :

Veal's paunch and tripes - onions - ham - parsley - garlic - salt - pepper - white wine.

Preparation :

Clean the tripes carefully, then cut them in pieces. Mix with chopped onions, ham and spices. Arrange this mix on the paunch but in rectangles, then roll the paunch around and tie with a fine tripe length. Put the "tripous" in a pot with a little quantity of white wine, and let boil at medium temperature.

Serve hot, with steamed potatoes. 

The " Gâteau à la Broche"

Ingredients :

1 kg of butter, 1 kg of sugar, 1kg of flour, 2 dozens of eggs, rhum, 1 coffee spoon of salt.

Preparation :

Whisk the eggs with the sugar for a while, add the rhum, the salt, the flour and the melted butter. Stir well. With baking paper, make a cone shaped mould and tie it up with kitchen string. Pour the whole dough into the mould while turning it, very slowly in front of the fire. Remove from the mould once it's cold, leave the paper inside the cake.

The cake weights 3kg and needs from 1h to 1h30 of cooking depending on the temperature - so the person cooking this cake should keep a glass of water nearby! 

Seafood cocktail with "Bleu des Causses" cheese

For 4

Ingredients :

500g of mussels - 300g of clams - 300g of shelled shrimps

250g of Bleu des Causses cheese - 125g of creme fraiche - 125g of mayonnaise

1 squeezed lemon - 2 coffee spoons of mustard - salt - pepper

Preparation :

- Cook the seafood

- In a salad bowl, mix the creme fraiche, the mayonnaise, the Bleu des Causses, the lemon juice, the mustard, the salt and the pepper.

- Open and shell the mussels and the clams.

- Spread them in ramekins and add the shrimps.

- Cover with the sauce.

- Keep the ramekins in the fridge for one hour.

- Serve very cool!!