My Normandy tips for seasoning without overdoing it
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When I cook in Normandy, what I am looking for above all is balance: I let the ingredients speak for themselves and build the seasoning as something subtle, almost calm, much like me. I always keep a very simple pantry stocked with shallots, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, chives, good black pepper, lightly salted butter and Isigny cream. I prefer these familiar basics to overly elaborate blends, because I want to move forward without pressure, as I do in my workdays as an accountant: I measure, taste and adjust. After a walk to the Seine quays in Rouen, or on returning from a windier detour around Le Havre, I often find myself craving a clean, comforting meal that does not ask me to overdo it. My two most useful tips are very practical. For white fish, I gently sauté a shallot in a little butter, deglaze with cider, add a spoonful of cream, then finish with parsley and a touch of chives; the sauce remains delicate, yet it adds dimension to a fillet of pollock or sole without masking its finesse. For melted leeks or steamed potatoes, I instead infuse the cream with a little bay leaf while it cooks, then finish with pepper and nutmeg; if I feel like a brighter note, I replace part of the cream with a splash of reduced cider. I like this way of cooking in LaBouffe because it suits my pace: I can make something good, regional and balanced without turning the meal into a performance. In Normandy, I find that the best sauces do not seek to dominate; they accompany, and that is often when I feel most at home.
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Where: Normandie