Monaco is the first leg in the Tour-de-France and is where the culinary (or not so culinary) tour through France will begin for this month of July. As Monaco is a city of many delights and deserts, this post will start with desert. Sometimes, ya know ya just got to eat desert first…even THG does sometimes.
Pineapples in France!?
As Monaco is a completely urban area and there are no agricultural resources of any kind within the municipality it makes perfect sense to highlight a dish which uses pineapple as its main component. Now don’t worry there will be plenty of wine and cheese recipes posted during the Tour, but hitting the sweet tooth early has its benefits.
Well here goes Caramelized Pineapple!
1. 1 medium can of sliced pineapple (12-16oz)
2. 1/2 cup white sugar
3. 3 tbl spoon brown sugar
4. 6 eggs
5. 1 lime juiced
6. 3 tbl spoon flour
7. 2 shots dark rum!
Blend 3/4 of the pineapple with its juice for approximately 15-20 seconds in the blender/food processor. Transfer the pineapple blend to a sauce pan and add the white sugar and bring to a boil for five minutes. Reduce heat, add remaining diced pineapple a let the mixture reduce for five more minutes then remove from heat. Mix the remaining ingredients (3-7) in a bowl until they are well blended. Take a coated 2 inch deep cast iron or another baking pan and pour/spoon in the pineapple mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 90 minutes. Let it cool for an hour and serve.
-THG
And now for a long awaited debut of the Drunken Geographer (TDG)!
The Principality of Monaco one of six European microstates is where we begin our wine journey. Monaco it self does not possess any vineyards because it is 100% urban, but it is home to an absolute treasure in the word of wine. What is this treasure you ask? It is none other than the Hotel De Paris, one of Europe’s finest hotels that boasts the world’s largest wine cellar located in hotel.
The ultimate Monaco wine cellar
This “wine cavern” built in 1874 holds over 600,000 bottles of wine in an area of 16,145 square-feet. The names of the wine in the cellar are top notch and include: Lafite, Petrus, Yquem, Romanée-Conti, Corton-Charlemagne, Pommard, and Dom Pérignon.
The estimated value of all these wines is a mind boggeling 12.7 Million dollars. With that said, next time you are in Monaco drop on by for a glass of you won’t be disappointed!
-TDG
I’m going to be using this format for the duration of the Tour de France, I hope all of you enjoy the “new” temporary style of posts!
-THG
Tags: July 4, Monaco, pineapple desert, Tour de France, wine cellar
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