Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Chef Christian Le Squer, takes us into the kitchen of his three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Cinq. You will see the cooks at work making exquisite dishes. Le Squer wants the food cooked to perfection, even "sexy," as he puts it. His job is to taste only, but it's not as easy as it looks.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
This company in Rochecorbon makes innovative wine bottle labels to boost sales, and it seems to be working. Some of their labels feel like velvet, while others are wine-cellar-scented.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Lionel takes us inside an amazing store filled with multicolored candies called dragées, or sugared almonds. This confection is very much a part of French tradition as it is offered at weddings, baptisms, and communions. A good-quality dragée is made from a top variety of almond like the Avola. Larger almonds require a thinner layer of sugar, which is considered a sign of quality as the delicate almond flavor won't be overwhelmed by the sugar.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Lionel takes us inside a shop that sells "dragées" (sugared almonds), which are the specialty of Verdun. These treats come in all colors and flavors, from chocolate to marzipan to hazelnut. If you want to try the famous "dragées," be sure to visit this shop in Verdun on your next trip to France!
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Meet Gildas, who works on an oyster farm in Brittany. He'll tell you all about collecting oysters. It's a tough job, but well worth the effort, since you're always rewarded with a delicious treat in the end!
Difficulty: Beginner
France
This episode of "Le saviez-vous?" (Did You Know?) is about French gastronomy. You will learn a lot of useful vocabulary relating to food, and you can look forward to sampling delicious dishes.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
There's no better time to break out the bubbly than to celebrate the New Year. In this video, you will learn all about champagne, including how bubbles occur in a glass.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Take a tour of this family-run cookie factory in Chaillé-les-Marais, where each family member is responsible for a different stage of production, from harvesting the wheat to packaging the final product. They take the idea of "homemade" to a whole new level!
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Alessandro becomes a pique-assiette (freeloader, literally "plate-stealer") for a day with his friend Marc Antoine who takes him to rue Montorgueil in the second arrondissement of Paris. What's the big attraction? Friendly shopkeepers give out free food and wine samples daily.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Where can you get a gourmet meal for eight euros seventy? Hélène Ober is the proud owner of the restaurant "Au Caveau de l'Étable." She will show you around the kitchen and share some of her secrets on how to prepare a fantastic meal without breaking the bank. If cooking risotto is not your thing, you will at least be able to speak like a pro in a French kitchen.
Difficulty: Advanced
France
Alessandro visits with some chefs on the occasion of the launch of their book, "Les Grandes gueules et leurs recettes" (Big Mouths and Their Recipes). They take their profession very seriously and are perfectionists like the famous Vatel, King Louis XIV's chef, who was so distraught when a seafood delivery was delayed that he ran a sword through his stomach. Modern chefs need to keep their sense of humor. They are, thankfully, no longer at the mercy of a powerful king, but the Internet can be just as unforgiving.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
This video will make your mouth water! In this interview, Lionel Augier talks to Maurice Roeckel about his new book, One Hundred Recipes for One Hundred Alsace Wines. Not only will you discover the originality of some chefs who combine amazing wines with amazing food, but you will also learn a few words in the Alsatian dialect.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
The French love their cheese, and as this video demonstrates, their appreciation begins at a young age. In the Touraine region, a group of students taste an incredible variety of raw milk cheeses from the area and learn about the ways in which they differ from their "industrial" imitations. Who says that kids can't have refined palates?
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
France
Lionel shows us around a family farm that spans three generations. This traditional dairy and cattle farm takes good care of its animals, which enjoy a special "cow wash." Nursing cows are allowed a break from milk production prior to calving, and nothing is left to chance as the sex of the newborn calf is predetermined thanks to artificial insemination.
Difficulty: Intermediate
France
Over thirty French bakeries from the Vendée region show off their skills in a galette des rois (Kings' cake) contest. The lucky judges, whose onerous task is to taste those delicious galettes, go to great lengths to explain their choices and make our mouths water. The galette des rois is traditionally served at Epiphany and is notoriously difficult to make. It comes in two varieties, flaky or brioche, and is available at French bakeries throughout the month of January.
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