While considering the possibilities, we poured some Pineau des Charentes and opened up a wild boar paté with cognac from the pantry. A fortified wine, Pineau is the product from ageing a blend of Cognac and grape must. The sweetness is a perfect accompaniment to the gamey paté, and a refreshing way to ponder a meal.

The question was, what was in the kitchen to use? The basics: onions, potatoes, spices… and, yes, a round of reblochon, that divinely creamy Savoyard cheese from raw cow’s milk. Tartiflette it would be and what better dish than on a cold autumn evening. Sliced potatoes, caramelised onions, and lardons were layered into a casserole with half a reblochon placed on top, crust up, to slowly melt into the dish as it baked. We could already smell it.

Which was a problem as the Pineau and paté had only made us hungrier. Looking into our almost empty fridge, we pulled out a romaine to have as some salad and discovered our pot of garbure made just the day before.

A traditional French peasant soup, garbure is typically made with whatever is around: vegetables of any type, beans, and some ham or duck typically en confit. Ours ended up with turnips, potatoes, white beans, cabbage, and duck confit.

A meal in and of itself with some good bread, this is as homey as it gets. It was also why our fridge was practically empty, having used everything up to make it. Garbure is better the longer it cooks and is almost always better the next day. If you are lucky, you may have a gourmet store near you which sells this soup ready-made.

The scent of the almost-finished tartiflette wafted in from the kitchen, and though almost full and most certainly no longer cold, there was no way we would skip this part of the meal. The romaine was tossed with a hazelnut oil and balsamic cream, and the reblochon crust cut into to serve, filling the room with a richly nutty aroma mingled with the savory underlayers of the dish.

Taking dinner by the fire, accompanied by a Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2012, the cold from outside was long forgotten, with only the beautiful fall foliage and afternoon lighting recalled; this was one splendidly full autumn evening indeed.

All items to be found at Le Gourmet de Bordeaux Budapest, Fő u. 17, 1011:

Pâté de sanglier au cognac- Wild boar paté

Garbure Au Jambon de Pays- Garbure with ham

Reblochon

Crème de vinaigre balsamique- Balsamic cream vinegar

Huile de noisette- Hazelnut oil

Pineau des Charentes

Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2012

And for those who prefer a sweeter ending: Canalė d’armagnac, the classic cake of Bordeaux with caramelized crust and moist center, accompanied by an armagnac. Both available as well at Le Gourmet de Bourdeaux.

Copyright 2015 Elizabeth Frommer. To republish please contact Liz by clicking here