On the day of an exciting election in France, we had our friends Kurt & Debbie over for a feast from Burgundy.
I love the cuisine of Burgundy, and not just the celebrated wine. When we toured France in 2015, we drove from Lyon in the south to Dijon in the north and back again, through Beaujolais and the Cotes de Nuit to the Cotes d'Or.
We drove past vineyards large and small, with gorgeous old manor-houses and rustic outbuildings and other structures that made no sense to us. Among the vineyards on hills poorly suited for grapes were farms producing beautiful produce.
Burgundy is known for food of all kinds. The inhabitants of the medieval gray stone buildings of Dijon in the north are fond of cheeses, pork, mushrooms, cream, and of course mustard.
At the southern end, just past Beaujolais, is Lyon, the culinary capital of France. There is a long tradition of courtly fare, but for this feast, I focused on the well-known hearty country fare.
We enjoyed:
Pate en Croute is nothing more than a pate baked in a crust, but it looks fabulous! The first trick is to find a mold - after that, the rest is easy.
This is a coarse pate, hearty picnic fare, best served in slabs with crusty bread, cornichons, and coarse mustard, and washed down with young, rustic wine. It is typically made with a mixture of pork and veal or with a mix of lean and fatty cuts of pork such as loin and shoulder. This one has long strips of ham steak laid lengthwise through it so when you slice it you get those flavorful little nuggets.
This beautiful, light sponge cake works well in a fancy mold, and it accompanies berries, preserves, or chocolate sauce wonderfully. Unlike the similar 
This hearty, rich, piquant, and utterly fabulous beef stew adds a splash of brilliant Provencal sunshine to a winter dinner. It never fails to please. I make this at least twice every winter.