Rouen Gourmande

There is, of course, Rouen apple sugar, made from sugar, applesauce and apple juice and manufactured by confectioners. After cooking, the resulting dough is rolled by hand and then wrapped in traditional white and gold colored paper. If you enter the stores of the Auzou family, established in the region since 1970, do not miss the Tears of Joan of Arc, roasted, caramelized almonds coated with dark chocolate and rolled in cocoa, which are the specialty of the house, as the macaroons of Grandmother Auzou, with poppy or foie gras, and even in iced format! The mirliton is another specialty of Rouen. We succumb to this tartlet filled with a cream flavored with vanilla, orange flower and almonds. And for fresh fruit lovers, you have to go on the Fruit Road, in the Norman countryside, and buy apples, pears or cherries directly “at the gate”.

Here you are in the estate of Jumièges Abbey, in the heart of the Parc Régional des Boucles de la Seine Normande. By your side, Gastronomic Chef Christophe Mauduit guides you through the gathering of wild plants. He is a specialist in them, mixing the culinary potential of these local flowers with the creativity of his Norman recipes. A half-day organized in Jumièges thus allows you to have lunch in his restaurant L’Auberge des Ruines, visit the magnificent abbey and pick the wild plants in the park with the chef.

This Rouen specialty has a worldwide following, from the tables of the Élysée to Japan. The traditional recipe comes to us fromPère Denise, an innkeeper from Duclair, and dates back to 1880. The duckling is smothered (not bled), before being plucked and then roasted for about fifteen minutes and served rare. At the end of the cooking, a sauce is made with the liver, shallots and the blood of the carcass crushed in a press. Great Rouen restaurateur, Michel Guéret founded in 1986 l’Ordre des canardiers which saves this gastronomic heritage. At the restaurant, the duckling is prepared in front of you by a Maître Canardier making this culinary masterpiece a true spectacle!