Eva Longoria: Searching for France (2026) s01e05 Episode Script
Burgundy
[mid-tempo music plays]
-[Eva] Would you believe me
if I told you
this wasn't a grand house
for the nobility of Burgundy,
that it was built
as a hospital for the poor?
Crowned with this
magnificent tiled roof,
the Hospices de Beaune
was a gift
from philanthropists
in the 15th century.
Then, a relative of a patient
said thank you,
the Burgundian way,
by donating vineyard plots.
In this famous wine region,
a single gesture blossomed
into a world-class wine estate.
I love this story
because it tells you
everything about Burgundy
and not just the generosity
of its people,
but how deeply their lives
are tied to the land
and to tradition.
I'm Eva Longoria,
and I'm a serious Francophile.
Santé.
Over the past 20 years,
my career as an actor
has brought me to France
time and again.
It's my home away from home.
But those trips were more
about work than joie de vivre.
[laughs]
Now I want something deeper.
This is gonna be an adventure!
So I'm setting out
to really experience France
-This is cabernet sauvignon.
-[gasps] That's my favourite.
to savour
its world-celebrated cuisine
Wow.
and explore
the country's rich history.
Vive la France!
[laughs]
They say that wine
is simply the medium
through which the land
and the seasons speak to you.
Burgundy soil whispers
its history and character
through the world-class wines
made from its mosaic
of vineyards.
Oh, I love that.
Wine infuses the region's rich,
hearty cuisine
Wonderful.
and the warm,
characterful people.
-la, la, la ♪
Yay! I remembered it!
-[laughs]
-[Eva] Ooh! He found it.
[laughing] He found it.
Here, every treasure coaxed
from the earth tells its story.
I can taste the grass.
-That's the idea of terroir.
-Wow!
-Wow!
-Burgundy soil and soul
is in every mouthful.
How do you get better than this?
-I don't know, to be honest.
-[laughs]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Burgundy wine used to live
in Bordeaux's shadow,
but not any more.
Today, it's name-dropped
by A-listers,
snapped up
by investment bankers.
Some of the vineyards even sell
for up to eight figures.
Located in eastern France,
Burgundy is blessed
with an elevated ridge,
home to its most
prestigious vineyards,
known as the Côte d'Or,
the Golden Slope.
Today I'm gonna meet Lo ïc Lamy.
He's a bit of a Burgundy
wine whisperer.
-Hi!
-Hello! Welcome.
-How are you?
-I'm good. How are you?
♪♪
-[Eva]
I love how in Burgundy,
even where you live
is in relation to the vine.
-Absolutely.
They are everywhere.
And everybody works
with vines, wines.
When I bought the house,
the owner agreed to sell me
the house if I was making wine.
-Only if you made wine.
-Do you want to try some?
-Yes!
-Please come with me.
Land in Burgundy
is so expensive
that most small winemakers
buy in surplus grapes
from bigger producers.
Oh, yeah. It's a cellar cellar.
-Right this way. It is.
-Lo ïc supplies a handful
of local restaurants,
but this bijou operation
is about pleasure over profit.
-It's tiny,
but there's enough space
to make a little bit of wine.
-And what do you make?
-There's two grapes
in Burgundy.
There is pinot noir,
and there is chardonnay.
These two come from here.
We're starting
with a pinot noir.
♪♪
-Oh, yeah. That's so easy.
-Fresh, easy.
-I've never had such a fresh
pinot noir.
-So this is the chardonnay.
-Okay.
-There you go.
-That is so nice.
Sometimes chardonnays
can be very perfumy.
-Pure, fresh, elegant.
-It really rivals
the pinot noir.
If they were arm wrestling,
it'd be a tie.
-Yeah.
-From his modest cellar,
Lo ïc takes me to see
the Burgundy VIPs --
Very Important Pinots.
One winemaker is rhapsodised
about in wine bars
and rapped about by Jay-Z --
Domaine Dujac.
-I'm very,
very happy to introduce you
to Jeremy Seysses
from Domaine Dujac.
-Hi, Jeremy.
-Hi, Eva.
-How are you?
-Pleasure to meet you.
-Why do you have
an American accent?
-My mom's American, but I've
lived here my whole life.
-Back in the '60s,
Jeremy's dad, Jacques,
purchased five vineyard blocks.
Today, Domaine Dujac
has expanded to 85.
Okay.
Burgundy wines are classified
by quality,
and we're at the intersection
of two of the best.
On the higher slope,
the grand cru is the very best,
with a price to match.
And just across the road
on the lower side,
the premier cru comes
a close second.
So wait.
So you're telling me
the wine that would
come from these grapes
tastes different than
the wine from just right here?
-Yes, but if we're taking
the block in its entirety
and the block in its entirety,
then you have real differences.
-Here, pinot noir vines magnify
small differences in the soil
and the angle to the sun,
producing wines that each tell
their own delicious story.
-Eva, I think the next step is
for us to go back to the winery,
where I can show you
these differences
and you can taste them.
And my brother has been
preparing boeuf Bourguignon.
-[gasps] I haven't had it yet.
-Very good.
-The chef of the family
is Jeremy's brother, Paul.
-How are you?
-I'm good. How are you?
-Good. Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you too.
-I'm very excited to have
boeuf Bourguignon
here in the birthplace.
-It's everyone's
comfort-food dish.
This is beef cheek marinated
overnight in some wine.
-Boeuf Bourguignon --
Burgundy beef --
was originally a peasant stew
that used wine
to tenderise cheap cuts
of meat.
-There you go.
You want to cover the meat
with wine.
-This is Domaine Dujac.
-Yes.
This is a mix of village,
premier cru,
and grand cru wines.
-I bet peasants weren't using
hundreds of dollars
of top quality pinot.
You don't know how lucky
you are.
It's a premium bath of wine.
While the boeuf Bourguignon
bubbles away
finally, I get to taste
these celebrated wines.
-Okay.
-It's a 2010.
So it was the one
that was above the road.
-Okay.
[sighs]
-So the premier cru that was on
the lower side of the road.
-And you said they
wouldn't taste the same.
-Yes. And they were separated
by about this much.
-They were -- literally
this much space in between.
♪♪
Oh, I love that.
-This was the lower one.
-Mm-hmm.
-Now on to the very best,
the grand cru.
Oh, yeah. Much different.
Oh, my gosh. Is this spicier?
-Mm-hmm, like when you
lick a paper cut,
that type of iron kind of taste
you get.
I usually get that in collage.
In combottes, I feel like we get
a little bit of smoked meats.
But ultimately,
you're connected with a product
that has deep roots
in the place.
That feeling of connection
is one of the most important
things.
-[Eva] Oh, yes!
-[Paul] All right.
I'll start serving wine.
-[Eva] Look at the colour!
Let's get serving.
Joining us for dinner
are Jeremy's wife, Diana
and Lo ïc and his wife, Milena.
♪♪
That is so soft.
And you know what?
The wine isn't overpowering.
Oh, my God. That is amazing!
-Thank you!
-[laughs]
This is so good.
Wow. It's so tender.
-Mmm.
-What do you think makes
Burgundy so special?
-[Jeremy] Growers here have
a real intimacy with the land.
And I think that's something
the world has
a certain hankering for.
-Yeah. I also think proximity
to authenticity.
You can only get
this experience here,
and there's something,
you know, to be said for that.
Santé.
-[Jeremy] Santé.
-[Eva] [laughs]
♪♪
-I'm on my way to meet Burgundy
wine historian Arnaud Orsel.
But he didn't tell me
where we're going,
only that it was
somewhere meaningful.
I'm meeting Arnaud east
of the Côte d'Or wine ridge,
somewhere in the region's
rich agricultural heartland.
♪♪
He says this is where the story
of Burgundy began.
Hello!
-Bonjour, Eva.
-Merci beaucoup.
-Welcome to Burgundy.
Welcome to the Abbey of Cîteaux.
-Are there monks?
-There are monks.
-So what's the importance
of this place?
-Here in this abbey, the monks
created 900 years of history.
In Burgundy, we owe so much
to the Cistercian order
about food, wine, and culture.
♪♪
-Bonjour.
-Welcome to Cîteaux.
-Bonjour, Frère Benoit.
This is Eva.
-Come with me.
I will show you around.
-Oh, thank you.
[bell tolling]
The Cistercian Order was formed
in the 11th century
by monks concerned
that their original monastery
had been corrupted by wealth
and power.
The Cistercian Order lived
a simple life
with an emphasis
on manual labour.
Is this still
a functioning order?
- Working.
-Yeah.
Thank you for praying for us.
[laughter]
♪♪
They were like
the first researchers
and scientists of the land.
-Yeah.
The monks of the Cîteaux Abbey
developed the agricultural
know-how
that became the foundation
of Burgundy gastronomy.
-[Eva] What do you do now?
-[Benoit] We are making cheese.
-[Eva] Oh, my gosh.
I never turn down cheese.
-[Benoit] Really?
-[laughter]
-Frère Benoit and his brothers
rear their own herd
of Montbéliarde cows
that produce milk
rich in fat and protein.
The monks handcraft this cheese
from a century-old recipe.
-[Benoit] To make cheese,
monasteries are perfect.
We have land.
We can have cows and know-how.
-Oh, wow. It looks --
Great texture.
Cîteaux Abbey cheese
is renowned
for its earthy aroma
and dense texture.
Mmm.
It's creamy.
-[Benoit] In summer, the colour
is a little bit yellow
because cows are eating grass.
In the winter, hay.
-I can taste the grass.
-That's the idea of terroir.
You need to have the grass,
the cows,
and the hands of the people
of the place.
-Everything is in this
delicious piece of cheese.
-Before you leave,
I have something for you.
-Oh, okay.
-For both of you.
-Ooh!
Un cadeau?
[laughs]
-This one for you.
And one for you and one for me.
-Before cheese came wine.
The Château Clos de Vougeot
sits on the land
where the monks
of Cîteaux Abbey
planted their first vines.
Today it's home
of the wine society
where I first met Arnaud.
[ Group singing
"Ban Bourguignon" ]
The Chevaliers du Tastevin
was founded in the 1930s
to promote Burgundy food
and wine.
♪♪
A wine society sounds elitist,
but not here.
These guys are down to earth
and passionate about wine,
food, and life itself.
[ Singing "Ban Bourguignon" ]
-Et voilà.
-To help with
all that drinking
the Château has
its own chef, Alex Bouvret.
♪♪
Alex is making
a rich cheese sauce
to serve with the poached eggs
and bacon.
Sounds like the perfect
Burgundy brunch to me.
Okay.
Et voilà!
-Oui.
-To a chardonnay-laced
chicken stock,
Alex adds warm cream.
I'm waiting for the cheese
to go in!
My God. It's getting
creamier and creamier.
So much cheese!
♪♪
♪♪
Oh, my God.
-Wow!
-Wow!
Oh, my Go-- Well,
I just want to do this now.
Alex tops poached eggs with
bacon, onions, and mushrooms
before drowning them
in the luxurious cheese sauce.
[gasps] Wow.
-[Arnaud] Merci, Chef.
-Arnaud and I rendezvous
in the château's dining room.
I'm so excited.
[laughs]
Mmm.
It's still very rich
and complex.
-And it will be
perfectly matching
with a glass of Clos Vougeot.
-Mmm!
-Burgundy wine
from this appellation,
so I think it's interesting
to match the cheese
made by the monks
with the wines
that they use to make.
-I love that you still honour
that history.
-It's very important to us.
So, you know, in Burgundy
we have a tradition
when we're happy.
Do you remember
when we were at --
-Oh, the song! Yes!
I love the song.
-"Ban Bourguignon."
-Yes. "Ban Bourguignon."
-Un, deux
-[both] La, la, la, la,
la, la, la, la, la, la ♪
La-la-la, la-la-la,
la, la, la ♪
-Yay! I remembered it!
-[laughs]
♪♪
-[Eva] Boeuf Bourguignon.
Coq au vin. Escargot.
Classics of French cuisine
originated here in Burgundy.
♪♪
These dishes are hearty
and comforting,
using a handful of ingredients,
often slow-cooked in wine.
All of these iconic dishes
can trace their roots
back to the kitchens
of the court right behind me.
♪♪
♪♪
-Bonjour!
-Bonjour, Eva.
[ Both speaking French ]
-Nice to meet you.
-Born and raised in Burgundy,
chef William Frachot
grew up cooking and eating
these traditional dishes.
But it's the region's produce
that excites him the most.
So you're a two-Michelin-star
chef,
and you shop at the market
that everybody goes to.
-Oui. Yes.
Of course, because most
of my producers work here.
And I like to come to talk about
when they will get
the best vegetables or fruits
for the restaurant.
-Mm-hmm.
Here, a trip
to the farmers' market
isn't just the grocery run.
It's a cultural pastime.
♪♪
[gasps]
Oh. This is beautiful.
How do you know what to pick?
The vegetables talk to you?
-They talk to me.
You see
-Mmm!
Oh, my God. That's so fresh.
Ah! [laughs] Sorry.
We're eating your produce.
-No. It's okay.
♪♪
-There you go.
-Oh, I love rhubarb season.
-What are you making?
-Dessert.
-Of course.
-So now, Eva, there is one
very special ingredient
I want to show you.
-[gasps] Oh!
Joseph supplies
native Burgundian chickens
to William's restaurant.
-French flag.
-[Joseph] Yeah.
[chicken squawks]
Oh, yeah.
-This right here?
-Yeah.
-What does it eat?
Oh, and that affects
the flavour?
-Yeah.
Of course.
-Once described
as the poultry of kings,
these royal birds are reared
for six times longer
than your average chicken
and come with a $70 price tag.
-Let's go. We've got
some cooking to do now.
♪♪
-Burgundy's regional produce
has long been the secret
to its success.
Strategically located
between Paris and Lyon
on a mediaeval trade route
lies Burgundy's capital, Dijon.
Back in the Middle Ages,
Burgundy was ruled
by entrepreneurial dukes
who exported its fine produce,
and the region's wealth
and influence grew.
Today, this pride
in local ingredients
is celebrated not by dukes,
but by Dijon's
innovative chefs.
And so what is your philosophy?
Don't burn the chicken.
That's a good philosophy.
-Kind of Burgundy 2.0.
-On the menu
in William's restaurant,
le poulet de Bresse
is prepared two ways
-[William] Voilà.
-simply roasted to show off
the fat-marbled flesh
-[William] Merci beaucoup.
-and with a more complex,
creative flair.
-Then the second one,
we put the legs
in a crispy lettuce
with a cazette miso.
-William has made a miso paste
using a local hazelnut
called cazette.
-That is absolutely different
than a hazelnut.
You've got the taste
of chocolate,
coffee
-Mmm!
-and sometimes
a bit of leather.
-Yeah, it's not hazelnut.
-No.
-It's like a cousin of hazelnut.
-It is.
Then I get this paste.
I leave it on a shelf
for two months.
-Two months?
-You get this
kind of umami taste.
There you go.
-That is amazing.
That is tasty.
♪♪
The first chicken dish
is ready for me to try.
I've had many
a fat-marbled steak,
so I'm intrigued to taste
a fat-marbled chicken.
Oh, my God.
Look at the texture.
It's so silky and shiny.
Mmm!
-Nothing more to add.
-It's so tender.
Mmm.
Wow.
How do you get better than this?
-I don't know, to be honest.
-[laughs]
- But he's gonna give it a shot.
-[oil crackling]
For the second dish,
William pan-fries lettuce
in butter until crispy
and drizzles it
with cazette miso
and a chardonnay
vinaigrette gel.
♪♪
You made the vinaigrette
into a gelatin.
-If I put vinegar on it,
that will melt the crispy.
-Oh, but it's the same taste.
-It's exactly the same taste.
-Without ruining the lettuce.
♪♪
-This is the crispy
chicken skins.
We'll grate it on top of it
to season. See?
-You're seasoning the chicken
with chicken skin.
-Lemon and ginger.
♪♪
-Oh, my God.
♪♪
We did get better than that.
-[laughs]
-Wow.
Chicken's perfectly cooked.
The crispiness of the skin
with that lettuce crispiness
and this miso
All chicken should taste
like this.
Does this fit into the story
of Burgundy's cuisine?
-Burgundy cuisine is plenty
of heavy food,
and I think it's time to rewrite
the Burgundy cuisine today.
-A world-class chicken cooked
by a world-class chef.
[laughs]
♪♪
-[Eva] I've never been
a big fan of escargot,
and I'm trying to keep
an open mind,
because here in Burgundy,
they're not just a delicacy.
They're an entire identity.
I'm north-west of Dijon,
where for centuries,
the limestone soil has provided
the perfect environment
for raising snails --
near Flavigny-sur-Ozerain.
I'm meeting a snail farmer
who's bringing
this traditional practice
back onto local soil.
Who loves snails that much?
-Bonjour.
-Hi, Eva. Hi.
-Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you, too.
Welcome at Helixine,
my snail farm.
-29-year-old Perrine Doudin.
That's who.
Wait.
So this is the snail farm?
Wow.
That's a lot of snails.
Well, how did you start
this snail farm?
Yeah.
- Uh-huh.
- [laughs]
With no background
in agriculture,
suddenly Perrin found
her calling in life.
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
♪♪
I already see them!
-All the snails.
-Oh, my God. They're huge.
-Yeah. They're so big.
-Oh, my gosh. Oh, gosh.
Are you gonna pull --
Oh, yep. You pulled it off.
Okay.
Do I hold it
or do I not hold it?
-You can.
It's good for the skin.
-Well, I don't want some cream
right now on my skin, but
Oh, my gosh.
How old do they have to be
to be fully grown?
-Six months.
-So they get bigger than this?
-Yeah. Bigger.
-Oh, my gosh. How old are these?
-It's almost finished.
-They are three months.
-Oh!
-The slime -- He is slimy.
-I don't know if this is gonna
help me to like them more.
I don't know about this.
Wait. Is it a boy or a girl?
They're both?
Oh, okay. I don't know if I want
to know how they reproduce.
-When they find a partner,
they begin with a love dance
that lasts two hours.
-A love dance?
-Yeah.
♪♪
-They have, like, a little
flirtation for a couple hours?
-Yeah.
And just before the meeting,
they throw a little love dart.
-Love dart?
-Yeah.
-If they like somebody,
they go chhh!
-Yeah, and then they're mating.
-Then that's it. Et voilà.
They're mating.
-They have sex during 10 hours.
-They have sex for 10 hours?
-Yes.
-I got to say, I have
a whole new respect for snails.
What do they eat?
-They eat nettles.
Aromatic herbs to give them
full taste.
-They eat that,
and it makes them taste better.
-Yes.
-[speaking French]
Why is it important
for you to raise these?
-Because it's important
to have a local production.
-How much production
is not local?
-85% of snails are imported
from Eastern Europe.
-They come from not France?
-It's not French. No. No, no.
-Burgundians love their snails.
But local snail farming
was all but wiped out
by foreign producers
who could tackle
this labour-intensive
production on a massive scale.
Here it's just Perrine and me.
-So you're gonna help me to give
them a limestone supplement.
-All the way back here?
-Yeah. You're doing great.
-So why limestone?
-Because they need calcium
to have great flesh,
to have a beautiful shell.
Yeah. In Burgundy,
we have limestone soil.
-Oh, right. So you're trying to
mimic the natural environment?
How long have you been
doing this?
-I started five years ago.
-When you were 23?
-Yeah, yeah.
I created this all by myself.
The wooden board, all the net.
Do you like snails?
-To eat snails?
-Yeah. To eat snails.
-They're not my favourite.
-I think you will enjoy mine.
-Okay.
Once harvested,
Perrine cooks the snails
the traditional way --
à la Bourguignonne,
first in stock and then
in a garlic herb butter.
Invented in 19th-century
Burgundy,
this dish became
an instant hit in the bistros
up and down France
for being a simple
but sophisticated delicacy.
All right.
I'm as ready as I'll ever be.
-That's my snail.
-I'm excited!
Don't be fooled
by the rustic shack.
Perrine's snails are
sought after by Michelin chefs.
Is this the escargot
that will finally win me over?
Mm. Mmm!
That sauce is amazing.
♪♪
You don't like snails?
Only yours?
But these are amazing.
This is the first snail
that I've eaten
that doesn't have a
a gritty texture.
This is really smooth,
and it's not overly chewy.
Yeah.
Oh, my God. These are fantastic.
Look at all that butter.
That's so good.
Wow. It's the first snail
that I actually like.
Taking on the big producers
with her artisanal farm,
Perrine's a real Burgundy hero.
And now j'adore les escargot.
♪♪
-[Eva] I love a good condiment.
And Burgundy lays claim to one
of my favourites, mustard.
In fact, the French word
for mustard is moutarde,
and many believe
it's derived from a motto
that the dukes of Burgundy
had -- "Moult me tarde,"
which means, "Many await me."
But I'll tell you,
I'm not waiting any longer
for my next stop.
♪♪
Although the famous mustard
recipe is named after Dijon,
mustard cultivation in Burgundy
first took off
in the Middle Ages here,
in the fields surrounding
the city of Beaune.
-[Marjorie] Hi. Welcome.
-Thank you!
-How are you?
-I am good.
-Oh, the French greeting.
-This is my daughter.
The French greeting --
the Americans
-Nice to meet you.
-are in Burgundy.
You are a long way from Arizona.
-Yes.
I like to blame that on you.
-Oh, it's your fault?
-Huge passion for France.
I ended up coming here
to study wine
and convinced my mom
to come join me.
-Kendall Smith Franchini
and her mom, Marjorie Taylor,
moved to Burgundy 18 years ago
to open a French cooking
school.
Americans moving to France to
teach cooking is a bold move.
These sound like
my kind of women.
So, do I get a cooking lesson?
-Yeah.
We're gonna go cook together.
But we have a special ingredient
to get.
-Have you ever been
in a deux chevaux?
-[gasps]
Are we going in a deux chevaux?
-[Marjorie]
She's right out front.
-A deux chevaux. Oh, my God.
-Isn't she sweet?
Her name is Madeline.
♪♪
Driving through the Burgundy
countryside in Madeline,
I feel like I'm in
an old French movie.
-Isn't it beautiful?
-It's like a can of sardines.
-Yeah. It just rolls back.
-Peels back.
♪♪
-Thank you, Madeleine.
-[laughs]
-[Kendall]
So we're at the mustard field,
and they've just finished
the harvest.
-This is Olivier.
-Enchanté.
Je suis Eva.
-Good evening.
-[Kendall] And this is mustard.
-Olivier Cretin's family
have been farming this land
for three generations.
Oh, my God!
That is mustard!
Yep. There it is.
[laughs] Ah-ha!
♪♪
Next stop is the rural outpost
of the cooking school --
Woodland House.
This is like
Architectural Digest right here.
This photo.
[laughter]
Wow.
This is beautiful!
This is my dream kitchen.
And it's a French country
fantasy.
What are we making today?
Rabbit.
-With mustard.
But first we have to make
the mustard.
I'm gonna add some white ones.
-Okay.
-[Kendall] And then we can add
the brown ones.
-This whole-grain mustard
uses a combination
of white mustard seeds
and the hotter brown seeds.
Kendall adds chardonnay
along with the juice
of unripe grapes to provide
this distinctive tang.
-[Kendall] Then these are gonna
soak overnight.
-It turns into this.
[mixer whirring]
Oh! It smells so good.
[whirring stops]
-[Kendall] All right.
So now we've got it blended.
This one here is a Dijon
mustard, which is more creamy.
And then we'll mix both
of them together.
-[Marjorie] First we're gonna
prepare the rabbit.
-Now, is the rabbit typical
in Burgundy?
-French people still eat
a lot of rabbit.
It's farmed, and we happen
to have a really great butcher
at our Saturday-morning market
who makes the nicest rabbit.
-Like so much
of the good stuff here,
it was the mediaeval monks
who pioneered
the domestication of rabbits.
Smells amazing ♪
And the rabbit's mild taste
is a perfect vehicle
for the mustard's kick.
-And in we go.
♪♪
-Of course, no meal is complete
without a glass of wine
-Welcome to the Burgundy
wine fridge.
-This is a wine fridge!
and these ladies have
a novel way
to keep the chardonnay cold.
Oh, my God.
Okay.
-Be careful.
It's cold.
-[grunts]
I got it!
I got the second-most important
thing -- the wine.
[laughs]
-[Kendall] And, Eva,
this is Laurent, my husband.
-How are you?
-Nice to meet you. Very well.
-The Frenchman.
-The Frenchman of the family.
♪♪
-[Eva] Peppers. Oh, my God.
That looks beautiful.
I'll take this.
Can I give you this?
-[Laurent] Thank you so much.
Of course. A little bit of wine?
-[Eva] Yes!
-[Laurent] Okay.
-[Kendall] You have to have
enough sauce.
Especially if you have
Frenchmen.
-[Laurent] Of course.
-[Eva] Bon appetit!
♪♪
Mmm!
Oh, my goodness.
There's a bit of saltiness
to the mustard, no?
-But not as spicy with the
crème fraîche, which is nice.
-No, not spicy at all.
Mm. But tangy.
-[Kendall] But tangy. Yes.
-Mmm.
Everything is delicious.
Is it one of your
favourite dishes?
"Okay, these Americans
might have something to them."
A mediaeval mustard recipe
is the start
of a modern love story.
Well, it certainly won
my heart.
♪♪
-[Eva] So far,
Burgundy has shown me
that everything has deep ties
and respect to the land.
Which today brings me
to a very special ingredient
that has been hiding
beneath these soils
for centuries --
the Burgundy truffle.
Over the centuries,
this land has been home
to the monks and dukes
of Burgundy,
here, in the Côte de Nuits.
Surrounded by ancient forests,
this 17th-century chateau
stands in all
its faded splendour,
a love letter to the past.
♪♪
♪♪
-Bonjour!
-Oh! Eva, how are you?
I'm good!
Nice to meet you.
Thank you.
♪♪
Seven generations
of Arnaud Poustank's family
have been maintaining
this sprawling estate,
including restoring its
indigenous truffle orchards.
Like so many
Burgundy treasures,
truffles are a work of time.
Cultivation takes
up to 10 years,
which requires the patient
devotion of generations.
♪♪
We're on a treasure hunt, guys.
Here comes the star of the day.
Bonjour!
Bonjour, mon cheri.
-Eva, may I introduce Cedric?
-[Arnaud] Mm-hmm.
♪♪
-Oh, he's so excited.
Burgundy's warm summers
and cool winters
provide the perfect climate
for these flavoursome fungi
to develop underground.
♪♪
-[Cedric] Hey!
-[Eva] Yay!
Bravo!
Bravo!
Ooh! He found another one!
Ooh! He found it.
[laughing] He found it.
♪♪
-[Arnaud] Perfect.
-This is a small baby.
-Yeah? Mmm. Yeah.
Oh, it smells good.
[speaking French ]
-Eva, may I introduce my wife.
-Arnaud's wife, Ghislaine, has
hundreds of truffle recipes,
given their backyard bounty.
-Trois jours. Three days.
-Oui. Three days.
-We start by making
truffle-infused crème fraîche.
France's most famous truffles
come from Périgord
and Provence.
But Burgundy's truffles
are highly prized
for their more subtle,
nutty flavour.
♪♪
Okay.
To the truffle-infused
crème fraîche and shrimp
Ah!
goes a truffle-infused egg,
followed by -- you've guessed
it -- truffle-infused butter.
Ghislaine bakes the eggs
in the microwave.
Apparently, top chefs swear it
gives eggs the perfect texture.
[microwave whirring]
But who am I to argue
with greatness?
♪♪
-[Eva] Hello! Enchante.
-Hello, Eva.
-Arnaud and Ghislaine's son,
Gerald, joins us for dinner.
[speaking French]
It's a shrimp with
the crème fraîche and the egg.
Mmm.
-[Gerald] It's too good?
-The truffle is so subtle,
and it goes well with the shrimp
and the crème fraîche.
It's like a perfect combination.
Mm. Always.
[laughs]
A family favourite
is the truffle-infused cheese.
Oh, look at that. Look at
these big chunks of truffle.
♪♪
Mmm.
♪♪
[laughter]
[birds chirping]
♪♪
What strikes me about Burgundy
is how everything is connected.
Terroir isn't just in the wine.
It's in the cheese.
It's in the mustard.
It's in the truffles.
Every flavour shaped
by the land and its history,
building on centuries
of innovation
by the pioneering monks
and business-savvy dukes.
Burgundy's gastronomy remains
at the heart of French cuisine
to this day.
Because here, good wine and
good food aren't indulgences.
It's a way of life.
-[Eva] Would you believe me
if I told you
this wasn't a grand house
for the nobility of Burgundy,
that it was built
as a hospital for the poor?
Crowned with this
magnificent tiled roof,
the Hospices de Beaune
was a gift
from philanthropists
in the 15th century.
Then, a relative of a patient
said thank you,
the Burgundian way,
by donating vineyard plots.
In this famous wine region,
a single gesture blossomed
into a world-class wine estate.
I love this story
because it tells you
everything about Burgundy
and not just the generosity
of its people,
but how deeply their lives
are tied to the land
and to tradition.
I'm Eva Longoria,
and I'm a serious Francophile.
Santé.
Over the past 20 years,
my career as an actor
has brought me to France
time and again.
It's my home away from home.
But those trips were more
about work than joie de vivre.
[laughs]
Now I want something deeper.
This is gonna be an adventure!
So I'm setting out
to really experience France
-This is cabernet sauvignon.
-[gasps] That's my favourite.
to savour
its world-celebrated cuisine
Wow.
and explore
the country's rich history.
Vive la France!
[laughs]
They say that wine
is simply the medium
through which the land
and the seasons speak to you.
Burgundy soil whispers
its history and character
through the world-class wines
made from its mosaic
of vineyards.
Oh, I love that.
Wine infuses the region's rich,
hearty cuisine
Wonderful.
and the warm,
characterful people.
-la, la, la ♪
Yay! I remembered it!
-[laughs]
-[Eva] Ooh! He found it.
[laughing] He found it.
Here, every treasure coaxed
from the earth tells its story.
I can taste the grass.
-That's the idea of terroir.
-Wow!
-Wow!
-Burgundy soil and soul
is in every mouthful.
How do you get better than this?
-I don't know, to be honest.
-[laughs]
♪♪
♪♪
♪♪
Burgundy wine used to live
in Bordeaux's shadow,
but not any more.
Today, it's name-dropped
by A-listers,
snapped up
by investment bankers.
Some of the vineyards even sell
for up to eight figures.
Located in eastern France,
Burgundy is blessed
with an elevated ridge,
home to its most
prestigious vineyards,
known as the Côte d'Or,
the Golden Slope.
Today I'm gonna meet Lo ïc Lamy.
He's a bit of a Burgundy
wine whisperer.
-Hi!
-Hello! Welcome.
-How are you?
-I'm good. How are you?
♪♪
-[Eva]
I love how in Burgundy,
even where you live
is in relation to the vine.
-Absolutely.
They are everywhere.
And everybody works
with vines, wines.
When I bought the house,
the owner agreed to sell me
the house if I was making wine.
-Only if you made wine.
-Do you want to try some?
-Yes!
-Please come with me.
Land in Burgundy
is so expensive
that most small winemakers
buy in surplus grapes
from bigger producers.
Oh, yeah. It's a cellar cellar.
-Right this way. It is.
-Lo ïc supplies a handful
of local restaurants,
but this bijou operation
is about pleasure over profit.
-It's tiny,
but there's enough space
to make a little bit of wine.
-And what do you make?
-There's two grapes
in Burgundy.
There is pinot noir,
and there is chardonnay.
These two come from here.
We're starting
with a pinot noir.
♪♪
-Oh, yeah. That's so easy.
-Fresh, easy.
-I've never had such a fresh
pinot noir.
-So this is the chardonnay.
-Okay.
-There you go.
-That is so nice.
Sometimes chardonnays
can be very perfumy.
-Pure, fresh, elegant.
-It really rivals
the pinot noir.
If they were arm wrestling,
it'd be a tie.
-Yeah.
-From his modest cellar,
Lo ïc takes me to see
the Burgundy VIPs --
Very Important Pinots.
One winemaker is rhapsodised
about in wine bars
and rapped about by Jay-Z --
Domaine Dujac.
-I'm very,
very happy to introduce you
to Jeremy Seysses
from Domaine Dujac.
-Hi, Jeremy.
-Hi, Eva.
-How are you?
-Pleasure to meet you.
-Why do you have
an American accent?
-My mom's American, but I've
lived here my whole life.
-Back in the '60s,
Jeremy's dad, Jacques,
purchased five vineyard blocks.
Today, Domaine Dujac
has expanded to 85.
Okay.
Burgundy wines are classified
by quality,
and we're at the intersection
of two of the best.
On the higher slope,
the grand cru is the very best,
with a price to match.
And just across the road
on the lower side,
the premier cru comes
a close second.
So wait.
So you're telling me
the wine that would
come from these grapes
tastes different than
the wine from just right here?
-Yes, but if we're taking
the block in its entirety
and the block in its entirety,
then you have real differences.
-Here, pinot noir vines magnify
small differences in the soil
and the angle to the sun,
producing wines that each tell
their own delicious story.
-Eva, I think the next step is
for us to go back to the winery,
where I can show you
these differences
and you can taste them.
And my brother has been
preparing boeuf Bourguignon.
-[gasps] I haven't had it yet.
-Very good.
-The chef of the family
is Jeremy's brother, Paul.
-How are you?
-I'm good. How are you?
-Good. Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you too.
-I'm very excited to have
boeuf Bourguignon
here in the birthplace.
-It's everyone's
comfort-food dish.
This is beef cheek marinated
overnight in some wine.
-Boeuf Bourguignon --
Burgundy beef --
was originally a peasant stew
that used wine
to tenderise cheap cuts
of meat.
-There you go.
You want to cover the meat
with wine.
-This is Domaine Dujac.
-Yes.
This is a mix of village,
premier cru,
and grand cru wines.
-I bet peasants weren't using
hundreds of dollars
of top quality pinot.
You don't know how lucky
you are.
It's a premium bath of wine.
While the boeuf Bourguignon
bubbles away
finally, I get to taste
these celebrated wines.
-Okay.
-It's a 2010.
So it was the one
that was above the road.
-Okay.
[sighs]
-So the premier cru that was on
the lower side of the road.
-And you said they
wouldn't taste the same.
-Yes. And they were separated
by about this much.
-They were -- literally
this much space in between.
♪♪
Oh, I love that.
-This was the lower one.
-Mm-hmm.
-Now on to the very best,
the grand cru.
Oh, yeah. Much different.
Oh, my gosh. Is this spicier?
-Mm-hmm, like when you
lick a paper cut,
that type of iron kind of taste
you get.
I usually get that in collage.
In combottes, I feel like we get
a little bit of smoked meats.
But ultimately,
you're connected with a product
that has deep roots
in the place.
That feeling of connection
is one of the most important
things.
-[Eva] Oh, yes!
-[Paul] All right.
I'll start serving wine.
-[Eva] Look at the colour!
Let's get serving.
Joining us for dinner
are Jeremy's wife, Diana
and Lo ïc and his wife, Milena.
♪♪
That is so soft.
And you know what?
The wine isn't overpowering.
Oh, my God. That is amazing!
-Thank you!
-[laughs]
This is so good.
Wow. It's so tender.
-Mmm.
-What do you think makes
Burgundy so special?
-[Jeremy] Growers here have
a real intimacy with the land.
And I think that's something
the world has
a certain hankering for.
-Yeah. I also think proximity
to authenticity.
You can only get
this experience here,
and there's something,
you know, to be said for that.
Santé.
-[Jeremy] Santé.
-[Eva] [laughs]
♪♪
-I'm on my way to meet Burgundy
wine historian Arnaud Orsel.
But he didn't tell me
where we're going,
only that it was
somewhere meaningful.
I'm meeting Arnaud east
of the Côte d'Or wine ridge,
somewhere in the region's
rich agricultural heartland.
♪♪
He says this is where the story
of Burgundy began.
Hello!
-Bonjour, Eva.
-Merci beaucoup.
-Welcome to Burgundy.
Welcome to the Abbey of Cîteaux.
-Are there monks?
-There are monks.
-So what's the importance
of this place?
-Here in this abbey, the monks
created 900 years of history.
In Burgundy, we owe so much
to the Cistercian order
about food, wine, and culture.
♪♪
-Bonjour.
-Welcome to Cîteaux.
-Bonjour, Frère Benoit.
This is Eva.
-Come with me.
I will show you around.
-Oh, thank you.
[bell tolling]
The Cistercian Order was formed
in the 11th century
by monks concerned
that their original monastery
had been corrupted by wealth
and power.
The Cistercian Order lived
a simple life
with an emphasis
on manual labour.
Is this still
a functioning order?
- Working.
-Yeah.
Thank you for praying for us.
[laughter]
♪♪
They were like
the first researchers
and scientists of the land.
-Yeah.
The monks of the Cîteaux Abbey
developed the agricultural
know-how
that became the foundation
of Burgundy gastronomy.
-[Eva] What do you do now?
-[Benoit] We are making cheese.
-[Eva] Oh, my gosh.
I never turn down cheese.
-[Benoit] Really?
-[laughter]
-Frère Benoit and his brothers
rear their own herd
of Montbéliarde cows
that produce milk
rich in fat and protein.
The monks handcraft this cheese
from a century-old recipe.
-[Benoit] To make cheese,
monasteries are perfect.
We have land.
We can have cows and know-how.
-Oh, wow. It looks --
Great texture.
Cîteaux Abbey cheese
is renowned
for its earthy aroma
and dense texture.
Mmm.
It's creamy.
-[Benoit] In summer, the colour
is a little bit yellow
because cows are eating grass.
In the winter, hay.
-I can taste the grass.
-That's the idea of terroir.
You need to have the grass,
the cows,
and the hands of the people
of the place.
-Everything is in this
delicious piece of cheese.
-Before you leave,
I have something for you.
-Oh, okay.
-For both of you.
-Ooh!
Un cadeau?
[laughs]
-This one for you.
And one for you and one for me.
-Before cheese came wine.
The Château Clos de Vougeot
sits on the land
where the monks
of Cîteaux Abbey
planted their first vines.
Today it's home
of the wine society
where I first met Arnaud.
[ Group singing
"Ban Bourguignon" ]
The Chevaliers du Tastevin
was founded in the 1930s
to promote Burgundy food
and wine.
♪♪
A wine society sounds elitist,
but not here.
These guys are down to earth
and passionate about wine,
food, and life itself.
[ Singing "Ban Bourguignon" ]
-Et voilà.
-To help with
all that drinking
the Château has
its own chef, Alex Bouvret.
♪♪
Alex is making
a rich cheese sauce
to serve with the poached eggs
and bacon.
Sounds like the perfect
Burgundy brunch to me.
Okay.
Et voilà!
-Oui.
-To a chardonnay-laced
chicken stock,
Alex adds warm cream.
I'm waiting for the cheese
to go in!
My God. It's getting
creamier and creamier.
So much cheese!
♪♪
♪♪
Oh, my God.
-Wow!
-Wow!
Oh, my Go-- Well,
I just want to do this now.
Alex tops poached eggs with
bacon, onions, and mushrooms
before drowning them
in the luxurious cheese sauce.
[gasps] Wow.
-[Arnaud] Merci, Chef.
-Arnaud and I rendezvous
in the château's dining room.
I'm so excited.
[laughs]
Mmm.
It's still very rich
and complex.
-And it will be
perfectly matching
with a glass of Clos Vougeot.
-Mmm!
-Burgundy wine
from this appellation,
so I think it's interesting
to match the cheese
made by the monks
with the wines
that they use to make.
-I love that you still honour
that history.
-It's very important to us.
So, you know, in Burgundy
we have a tradition
when we're happy.
Do you remember
when we were at --
-Oh, the song! Yes!
I love the song.
-"Ban Bourguignon."
-Yes. "Ban Bourguignon."
-Un, deux
-[both] La, la, la, la,
la, la, la, la, la, la ♪
La-la-la, la-la-la,
la, la, la ♪
-Yay! I remembered it!
-[laughs]
♪♪
-[Eva] Boeuf Bourguignon.
Coq au vin. Escargot.
Classics of French cuisine
originated here in Burgundy.
♪♪
These dishes are hearty
and comforting,
using a handful of ingredients,
often slow-cooked in wine.
All of these iconic dishes
can trace their roots
back to the kitchens
of the court right behind me.
♪♪
♪♪
-Bonjour!
-Bonjour, Eva.
[ Both speaking French ]
-Nice to meet you.
-Born and raised in Burgundy,
chef William Frachot
grew up cooking and eating
these traditional dishes.
But it's the region's produce
that excites him the most.
So you're a two-Michelin-star
chef,
and you shop at the market
that everybody goes to.
-Oui. Yes.
Of course, because most
of my producers work here.
And I like to come to talk about
when they will get
the best vegetables or fruits
for the restaurant.
-Mm-hmm.
Here, a trip
to the farmers' market
isn't just the grocery run.
It's a cultural pastime.
♪♪
[gasps]
Oh. This is beautiful.
How do you know what to pick?
The vegetables talk to you?
-They talk to me.
You see
-Mmm!
Oh, my God. That's so fresh.
Ah! [laughs] Sorry.
We're eating your produce.
-No. It's okay.
♪♪
-There you go.
-Oh, I love rhubarb season.
-What are you making?
-Dessert.
-Of course.
-So now, Eva, there is one
very special ingredient
I want to show you.
-[gasps] Oh!
Joseph supplies
native Burgundian chickens
to William's restaurant.
-French flag.
-[Joseph] Yeah.
[chicken squawks]
Oh, yeah.
-This right here?
-Yeah.
-What does it eat?
Oh, and that affects
the flavour?
-Yeah.
Of course.
-Once described
as the poultry of kings,
these royal birds are reared
for six times longer
than your average chicken
and come with a $70 price tag.
-Let's go. We've got
some cooking to do now.
♪♪
-Burgundy's regional produce
has long been the secret
to its success.
Strategically located
between Paris and Lyon
on a mediaeval trade route
lies Burgundy's capital, Dijon.
Back in the Middle Ages,
Burgundy was ruled
by entrepreneurial dukes
who exported its fine produce,
and the region's wealth
and influence grew.
Today, this pride
in local ingredients
is celebrated not by dukes,
but by Dijon's
innovative chefs.
And so what is your philosophy?
Don't burn the chicken.
That's a good philosophy.
-Kind of Burgundy 2.0.
-On the menu
in William's restaurant,
le poulet de Bresse
is prepared two ways
-[William] Voilà.
-simply roasted to show off
the fat-marbled flesh
-[William] Merci beaucoup.
-and with a more complex,
creative flair.
-Then the second one,
we put the legs
in a crispy lettuce
with a cazette miso.
-William has made a miso paste
using a local hazelnut
called cazette.
-That is absolutely different
than a hazelnut.
You've got the taste
of chocolate,
coffee
-Mmm!
-and sometimes
a bit of leather.
-Yeah, it's not hazelnut.
-No.
-It's like a cousin of hazelnut.
-It is.
Then I get this paste.
I leave it on a shelf
for two months.
-Two months?
-You get this
kind of umami taste.
There you go.
-That is amazing.
That is tasty.
♪♪
The first chicken dish
is ready for me to try.
I've had many
a fat-marbled steak,
so I'm intrigued to taste
a fat-marbled chicken.
Oh, my God.
Look at the texture.
It's so silky and shiny.
Mmm!
-Nothing more to add.
-It's so tender.
Mmm.
Wow.
How do you get better than this?
-I don't know, to be honest.
-[laughs]
- But he's gonna give it a shot.
-[oil crackling]
For the second dish,
William pan-fries lettuce
in butter until crispy
and drizzles it
with cazette miso
and a chardonnay
vinaigrette gel.
♪♪
You made the vinaigrette
into a gelatin.
-If I put vinegar on it,
that will melt the crispy.
-Oh, but it's the same taste.
-It's exactly the same taste.
-Without ruining the lettuce.
♪♪
-This is the crispy
chicken skins.
We'll grate it on top of it
to season. See?
-You're seasoning the chicken
with chicken skin.
-Lemon and ginger.
♪♪
-Oh, my God.
♪♪
We did get better than that.
-[laughs]
-Wow.
Chicken's perfectly cooked.
The crispiness of the skin
with that lettuce crispiness
and this miso
All chicken should taste
like this.
Does this fit into the story
of Burgundy's cuisine?
-Burgundy cuisine is plenty
of heavy food,
and I think it's time to rewrite
the Burgundy cuisine today.
-A world-class chicken cooked
by a world-class chef.
[laughs]
♪♪
-[Eva] I've never been
a big fan of escargot,
and I'm trying to keep
an open mind,
because here in Burgundy,
they're not just a delicacy.
They're an entire identity.
I'm north-west of Dijon,
where for centuries,
the limestone soil has provided
the perfect environment
for raising snails --
near Flavigny-sur-Ozerain.
I'm meeting a snail farmer
who's bringing
this traditional practice
back onto local soil.
Who loves snails that much?
-Bonjour.
-Hi, Eva. Hi.
-Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you, too.
Welcome at Helixine,
my snail farm.
-29-year-old Perrine Doudin.
That's who.
Wait.
So this is the snail farm?
Wow.
That's a lot of snails.
Well, how did you start
this snail farm?
Yeah.
- Uh-huh.
- [laughs]
With no background
in agriculture,
suddenly Perrin found
her calling in life.
Uh-huh.
Yeah.
♪♪
I already see them!
-All the snails.
-Oh, my God. They're huge.
-Yeah. They're so big.
-Oh, my gosh. Oh, gosh.
Are you gonna pull --
Oh, yep. You pulled it off.
Okay.
Do I hold it
or do I not hold it?
-You can.
It's good for the skin.
-Well, I don't want some cream
right now on my skin, but
Oh, my gosh.
How old do they have to be
to be fully grown?
-Six months.
-So they get bigger than this?
-Yeah. Bigger.
-Oh, my gosh. How old are these?
-It's almost finished.
-They are three months.
-Oh!
-The slime -- He is slimy.
-I don't know if this is gonna
help me to like them more.
I don't know about this.
Wait. Is it a boy or a girl?
They're both?
Oh, okay. I don't know if I want
to know how they reproduce.
-When they find a partner,
they begin with a love dance
that lasts two hours.
-A love dance?
-Yeah.
♪♪
-They have, like, a little
flirtation for a couple hours?
-Yeah.
And just before the meeting,
they throw a little love dart.
-Love dart?
-Yeah.
-If they like somebody,
they go chhh!
-Yeah, and then they're mating.
-Then that's it. Et voilà.
They're mating.
-They have sex during 10 hours.
-They have sex for 10 hours?
-Yes.
-I got to say, I have
a whole new respect for snails.
What do they eat?
-They eat nettles.
Aromatic herbs to give them
full taste.
-They eat that,
and it makes them taste better.
-Yes.
-[speaking French]
Why is it important
for you to raise these?
-Because it's important
to have a local production.
-How much production
is not local?
-85% of snails are imported
from Eastern Europe.
-They come from not France?
-It's not French. No. No, no.
-Burgundians love their snails.
But local snail farming
was all but wiped out
by foreign producers
who could tackle
this labour-intensive
production on a massive scale.
Here it's just Perrine and me.
-So you're gonna help me to give
them a limestone supplement.
-All the way back here?
-Yeah. You're doing great.
-So why limestone?
-Because they need calcium
to have great flesh,
to have a beautiful shell.
Yeah. In Burgundy,
we have limestone soil.
-Oh, right. So you're trying to
mimic the natural environment?
How long have you been
doing this?
-I started five years ago.
-When you were 23?
-Yeah, yeah.
I created this all by myself.
The wooden board, all the net.
Do you like snails?
-To eat snails?
-Yeah. To eat snails.
-They're not my favourite.
-I think you will enjoy mine.
-Okay.
Once harvested,
Perrine cooks the snails
the traditional way --
à la Bourguignonne,
first in stock and then
in a garlic herb butter.
Invented in 19th-century
Burgundy,
this dish became
an instant hit in the bistros
up and down France
for being a simple
but sophisticated delicacy.
All right.
I'm as ready as I'll ever be.
-That's my snail.
-I'm excited!
Don't be fooled
by the rustic shack.
Perrine's snails are
sought after by Michelin chefs.
Is this the escargot
that will finally win me over?
Mm. Mmm!
That sauce is amazing.
♪♪
You don't like snails?
Only yours?
But these are amazing.
This is the first snail
that I've eaten
that doesn't have a
a gritty texture.
This is really smooth,
and it's not overly chewy.
Yeah.
Oh, my God. These are fantastic.
Look at all that butter.
That's so good.
Wow. It's the first snail
that I actually like.
Taking on the big producers
with her artisanal farm,
Perrine's a real Burgundy hero.
And now j'adore les escargot.
♪♪
-[Eva] I love a good condiment.
And Burgundy lays claim to one
of my favourites, mustard.
In fact, the French word
for mustard is moutarde,
and many believe
it's derived from a motto
that the dukes of Burgundy
had -- "Moult me tarde,"
which means, "Many await me."
But I'll tell you,
I'm not waiting any longer
for my next stop.
♪♪
Although the famous mustard
recipe is named after Dijon,
mustard cultivation in Burgundy
first took off
in the Middle Ages here,
in the fields surrounding
the city of Beaune.
-[Marjorie] Hi. Welcome.
-Thank you!
-How are you?
-I am good.
-Oh, the French greeting.
-This is my daughter.
The French greeting --
the Americans
-Nice to meet you.
-are in Burgundy.
You are a long way from Arizona.
-Yes.
I like to blame that on you.
-Oh, it's your fault?
-Huge passion for France.
I ended up coming here
to study wine
and convinced my mom
to come join me.
-Kendall Smith Franchini
and her mom, Marjorie Taylor,
moved to Burgundy 18 years ago
to open a French cooking
school.
Americans moving to France to
teach cooking is a bold move.
These sound like
my kind of women.
So, do I get a cooking lesson?
-Yeah.
We're gonna go cook together.
But we have a special ingredient
to get.
-Have you ever been
in a deux chevaux?
-[gasps]
Are we going in a deux chevaux?
-[Marjorie]
She's right out front.
-A deux chevaux. Oh, my God.
-Isn't she sweet?
Her name is Madeline.
♪♪
Driving through the Burgundy
countryside in Madeline,
I feel like I'm in
an old French movie.
-Isn't it beautiful?
-It's like a can of sardines.
-Yeah. It just rolls back.
-Peels back.
♪♪
-Thank you, Madeleine.
-[laughs]
-[Kendall]
So we're at the mustard field,
and they've just finished
the harvest.
-This is Olivier.
-Enchanté.
Je suis Eva.
-Good evening.
-[Kendall] And this is mustard.
-Olivier Cretin's family
have been farming this land
for three generations.
Oh, my God!
That is mustard!
Yep. There it is.
[laughs] Ah-ha!
♪♪
Next stop is the rural outpost
of the cooking school --
Woodland House.
This is like
Architectural Digest right here.
This photo.
[laughter]
Wow.
This is beautiful!
This is my dream kitchen.
And it's a French country
fantasy.
What are we making today?
Rabbit.
-With mustard.
But first we have to make
the mustard.
I'm gonna add some white ones.
-Okay.
-[Kendall] And then we can add
the brown ones.
-This whole-grain mustard
uses a combination
of white mustard seeds
and the hotter brown seeds.
Kendall adds chardonnay
along with the juice
of unripe grapes to provide
this distinctive tang.
-[Kendall] Then these are gonna
soak overnight.
-It turns into this.
[mixer whirring]
Oh! It smells so good.
[whirring stops]
-[Kendall] All right.
So now we've got it blended.
This one here is a Dijon
mustard, which is more creamy.
And then we'll mix both
of them together.
-[Marjorie] First we're gonna
prepare the rabbit.
-Now, is the rabbit typical
in Burgundy?
-French people still eat
a lot of rabbit.
It's farmed, and we happen
to have a really great butcher
at our Saturday-morning market
who makes the nicest rabbit.
-Like so much
of the good stuff here,
it was the mediaeval monks
who pioneered
the domestication of rabbits.
Smells amazing ♪
And the rabbit's mild taste
is a perfect vehicle
for the mustard's kick.
-And in we go.
♪♪
-Of course, no meal is complete
without a glass of wine
-Welcome to the Burgundy
wine fridge.
-This is a wine fridge!
and these ladies have
a novel way
to keep the chardonnay cold.
Oh, my God.
Okay.
-Be careful.
It's cold.
-[grunts]
I got it!
I got the second-most important
thing -- the wine.
[laughs]
-[Kendall] And, Eva,
this is Laurent, my husband.
-How are you?
-Nice to meet you. Very well.
-The Frenchman.
-The Frenchman of the family.
♪♪
-[Eva] Peppers. Oh, my God.
That looks beautiful.
I'll take this.
Can I give you this?
-[Laurent] Thank you so much.
Of course. A little bit of wine?
-[Eva] Yes!
-[Laurent] Okay.
-[Kendall] You have to have
enough sauce.
Especially if you have
Frenchmen.
-[Laurent] Of course.
-[Eva] Bon appetit!
♪♪
Mmm!
Oh, my goodness.
There's a bit of saltiness
to the mustard, no?
-But not as spicy with the
crème fraîche, which is nice.
-No, not spicy at all.
Mm. But tangy.
-[Kendall] But tangy. Yes.
-Mmm.
Everything is delicious.
Is it one of your
favourite dishes?
"Okay, these Americans
might have something to them."
A mediaeval mustard recipe
is the start
of a modern love story.
Well, it certainly won
my heart.
♪♪
-[Eva] So far,
Burgundy has shown me
that everything has deep ties
and respect to the land.
Which today brings me
to a very special ingredient
that has been hiding
beneath these soils
for centuries --
the Burgundy truffle.
Over the centuries,
this land has been home
to the monks and dukes
of Burgundy,
here, in the Côte de Nuits.
Surrounded by ancient forests,
this 17th-century chateau
stands in all
its faded splendour,
a love letter to the past.
♪♪
♪♪
-Bonjour!
-Oh! Eva, how are you?
I'm good!
Nice to meet you.
Thank you.
♪♪
Seven generations
of Arnaud Poustank's family
have been maintaining
this sprawling estate,
including restoring its
indigenous truffle orchards.
Like so many
Burgundy treasures,
truffles are a work of time.
Cultivation takes
up to 10 years,
which requires the patient
devotion of generations.
♪♪
We're on a treasure hunt, guys.
Here comes the star of the day.
Bonjour!
Bonjour, mon cheri.
-Eva, may I introduce Cedric?
-[Arnaud] Mm-hmm.
♪♪
-Oh, he's so excited.
Burgundy's warm summers
and cool winters
provide the perfect climate
for these flavoursome fungi
to develop underground.
♪♪
-[Cedric] Hey!
-[Eva] Yay!
Bravo!
Bravo!
Ooh! He found another one!
Ooh! He found it.
[laughing] He found it.
♪♪
-[Arnaud] Perfect.
-This is a small baby.
-Yeah? Mmm. Yeah.
Oh, it smells good.
[speaking French ]
-Eva, may I introduce my wife.
-Arnaud's wife, Ghislaine, has
hundreds of truffle recipes,
given their backyard bounty.
-Trois jours. Three days.
-Oui. Three days.
-We start by making
truffle-infused crème fraîche.
France's most famous truffles
come from Périgord
and Provence.
But Burgundy's truffles
are highly prized
for their more subtle,
nutty flavour.
♪♪
Okay.
To the truffle-infused
crème fraîche and shrimp
Ah!
goes a truffle-infused egg,
followed by -- you've guessed
it -- truffle-infused butter.
Ghislaine bakes the eggs
in the microwave.
Apparently, top chefs swear it
gives eggs the perfect texture.
[microwave whirring]
But who am I to argue
with greatness?
♪♪
-[Eva] Hello! Enchante.
-Hello, Eva.
-Arnaud and Ghislaine's son,
Gerald, joins us for dinner.
[speaking French]
It's a shrimp with
the crème fraîche and the egg.
Mmm.
-[Gerald] It's too good?
-The truffle is so subtle,
and it goes well with the shrimp
and the crème fraîche.
It's like a perfect combination.
Mm. Always.
[laughs]
A family favourite
is the truffle-infused cheese.
Oh, look at that. Look at
these big chunks of truffle.
♪♪
Mmm.
♪♪
[laughter]
[birds chirping]
♪♪
What strikes me about Burgundy
is how everything is connected.
Terroir isn't just in the wine.
It's in the cheese.
It's in the mustard.
It's in the truffles.
Every flavour shaped
by the land and its history,
building on centuries
of innovation
by the pioneering monks
and business-savvy dukes.
Burgundy's gastronomy remains
at the heart of French cuisine
to this day.
Because here, good wine and
good food aren't indulgences.
It's a way of life.