Mont Saint-Michel Abbey
Discover one of the wonders of medieval architecture.
Mère Poulard's cuisine
The kitchen of Annette Poulard was "...good products cooked simply, with taste and color.
This was a significant departure from the often heavy, sauce-laden bourgeois cuisine of the time. La Mère Poulard's cuisine was a lighter, full-flavored local cuisine, inspired by the riches of the bay between Normandy and Brittany... "
"...Annette's interest in eggs, the basis of the famous omelette from La Mère Poulard came not only from her peasant origins, but also from the tradition of monastic cooking: eggs made it possible to quickly cook a simple, hot dish to restore passing pilgrims.
Annette did the same to cater for her guests after an arduous journey and a final crossing of the shores subject to the vagaries of tides and weather. She perfected threshing and cooking techniques that enabled her to cook a fine omelette in her large fireplace, which she offered to visitors and pilgrims as soon as they walked through the door of La Mère Poulard. La Mère Poulard inn . It was her way of welcoming them, greedy, respectful and efficient.
Annette had created many recipes over the course of her life. First in the small Saint-Michel Teste d'Or hotel, which she took over in 1873 with her husband Victor Poulard and the discreet help of the Corroyer family, who had decided to take the young couple's future into their own hands.
Annette developed her talents as a cook for the boarders' table reserved on the second floor for Édouard Corroyer, his young assistants and visiting friends. for Édouard Corroyer, his young assistants and visiting friends.
Then, in 1888, she opened her famous inn. Here, she prepared her famous omelette, leg of salt-meadow lamb, roast chicken from neighboring farms and fish casseroles from the bay.
Opposite the inn, a terrace welcomes pilgrims and visitors alike for a coffee, a glass of cider and a tasting of Annette's speciality pastries and delicacies. She also treats the children to her delicious cookies, which she lovingly prepares in the evenings, while Victor hosts the evening entertainment.
Annette Poulard's cuisine filled the inn with its fragrances, a permanent invitation to gourmandise: the long-beaten omelette, cooked over a wood fire in the large fireplace after large chunks of butter had browned in the long-handled frying pan, then licked by the flame to give it an inimitable flavor; the cotriades of fish, shellfish and crustaceans from the bay of Mont Saint-Michel exhaling the scents of the ocean, spices and herbs of the moment; oven-roasted leg of lamb spiked with garlic; the subtle aromas of thick veal chop with autumn mushrooms and a creamy calvados sauce, or pan-fried scallops with butter, garlic and lemon; the gourmet aroma of Normandy apple and frangipane tart, or the marvellous vanilla custard, served warm, either on its own or with, depending on the day, a powerful chocolate cake or melting caramelized apple wedges; cookies and their scents of butter, vanilla, caramel, chocolate, apple, lemon, hazelnuts, almonds... Ah! Annette's cookies! How many children on the Mont have enjoyed them...?
Annette and Victor Poulard are innkeepers with deep-rooted values: a cosy room, a simple, good meal, a family welcome and smiles exchanged, guests happy with their visit to the wonder of the West. Annette has a big heart and is happy to please. She sometimes complains that people come to her inn too often for the omelette, salt-meadow lamb and other classics of her cuisine. "Fortunately, there was Mr. Corroyer, who welcomed many fine gourmets to my inn and continued to recommend me after he left Mont-Saint-Michel. And then there are the regulars... To all of them, Annette offers her new recipes, and they delight in them.