Chicken breast with sun-dried tomato cream sauce

This is a simple one-pan recipe that can be cooked in about half an hour. The secret for its taste is in quality ingredients; organic chicken breasts, good Italian oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, and organic fresh herbs.

Very little crème fraîche or cream is needed to achieve the creaminess of the sauce if it is stirred in the wine sauce almost at the last minute. In France, you can also choose the thick fat-reduced crème fraîche which tolerates heat without getting runny.

Serve the chicken breasts with rice mix or green lentils and some greens; green beans or broccoli or zucchini.

2 servings

2 organic chicken breasts without skin or bone

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 shallot, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

75 ml white wine

4 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

2 tbsp. crème fraîche 15 % fat or cream

Freshly ground black pepper

Fresh chopped herbs

Start cooking the rice mix or green lentils which need about 25- 30 minutes cooking time.

Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and sauté the chicken breasts on both sides until golden. Add the shallot and garlic to the pan and continue sautéing for about 10 minutes. Add the wine and continue cooking, scraping up any browned bits. 

Place the sun-dried tomatoes on kitchen paper to remove some extra oil before chopping. Add to the pan and grind over some black pepper. Cover and let simmer over low heat for 5- 10 minutes until the chicken is done. Just before serving stir in the crème fraîche.

Meanwhile microwave the greens and chop some herbs.

Divide the chicken breasts, sauce, rice or lentils, and the greens on the plates. Decorate with herbs.

Pralognan la Vanoise: Col Rosset hike

Compared with the famous Col de la Vanoise (2516 m) which lies on a large alpine meadow, Col Rosset (2545 m) is a narrow mountain pass with steep flanks on both sides. Therefore, the trail there is more challenging, with some exposed stretches.

Starting from Pralognan la Vanoise (1410 m), we decided to use the cable car to Mont Bochor (2022 m). Hiking from the village would increase the climb about 600 m. It is also possible to drive or take the shuttle bus to les Fontanettes (1640 m), and further the Génépi chair lift to Barmettes (2000 m), the latter not in service every day. 

Mont Bochor

Trail Before Col Noir

Trail #10 to Col Noir

Almost at Col Noir

Grande Casse viewed from Col Noir

Vanoise Glacier seen from Col Noir

From Mont Bochor, we descended a few minutes to a crossroads, and started to climb along trail nr 8, mostly following the ski runs. We walked past the Ancolie ski lift upper station and a signpost at 2332 m where we took the right-hand trail (straight), now nr 10 in the Pralognan hiking guide. The trail became rockier and steeper after a patch of snow. We reached Col Noir, then continued along an exposed trail along a steep mountain flank. A chain was attached on the mountain side for extra security. However, the stretch was completely ok in good and dry weather.

Exposed part of trail to Col Rosset

Near Col Rosset

View to east from Col Rosset

Descent from Col Rosset

Col Rosset in background

Barmettes

Trail #11 to Mont Bochor

Col Rosset hike

Toast with pea purée and soft-cooked egg

Avocado toast is a popular healthy recipe for a simple and quick meal. In France, a small number of avocados are grown but usually the avocados in French supermarkets are imported. Their quality is very variable; from hard unripe to already dark end over-ripe so not always edible and smashable. 

I have seen some French recipes which replace avocados with peas. The following pea purée is my Mediterranean twist as it has a healthy amount of good olive oil. For a simple lunch, serve the bread slices with a mixed side salad.

2 servings

2 slices of rye bread or whole wheat toast

300 ml peas, fresh or frozen

A pinch of pressed garlic

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. fromage blanc or thick Greek yoghurt, 0% fat

2 soft- cooked eggs

Cook the eggs for 6 minutes in boiling water. Peel them and set aside.

Microwave the peas for a few minutes until defrosted. Add the garlic, some black pepper, olive oil, and fromage blanc. With a hand- held mixer, purée the peas into a nice consistence.

Divide the pea-purée on the bread slices and top with a soft- cooked egg.

Pralognan: Col de la Vanoise hike

Situated at the foot of the imposing Grande Casse (3855 m), Col de la Vanoise (2517 m) is probably the most visited site in the Vanoise National Park.

Historically the col was a trading route between France and the Piemonte region. The long-distance hiking trail GR55 runs through the mountain pass.

The GR55 ascends from the village of Pralognan la Vanoise (1410 m), but most visitors doing day hikes use either the Fontanettes parking (1640 m) or even the Genépi chair lift to Barmettes (at about 2000 m) as their starting point. The chair lift ran on certain days only.

We chose the third option. The cable car to Mont Bochor (2022 m) which ran every day in summer took us up in a few minutes. From Mont Bochor, we first descended along a trail which ran diagonally along the mountain flank (sentier balcon; nr 12 in the local guide), then ascended to Refuge des Barmettes. We continued along the wide GR55 trail (nr 14 in the guide), heading northeast. The scenery became more and more high alpine and we reached Lac des Vaches (2330 m). Flat rocks had been placed in the middle of the semi-dry lake to facilitate the crossing.