Hiking and Cooking in the South of France

In the Vanoise National Park (Savoie), glaciers are major attractions. The hike named Cirque du Génépy features a trail which circles below the Génépy Glacier, part of the larger Vanoise Glacier.

View to Les Prioux Pralognan

Chavière Valley

Trail above Montaimont

Torrent from Génépy Glacier

Cirque du Génépy trail

Génépy Glacier seen from trail

Génépy Glacier western edge

Descent from Cirque du Génépy

Cirque du Génépy hike track

The inspiration to this recipe was a news clip on the French morning TV, Télématin, about the famous Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. The students were cooking a whole chicken in the oven in a heavy enamelled cast-iron pot such as Le Creuset or Staub. An oval pot is best for a whole chicken which in France is always trussed already when you buy it.

The chicken was cooked together with new potatoes and vegetables and was partly covered with wine and chicken stock. It was regularly basted with the cooking liquid. The result is flavourful, tender chicken meat. 

This simple cooking method is fantastic for the colder months and bad weather when you would anyway stay at home. While watching over the chicken, you can do some yoga or stretching!

Ingredients for 4 servings

1 whole organic or free-range chicken, poulet fermier, about 1,3- 1,5 kg

Olive oil

1 tsp. dried Provençal herbs

Freshly ground black pepper

250 ml white wine

250 ml chicken stock

2 handfuls of small new potatoes

4 carrots, cut into pieces

1 onion, chopped 

2 cloves garlic, minced

1-2 handfuls of small mushrooms

Preheat the oven to 190°C, roast.

Rub the chicken with olive oil. Remove the extra fat around the cavity of the chicken. Place some aluminium foil around the tips of the legs; it is easier to lift the chicken and spoon cooking liquid over the bird when basting.

Warm 2 tbsp. olive oil in the pot over medium heat and gently sauté the vegetables. Add the herbs, black pepper, white wine, and stock and stir. Nestle the chicken among the vegetables.

Transfer the pot uncovered to the oven for 1h 30 minutes. Baste the chicken regularly, every 15- 20 minute, with the cooking liquid. Cover with aluminium foil if some parts of the chicken start getting too dark. 

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, carve and divide on the plates. Divide the vegetables and spoon some cooking liquid over the chicken. If you are cooking only for two persons, the left-overs make a nice meat next day.  Simply reheat gently the covered pot in the oven. A green side salad goes nicely with the chicken and vegetables.

Braised chicken à la Cordon Bleu served

Petit Mont Blanc (2680 m) near Pralognan la Vanoise (1410 m) is one of the mountain tops in the renowned region which can be easily reached along marked hiking trails. The summit is covered with gypsum, hence the name.

Trails to the summit start from the Chavière Valley, a few km south of the village. In the summer high season there’s a free shuttle bus to Les Prioux (1711 m) from Pralognan la Vanoise. The road is paved, and there are some spacious parking areas.

Les Prioux Pralognan

Path near Les Prioux

Chavière Valley Pralognan

Path to Col du Mône

Glacier du Génépy viewed from trail

Col du Mône

Gypsum on trail to Petit Mont Blanc

La Grande Casse seen from trail

Near Petit Mont Blanc summit

View towards Courchevel from Petit Mont Blanc

Petit Mont Blanc southern flank

Pralognan seen from Petit Mont Blanc

Petit Mont Blanc summit

Petit Mont Blanc hike track

This simple dish makes a delightful lunch or supper in autumn and winter. Serve with a green side salad and some good country bread.

2 servings

1 small butternut squash

Olive oil

A small handful of green beans

1 shallot chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

80 grams of Parma ham

Fresh chopped herbs to decorate

For the crumble:

A small handful of freshly grated parmesan

A small handful of dry breadcrumbs

Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180° C, roast.

Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Brush with olive oil and roast for about 45 minutes until soft.

Warm 1 tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the shallot and garlic about 5 minutes. Top and tail the green beans and cut them into 2- 3 cm long pieces. Add to the pan and continue cooking for about 5 minutes until the beans are soft. Set aside.

Grate a small handful of parmesan and mix with equal amounts of dry bread crumbs. Add olive oil to make a crumble.

Chop the Parma ham into small pieces and mix with the green beans and shallots. Divide this mixture on the butternut halves and cover with the crumble. Roast in 220° C for about 5 minutes until the crumble is golden brown.

Remove from the oven and place on the plates. Decorate with chopped fresh herbs.

In addition to the usual summer activities such as mountain biking, the ski resort of Auron (1600 m) offers a network of hiking trails in the mountains above the village. The GR5 long distance trail runs through Auron.

It was exactly the GR5 we planned to use on the first part of our hike.

Because of a small golf court, there was a marked detour for the GR5 which we took near the Blainon chair lift. The chair lift was running, and many visitors took advantage of a free ride to reach higher terrain.

Mont Lion (1050 m) above the Esteron River Valley can be reached from Gilette or Tourette-du-Château (900 m). We have climbed to Mont Lion a few times from Gilette, and wanted to explore the shorter route from the perched village of Tourette-du-Château by the D27 road.

We walked past the church to signpost #45, descended to a wide track which led us straight south to a valley to signpost #50 at 721 m elevation (le Collet). Here you have the option to fork right and circle around Mont Lion, doing the Tour du Mont Lion as indicated in the signpost. It is a longer hike which we in fact did years ago in the summer heat.

We continued straight towards the mountain top, and started to ascend along its northern flank in a nice forest. We reached signpost #53 (950 m elev.) at a crossroads where the path from the east ascended from Gilette. This is also where you arrive if you hike around Mont Lion.

We headed south to the summit. The southern and southwestern flanks of Mount Lion are precipitous. The winter day was almost clear and we could admire the evergreen Esteron River Valley as well as the snow-capped Cheiron Mountain Range further away.

We returned back to Tourette-du-Château along the same trail. It was a short hike in distance but nevertheless included descents and ascents both ways, in other words gave us good interval training!

Distance: 6,1 km

Climb: 530 m

Duration: 3 h

Map: Vallée de l’Esteron Vallée du Loup 3642 ET

This easy recipe makes a delightful and quick lunch. Serve it with a mixed side salad for a balanced meal.

2 servings

2 whole wheat toasts

Olive oil

120 g smoked salmon, preferably wild Alaska salmon

2 soft-cooked organic eggs

2-3 handfuls of organic baby spinach leaves

50 ml chicken stock

2 tbsp. crème fraîche or cream

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C, roast.

Cook the eggs for 6 minutes. Peel and set aside.

Brush the toast on both sides with olive oil. Roast for 8- 10 minutes until golden brown.

Warm 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large casserole over medium heat. Add the spinach leaves. When the spinach is wilted after a couple of minutes, add the chicken stock and stir. Remove from heat, add the black pepper and crème fraîche or cream. With a handheld mixer, purée the spinach, then divide on deep plates.

Place the toast on spinach. Top with the smoked salmon and egg and grind over some black pepper.