Alain Ducasse in Miami

Alain Ducasse, a leading French chef and culinary entrepreneur, recently visited Miami. The story, which reported on the local dinner in his honor, appeared in today's Miami Herald.

The article includes an interview with Ducasse in which he discusses the current state of French food and some of his own current culinary directions. His interesting comments remind one that Gallic kitchens still carry the Western world's culinary torch. While there are other, active movements in Spain, Britain, and the United States, France still sets the standard for dining excellence. Ducasse says as much in his Miami Herald interview.

Ducasse has led an interesting life, including a near-death experience a number of years ago. He's a global businessman who happens to care about what happens in his kitchens and in his dining rooms. Not everyone can afford a table for two at any of his twenty establishments. However, Ducasse's restaurants have earned 19 Michelin stars -- an incredible accomplishment. Sometimes, the experience of excellence is an expensive proposition.

French food doesn't always have to be at Ducasse's level to be satisfying. My wife and I recently dined at a New York neighborhood French place that offered some Norman specialties alongside bistro standards. We enjoyed simple, well prepared dishes that didn't try too hard or overreach. My favorite dish was the dessert: a trou normand. That's green apple sorbet and Calvados. It's more traditionally used as a palate refresher. Some versions of trou normand skip the sorbet and go straight to the Norman firewater.

Trou normand is not often on menus in America, so of course I had to try it. I loved every satisfying spoonful.