MORELS speckled the forest floor. For a lavish meal with family and friends, Françoise Branget, a deputy in the National Assembly from the Doubs region, sautéed those earthy black mushrooms with Bresse chicken, the king of French fowl, and the pungent “vin jaune” from the nearby Jura district.
For Ms. Branget, this was not just a feast. It was a celebration of her campaign to unite deputies on the left and right in a national cause: the promotion of French gastronomy.
Earlier this year, she asked her colleagues to contribute a favorite recipe from their regions. The result is “La Cuisine de la République, Cuisinez avec vos députés!” (“The Cuisine of the Republic: Cook With Your Deputies!”), a culinary tour of France recorded in a 295-page album of recipes, history, humor, braggadocio and nostalgia.
“It is our national responsibility to cook and to eat well,”
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/dining/a-french-feast-from-a-political-pot.html?ref=dining