A shoot of baby garlic found in winter and mild in flavour, a speciality of Poitou-Charentes on the Atlantic and Aquitaine.
This can be prepared in various ways. 1) Aïoli, made with bread soaked in milk, crushed garlic and perhaps egg yolk, mashed potatoes. It is similar to the Greek skordalia, or alternatively, 2) Salt cod, hard boiled eggs, boiled snails and vegetables served with garlic mayonnaise. A speciality of Provence.
Vacherin. A disc of soft cheese made with cow's milk. It has a soft to runny paste and a smooth, pink rind. It is made on farms in the Rhône-Alpes, Savoy and Franche-Comté. The curds are unpressed. The various names refer to the type of milk used. (AOC).
Sand leek. According to garlic grower Ron Engeland, sand leeks are edible but seldom cultivated, and have a shorter flower stalk and fewer and more inconsistently shaped cloves than Rocambole garlic with which they are often confused. Sand leeks also have a dark violet bulb wrapper. On the other hand, I think this might actually be Rocambole garlic,which is a hardneck variety of garlic.
