Good morning,
I hope that you simply and yours are effectively.
Christmas Day is sort of right here, and I’d wish to want you a really Merry Christmas from the center of nowhere, rural northern France the place I stay.
In my usually quiet little village, there’s a flurry of exercise happening behind shutters which are closed tight in opposition to the chilly wind. Tonight is social gathering evening, and although we normally go to Madame Bernadette’s, she’s getting on a bit and as an alternative this 12 months the night will probably be held on the dwelling of our neighbors Guillaume and Constance the place Madame Bernadette would be the visitor of honor. All who’re invited will probably be bringing one thing to eat and drink and share with everybody – and I’m not exaggerating once I inform you that the majority of them would be capable of do themselves proud on a TV collection like MasterChef. Well, all apart from me that’s. However, I’ve an ace up my sleeve – mince pies!
My neighbors will probably be unpacking fastidiously packed delicacies like choux buns stuffed with recent, tangy goats’ cheese, laying out mini tartelettes stuffed with smoky bacon and onion confit and delicate golden gougères like crunchy balloons flavored with salty and nutty Comté cheese from jap France. There will probably be nice baskets of baguettes, salty butter, charcuterie and cheeses, and petit fours – little truffles that appear to be jewels.
I do know I can not compete with this array of completely delicious dishes, however my annual mince pies contribution has turn out to be a little bit of a factor right here! A really British dessert, they’re a practice that dates again to the center ages and it was believed that they introduced those that nibbled on them good luck for the approaching 12 months. The French are very eager on superstitions. They have quite a few baffling beliefs about meals – together with a really fastidiously noticed rule to by no means hand over a baguette the wrong way up as a result of it means you invite famine into your home, additionally – you should not give a good friend a knife as a present, until they provide you a coin in alternate!
Mince pies have a fruity, boozy filling in a candy pastry case, and they’re very moreish. I feel I’ll even have began a development for them right here in northern France as Bread Man who delivers the bread to our village even makes them for his clients after I launched them to him a number of years in the past!
So, regardless of being ‘not fairly flop chef’ any extra after years of making use of myself to studying to cook dinner, however positively not in my neighbors’ ‘high chef’ league – my mince pies go down a deal with!
Whatever you’ve gotten deliberate for this festive time of the 12 months, I want you a really Merry Christmas.
Kisses from a scrumptious little village in France,
Janine
Editor
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Janine Marsh is Author of My Good Life in France: In Pursuit of the Rural Dream, My Four Seasons in France: A Year of the Good Life and Always France: Living the Dream in Rural France all obtainable as book, print & audio, on Amazon in every single place & all good bookshops on-line. Her newest ebook How to be French – is a celebration of the French life-style and artwork of residing.
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