French foods to add to your Christmas feast
If ever there was a time to raid the larder for French-ish things, it is now. Here are some of my tips for how to cook, serve and use it in the next few weeks.
After many years of exploring local French food, I’ve come to gather quite a wish-list when it comes to the festive season, and most of it comes from jars, tins and bottles that I’ve hauled home from my trips. These are some of my favourite French delicacies to cook at this time of year that you can often find in the shops in the UK (and maybe the US and Europe).
Chestnuts
I came home from the chestnut festival in Collobrières in 2019 laden with chestnut goodies that I eked out throughout the tough months of 2020. Thankfully there are lots of areas of France that specialise in chestnuts - such as Ardèche and Corsica - so I’ve been able to top up the supplies in recent years. Firstly, chestnut flour is a lovely product to cook with. I replaced some of the flour in the pastry for my mince pies with it, and it led to a lovely biscuity flavour that went perfectly with the filling. Otherwise, crème de marron is a great staple to have in the cupboard. You can often find tubes or tins of Clement Faugier in supermarkets and shops in France, maybe even some posh delicatessens where you live. My favourite way to use it is with this Petits Monts Blancs recipe from Delia Smith, as it’s also really easy - save your efforts for the real Mont Blanc when next in Paris (pictured). You can also whip crème de marron into crème patissière or double cream to fill eclairs or profiteroles with a chestnut twist. Finally, chestnut liqueur is my absolute favourite chataîgne product. I first discovered it in the Alps when it was served with a sparkling vin de Savoie as a kind of Kir Royale. It has an almost apricoty flavour and is out of this world. In the UK, you can order it from Master of Malt, but elsewhere look out for the version by Edmond Briottet which is available beyond France.
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