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CONTENTS 4  L’apéritif – pre-dinner drinks 6  Chaussons de foie gras au pain d’épice – goose-liver and gingerbread pasties 15  Huitres et crevettes – oysters and prawns 17  Le trou Normand – “the Norman hole” 19  Filet de canard au miel avec pommes de terre rôties – honeyed duck fillet with roast potatoes 25 P  lateau de fromages, pâte de poire épicée et pain aux noix fait-maison – cheese platter with pear paste and homemade walnut bread

29  Les treize desserts – thirteen desserts: 31 Truffes au chocolat et cidre chaud – chocolate truffles and mulled cider 35 Pruneaux, dates et abricots farcis – stuffed dates, prunes and apricots 36 Pompe à huile – the “oil pump” 38 Nougat blanc – white nougat 40 Nougat noir – dark nougat 42 Ganses Niçoises – “angelwings” 44 Biscuits de Noël – Christmas biscuits 46 Bûche de Noël à la mûre et au chocolat noir – chocolate and blackberry Christmas log

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BEFORE THE MEAL

L’apéritif Pre-dinner drinks

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efore dinner, drinks are served, along with canapés, hors d’oeuvres and “biscuits apéro” – what you might know as bar snacks. It sounds very informal, but in France it’s part of the ritual of the meal – and no-one drinks until everyone is present (unless they’re running disagreeably late), and a toast has been made. Cocktails are common, but the French tend to prefer the simpler recipes. One favourite is chilled sparkling white wine with a drop of raspberry, blackcurrant, or even violet-flavoured syrup, completed with a berry suspended in the mix. Others will stick to whiskey or pastis (a strong aniseed-based liqueur from the south) or whatever their favourite spirit might be – or perhaps the host will introduce guests to a delightful new drink they’ve found, using them as guinea pigs to see if it’s worth buying again. (Beer, on the other hand, is a rarity at the apéro – the 4

STARTERS

Chaussons de foie gras au pain d’épice Goose-liver and gingerbread pasties

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iterally translated as “slippers”, chaussons are a delicate way of serving foie gras, which on its own can be somewhat heavy, especially as a starter. This dish may seem rich for a starter, so this might be a good point to talk about portion sizes. A guiding principle of French cuisine is quality over quantity – small portions are part of what gives the French such a rich cuisinal tradition, and yet allows us to avoid gaining unhealthy amounts of weight. And while you might be tempted to use a less fatty pastry, resist that impulse – the fat in the pastry is what makes it puff. The French are not afraid of fat. So long as it’s the right kind of fat. Eaten at the right time of day. In the right quantities. 6