Audrey

Last month, part of my yearly trip to France, I spent a whole week in my hometown of Larmor-plage, on the southern Coast of Brittany. A whole week, filled with morning walks on the beach, seafood feasts and many (many!) stops by the bakery. And of course, there is one thing I wouldn’t have missed for the world – the Sunday morning farmer’s market. In France, the farmer’s market holds a special place in the week – and in the heart – of most people. The market is a place …

At the heart of the Franco-Swiss border, the Jura region is home to a gorgeous mountain chain covered in lush evergreen forests and woods. Aside from being a nature-lover’s paradise, the region has a strong culinary profile, producing some of France’s most exceptional honeys. Honeys made from pine, fir, acacia, chestnut and wild flowers, by bees able to enjoy the purity of the Jura mountains. Naturally, honey features in many regional specialties of Jura, such as the Wine and Walnut tart and, of course, this delicious Honey & Walnut cake …

Now that you’ve managed to make and maintain your own liquid sourdough starter, you’re ready to make this Classic French Boule Bread in your Dutch-Oven. A French staple!  The “Boule” ( French word for  “ball”) is a traditional shape of  French bread, resembling a squashed ball. This loaf shape is so traditional that it is the reason why a bread baker is referred to as a “boulanger” in French, and a bread bakery a “boulangerie”. So, when it comes to bread, we can’t really get more authentic than this, can we?

If you’re getting your hands wet in the art of bread-making, you will soon find that owning a jar of sourdough starter is a game changer. Because behind every great loaf, there is likely a great starter. So what is a sourdough starter and why would you need it? A starter is what we call a preferment – a mix of water and flour, meant to cultivate and maintain wild yeast and bacteria. When baking breads, this “living” mixture is used as a “head start” for your dough, making it …

As I mentioned in an Instagram post earlier this week, Pear is often the underdog when it comes to Fall and pie season – with apple & pumpkin running the show .. but not in France! Classic “Bourdaloue Tart“ (pear & frangipane), Pear & Chocolate, Pear & salted Caramel, Pear Tatin, Pear Flognarde (half way between a clafoutis and a Normandy Flan)… you name it, the French love pear tarts and pies! This Pear Walnut Honey tart, inspired by a recipe from Saveurs Magazine (one of my favorite cooking magazines …

Here it is, the infamous Calvados and Apple Flan from Normandy! On a recent trip to Normandy, we ate at La Ferme St Michel, and I had the most amazing Calvados and Apple Flan for dessert. It was tender, fruity and intensely fragrant, thanks to the Calvados Apple Brandy. So of course, as soon as I was back in in my kitchen in Canada two weeks later, I couldn’t resist making one (and it certainly won’t be the last one I will be making this fall/winter)! Being from Brittany, I …

Last month, in the midst of Apple Season in Lower Normandy, I had the opportunity to take a journey on the so-called Cider Route and make a stop at one of its most prestigious (and quaint) Calvados distilleries, Le Château du Breuil. What I saw, was a real tale of terroir and slow-living. Where misty climate, shallow soil and patience (with a drop of audacity) are equally responsible for creating this gold liquor, resting in their cellars. In the heart of Lower-Normandy, The Pays d’Auge is known for its charming …

The classic French Apple Cake gets a twist with the use of spelt flour; adding nutty notes to its signature buttery crumb filled with big apple clusters. Like in many countries through Fall and Winter, the apple cake is a classic in households. Of all, the French version is probably one the most unpretentious and bare. With no use of cinnamon like in America, nor crumble top, nuts or glaze. A cake reminiscent of the German Versunkener Apfelken or the Russian Sharlotka, both made in similar ways, with more fruit …

Known in French as “Teurgoule”, this slow-baked rice pudding with cinnamon is a family-style specialty from Lower Normandy. It is baked in an earthenware dish for several hours to create a thick caramelized crust on top and a soft, creamy pudding underneath. Fun fact, the name “teurgoule” means twisted mouth in Norman (the regional language from Normandy). It is a reference to the faces supposedly pulled by Normandy people tasting this dessert – not out of disgust, but astonishment, as cinnamon was once a very foreign taste.

Known in French as a “Fallue”, this old-fashion brioche from Normandy is a staple of regional French baking. Traditionally made with “crème fraîche”, it is known for its thorny top and scrumptiously creamy crumb.   Brioche comes is so many variations in France, and this one is the most treasured ones of Normandy. And I just couldn’t share any other recipe than the one from French baker Philippe Gouley – awarded several gold medals for his “fallue” recipe, by the official “fallue and teurgoule brotherhood”. Needless to say, this recipe …