February 2024 Gazette

Welcome to the 5th edition of my monthly newsletter! Each month, I intend to share a personal round up of the past weeks to give you a glimpse into my French life. I also share links I love, seasonal recipe inspirations and try to answer some of the questions I’ve received through social media as well.

Feel free to let me know in the comments if you enjoy this monthly gazette, and perhaps what you would like to read about next month!

I hope you all had a good start of the year! It has been a very quiet January here; with honestly not many outings as we were struck with a cold wave at the beginning of January. We usually never get temperatures below 41°F/5°C in Brittany, but we got several days in a row below 0°C/32°F this year!

Frangipane Galette des Rois from our local bakery

We celebrated the Epiphany several times with galettes des rois this month! I really love this tradition, which you can learn about here if you would like. I don’t know about you, but the start of a new year always feels daunting to me with its load of new resolutions and goals, often combined with dreary weather. But the Galette des Rois is a fun, social tradition that definitely makes January weekends sweeter and more enjoyable.

A marking event of January are the farmers’ protests and blockades in France. They timidly started in the middle of the month and are now blocking all major French cities with lines of trucks, and headlining the news 24/7. A line of about 50 farm trucks actually blocked our street the other day.

“Behind every cauliflower, there is a producer”

The farmers are protesting against suffocating EU regulations, taxations and declining income. The road blocks remind of the “gilets jaunes” protests back in 2019, only this time the farmers are very largely supported by the French population. The French are very proud of their farmers and most people try to support them whenever they can. The farmers are starting a standoff against the government to change laws, and we are all very eager to see the outcome.

Lastly, on a personal note, we’re are planning a trip to Venice in March! We’re very excited and started to plan out our visits, restaurants etc. Most importantly perhaps, I am very committed to ensure our visit will remain respectful to the locals, and support the local economy. Venice has a population counter that’s steadily dropping. With too many residences turned into AirBnB and the number of tourists outnumbering the numbers of residents, many locals don’t feel at home anymore and live the city. For this reason, we chose to book a local hotel rather than stay in an Air BnB. We are searching for restaurants and sites to visit which are owned and or managed by locals, as a way to support the local economy. 

Have you ever been to Venice? What was your experience of it? Do you have any restaurants or places to recommend?  

Sophie loves walks on the beach

New articles added to the blog in December:

• King’s Brioche from Provence (updated recipe)
• French Cabbage and Sausage Soup (Soupe Paysanne)
• French Chocolate Truffles (updated recipe)

10 seasonal recipes for February:

• Classic French Beef Bourguignon 
• Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup 
• Roasted Carrot Soup
• Beer-braised Spiced pork shanks
• Classic French Croque Monsieur
• Braised Chicken thighs with garlic and onion
• Lemon Poppy seed yogurt pound cake
• Biscoff Tiramisu 
• Chouquettes (French sugar puffs)
• Classic French Lemon Tart 

We’re so lucky to live in such a beautiful area!

5 links I am liking:

• If you are interested in learning more about French farmers’ protests and what are their claims, here is a good article that can give you more insight.
• While he is not French but British, I wanted to share with you Jamie Oliver’s new cookbook “5 ingredients: Mediterranean” as it features some French recipe twists like a garlic chicken or a rogue ratatouille risotto. In the thick of Winter, turning to Mediterranean cuisine to bring some sunshine to your kitchen is always a good choice!
• Paris is a very coveted destination during Summer, and I know many of you plan to visit the city of lights this year. But if you’re curious about stepping out of the city for a day or two, here is a great article that gives you five day-trips ideas from Paris. My favourite is Lille (1 hour train ride from Paris) which offers a very different food and culture experience than Paris.
• My husband and I love stews in the Winter, and this roundup gave us some great recipe inspiration.
• Celebrated French food writer Ginette Mathiot is back with yet another wonderful cookbook for all Francophiles desiring to learn French cooking. “Classic French Recipes”. It features 170 recipes from the classic French repertoire, along with an introduction from French food writer Keda Black and a foreword by American blogger David Lebovitz. At first glance, I love the minimalists, modern photographs illustrating all those timeless, rustic French recipes.

A traditional Breton stew (Kig Ha Farz) prepared by my mother

5 favorite questions of the months

What are typical French Valentine’s Day recipes?

There aren’t traditional/typical Valentine’s Day recipes really, but the French love to indulge in chocolate on that day. All kind of homemade chocolate treats: truffles, cake, mousse, moelleux, etc, along with boxes of chocolates too. Valentine’s Day is definitely a big day for French Chocolateries! Aside from the chocolate frenzy, some French people typically book a restaurant on Valentine’s Day or prepare a meal at home. But this day is seen as a very commercialized day and is definitely not as celebrated as in the US.

Do you celebrate Carnival in France?

Yes, carnival is a big deal all over France! Many cities throw carnival parties and parades. The cities of Dunkerque in Northern France and Nice on the French Riviera are remarkably known for their huge carnival parades attracting thousands of visitors every year. In most cities, schools or homes, the tradition call for celebrating Mardi gras with a costume party and eating all kind of beignets and fried treats.

The harbor of Lorient

I’ve been only in Paris and planning to visit France again. Where would you recommend to go?

I can recommend so many places in France, it really depends of what you’re looking for! If you prefer low-key vacations in quieter coastal areas than Brittany and Normandy are a great choice. Another “out of the beaten path” option is the North of France with the example of Lille which is a gorgeous city that’s underrated in my opinion. Now, if you are looking for the post-card French villages with pastel colors and lively markets then I recommend Provence or the French riviera – but know these two areas tend to be very busy in the Summer. If you are looking for neither the sea, neither quaint village but would like to explore France’s history, then the Loire Valley is a great choice with a boast

Does your personal preferences and tastes influence the recipes you share on the blog?

Yes, and no! On one hand, of course my personal tastes do play a role on which recipes I work on. I develop, test, cook and thoroughly enjoy each recipe I share and will never share a recipe I am not proud of nor didn’t enjoy. Each recipe I share comes from the heart, and I like to think the readers are receptive to this.  That said, on the other hand, I am also committed to offering a little something for everyone, so I try and keep my recipe repertoire accessible and broad. As for instance, I barely eat any red meat anymore – but because I want to offer family-style recipes, I will continue to share meat-based recipes because I know this is what the majority of my readers are looking for (I mean, Beef Bourguignon!). I also like more and more to bake with alternative flours, grains and seeds but don’t really share these recipes on the blog (yet?) as I want my recipes to feel approachable and affordable.

How does French cuisine balance nutrition with its elegant and cozy vibes?

It’s true that most Americans and foreigners see French food as both “healthy” and elegant. So why is that? In my opinion, French cuisine lets the beautiful ingredients shine on their own – more than in American cuisine. The ingredients aren’t as processed, fried, altered. There is also a better focus on respecting produces’ seasonability. This makes for food plates that are just more vibrant, with fresher looking produces – which I feel conveys this sense of both nutrition and elegance. Another point is that the French love “art de la table”. They don’t hesitate to arrange a nice table with coordinated table sets, dishes and cutlery – even on busy weekdays. Seating down around a nice table and sharing a relaxed three-course meal all together is just as important as the recipes, which I feel again contribute to this cozy, positive outlook onto French food. 

whole orange cake

To finish today, I wanted to share with you this great Orange and Almond cake recipe I made a few days ago. It uses whole oranges (rind and all!) and turned out so delicious. I followed the recipe exactly, only added a sprinkle of shaved almonds on top right before baking.