January 2024 Gazette

Welcome to the 4th 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!

December’s highlight for us was a road trip to beautiful Val de Loire, a valley located in the middle stretch of the Loire River, in central France. We were able to spend a relaxing, extended weekend in the countryside of Cheverny and spent our days visiting the beautiful castles in the area. The Loire Valley region is known for hosting over 300 castles, with many French kings having built their homes there.

The city of Tours known for its half-timbered houses.

The drive from Lorient, Brittany to Cheverny was about 4.5 hours. Along the way, we included a quick lunch break in the city of Tours. We wandered through its charming cobbled streets and grabbed a “Nougat de Tours”, the specialty pastry from the area made with a buttery crust filled with candied fruits, apricot jam and top with a macaronade (ground almonds mixed with egg whites and baked like a meringue). 

We stayed at the gorgeous Sources de Cheverny hotel, which I cannot recommend enough if you ever stay in the area. The main building is a renovated castle with multiple leisure rooms, where we got to play chess, listen to old (and newer) vinyl records and sip teas nestled by the fireplace.

Les Sources de Cheverny hotel.

Surrounding the castle, the owners turned barns and farm houses into beautifully decorated bedrooms. Ours was facing a beautiful field which offered us the most beautiful sunrises every morning (see the cover photo of this article).

I intend on writing a more detailed article on the Châteaux de la Loire, but can’t resist already showing you a few snippets of our visits. The first castle we visited was Chenonceau, perhaps the most well-known châteaux of the Loire Valley. I loved visited its big kitchens and the large ballrooms which were beautifully decorated for the Holidays.

Chenonceau castle

The second castle we visited was Cheverny, which is a smaller castle that is heavily furnished inside – which makes for a splendid visit. The current owners of the castle are actually still living in the right wing of the building. 

Cheverny castle

The third castle during our weekend was Blois, which a massive castle right in the center of Blois city. While the insides were perhaps a bit underwhelming, the size of the castle was truly impressive.

Blois castle

And the last castle we visited was Chambord, the biggest château of the Loire Valley, built to serve as a hunting lodge for Francis I.

Chambord castle

After this wonderful weekend in the Loire Valley, we were back in Brittany to enjoy the Christmas festivities. We got to spend a quiet Christmas at my parent’s home with my family. And as per tradition, like every year, we went for a walk along the coast on the afternoon of the 24th, to work up our appetite for the “reveillon” dinner. Do you also have a cherished family tradition for Christmas?

The rest of the night included plenty of food, with a Crémant (French sparkling wine) and Tarte Soleil for a starter, a roasted capon with chestnut stuffing, truffled mashed potatoes and a Bûche de Noël for dessert of course. 

How were your Holiday celebrations, and what did you cook and enjoy? Let us know in the comments!

Chambord castle’s impressive sculpted towers.

New articles added to the blog in December:

• 10 most popular recipes of 2023
• Biscoff Tiramisu (Ch’tiramisu)
• French-style braised Oxtail (Queue de Boeuf)
• Gateau Basque (Basque Cake with pastry cream)

10 seasonal recipes for January:

• Provencal Garlic Soup (Aigo Boulido)
• Poule au pot (Chicken in a pot)
• French style Macaroni Gratin
• Belgian Endive Ham Gratin
• Alsatian Onion Tart
• Flemish Beef and Beer Stew (Carbonnade)
• Galette des Rois
• Orange Yogurt Cake
• French Almond Croissants
• Riz au lait with caramel sauce

Les Sources de Cheverny hotel.

5 links I am liking:

• Every year, it is a popular tradition to watch the French president on national television at 8pm, on December 31st, share his best wishes for the upcoming year. This year, president Macron said 2024 would be a year of determination and pride for the French people, marked by the Paris Summer Olympics and the re-opening of Notre-Dame cathedral. You can re-watch his entire speech here if you would like (which is in French, of course!)
• January is Galette des Rois month in France! Like every year, the famous French cooking magazine Elle A Table published a roundup of their favorite Galettes made by famous restaurants, pastry chefs and luxury brands. Which one is your favorite?
• You can now pre-order Jane Bertch’s upcoming memoir: “The French Ingredient: Making a Life in Paris One Lesson at a Time”. I discovered Jane Bertch through Instagram a few years back with her account La Cuisine Paris. Bertch is an American woman who moved to France in her late twenties and opened up a cooking school « La Cuisine Paris » for foreigners looking to learn French cooking while on their holidays in Paris. Her memoire recounts all the ups and downs of building her life and business in Paris, facing the French’s skepticism of an American starting a cooking school in Paris and how she eventually grew to love Paris and the French culture. Although I haven’t read her book yet, I have a feeling this could be a great read for Francophile Americans or anyone enjoying a Julia Child like story.
• This article dates from 2018, but I re-stumbled on it a few days ago and I am sure this will be of interest for most of you : “5 indispensable kitchen tricks from Julia Child”
• Speaking of Julia Child, a new edition of «The French Chef cookbook» was published a few weeks ago. This book is based on Julia Child’s TV show, The French Chef, which made her gain national fame in the US. It boasts 300 classic French recipes organized according to the TV show’s episodes, most of which are definite musts to have in your cooking repertoire. If you are looking at gifting (yourself) a belated Christmas gift, this is it!

5 favorite questions of the month:

Are the Loire valley castles busy over the Christmas Holidays?
We visited the castles in December, but it was before the school Christmas break, so the castles were not busy at all. I am guessing that the week after, when the Christmas break had started, they were much busier. Generally speaking, the Loire Valley castles are some of France’s most touristic attractions, so it is always best to visit them outside of Summer and school breaks, if you can. Otherwise, late Fall and early Spring are low season.

Do you have any travel plans for 2024?
We haven’t booked anything yet but we would like to plan a weekend in Lille in early spring. I already visited this beautiful city a few years back, and would love to show it to my husband. For this Summer, we would like to plan for a trip in Northern Europe. We spent our past two Summers in Italy (Florence and Naples), which were beautiful locations, but incredibly hot! So, this year, we’re yearning for a much cooler destination like Scotland or Finland. Or perhaps you have other suggestions for us?

Do you have Boxing Day in France?
No, we don’t. Although Black Friday became popular in France, Boxing Day didn’t. Instead, in France we will have the “Soldes d’Hiver” (Winter Sales) which will start the second week of January, and last about 6 weeks.

What is your favorite French ingredient to work with?
It is hard to pick just one! But off the top of my head, I would say Dijon mustard. It is such a great condiment to add a signature French flavor to any dish. I almost always add one tablespoon of Dijon when I prepare a Bechamel sauce, a vinaigrette or a Quiche filling, and it immediately elevates the dish.

What is one lesser-known French regional dish that you think deserves more attention?
Again, it is hard to pick just one, haha! But I would like to answer with Beef Carbonnade, as this is a dish we made just last weekend. A Beef Carbonnade is the stew of choice in Northern France and Belgium. This dish of slowly stewed beef in a rich beer sauce is far lesser known than the iconic Beef Bourguignon – but just as delicious in my opinion. Plus, it’s even easier to make! This is actually one of my husband’s favorite dishes, and in the Winter, he asks me to make it at least once a month.

Brittany cabbages are the stars of the market in the winter.