Bonjour French Market Friends,
Happy New Year to you. I hope you had a great celebration with your friends and families. Whilst we are basking in our hot summer weather, this weekend in France, most of the country is experiencing temperatures below zero and snow is expected in several areas especially in the Jura mountains. During these chilly winter days, cows are kept sheltered in warm barns and fed with hay cut from the summer pastures. In the olden days before motorised transport, farms would be cut off by the snow, and the farmers would have to wait until the thaw in Springtime before they could take their cheese to market. This is the reason Alpine dairy farmers developed great wheels of cheese that would age during winter and be edible several months later when the farmer could get his cheese to markets in the valleys.
There are several world class cheeses as a result of this winter aging which we stock, Comte and Gruyere are the most famous coming from either side of the border in the Jura mountains. We also have the Tomme Crayeuse from Haute Savoie, Morbier, Raclette and Emmental. All are great cheeses to eat in slices, you can pair them with fresh apples and walnuts, or you can melt them into a fondue and serve with cornichons, boiled potatoes and thin sliced cold meats.
We have received a new, small quantity of wild caught smoked salmon from the Northern Pacific Ocean, packed by Labeyrie in France. This salmon has a taste and texture that is unique and is the best that we can find. We have it in small 75gr packs and 180gr packs.
We have also received a new stock of blinis from Labeyrie. They are 20 in a pack, ideal for cocktails. You can spread some cream cheese on them and top with smoked salmon or caviar or fish roe.
There is a new stock of mustards made by Edmond Fallot, which is the last mustard producer in 
Burgundy to grind local sourced mustard seeds with a stone mill. Marc Desarmenien is Edmond’s grandson, and he ensures that the mustard production retains the same quality as created by his grandfather. To quote Paul Bocus he said, “Bravo to Fallot mustard mill, which still knows how to make high quality mustard.” Grinding by stone gives the best texture and quality to the mustard a
nd is different to the machine-made mustards. We have received new flavours including saffron mustard, cassis mustard and pinot noir mustard. Also, from Edmon Fallot we have received stock of raspberry vinegar. These different flavours add an exciting taste to your savoury dishes. Some recipe ideas from Edmond Fallot include macaroons with Dijon blackcurrant mustard, granita with Burgundy mustard, even madeleines with green tarragon mustard.
The Gal
ettes des Rois have been delivered to our shop today. This traditional cake is made for the celebration of the 3 kings at Epiphany. Each Galette comes with a crown and a lucky “feve” is concealed inside for the lucky winner who finds it. Stock is limited so please pre-order.
A chilled soup is perfect for this hot sunny weather so for my recipe this week I am sharing a recipe for a quick and easy chilled tomato gazpacho made with some Fallot mustard. See recipe below. Pair with a glass of Tio Pepe Fino Sherry available at our shop.
I hope you have a relaxing holiday weekend and enjoy your holidays.
Regards
Suzanne and The French Market Team