Hello French Market friends.
Looking back on the last three years I am, like so many of you, a business owner who navigated the Pandemic crises and nurtured my business back up the economic cliffs, surmounting the challenges of getting our produce to travel 10 000 km, to actually arrive and to get it to your table. Whilst the worst effects of the Pandemic on the production and distribution channels has eased globally, we are still experiencing a couple of stock shortages such as Manchego so please bear with us as we try to get in your favourite cheeses. As we all know our current local challenge is the increasing power cuts, particularly for the manufacturing industry. We are fortunate at the Gardens Centre that our Landlord had installed a central generator a few years ago, which has kept our lights (and fridges) on.
Having spent 16 years building my French Market brand, I was determined not to take my focus off my business until we had got through this Christmas season, which was a record breaker for us, thanks to all of your support. For the first time in 3 years I felt the situation was stable enough to take a much needed break, to get some real rest and boost my creative thought process. As I write, I am sitting high above the clouds on my way to Singapore, sipping Henriot champagne, on my way to spend a quiet week with my family, coincidentally Singapore will be celebrating Chinese New Year during my stay which will be fun. I intend to eat, sleep and swim and will return much refreshed. My beautiful French Market shop is in the capable hands of my French Market Team, who have all encouraged me to take this break. If you wish to contact the shop you can do so at admin@frenchmarket.co.za Juliette and Lisa will take care of your orders.
In addition to keeping the French Market business going here in South Africa I have also been developing my two holiday properties in France. With many visitors travelling to France this year for the Rugby World Cup I needed to get them ready to welcome friends and visitors from South Africa. Accommodating 1 couple, these properties are in two totally different areas in France, one in Charente in the South West of France, in unspoilt, peaceful countryside between Angouleme and Limoges which has hardly changed since the Romans marched through, in fact there are Roman stones in one of my barns.
Check it out on Airbnb. Machat, Charentes.
The latest property is right down on the Cote D’Azur, literally on the seafront at Menton, with incredible unrestricted views from the balcony across the Mediterranean sea and the port of Garavan, on the bustling road between Monaco and the Italian border. You can walk across the border and shop in Italy in 5 minutes or eat at the world famous restaurant Mirazur. I will tell you more about them in the following weeks.
You can see my beautiful place on Airbnb. Menton, Cote d Azur.
We will receive a large new stock of all our cheeses from Paris on Wednesday. In the interim we still have lots of stock of everyone’s favourite Vacherousse. I think the reason this cheese is so popular is because of its very creamy texture and gentle, slightly tangy flavour. Another great favourite is Epoisses, at the other end of the creamy gooey cheeses. Currently our Epoisses is very ripe and the flavour extremely pungent. If you like smelly cheese then this is the optimum in the aroma range. We are running a discount on the Epoisses. We have lots of raw milk Comte, matured for at least 6 months , the texture is dense and the flavour fills the mouth. Our raw milk Camemberts from Normandie are full flavoured with a white bloomy rind. Have you tried making a dip with these yet? Place the camembert in a small bowl or wrap in some foil, heating them up in the oven , or over a braai, until they melt, then serve with some crusty baguette? You can also add a garlic clove or sprig of rosemary into the camembert before you bake them, to get different flavours. Our raw milk Brie de Meaux is well ripened and full of flavour.
In our freshly cut terrine range we have the soft duck liver mousse which is perfect spread on a fresh baguette. We also have the coarser textured duck and green peppercorn terrine which has a traditional duck meat flavour and a little piquancy when you crunch on a green peppercorn. Serve these with cornichons, small salty gherkins from France.
In our fresh produce range, the shallot season has just started. These popular elongated onions have a slightly different flavour to the average white onions, they are used in many French recipes. Our fresh fruit includes nectarines and peaches, apples and pears, grapefruit and oranges.
My recipe this week is a simple potato salad made with shallots, homemade mayonnaise and pink peppercorns (baie roses) which we get in from Madagascar. These interesting berries have a flavoursome rather than peppery taste, the neutral flavour of the potato salad is a good base to enjoy the perfumed taste of the baie roses. See recipe below.
Have a great weekend, I know that I will.
Regards
Suzanne and the French Market Mob
RECIPE
Salade de pommes de terre aux baies roses
Potato salad with pink peppercorns
Ingredients:
- 1.5kg potatoes
- Large spoonful Baie Roses (pink peppercorns)
- 1 large shallot
- 1 bowl homemade lemon mayonnaise (see last week’s recipe)
Directions:
- Peel and cut the potatoes in quarters.
- Boil in salted water for 15 – 20 minutes until just soft but not mushy
- Strain and allow to cool.
- Cut the potatoes into small blocks
- Wash the parsley and dry, cut off stalks and chop finely
- Peel shallot and slice very finely
- Cut potatoes in small dice, place in a large salad bowl
- Add the shallot, parsley and mayonnaise and stir in
- Rub the baie roses in your hands so that the pink skin break into tiny flakes and sprinkle over the potato plus the pepper corns
- Serve chilled
Pair with a glass of Cotes de Rhone Rose made by E,Guigal available at the French Market shop in Cape Town or order online.
Bon Appetit!