Bonjour French Market Friends,
In Paris on Saturday evening the final ceremony of the Jeux Olympiques (Olympic Games) took place 
with the recognition and awarding of French national decorations (Medal of the Legion d’Honneur and Medal of the Ordre Nationale de Merite) to the French athletes who won Olympic medals for France during the games. Whilst these national medals are usually awarded at the President’s residence, the Elysees Palace, President Macron said that he wanted the whole of the French nation to share in watching these Awards being presented to each athlete. The “Parade des Champions” of the French athletes, took place along the Champs Elysees in the presence of 70,000 spectators and many more online. The athletes assembled at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe where each received the decoration from the President. This was followed by a massive open-air concert. (Image courtesy Le Monde). The City of Paris really pulled off a spectacular ending to an unforgettable Summer Olympics. I think that even the City of Los Angeles will have a hard time competing with the beauty and great organisational feat of hosting these Olympics in the heart of Paris.
Back home in our lovely city – at the same time as Paris was winding down, we had our own special sports event around our beautiful mountain, the 30th Outsurance Gun Run, last Sunday with 9000 runners competing. Plus, several ancillary races on Saturday. We welcomed lots of visitors to our city partaking or supporting runners in the events.
With the chilly temperatures and howling wind forecast for the city this 
weekend, I suggest that you tempt yourselves with some hot alpine winter dishes which entail lots of melted cheese to warm you up. We have French raclette in pre-sliced packs which are easy to melt in a small pan and served over small, boiled potatoes alongside some cornichons, (crunchy, salty French
gherkins, and “grisons” air dried beef, nearest thing would be thin slices of a moist biltong). The second famous melted cheese dish is a Fondue from the Alps, this is usually made with three different mountain cheeses, such as Beaufort, Comte du Jura and Tomme de Savoie all grated together, then melted 
with a glass of wine and a hint of garlic. This is eaten with chunks of fresh baguette dipped in the fondue.
The third winter cheese dish is Aligot, this is made with Cantal from the Auvergne, garlic, cream and mashed potato and stirred together, then spooned into your bowl.
Then there is Tartiflette which is also a dish made of sliced p
otatoes and lardons (chunks of bacon) cooked in cream, topped with a whole sliced Reblochon from the Savoie, the dish is baked until the cheese melts all over the top of the potatoes. I suggest pairing with a white wine from Alsace, Prince d’Abbes Riesling, as this wine has plenty of flavour to balance the strong cheesy taste of this dish.
Apart
from all these delicious Alpine cheeses, we do have lots of soft and ripe Brie de Meaux, Camembert from Normandie, creamy Vacherousse, pungent Munster and St Nectaire, Morbier and Ossau Iraty, Roquefort, Fourme d’Ambert and Bleu d Auvergne. Buche de chevre and St Maure. A popular cheese is the St Julien a soft cream cheese with layers of walnut cream running through it. Come in and taste
a new cheese.
In our savoury nibbles we have received a new stock of the small 40gr sized packets of Torres truffle chips, these have a crunchy texture and delicious truffle flavour.
In our sweet preserves this week we have added a salted caramel spread from Wilkin and Sons. This is made with Maldon salt flakes, and has deep, rich and addictive caramel notes. Serve it drizzled over a crepe or ice cream. The jar comes in the regular 210gr size and also in a mini jar which is perfect for a little self-indulgence.
I hope you have an enjoyable weekend, warm and dry indoors, with lots of good French food and wine shared with friends and family.
Regards
Suzanne and The French Market Team