Bonjour French Market Friends,
Our Francophonie Festival last Saturday was a great event at the Belgian Residence in Newlands with 
stands hosted by the Consuls of France, Belgium, Switzerland and Romania, plus the Alliance Francaise from Cape Town and Stellenbosch. There were many other regional participants offering traditional foods and wines and lots of music. The weather was sunny and everyone enjoyed the event. Our French cheese stall was most appreciated, and we met many new clients who enjoyed the cheeses that we offered. The Francophonie Festival continues with a free film screening at the Alliance Francaise du Cap on Tuesday 23March at 6pm.
Tomorrow the 21st of March is Human Rights Day in South Africa. This public holiday is when we
remember the actions that took place on that date in 1960 in Sharpeville, where peaceful protesters were fired on and killed. 65 years later we have a strong democracy which enshrines Human Rights, and we celebrate this freedom. In a fast-changing world, despite all the challenges, we can be proud of our Constitution and the freedom that we enjoy in this beautiful country.
Please note that despite this being a holiday, our shop will be open tomorrow up to 5pm so you can come in and buy some delicious treats to enjoy on this special South African Day. I have created ideas for each holiday meal using ingredients from our shop.
Start your holiday with some of our imported frozen pastries made with real French butter that you bake at home. All you do is pop them in the oven for the specified time, no messing around with egg wash or anything, and they come out puffed up and golden. We have butter croissants, pain au chocolat (pastry wrapped around two bars of French chocolate), chocolate hazelnut filled croissants and almond paste filled croissants. You can taste the difference of the chocolate as well. From the moment when you smell these pastries baking, to when you pop them in your mouth, they are delicious. I hear from all my clients how these croissants make the best start to the day.
For your holiday al fresco picnic lunch, I would recommend a platter of traditional French terrines from
our range which includes a variety of pork and duck meat and duck liver mousse. Plus, a selection of our individual regional cheeses which are packed in their own boxes, such as Camembert, Pont l’Eveque, Livarot from Normandie, Munster from Alsace and Epoisses from Burgundy served with some freshly baked, sour dough baguette. Pair these with a light chilled rose wine from Gerard Bertrand on the Mediterranean coast or a Louis Latour Chardonnay from
the Vars at the southern end of Burgundy.
For your holiday celebration dinner I would recommend that you start with some Cru caviar served on a small slice of Triple cream Delice cheese on a mini blini, paired with a glass of Tribaut Schloesser Rose champagne. Follow this with mini vols aux vents filled with chopped hard-boiled egg and Ortiz tuna mixed with some of our freshly made traditional mayonnaise.
For your main course I suggest serving some of our confit de canard with potatoes roasted in the duck fat, paired with a glass of Comte de Thun La Maze, a Merlot from the Cotes du Tarne region in the Southwest of France.
Follow this
with a fresh green salad and a cheese platter including some Brie De Meaux, Reblochon and Tomme de Savoie, creamy Vacherousse and Morbier du Jura, Ossau Iraty from the Basque region and Roquefort sheep’s milk cheese. Pair the Roquefort with a glass of Sauternes and the rest of the cheese with La Parde from Chateau Haut Bailly, Bordeaux.
And to finish this amazing day you have to serve some of the best individual patisserie cakes in Cape Town, made with imported chocolate to traditional French recipes. One of my favourites is the chocolate hazelnut which has a dense chocolate filling and rich chocolate outer casing. This vies with the Praline, the Megeve, the Opera, all are different styles of classic French recipes. In addi
tion, we have plenty of macarons. Serve these with a glass of Louis Roederer brut champagne.
My recipe today is a simple crumble made with fresh summer raspberries that are in season now. It is really easy to make and tastes great, serve with a bowl of crème fraiche and a glass of Cremant d’Alsace.
I hope you have an amazing holiday tomorrow and a relaxing long weekend.
Regards
Suzanne and The French Market Team