Bonjour French Market Friends,
This year is racing away, already we are at the end of September. Many South Africans celebrated Heritage Day or National Braai Day on Tuesday. Being the national pastime, the main challenge appeared to be the decision of what to braai. Luckily the Spring weather was fair, the air was fragrant with smoke from the garden braais and the mouthwatering aroma of roasting meat.
As we approach October there is less than 3 months to the Xmas season. Our planning for the high season continues apace, our Pandoro orders were placed in Italy in April. Our cheese stock orders are already lining up until January. I know the Festive season seems a long way off but do contact me if you wish to have speciality cheeses
for your December parties. These include favourites such as the Mont D’or cheese (Vacherin) 350gr units, little triple cream cheese with a layer of truffles 70gr units from Burgundy, heart shaped camembert style cheese from Normandie, Pouligny St Pierre the pyramid shaped raw milk goat’s cheese from the Loire, the Banon wrapped in vine leaves. These specialities usually come in limited numbers so the more advance notice I have, the greater the chance that I can fulfil all your orders.
In stock this week we have a beautiful collection of authentic regional, raw milk cheeses from France including Brie de Meaux and Camembert from Normandie, from the Jura, Tomme from Savoie, Beaufort from Franche Comte, Emmental from the Vosges, Crottins from Chavignol, to mention just a selection.
In our charcuterie range with have the rich and smooth duck mousse, coarse textured pork terrine, saucisson sec style with truffle flavour. We also have a wide selection of jars and small tins of various flavoured terrines and rillettes from France such as sanglier (wild boar), goose with colombelle, duck with orange and a variety of pork style rillettes and terrines.
We have received a new range of frozen mini friandises, (small pastries), from Bridor, a famous bakery in France. This selection contains a vanilla triangle 40g, a praline Finger 35gr, a Raspberry Extravagant 35g and a Chocolate Twist 28g. Allow 60 minutes to defrost then bake at 165-170C for 12 -15 minutes until golden brown, allow to cool off for 10 minutes out of the oven.
This week we have received new stock from Gustave Lorentz the famous wine producer in Alsace. This family business has been making wines in the Bergheim district in the
heart of the wine growing region of Alsace since the 1800 now represented by Georges Gustave who continues the family tradition. The vineyards are located in the steep hills around the Medieval village of Bergheim, where there is a predominance of heavy soils compounded by clay and limestone. The architecture of this ancient town is typical of Alsace with its square shaped buildings, patterned with wooden beams and pointed, sloping roofs. The resemblance is far more to the German style villages which border Alsace.
Only grapes grown on these hills are used to make the Gustave Lorentz wines. The beautiful 
Gewurztraminer Reserve 2021 has a clear golden colour, and an aroma of roses, apricots and tropical fruits. The taste is supple and fresh, with hints of exotic fruits such as lychees, spices and ginger, it reminds me a little of Turkish Delight. Whilst one anticipates a certain sweetness, the finish is surprisingly dry. This wine can be aged up to 7 years. I suggest pairing with a North African Tajine or a mild curry.
The second special wine from Gustave Lorentz is their beautiful, sparkling Cremant d’Alsace Brut. Cremant means creamy, as in frothy, and is an accurate description. Using the traditional champagne method of double fermentation, and the traditional grape varieties used to make
champagne Chardonnay and Pinot Noir plus the Alsacienne grapes Auxerrois 42%, Pinot Blanc 21% and Pinot Gris 6%. The result is a delicate flavour with plenty of bubbles. The wine has a clear pale-yellow colour with fine and persistent bubbles. The aroma is reminiscent of freshly sliced green apples, lemons and freshly baked pie crust. This wine can be aged up to 4 years. From a price point of view, this Cremant d’Alsace is more accessible but just as enjoyable, as a bubbly made in Champagne. Celebrate and enjoy this refreshing, delicate wine on its own, or pair with one of our new chocolate and cream profiteroles from Belgium.
For my recipe this week, I decided to share a ginger flavoured ice cream to pair with the Cremant d’Alsace, you could also try pairing with the Gewurztraminer, it would be most interesting.
Enjoy your weekend, looks like it’s going to be rather wet and cold again, invite some friends over and share a French cheese platter with them while you watch the Springboks play Los Pumas (Argentina) in Mbombela (aka Nelspruit).
Regards
Suzanne and The French Market Team