Bonjour French Market Friends,
In Paris this week, heads turned to watch the changing of the Guard at the 
Elysees Paris. In celebration of the Entente Cordiale, signed between France and Great Britain in 1904. Sixteen soldiers from the Coldstream Guards, who traditionally guard Buckingham Palace swapped places with soldiers of the 1ier Regiment de la Garde Republicaine who traditionally guard the Elysees Palace, the official residence of the French President. With much Pomp and Ceremony, the friendship was celebrated between these two countries; even though the English still refer to the French as “Frogs” for their habit of eating frog’s legs, and the French still call the English “Les Ros Bifs” due to the English love of roast beef. The majority of the English love French food and wines but I’m not sure the reverse is applicable.
This weekend in Cape Town is the Two Oceans Marathon, the largest Marathon in Africa and certainly the one with the most beautiful route. This year the Ultra Marathon of 
56kms will be held on Saturday 13 April and the Half Marathon 21,1kms on Sunday 14 April. There is even a Friendship Run/Walk of 5km tomorrow 12 April at the Battery Park at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront where friends and families can join in the fun. At the same time our port is welcoming 2 famous cruise ships in our harbour this weekend, the Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2, we expect our City to be jam packed with visitors.
Autumn has roared in with gale force winds and rain. Capetonians really don’t 
do cold weather, as soon as the temperature goes below 20C Degrees we dress up as if we are at the South Pole, with woolly hats and thick jerseys. Eating patterns change and our delicious cakes and fresh baguettes are in high demand this week. We are expecting a new patisserie delivery tomorrow, including the famous Mille Feuilles, a patisserie made with fine layers of puff pastry and butter cream filling. Seriously delicious.
Now is the time to make winter dishes using Alpine cheeses, because these cheeses are ideal for melting and have lots of flavour. We have raw milk
Emmental from the Vosges region; this cheese has a Lable Rouge status which signifies its superior quality and taste. You can grate it over various prepared dishes and grill it to make a golden-brown topping. You can slice it and make toasted sandwiches. You can add it to a bechamel sauce to make a thick creamy cheese sauce for vegetables, especially cauliflower.
Another famous dish is Fondue, which literally means “melted”. The dish is usually prepared with several of our firm textured Alpine cheeses such as Comte, Gruyere, Emmental, Raclette and Appenzeller. Usually one combines 3 different cheeses, grated, and melted with some white wine, in a heavy based saucepan that has been rubbed with some garlic. The Fondue is 
usually eaten by dipping in crunchy pieces of baguette on the end of a long fork. It is fun for the kids as well, as there is a tradition that the first person who loses their crust in the pot has to pay a forfeit. We also have stock pf ready-prepared Camembert au Four, with garlic ready to bake. The 250g container is ideal as a mini fondue and the garlic adds a great flavour. Just pop it in the oven until gooey and share with your friends.
For the marathon runners we recommend stocking up on some crème de Marron, (sweetened chestnut paste). In France, the racing cyclists often
sustain themselves on this Crème de Marron, which is made from chestnuts, which are full of vitamins and minerals. Crème de Marron has sugar added to the cooked and ground chestnuts to form a thick paste. We stock this in jars, and we also have stock of whole cooked chestnuts and individual Marron glace, sugar coated chestnuts.
I always enjoy a hot soup on these cold evenings, I find it is a very “comforting” food
. Fresh vegetable soups are really easy to make, and you can also freeze some for another meal. For this week’s recipe I have a tasty, gluten-free beetroot and celery soup made without a flour thickener, which is rich, creamy, and war
ming. It can be served as a starter or main course.
I recommend pairing this soup with a glass of Louis Latour’s Pernand Vergelesses 1ier Cru, a Chardonnay from Burgundy that has been aged in oak barrels for at least 10 months. The wine has a garnet colour and intense flavour.
The weekend weather looks fair with minimal rain but quite strong winds, we hope all the participants in the Two Oceans Marathon will have a successful race.
For our clients who are celebrating the new crescent moon ushering in Eid-ul-Fitr 2024 tonight, we wish you much Happiness with your family and friends. Eid Mubarak.
Regards,
Suzanne and The French Market Team