Bonjour French Market Friends,
Happy New Year to you, I hope 2025 will be the year that fulfils all your dreams, especially if you dream of French cheese.
In France the celebration of the 31st of December is almost more important than the Christmas Feast. According to the City 
of Paris 1,5 million people gathered in Paris on this New Year’s Eve, along the Champs Elysees, despite the freezing temperatures, focussing on the Arc de Triomphe. To celebrate the end of a highly successful 2024, which included the staging of the Summer Olympics and the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral. The fir
eworks and Illuminations display around the Arc de Triomphe were transmitted via tv and watched, not only on massive screens along the Champs, but also by a total 6,7 million viewers online. The Arc de Triomphe acted as a backdrop for the light show including the reconstruction of the steeple and front of Notre Dame, followed by images of the iconic circular stained-glass window. Organised by the (City of) Ville de Paris, it was a magnificent display from one of the most beautiful cities in the world. (Image acknowledgement Guillaume Bontemps and Henri Garat, Ville de Paris)
Back here in our beautiful city of Cape Town, in the warmth of our summer sun, our beaches were packed for New Years Eve and a slightly smaller firework display took place at our Waterfront, in the presence of several thousand spectators. Here in our shop, after a record breaking December, we are getting back to our regular patterns. Stock take is complete, shelves have been repacked and we continue to welcome many visitors.
In our soft cheese stock we still have plenty of Vacherousse, the gentle flavoured and soft centred, creamy cheese with a slightly orange crust. We have lots of the triple cream Delice cheese, which is a totally decadent cheese made with extra fresh cream and quite addictive. We 
have lots of Epoisses, the gooey and pungent cheese from the Burgundy area. We have plenty of Brie with a layer of truffle cream, the delicate flavour of the brie is balanced by the rich taste of the truffle. Plus many more cheeses for you to explore, so come and visit the shop.
In the meat range we have the rich and creamy duck liver mousse, rillettes and terrines from France, prosciutto crudo and salami from Italy and French style saucisson sec made here in Cape Town. The small jars of French terrines are made from pork, duck, goose, plus some pheasant and wild boar
, they are ideal for an outdoor meal. To go with your picnics we have a range of savoury biscuits plus freshly baked sour dough baguettes. Choose a refreshing chilled rose from the Cotes des Roses by Gerard Bertrand, to accompany your picnics.
Coming in this week are the Galettes des Rois, The Cake of the Kings, made especially for our clients by t
he famous French baker Cedric. There is a strong tradition in France to celebrate the visit of the 3 kings on the 6th of January, or depending on other, older beliefs, the rising of the sun after mid-winter. We are expecting the galettes (cakes) in tomorrow, do reserve one with me, as stock is limited. The cakes are circular, made with hand rolled puff pastry, and have two different fillings. One is made with a traditional frangipane filling and one is made with a chocolate filling. The surface of the cake is golden and decorated with fine curved lines (like a golden sun). Inside each cake is a feve (a bean / lucky token). Traditionally the smallest member of the family hides under the table and tells the person serving the cake to whom they must give each piece as the galette is sliced. The person who finds the feve in their slice of the cake, is crowned King / 
Queen for the day and gets a golden crown which is supplied with each cake. This “Royal” person is allowed to tell the rest of the family what to do for that special day.
For our recipe this week I am sharing a recipe for Quenelles, small, oval shaped dumplings, made with finely pounded cooked fish or meat. The most famous quenelles come from Lyon and are made with Pike, fresh from the river and served with a creamy sauce Nantua. This is a béch
amel sauce made with crayfish or prawns. My cousin in Paris served this to me as a special treat on a previous visit. My recipe is a more simple, paysanne dish, using cooked chicken breast and grated Comte cheese. These quenelles are served with a tomato mayonnaise sauce and a light salad. I suggest pairing with a glass of Louis Latour Chardonnay from the Vars, at the southern end of Burgundy, as this Chardonnay is fairly delicate and allows the flavour of the quenelles to come through, see recipe below.
I hope you continue to enjoy your holidays and the summer sun plus some Galette des Rois.
Regards
Suzanne and The French Market Team