AMB Cote d'Azur

I have now spent six Christmases in France, and 2007 will be my seventh! I would like to invite you to share in some of the special tastes that I will be offering to friends and family, in true French style. Everything will be distinctly peppered with a mélange of the heady flavours and vibrant colours of my ‘adopted’ home …. the Côte d’Azur.

There are many myths surrounding a typical French Christmas, one of which I will hit on the head straight away. Many people think that a French Christmas is a very ‘last minute affair’, and that it is only the British who spend months in advance making a cake laden with dried fruits and alcohol, the classic suet-based plum pudding (which can be an absolute ‘killer’ at the end of a rich seasonal meal), and, of course mincemeat---which is guaranteed to bring a wry smile to a Frenchman. He immediately has visions of steak tartare in a jar! In my sunny little corner of Southern France, nothing could be further from the truth! Although my French friends are highly likely to give the fruit cake and steamed pudding a miss on their Christmas mise en place list, in favour of a bûche de Noël (Christmas log), they traditionally set aside a few jars of prunes steeped in Cognac (perhaps with an added cinnamon stick or two), flavour sugar with sprigs of fresh lavender (for sprinkling over tarte au citron and flavouring crème fraîche), and make an irresistible confit d’oignons or confit de figues (a rather special onion or fig ‘chutney’) to accompany duck or foie gras.

Christmas is always a memorable eating occasion, where the number of courses invariably ‘go out of the window’. The menu is usually quite elastic, as can be the number of people who are seated around the table. There is always an unexpected Italian or American who just happens to be ‘passing through’, perhaps en route to Paris for New Year. Everything always kicks off with champagne, usually a ‘mix’ of one colour or another. Here in France it is traditional to add a dash of crème de Cassis (or one of the other fruit-based crèmes, such as Framboise or Mûre) to each champagne flute, but my own preference is for a touch of Green Chartreuse. After my brief visit to the monastery just outside Voiron, I affectionately call it Monk’s Fizz! As far as the accompanying amuses bouches, or ‘small edible bites’ are concerned, there will most definitely be a hint of foie gras---if I am not serving it as an entrée. For canapés, I usually use the canned bloc de foie gras. Slightly chilled beforehand, it is easy to on small golden croûtes of bread. If you really want to impress, serve it in dégustation spoons (the small tasting spoons, that are very much the ‘in’ thing), sprinkled with a little truffle liqueur, orange and fig liqueur, or a dab of marmelade de figues (fig conserve). The trendy kitchen shops tend to charge a small fortune for them, so I bought a number of the long inox ice cream spoons, and told my other half to do a ‘Uri Geller’, and get bending! I am now the proud owner of sixty. If seasonal guests are really lucky, then they get a little caviar, served on the same tasting spoons, on a platter of crushed ice. (They have to be truly special guests!) When smoked salmon does not feature in the selection of canapés offered (such as the small pancakes rolled around slices of salmon, crème fraîche, lemon and dill, and topped with orange lumpfish roe, in the main picture), then I can think of nothing better than a selection of sushi.

Oysters are an absolute must! If you are wary of your fingers, ask a friendly fishmonger to open them for you. Delicious as they are served ‘au nature’, I also like them served warm on the half shell, with a champagne, cream and pink peppercorn sauce. (The peppercorns almost resemble pink ‘pearls’, for which oysters have become renowned  -  “the pearl in the oyster”!) They also make a wonderful tartare, finely chopped with a little shallot, lemon, Tabasco and seasoning, and served back in their oyster shells.

Although I now feel very ‘French’, my British origins come to the fore when choosing the main course for my menu. I turn my back on the feathered geese and duck (or even turkey), and opt for a hearty standing rib roast of beef---my butcher, Mario (in the Marché Provençal in Antibes), knows exactly what I mean when I say, “une vraie grande côte de boeuf, s’il vous plait?” To give the meat a more local touch of Provence, I stud it with obligatory splinters of garlic, pieces of anchovy fillet, halved and pitted black olives, sprigs of fresh rosemary and small pieces of sun-dried tomato, before basting it with a few generous glugs of olive oil and a mere drizzle of truffle oil. My very ‘serious’ piece of meat is traditionally served  with pommes dauphinois and a layered gratin of Mediterranean vegetables (tian de légumes)---thinly sliced aubergines, courgettes, red-skinned onions and tomatoes, generously ‘flavoured’ with olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs and grated Parmesan, before being baked. I absolutely love fresh vegetables, so there are always at least two others from which to choose---maybe baked chicory, a purée of swede and carrots, darioles of broccoli or tiny potatoes in their skins roasted in rock salt with herbs. Creamed horseradish always features as a side accompaniment, alongside the strong Mediterranean flavours in the meat, and I usually add a generous measure of brandy to the gravy. Otherwise, it’s Christmas lunch as usual!

At this stage in the meal (if not before), I think that a really refreshing sorbet is a good idea to separate the flavours and refresh the palate, especially when some of my favourite unashamedly pungent cheeses, such as Boulette d’Avesnes and Maroilles, are to follow. And we still have to leave room for the pièce de la résistance---the dessert! If there is a little space left after the Bûche de Noël au Café, then there are always the marrons glacés, pâtes de fruits, nuts, chocolats ……  and the Cognac!