Dear readers, today the new year is off to a good start for Southern Fried French: We’re honored to be doing a guest blog at French Word a Day. Please head over to the site to sort out French tartes vs. southern pies, and to find the recipe for Lucky New Year Pie with Grand Marnier. And here, other New Year’s treats are in store.
When the holiday season approaches, my dear husband, who normally avoids entering a supermarché if possible, suddenly grabs a big grocery bag and decides to accompany me. Why? He’s looking for the huge display of les Révillions that is bound to dominate the center aisle.
Le réveillon is the French word for the celebration on Christmas eve or New Year’s eve. It’s also the name (or nearly so, spelled with one less letter)of a brand of chocolate papillotes that only appear during the holiday season, a French tradition. These beaudacious bon-bons come wrapped up in little silver and gold packages, in a large bag. You can choose many types: truffles, milk or dark or white chocolate, or the spiritueux, filled with cognac , Grand Marnier or plum liqueur. We think they are the best chocolates ever, and we load up our cart with them for gifts to friends and, bien sûr, to ourselves.
They are special in another way, however. Unwrap each little treasure and you’ll find some words of wisdom, a famous quote in French. With guests for Christmas, it’s always fun to read them and sort them out.
( Photo: Where’s the missing piece? For the recipe for Lucky New Year Pie go to my guest blog at French Word A Day.)
For your French practice today, here are several of this year’s quotes, with translations provided by my French class, guided by our châtelaine and linguist, Nicole (many chocolates were consumed on your behalf, Dear Readers, so we could bring you these quotes).
Il faut toujours se réserver le droit de rire le lendemain de ses idées de la veille.—Napoléon Bonaparte
Always reserve the right to laugh the day after at your ideas of the day before.
Amour, Amour, quand tu nous tiens, on peut bien dire: adieu prudence.—La Fontaine
Love, love, when you get hold of us, we can bid adieu to prudence.
Il faut toute la vie pour apprendre à vivre.—Sénèque
It takes a lifetime to learn how to live.
Apprends comme si tu devais vivre pour toujours et vis comme si tu devais mourir ce soir!—Proverbe Tibétain.
Learn as if you might live forever, and live as if you might die this evening!
L’homme aimable est celui qui écoute en souriant les choses qu’il sait, dites par quelqu’un qui les ignore.---Alfred Capus
A friendly man is one who listens, smiling, to a subject he knows well, explained by someone who knows nothing about it.
Aliments. La découverte d’un mets nouveau fait plus pour le Bonheur du genre humain que la découverte d’une étoile.—Brillat-Savarin
Food. The discovery of a new dish does more for the human race than the discovery of a star.
My friend Ali recycled this idea and printed out inspiring quotes to put by each plate on the holiday table, for each guest to discover and share. A nice gesture, a reminder that ‘tis a season of new beginnings, of reunions with family and friends, of resolutions and reflection.
And so, a very happy and healthy New Year to all! I can’t offer you chocolates, but I will offer you a recipe for Nicole’s fabulous Tarte au Chocolat, which she generously has shared with us. It’s chocolate, pure and simple, so good.
Recipe: Nicole’s Tarte au Chocolat
You will need an 11” (28cm) tart pan with removable bottom.
For the pate sablée (sweet pastry): pre-heat oven to 350F (180C)
- 1/3 cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/3 cup flour
- 1 stick (115 grams) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces.
- 1 egg
For filling:
- 1 ½ cup light cream
- 11 oz. (300 grams) good semi-sweet baking chocolate, cut into small pieces.
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- Crème fraiche or whipped cream
- Confectioner’s sugar (icing sugar)
For crust: Mix dry ingredients in a food processor with several pulses. Add butter and pulse about 10 times, until the consistency of a coarse meal (or mix in by hand with your fingertips).
Add egg and pulse just until mixture starts to come together in a dough. Turn out onto floured plastic wrap. Wrap and chill at least an hour. Roll out dough and fit into pan, crimping edges. Bake 15-20 minutes until crust is golden. (You can use pie weights, but this lazy cook just pokes it with a fork before I put it in and once more halfway). Keep oven on, for next step.
Meanwhile, make filling: In a saucepan bring cream just to a boil and add chocolate. Turn off heat. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in egg and mix well (add a bit of chocolate to egg first, if still warm). Pour into pan.
Bake for 8 minutes. Chill. Garnish with crème fraiche, sweetened with confectioner’s sugar to taste, or with whipped cream. I hope this dish is better than discovering a star. Bonne année, toute le monde!
