Paris, Christmas food and home made gifts

11 December 2023

Inspiration to up the pavlova game this Christmas

Introduction

I am in Paris so I haven’t cooked anything from this week’s papers. Instead I’ve interspersed the text here with some food photos from this weekend. I’ve broken a digital detox to do this and I’ll write a full ‘what I did on my holidays next week.’ This is the first year our family won’t be doing a hamper for my mother-in law as she died this summer, but the regulars were Simon Hopkinson’s Parmesan biscuits, a jar of Delia Smith’s mincemeat and orange chocolate marzipans.

It’s home made gifts all the way in the Guardian. I like the look of Camilla Wynne’s preserves and jams. There’s cranberry chutney which goes well with poultry, cheese and charcuterie, raspberry jam with candied citrus and star anise (where you can use frozen raspberries) and candied grapefruit peel which leaves you with a good deal of grapefruit-Campari syrup that makes a wonderful base for punch or spritzes.

Philip Khoury’s recipe for pistachio and cherry amaretti which are vegan and gluten free and a snowball sundae, peanut butter brittle and spoon sweets, which in this instance are candied kumquats by Ottolenghi.

Also, Meera Sodha’s giardiniera, Italian pickles and Rachel Roddy’s candied orange and almond balls or s’aranzada from Sardinia which she likens to a toffee brittle marmalade. There are gifts from Nigel Slater’s kitchen in the Observer as well as Jeremy Lee’s Christmas recipes, links to be added later when they come online )

Mark Hix gives recipes for three alternative birds to Christmas turkey, roast stuffed partridge and pear, roast goose three ways and truffle-stuffed roast rooster.

A Christmassy afternoon tea from Diana Henry in the Telegraph with Christmas sandwiches, apple and cinnamon scones, spiced citrus shortbread and Christmas brownies.

Mary Berry’s Christmas recipes for 2023 in the Sunday Times, kedgeree with spinach and herbs, Highland beef pie, Christmas cranachan pavlova wreath and mulled wine.

Nigel Slater’s recipes for potato and mushroom gratin, and mincemeat slices in the Observer.

Six recipes from the Devonshire by Ashley Palmer-Watts in the Times which they call ‘2023’s hot new restaurant.’ Have they forgotten Akub, Mountain and 64 Goodge St to name just a few? Maybe you can cook some of their recipes if you can’t get a table. The crab and citrus salad looks straightforward and a treat at Christmas. There’s also roast scallops, bacon and wine vinegar, lamb chops with Devonshire green sauce, bread and butter pudding, and chocolate mousse (with cherries, flaked chocolate and cream). This needs a sheet of bronze gelatine which I googled and you can just use less of the platinum stuff.

Rue des Martyrs, Paris. Please note the sprouts in their exalted position.

More Brussels sprout stuff, or alternatively imho, condescending twittery in the Telegraph. I know people who don’t like mushrooms or tomatoes or bananas. No one says, ‘oh just cook them with some ‘Gorgonzola fonduta, crispy pancetta and toasted walnuts and then you’ll love them.’ You just offer them something else instead.

NB: for people like me who do not know the difference between a Swiss fondue and Italian fonduta, is ‘that the Italian recipe does not include alcohol, garlic, or a cornstarch/flour thickener. Instead, the fontina is blended with butter and milk, and egg yolks are used as the thickener, making it more custardy.’

Spiced pomegranate-glazed roast duck by Ravinder Bhogal in the FT who says duck is perfect for a small Christmas and cooking it low and slow makes it foolproof. A welcome reminder that not everybody has a dozen around the dining table.

Nigel Slater’s midweek recipe for pork steaks with chestnuts, sauerkraut and apple for something quick and easy you can do in a frying pan in the Observer and Parmesan dauphinoise potatoes by Eleanor Steafel in the Telegraph

Books

Mary makes it easy by Mary Berry

with an interview here and stress-free recipes here for Somerset cheddar cheese straws, a whole spatchcock chicken with Mediterranean-style vegetables in one pot and red velvet sandwich cake all in the Independent.

Feel Good in 15 by Joe Wicks

in the Independent with an interview here and recipes for cacio e pepe beans’n’greens, saucy spring onion chicken and lastly stovetop plum crumble plumble. That sounds good, if like me, you were without an oven.

Seasons’ Greetings from Paris

Restaurants

Best 50 pubs in London in the Standard 

In the Observer, Jay Rayner went to Deanes Meat Locker in Belfast and said ‘they have the good stuff’.

In the Standard, David Ellis reviewed Jamie Oliver Catherine St in London WC1 and thought, ‘this is like a musical with a star who just can’t sing.’ In his opinion there was poor service and bad cooking and gave it two stars. “Why so generous?” said his companion, straight-faced. 

In the Telegraph, William Sitwell reviewed Origin City, in West Smithfield, London EC1A and thought it offered ‘surprisingly good value for pretty decent grub – if only it could get busy.’

In the Times, Giles Coren wrote about the brilliance of Russell Norman and went to  Kolae in London SE1, an off shoot of Som Saa in Spitalfields which he liked. 

It was as grey and rainy as it looks here so we went on a boat trip on the Canal du Midi, and drank mulled wine and ate gingerbread.

Travel

UK

A car-free trip around Coniston and South Cumbria in the Guardian. I really love the views from the café at Brantwood, and Sizergh Castle.

Europe

Limerick in the Guardian which they call one of Ireland’s overlooked gems. ‘This handsome city on the west coast has atmospheric waterside pubs, medieval architecture, and a passion for sport and the performing arts.’

A culinary tour of Porto in the Times to sample pork sandwiches, salt cod, egg yolks in sugar as Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes is the guide.

Copenhagen’s new-wave bakeries in the FT where many of Noma’s alumni have opened pastry shops and bakeries in the Danish capital. Worth using an FT allocation of articles on this if you are going there.

Lerici, Italy’s under-the-radar alternative to the Cinque Terre.

Salzburg in the Times, ‘the beautiful Austrian city that looks magical year-round. Whether you’re in town for a ski weekend or a spring break, you’ll find palaces, puppets and piano concertos.’

An immersive new museum at Salvador Dalí’s childhood home in Figueres in Spain and some other favourite spots in northeastern Spain in the Sunday Times

A travel guide to Sibenik, Croatia’s untouched coastal city on the Dalmatian coast in the Independent.

Christmas in Copenhagen in the Guardian

Reading the papers

People ask me how I read all the papers. I believe in paying for quality journalism and my husband and I have digital subscriptions to the Times and to the Telegraph. Sometimes my husband buys a Times on Saturdays or I buy a Guardian and I buy the Observer when it’s Observer Food Monthly. Otherwise, I rely on what’s online, and on Twitter and Instagram. And occasionally, I ask a friend to save an article for me.

The Times gives you two free articles a week as a registered user and the Telegraph gives you access to one free article each week if you register an account. The FT gives a certain number of free articles

Local public libraries often have Pressreader which gives access to over 7,000 newspapers world wide for free or you can subscribe to it.

Sometimes, I use the recipes for inspiration. If they are from a cookbook, they may be in other publications as well for publicity, and you may find them or a similar version through a quick Google.