Living in France – The French ‘Chocolate Sausage’ Mystery
On route to Paris a few weeks ago I was enjoying a dessert at the French Patisserie PAUL with my eldest son Thomas in Dubai International Airport, who casually asked with a cheeky smile, if I remembered the ‘chocolate sausage’ story? I laughed and said I did. Here is the ‘chocolate sausage’ story of when Thomas was only 9 years old and it was our first trip to France during Christmas 2009.
Annette lives with her family between their homes in France and Australia. She’s been featured in International magazines including French Property News, on ABC National Radio, numerous blogs and travel websites. You can connect on Instagram or Facebook.
On your French travels have you ever been really hungry and on reaching the local boulangerie (bakery) found it closed for their lunch break? What the heck is that about? They sell food right – and they are shut at lunch time! Nothing better explains France’s love for the long lunch than this anomaly. Boulangeries close so that bakers and workers can enjoy their own lunch break, and locals plan around these midday closures.
However, there is also an answer to this age-old lunch hunger problem when the boulangerie is closed. It’s got our family and no doubt many others out of hunger – enter the baguette vending machine. True, there are vending machines that dispense fresh baguettes in France.
Annette lives with her family between their homes in France and Australia. She’s been featured in International magazines including French Property News, on ABC National Radio, numerous blogs and travel websites. You can connect on Instagram or Facebook.
Macaron Day is celebrated on 20 March every year and what a delicious celebration it is! These delectable little sweets are instantly synonymous with France and are now enjoyed throughout the world.
With a gentle crusty outside shell and soft ganache inside, they are just waiting to be bitten into. Sold by the millions each year, the macaron is worthy of its day of celebration.
Annette lives with her family between their homes in France and Australia. She’s been featured in International magazines including French Property News, on ABC National Radio, numerous blogs and travel websites. You can connect on Instagram or Facebook.
What is crescent shaped, made from layer upon layer of flakey pastry, loads of butter and tastes like heaven? You got it… it’s a croissant, and the croissant has its own national celebration day in France called National Croissant Day.
Marie Antoinette brings the Croissant to France
This iconic french pastry is celebrated on the 30th of January each year and is linked with Marie Antoinette the famous Austrian queen who lived at Versailles. Marie Antoinette is given the fame of introducing the pastry to France over 200 years ago.
“She was sent to France at the age of fourteen to marry the future King Louis XVI. The lonely young girl missed her homeland and asked the court bakers to make her the kipferl that she remembered from home. She introduced it to the court along with other little pastries from her homeland. Collectively, they became known as viennoiserie.” History of the French Croissant by Margo Lestz
Annette lives with her family between their homes in France and Australia. She’s been featured in International magazines including French Property News, on ABC National Radio, numerous blogs and travel websites. You can connect on Instagram or Facebook.
France is a country that loves celebrating all things good that can be eaten or drunk. Dedicated festivals, national occasions and celebrations keep traditions alive in France, just like the Beaujolais Nouveau Féte (New Beaujolais Festival).
The New Beaujolais Festival is celebrated throughout France on the third Thursday in November every year, the date when wine-making finishes and the new wine can be sold. This fruity new wine is eagerly awaited by wine-lovers across France, with gatherings at local stores and vineyards and when the cry goes out le beaujolais nouveau est arrivé! (the new Beaujolais has arrived) it is a happy scene at the bottle shop.
Annette lives with her family between their homes in France and Australia. She’s been featured in International magazines including French Property News, on ABC National Radio, numerous blogs and travel websites. You can connect on Instagram or Facebook.
Do the colder months of the year make you feel like cooking warm and hearty meals? If so, you’ll love this winter recipe of Cassoulet. Just right for eating in front of a glowing fire, or when friends come over for a relaxed evening of games and fire side chatting.
Cassoulet takes its name from the traditional casserole dish that is used for cooking this stew. It varies regionally in the South of France with the best-known versions originating from Carcassonne, Toulouse and Castelnaudary.
Annette lives with her family between their homes in France and Australia. She’s been featured in International magazines including French Property News, on ABC National Radio, numerous blogs and travel websites. You can connect on Instagram or Facebook.
Living part of each year in France has allowed our family to eat and cook like a French family. This of course has meant eating lots of cheese and we’ve noticed there are some differences between how the French and Australians eat and entertain with cheese.
Eating Cheese In France
In France cheese platters are served at the end of the main meal and before dessert whereas in Australia cheese is usually the initial course. Either an initial course or a snack, cheese is not offered in Australia between the main meal and dessert. French cheese platters only have cheese on them, but in Australia cheese is often served with cold meats, dips, crackers and raw vegetables.
Annette lives with her family between their homes in France and Australia. She’s been featured in International magazines including French Property News, on ABC National Radio, numerous blogs and travel websites. You can connect on Instagram or Facebook.
Have you baked a Gugelhupf Cake? It’s a classic Alsace recipe and easy to bake. We often cook them around Christmas time when we’ve eaten enough Christmas fruit cake and want something different that’s easy to bake and that we can share with visitors.
I like a good rich fruit cake but it doesn’t take me long during the Christmas holidays to get sick of eating fruit cake. That’s when I dig around my pantry, pull out my Gugelhupf cake tin and marzipan and strap on my apron.
Annette lives with her family between their homes in France and Australia. She’s been featured in International magazines including French Property News, on ABC National Radio, numerous blogs and travel websites. You can connect on Instagram or Facebook.