Of Cakes and Kings

For many of us, today is the day the Christmas decs come down and the house looks a little forlorn. Bereft of sparkle and embellishments, our dining room will be restored to it's former unglamorous self. The upside is that I won't have glitter on my face/hands/clothes for another year. Some even made it's way into my handbag this year?!

Our fresh tree has been very well preserved, not losing one needle so I am a bit reluctant to dispatch it to the local déchetterie but best not risk any bad luck eh?

Since the beginning of January (and usually until the end of the month), the supermarkets here stock abundance of cakes sold with a gold crown. Why? Well. Twelfth night or Epiphany marks the end of Christmas, when the Magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. In France, this festival is celebrated on or around the 6th January by sharing a Galette Des Rois. This sweet buttery pastry pie is traditionally filled with frangipane but recipes vary according to region. Some are made of a brioche dough, encrusted with sugar crystals and studded with jewel like glacé fruits.

Whichever is your galette of choice, it will contain a fève which, if discovered in your slice, permits you to wear the crown provided and be King or Queen for the day. Originally the 'fève' was a bean but now they are small porcelain figurines which are quite collectable.

In a cold, damp month that doesn't have much going for it, a Galette Des Rois, shared amongst friends or family with a nice cuppa can be a soul soother for a day.

Daily Grind

Vintage coffee mills or moulins à café are familiar sights at the brocantes of France. All shapes and sizes can be found, round, square or wall mounted. It seems every household once owned one. Often uncovered in poor condition now, occasionally we chance upon one that is a little more unusual or appealing to the eye.

This red one was a recent find which has ended up on our 'keep' shelf where it sits with its navy blue partner and I am now on the lookout for a third. Three isn't always a crowd. Art Deco collectors would love the all chrome version.

It may seem surprising to see the Peugeot lion emblem on a coffee grinder when we associate it mostly with cars. In fact, Peugeot Frères started producing grinders in the 1840's long before cars were thought of and they were made up until the 60's when ground coffee became more widely available. This lovely soft green one is sadly missing its label but the colour said ' buy me anyway'.

Below is a beautiful antique one from the late 1800's that is very rare. Any that survived are likely to be in the Peugeot museum or fetching a good price on Ebay. We may stumble across one one day. Here's hoping!

Borage the Wonder Herb

It's easy to see why the beautiful star shaped flowers of the borage plant are such a bee magnet.

This old fashioned plant self seeded in my vegetable garden and since flowering it has been visited all day long by bees busying themselves collecting pollen. I had no idea it was such a useful plant for culinary and medicinal use.

Borage is in fact a herb and has a lot going for it other than it's bright blue petals. It is very undemanding in terms of soil and conditions so will thrive in most gardens and reseeds readily.The flowers are edible and can be used to decorate salads or cakes. Ice cubes made with a borage flower look really pretty in summer drinks, especially Pimms where it was traditionally used before cucumber and mint. The smaller less fuzzy leaves work well in salads and taste very similar to cucumber.

As a companion plant borage enhances the growth of tomatoes by repelling the tomato hornworm and many other fruit and vegetables such as strawberries and squash seem to benefit from nearby planting. Anything attracting bees can only do good as they increase the pollination of neighbourings plants and as we all know, we need bees.

It is worth growing for the flowers alone but in medicinal use borage excels. The seeds are made into GLA, an essential fatty acid which is said to be useful in treating depression, rheumatism, fever, colds and flu. The leaves contains high levels of vitamins A, C, calcium, iron and zinc and can be crushed to relieve insect bites.
I have even heard that it can be used to treat a hangover. Perhaps that's why it's added to Pimms!

Café au lait

Antique café au lait bowls are something I always look for at brocantes. It's rare to find two the same and they come in an assortment of colours, patterns and shapes. Some are fluted with stripes and others have beautiful stencilled floral designs. It's hard to pick a favourite from my collection but I think if I was pushed I'd say the blue stencilled ones. 

I always try to find ones in really good condition so I can actually use them. They are just the perfect size for dips, snacks and soups. At a recent lunch I served gaspacho in them and when the table is laid with each place having a different one they really do look pretty.

Bordeaux Canelés

Bordeaux is not just famous for wine...

The true origins of these little cakes is not known but as with many old recipes there are lots of theories.

The one that most agree on is that they were first baked by pre French Revolution nuns who were given egg yolks by the local wine growers. Egg whites were used to clarify the wine so the nuns put the by-product to good use by making these ridged cakes for the poor children.

The Bordeaux canelés are best bought and tasted in their home town where there is even a confrérie or brotherhood of 88 patissiérs who formed a group to protect the integrity of their canelés. Chocolate or orange flavourings? Mais, non!!

The official recipe is apparently locked away in a vault which makes the little cakes feel even more self important. Notoriously difficult to make, they rely on the exact blend of flour, eggs, rum, milk, vanilla bean and sugar as well as the correct cooking temperatures. Once cooked they are left to rest on a grill which helps form the glossy deep brown crust whilst the interior remains soft and custard like. The overall texture is meant to be slightly chewy to allow the subtle flavours to be fully enjoyed. Best eaten with coffee or wine. Naturellement!

I can't say they are my favourite thing being in the 'no alcohol in sweet food' camp, but I do love their shape and colour. You can see them piled high in the patisserie windows of Bordeaux where they look very appealing. I have found a couple of sets of the aluminium tins on my brocante travels in France and I have been lucky enough to find one beautiful copper set which I now regret not holding onto. They would make perfect mini jelly moulds too!

Flower Juice

We like to keep up our British traditions here in France and so in May and June we go off foraging the blossoms of the elder shrub to make elderflower cordial.

The children love walking around country lanes, snipping the large flowers heads into a basket to make what they call 'flower juice'.
Once harvested, the flowers of this rather ill thought of shrub ( some may say weed),can be infused in a sugar syrup that when combined with sparkling water, ice and a slice of lemon, makes the most refreshingly fragrant summer drink.
Replace the water with sparkling wine or champagne and you will have a classy do,  and I am told that it can be used in a vinaigrette dressing too.
I use Sophie Grigson's recipe which is tried and tested, keeps and freezes really well. Try to pick blooms away from roadsides and those which are in bloom but with no trace of brown.

Ingredients

• 20 heads of elderflower
• 1.8 kg granulated sugar
• 1.2 litres water
• 2 unwaxed lemons
• 75 g citric acid

Method

1. Shake the elderflowers to expel any little critters, and then place in a large bowl.

2. Put the sugar into a pan with the water and bring up to the boil, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.

3. Add the zest of the lemons to the elderflowers. Slice the lemons, discard the ends, and add the slices to the bowl. Pour over the boiling syrup, and then stir in the citric acid. Cover with a cloth and then leave at room temperature for 24 hours.

4. Next day, strain the cordial through a sieve lined with muslin cloth ( or clean tea towel), squeezing out the last drops for maximum flavour. Pour into sterilized bottles. Screw on the lids and pop into the fridge. Use plastic bottles if freezing leaving a gap at the top for expansion.

Mangeoire a poule

I have often glanced at these poultry feeders or 'mangeoires a poules' whilst perusing a brocanteur's stand and didn't really imagine that they could be put to much decorative use. Le brocanteur said that they were now in much demand and highly sought after. 

I could feel the price going up as he spoke. 'Très rare. Ancienne' he said.'Yeah', I thought.

But with a little imagination, they can be reinvented as neat little planters. Perfect for narrow window sills or any outside space. Fill with compost, sprinkle in some seeds of your choice - herbs would be practical. Feed, water, grow.

Or you could get a few chickens instead!