francofiled

A gift from Paris in time for Christmas from family members who just got back from the City of Light.  This is a beautifully presented box of Lindt chocolates featuring les Champs-Élysées on the lid and it is almost too good to open.  Almost?  It might happen over the Christmas holidays... ssshhhh, keep the lid on that. Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année 2017 !

The angels' share, la part des anges, is that part of the alcohol in cognac which is evaporated as the spirit matures in its casks.  I well remember our first trip to Cognac and the air seemed sweet with its aroma.  The memory of that trip came scenting back on a more recent staycation in County Fermanagh. However, I wasn't expecting the angels' share to be provided by a glass warming technique that we experienced when we visited the Watermill Lodge near Lisnaskea  Our very friendly and knowledgeable sommelier, Flavien, first placed a brandy glass upside down on his service table and then filled the dimple in the base with a small amount of the house XS cognac.  This he then lit with a gas torch and as the flame took hold he suspended another cognac glass upside down over the rising heat. He did this twice, once for each glass, and then served us a measure of a finer cognac in the warmed glass.  Other diners paused their meals to witness the spectacle....

Monument base, place Garibaldi, Nice

Keeping this spot for an upcoming post on the extraordinary life and work of Michel Thomas..... In it, I'll be sharing my thoughts on the book The Test of Courage by Christopher Robbins and as a former French teacher I will also give my impressions after having listened to the 8-part CD French Course. Interested in Michel Thomas?  Check here for Wikipedia article.

I really am not sure about the text of this treasured possession. I know it is a marriage contract, handwritten on parchment that we bought many years ago. The ink has clearly stood the test of time but the writing and some of the words used are difficult to make out. It does seem to state that the contract dates from 1595 and it will be a labour of love to decipher and translate the text.  It has defeated a few French friends who have stayed at our home. Here's a close up of the opening sentences: Any suggestions?

The Christmas continental market is in Belfast again and it's always great to welcome the French stall holders back to our city... especially if they offer mouth-watering pastries.  I resisted temptation until the moment I spotted the stall of Le Petit Gascon with its sign drawing attention to an array of sliced custard tarts. As I explained in une part de flan , a post on this site from exactly 4 years ago, this pastry has a special place in my heart.  And so it wasn't long before I was holding a slice having explained to the server, c'est pour manger maintenant!  Sensing my appreciation a trader from another stall called over, Venez ici, monsieur! while pointing at some freshly made chichis (churros) . I shouted that I'd be back later but really, for me at least, there's no comparison between these two pastries and I'm sure that once I get back it'll have to be another slice of flan.

Less than a week ago, last Wednesday, our cercle français met to reflect on the First World War battle of Verdun.  As we approach the one hundred year anniversary of the battle, we were exploring the theme of devoir de mémoire , the duty to remember.  The battle lasted 300 days and accounted for three quarters of a million casualties, with fatalities of 162,400 on the French side and 143,000 on the German.  A devastating death toll. On Friday, 13 November, just over 300 days since the 7 January attacks on the offices of Charlie Hebdo and the Kosher supermarket, Paris was attacked again, in several places at once. 129, mostly young people, were killed. The government's response has been forceful.  Président François Hollande says that France is at war. The notion of being at war reminded me of our Verdun reflections.  These had included a short segment on Guillaume Apollinaire , a poet who served on the front line of the Western Front.  At the onset o...