In old Provence, the table for Christmas Eve dinner, or the gros souper, was set with three white tablecloths to represent the holy trinity and decorated with three shallow dishes of sprouted wheat seed, planted on December 4th, the Feast of Sainte Barbara. The wheat seed symbolizes the promise of a good harvest for the coming year. Bottles of sweet vin cuit, a dessert wine made with grape must at the time of the harvest a few months earlier, were on the table as well, along with pine cones and moss gathered from the forest. In the traditional ways, a meatless meal of 7 different dishes of fish, such as salt cod, and vegetables, such as cardoons, was served before going to mass. At midnight, after returning from mass, the desserts were served, sometimes along with a roast goose.

 

Tradition says that the 13 desserts are symbolic of the last supper when Christ dined with his 12 apostles. Almonds, walnuts, figs, and raisins are called the quatre mendiants, the four beggars because they represent the four religious orders vowed to poverty and the colors of the nuts and fruits symbolize the color of the monks’ robes: almonds for the Carmelites, walnuts for the Augustines, figs for the Franciscans, and raisins for the Dominicans. As time has passed, the religious significance of the 13 desserts has waned, but the cultural importance endures.

The composition of the 13 desserts varies from village to village, and region to region in Provence, but the essential is that at least 12 of the desserts be composed entirely of all produits de terroir, locally grown, while the 13th can be something exotic, such as a date or a tangerine. Originally, all the ingredients were the products of the self-sustaining farms and made in the farm kitchen, but as time has passed, many of the products are purchased, though still local.

This is a typical composition of the 13 desserts.

13 Desserts

Patisserie, often a fougasse made with olive oil and orange blossom water
White Nougat
Black Nougat
Almonds
Figs
Walnuts
Raisins
Prunes or dates
Apples
Oranges
Green Melon (there are certain types that are winter-keepers)
Sweet Biscuits
Quince Paste

In the simplest version, the 13 desserts were served unadorned. Bowls of dried fruit, plates of nougat and quince paste, and fresh fruit were set out on the dessert table. However, today homes and restaurants make creative versions with the fresh citrus or nuts turned into tarts, figs or dates stuffed with chocolate or nuts, and the dried fruits used in cakes.

LES RECETTES DE NOEL

Nougat Noir

Until only recently, this favorite holiday candy was homemade throughout the kitchens of Haute Provence, using the region’s local honey and almonds. One of the traditional thirteen desserts for Christmas Eve, it still appears on the table the night of December 24, but is now more often purchased than homemade. It is not difficult to make, as it is simply a mixture of honey and nuts. The almonds become toasted during the cooking, and are bound together with the honey, which has become chewy. The trick is to spread it into the waiting mold at just the right moment, when it is cooked neither too little nor too l long. Use light honey, such as millefleur or lavender, as the dark honeys, like chestnut, may change flavor when cooked over high heat.

 

½ teaspoon unsalted butter
½ pound honey (1/4 cup)
½ pound shelled, unskinned almonds, (1 ¾ cups)

Prepare a mold, such as an aluminum ice-cube tray, with the interior removed, by greasing it with the butter, then lining it with parchment paper.

In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat the honey over medium-high heat, stirring until it boils. Add all the almonds, and keep stirring. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to stir. The mixture will thicken, the almonds will cook, and the honey will change color from golden to dark caramel brown. It is essential to keep stirring in order to prevent the almonds from burning. When an inserted candy thermometer reads 250 degrees F and the color is brown, it is time to pour it into the prepared mold. Spread it evenly across the surface and top with a piece of parchment paper. Put a weight, such as a brick, on top, and let the candy cool.
When thoroughly cold, unmold the nougat, peel off the parchment, and cut into 1-inch squares. It should be firm, yet cuttable. Store in an airtight tin. The nougat will keep about 2 weeks.
Makes about 18 pieces

From the Food and Flavors of Haute Provence, by Georgeanne Brennan, Chronicle Books

Tarte Aux Noix
Walnut and Almond Tart

This tart incorporates two of the 13 desserts, almonds and walnuts, and could be served on the Provençal Christmas Eve table – or anytime. It is my version of the rich and buttery nut tarts I find in the patisseries of Provence during the winter.

Pastry
1 ½ cups flour
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup butter, cut into ½ inch chunks
1 large egg

Filling
2 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup Cointreau (optional)
1 inch piece of vanilla bean
1 ½ cups walnuts and almonds, coarsely chopped and lightly toasted

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. F.

To make the pastry, stir together the flour and the sugar. Add the butter and work it in with your fingertips until the mixture becomes crumblike. Add the egg and mix it with a fork. Tightly pack the dough into a ball. Using your fingers, press the dough evenly into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, reaching to the top of the rim. Set Aside.

For the filling, in a bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs and optional Cointreau. Slit the vanilla bean and scrape the soft inner bit into the bowl. Beat until well blended. Stir in the nuts and pour the filling into the pan. Do not over fill.

Bake until the crust and the filling are golden brown, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool. Loosen the edges of the crust with the tip of a knife, then remove the pan rim and slide the tart onto a place. Serve warm or at room temperature.

GIFT NEWS FROM LA VIE RUSTIC

How about a trio of our Sel de Fruit – fig, apricot, and French prune?

And, we can include, on any of your gift purchases,  one of our special letter press printed Joyeux Noel cards with your personal message. And, of course you can purchase a box of the cards for your own use, too.

Can’t Decide? We make it easy~

La Vie Rustic now has e-gift certificates in $15, $25, and $50.

JAMBON CRU (FRENCH STYLE PANCETTA) DIY SET

It’s here! La Vie Rustic’s Jambon Cru Set is ready and in good supply, just in time for early holiday shoppers.Looking for something special for the meat-loving, DIY-ers in your life?

La Vie Rustic’s Jambon Cru set might be the answer. Imagine a fresh leg of pork happily curing in its redwood curing box, packed with salt, then being seriously rubbed with herbs and pepper, wrapped in cheesecloth and hanging in a cool, dry place to finish up.

Then, ready to sample and share 6 months and 18 or so pounds later. It’s your own personal supply of jambon cru for pizzas, for salads, to stuff into figs, or wrap around melons and more.

It’s easy to do with La Vie Rustic’s Jambon Cru set – and of course, the set includes beginning to end instructions. Sorry- we can’t include the fresh pork leg and bulk coarse crystal salt. Order the pork from your favorite market. The salt is readily available in 40 pound bags at hardware and home improvement stores. Fresh Pork Leg and Salt not included.

Find ordering information at www.lavierustic.com on the Cuisine page.

 

 

VINTAGE LETTERPRESS JOYEUX NOEL CARDS
Holiday Cards? Right here. I’ve created a version for La Vie Rustic of the holiday cards I’ve had printed over the years for my personal use.

 

 

 

The cards are created with hand-set vintage lead letters, then letterpress printed in small quantities by a master printer on his mid-century Heidleberg press, the same one that prints La Vie Rustic’s Vegetable Seed Collections.

 

 

 

 

The folded, cream-colored cards, with matching envelopes, are left blank inside so you can write your own message.

For ordering, information, see www.lavierustic.com on the new Holiday page. Yes, there will be more holiday items coming soon!

 

GIFTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Plus, I think anything that anything La Vie Rustic sells makes a good holiday gift, from Heirloom French Lettuce Seeds to Fig-infused sea salt (Sel de Figues) and of course the Roulade and Jambon Cru sets and fresh-cut sweet bay laurel – tied with a ribbon for the holiday season!

 RECETTE DU JOUR

Wild Arugula, Pear, and Parmesan Salad
This is my interpretation of a salad I recently had at Farina restaurant in San Francisco. To make it a main dish salad, add thin slivers of jambon cru. The salad was so fresh and light, perfect for fall weather that I immediately made it for dinner the next night.

 

2- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 handfuls of wild arugula
1 Bosc pear, thinly sliced, lenghtwise
8 slices of Parmesan cheese, sliced from a large chunk of cheese with a vegetable peeler

In a large bowl, using a fork or whisk, mix together the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to make a vinaigrette.

Add the wild arugula and toss.
Arrange half the arugula on a salad plate, mounding it high. Arrange half the pears and half the cheese around the mound. Repeat with the remaining arugula, cheese, and pear.
Makes 2 servings.

And if you want to go ~Farina Focaccia & Cucina Italiana, Address: 3560 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110  Phone:(415) 565-0360 www.farina-foods.com

 

 

 

I’ve been working on a Sel d’Abricot for La Vie Rustic and it is now available. Like Sel de Figues, I’ve combined a special dried fruit, in this case Blenheim apricots, with the gray Sel de Guerande sea salt from Brittany. Delicious to layer flavors – a pork loin stuffed with dried apricots, onions, and sage, then rubbed all over with Sel d’Abricot. I have a mixologist friend working on a cocktail using it. He’s very excited and so am I.

On to chickens, or more specifically, roosters. My friend, Nigel Walker at Eatwell Farms in Dixon brought me a present – 3 Black Orlop roosters – head and feet included.

Yes, roosters.  Nigel explained to me that Black Orlops are a dual purpose breed. Females for eggs, males for meat. Well, I cooked one of them yesterday. I was a bit apprehensive about how to cook it, so I some research, then decided to just go ahead and cook it my way, taking into account the longer cooking time and lower temperatures recommended. I took off the head and feet and froze them to make stock later. I rubbed the bird all over with olive oil, a mixture of Herbes de Provence, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper, popped a half dozen garlic cloves in the cavity, and trussed up the beast.

I put it in a big Le Creuset casserole, added some quartered onion, several fresh bay leaves,  eggplant and peppers from the garden, a little more salt and olive oil and roasted it, covered, for 2 1/2 hours at  300 degrees F, then uncovered for 30 minutes.

Amazing. The rooster was tender, succulent and rich with a flavor that can only be described as ‘the way chickens used to taste.’ It reminded me more of a guinea fowl that a contemporary chicken. The broth was ethereal. And, of course, those fresh bay leaves make all the difference. I took a photo, but sadly it was an ungainly angle, so please use your imagination.

I’m going to make Coq au Vin with one of the others.

 

Quince are one of my favorite fruits, and have about dozen quince trees that line my potager garden, so when the fruit starts to ripen, I start thinking about what to do with it.Since it is a relative of both apples and pears, using those fruits together always works. Poach them together with sugar and maybe a hint of salt, even an herb, like a single bay leaf or a few pepper corns or juniper berries. I like to saute them with onions and duck breast, then finish off with balsamic glaze, maybe a  sprinkle of Sel de Figue. (If figs are still available, I’d add those too)

Quince is good stuffed with sausage and walnuts and baked, like an apple. One of my favorite of quince dishes is to soak peeled, sliced quince overnight in red wine and sugar, then drain and used them to make a Quince Tart Tatin.

The classic French recipe  for quince is Pate de Coing or Quince Paste, basically the same as Spain’s Membrillo. I love these dense, sweet pastes – essentially quince cooked with sugar and a tiny bit of water, but I’ve never been very successful at making it, unlike my neighbors in France who are all expert at it. My efforts have never jelled properly so my so-called paste was were impossible to slice. It could be spooned like jelly at best, but really too sweet for that.

Quince Slices in Vanilla Syrup
However, this recipe for Quince Slices in Vanilla Syrup is easy and successful. Serve it for dessert on its own or with a simple cookie or ice cream. The quince slices are also good over warm oatmeal in the morning.

Makes about 4 pints.
6 quinces, about 3 pounds
4 cups granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean, about 8 inches long
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Peel and core the quinces and carefully remove and discard the seeds. Cut the fruits lengthwise into slices ½ thick. Set aside.

Combine the sugar, water, vanilla bean and lemon juice in a stainless-steel or other non-reactive saucepan large enough to hold the quince. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and continue to boil, stirring often, until a light-to-medium –thick syrup forms, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and add the quince slices. Poach the fruits until just barely tender when pierced with the tines of a fork, about 15 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending upon the maturity of the fruit.

Using a slotted utensil, tightly pack the quince slices into clean, dry jars with sealable lids. Ladle in the hot syrup to within ½-inch of the rims. Using a damp cloth, wipe the rims clean. Cover with the lids and process for 40 minutes in a hot water bath.

Remove the jars and let them cool for at least 12 hours or overnight. Check the lids for a complete seal.

Store the sealed jars in a cool, dark place. The quince will keep for up to 1 year. Once opened, keep them refrigerated. Store any jar lacking a good seal in the refrigerator for up to one week. If you don’t want to can them, keep them covered in the refrigerator but be sure to eat them within the week.

Since Sel de Figues, made with Sel de Guerande and dried Sultan de Marabout figs is now ready to ship, I thought I’d write a little bit about Sel de Guerande and also pass along a few recipes.

ABOUT SEL DE GUERANDE

I love coarse Sel de Guérande salt for its purity. Nothing added. Just the salt, rich with natural minerals. Coarse, grayish crystals, with still enough moisture to cloud the printed plastic bags that proclaim Sel Marin du Pays Guerandais accompanied by an etching of the village castle and the sea marshes. The bags have stickers with the name and address of the salt producer on it, a salt producer who has hand-harvested the salt in a centuries old tradition.
A generous pinch of the coarse salt brings a hint of the complex, briny taste of the Atlantic Ocean to boiling water and enhances the flavor of the potatoes, beets, beans – whatever I cook in the water. With a mortar and pestle,

I grind it to smaller crystals to sprinkle over everything, from battered squash blossoms to grilled pork chops.

I keep my salt in a glazed ceramic jar I bought in Provence that has “Gros Sel’ painted on it and a mouth large enough to reach into for either a pinch or and handful. Its cork stopper is cork from the cork oak forests near St. Tropez.It is a special jar for a special salt.

Not long ago, I had the opportunity to visit the salt marshes where Sel de Guérande is produced. All things historic, medieval, and ancient interest me, and what could be more interesting than historic salt works, not only still in production, but producing the very best salt I’ve ever tasted?
Even though the salt marshes have been harvested since the Iron Age, about 3,000 years ago, they were in danger of being abandoned in the late 1950s and early 1960s when sons were leaving the rude, harsh life of a paludier, a salt worker, for better jobs in the shipyards in St. Nazaire and elsewhere where salaries were better and life less harsh. As the number of salt workers diminished, the salt ponds, long held through families generation after generation, were abandoned and the sea began to reclaim the carefully planned complex first laid out by monks in the 9th century.

 

And then, after the protests of 1968, the movement of returning to the land started in France. Young people, dismayed by war and the commercialization of life, became attracted to the ancient professions that were still practiced in the old ways, like sheep herding and the transhumance, making cheese by hand, and producing and harvesting salt.

 

 

In the case of the salt works of Guérande, some young people who were raised there decided to return and carry on the family traditions. Others came, who were raised in cities, and learned the profession. They rented or bought pieces of the salt land to practice the ancient trade while at the same time protecting the fragile environment.

Today there are about 300 paloudiers in the Guérande region, and there is even a school now, where one can go to become a skilled salt farmer and earn a certificate. The program takes 2 to 3 years. About 2/3 of the paloudiers are members of the local cooperative, founded in the 1980s, which handles sales and marketing, world-wide.

The salt production area was fascinating to see. It is essentially a network of basins, each protected by a raised earthen rim. Here the sea water is directed, first into the outer basins, then successively into 3 more basins before reaching the last, the oeillets, where the water is finally fully evaporated by the wind and warm weather, leaving behind the coarse grey crystals of salt. When wind and weather allow, fleur de sel, considered the finest of salt can also be harvested as it forms light fluff on the surface of the water before the salt sinks to the bottom of the clay basins.
Once the water has evaporated, the salt workers rake up the pure salt and tarp it at the edge of the basins until ready to be delivered for packaging and shipping. No treatment of any kind is given to the salt.

Each basin produces between 1 and 4 tons of salt or, in some years, none. About 1 month of warm, dry days is needed to harvest the salt, while the rest of the year is devoted to maintenance and maintaining the flow of water through the network of canals and basins. A typical paludier will own or rent 40 to 60 basins, for a total of around 8 to 10 acres.
When I visited Guérande in late spring, the weather had been unseasonably warm, and dotted throughout the landscape were stacks of salt and men wielding long rakes, working to get the early harvest in before the weather turned. Normally the harvest is in June or July. It was a moment back in time.

So when it was time to choose a salt to compose La Vie Rustic’s Sel de Figues, I didn’t hesitate a minute. It had to be Sel de Guérande.

 

SOME OF THE WAYS I USE SEL DE GUERANDE AND SEL DE FIGUES

Royal Corona Beans with Sel de Guerande and Sweet Bay

It is amazing to me how good beans are when cooked only with Sel de Guérande and a bay leaf or two. The resulting broth is so rich and flavorful I eat it on its own as a soup, with just a few beans, using the beans to make a salad. It’s all about the quality of the salt and using sweet bay leaves. And, of course, Rancho Gordo’s giant Royal Corona beans. www.ranchogordo.com

1 pound of Rancho Gordo Royal Corona Beans, rinsed and drained
Enough water to cover by 3 inches
1 tablespoon Sel de Guérande
2 fresh sweet bay leaves or 1 dried
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Put the beans in a heavy pot with a lid. I use a cast-iron, enameled le Crueset. Cover by 3 inches with water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Add the salt and the bay leaves or leaf. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover and simmer for an hour. Check the water level. You should always have at least an inch of water to cover. If needed, add more water. Cover and continue to cook another hour or until the beans are creamy when you bite into one. They should melt in your mouth.

Taste and add more salt if desired, and black pepper to taste.

Serve as soup, a side dish, or drain the beans to use in a salad, gratin, to puree or any other use.
But whatever you do, don’t discard the broth. Spoon it up.

If not serving right away, allow to cool to room temperature in the cooking broth.
Serves 4 to 6

Sweet Corn Fritters
Crispy brown, sprinkled with Sel de Guerande and fresh parsley, these make a good first course, side dish, or even a main course. There is just enough batter to hold the fritters together so the taste of the corn dominates. I’m making these now, before corn season comes to a close.

4 ears white or yellow corn, husks and silk removed
1/4 yellow onion
11/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Sel de Guérande
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ to 1/3 cup milk
Extra-virgin olive oil for frying

Hold 1 ear of corn, tip down, in a large, wide bowl and, using a sharp knife, cut straight down between the kernels and the cob, cutting as close to the cob as possible without including the fibrous base of the kernels and rotating the ear about a quarter turn after each cut. Repeat with the remaining ear.

Using the coarse holes on a box grater, grate the onion. Using your hand, squeeze the onion as dry as you can and then add it to the corn. Sprinkle the flour, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper, over the corn and onion and mix well. Add the egg and milk. Mix well.

Pour the olive oil to a depth of a scant 1/4 inch into a frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, form each fritter by dropping the corn mixture by the heaping teaspoon into the hot oil, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Press down gently with the back of a spatula and fry until golden brown on the first side, about 2 minutes. Turn and fry the second side, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spatula or slotted spoon, transfer the fritters to paper towels to drain. Cook the remaining fritters the same way, adding more oil if needed and reducing the heat if necessary to avoid scorching.

Arrange the fritters or a warmed platter and sprinkle with salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.  Serve immediately.

Makes 12 to 16 fritters; serves 4 to 6

Pork Chops with Sel de Figue and Rosemary

I love pork and fig together, and in the late summer and early fall, I serve these chops with grilled fresh figs and padron peppers. The Sel de Figue gives the pork that hint of figgy taste anytime of the year.

4 bone-on pork chops, each about ½-inch thick
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons Sel de Figue
4 branches fresh rosemary

Dry the chops well. Rub them all over with the pepper and the Sel de Figue and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Build a wood or charcoal fire in a grill, or preheat a gas grill or a stovetop grill pan.
When ready, place the chops on the grill and lay a rosemary sprig on each. Cook until golden and seared, about 5 minutes. Turn, along with the rosemary and cook the other side until golden, about 5 minutes as well.

Let stand a few minutes, then serve, with or without the rosemary. Serves 4