Menus de Noël

First of all, happy new year!

For the first post of 2008 I wanted to start with a presentation of what is traditionally served for Christmas celebrations, as some people asked me.

1. The apéritif, with Champagne, THE alcohol to celebrate the end of the year. It is served with toasts (pronounced tôôste in French) with pâté or dry sausage. And because France is not a machist society, the tradition is that women can start while men stay in the kitchen to open the oysters (very long and dangerous activity, my dad has some scars to testify for it).
2. Oysters, with a sauce made with vinegar and échalotte , and served with lemon.

3. You can also eat the famous foie gras with fig mermelade on toasted bread, and with a very sweet white wine (Sauterne for instance).

4. For the main dish (yep, we didn´t even start yet) duck or turkey can be served, but this year my mom tried the roe-deer (chevreuil) with beans and pollenta.
5. Cheese of course!

6. The dessert should be light so it is traditionally a bûche (rough hew): ice cream with various flavours and decorated with Santa or other Xmas symbols.

So enjoy and take some ideas for next year!