19. December - Holiday Baking Ideas

Do you like baking? Here are some ideas which are really special for your Christmas treats!

 

We wish you lots of fun baking your cake & biscuits!

18. December - Packaging Ideas for Christmas presents

 

Every Christmas I ask myself how to package gifts more interesting?
We gathered some ideas which we like to share with you. 
Unique ideas which makes every present a little bit more special!

 

17. December - Christmas celebration in France

In France, Christmas is a time for family and for generosity, marked by family reunions, gifts and candy for children, gifts for the poor, Midnight Mass, and le Réveillon.

 

The celebration of Christmas in France varies by region. Most provinces celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December, which is a bank holiday.

French children put their shoes in front of the fireplace, in the hopes that Père Noël (aka Papa Noël) will fill them with gifts. Candy, fruit, nuts, and small toys will also be hung on the tree overnight.

 

Although fewer and fewer French attend la Messe de Minuit on Christmas Eve, it is still an important part of Christmas for many families. It is followed by a huge feast, called le Réveillon. Le Réveillon is a symbolic awakening to the meaning of Christ's birth and is the culinary high point of the season, which may be enjoyed at home or in a restaurant or café that is open all night. Each region in France has its own traditional Christmas menu, with dishes like goose, chicken, capon, turkey stuffed with chestnuts, oysters, and boudin blanc (similar to white pudding).  

 

The sapin de Noël is the main decoration in homes, streets, shops, offices, and factories. The sapin de Noël appeared in Alsace in the 14th century, decorated with apples, paper flowers, and ribbons, and was introduced in France in 1837.

 

 

16. December - Christmas Food In France

This is my friends account of her typical Christmas in France - doesn't it sound lovely?
"Every year on Christmas’ Eve, my large French family meets in a beautiful little estate lost in the middle of large agricultural fields dormant in the dead of winter. As we gather in the dining room, near a lively fire, we start the celebration with some Champagne. 

 

Des amuse-gueules/bouches (bite-sized dishes) soon arrive from the busy kitchen, especially, warm and crispy feuilletés d’escargots (snail pastries) are an accompaniment de rigueur, brought by my mother from a local snail farm in the Anjou region.

After a protracted introductory course, all sit down. The long oak table has been set with a array of silverware, plates, glasses and many other Christmas ornaments, as well as the ever-present bread in baskets and butter. L’Entrée (the appetizer) consists of raw & cooked oysters, saumon fumé (smoked salmon) and foie gras served with un vin moëlleux (semi-sweet wine) like a Vouvray, Côteau du Layon, or liquoreux like a Sauternes (very sweet wine).

 

For the plat principal, we find some viande rôtie (roasted meat) like chapon (capon - castrated rooster), pintade (guineafowl), agneau (lamb), chevreuil (roe deer), dinde aux marrons (chestnut-stuff turkey), accompanied by des petits légumes (small legumes): haricots verts (green beens), courgettes (zucchinis), champignons (mushrooms). For proper food pairing, this part of the meal showcases some good, robust red wines. 

 

Following a refreshing green salad comes an assortment of fromages presented on a circular wooden board. The tradition demands that one offers at least three different types of cheeses: lait de vache (cow’s milk), de brebis (female sheep) et de chêvre (goat).  

 

Une bûche de Noël is the traditional desert, a buttercream cake in the shape of a log, topped with colorful little Christmas figurines, and cut in individual slices for everyone. 

 

Bon appétit

15. December - Typical German Christmas Food

In Germany, each family has its own food traditions for the Christmas holiday. However, here we list some of the most popular Christmas foods.

As the turkey is a traditional Christmas dinner here in the USA, the goose is a favorite Christmas dish in Germany.

The goose is traditionally filled with apples, chestnuts, onions, or prunes. Common herbs and spices used are salt, pepper, marjoram, and mugwort.

 

In Southern Germany, the carp is most often cut it into individual portions and prepared like a Schnitzel. The dish is most often served with potatoes such as potato salad, fried potatoes, or boiled potatoes.

 

Fondue is a communal dish shared by all guests. Guests dip bit-sized food (bread, vegetables, meats, etc.) into a hot sauce or liquid. In some cases, the food is cooked in the hot liquid. In other cases (such as with Cheese Fondue and Chocolate Fondue - see below), the hot sauce simply coats the food. There are basically five kinds of fondue:

·      Cheese, Meat, Chinese, Vegetable, Chocolate

 

The German word Wurst actually refers to both cold cuts (Aufschnitt) and sausages.

 

Potato salad is loved in Germany because of its universality. It goes well with a variety of dishes, including Schnitzel, Wurst, seafood, and other meat dishes.

Guten Appetit!