This week our tasty Alsatian classics are in the spotlight. Bring them onto your table!
Our selection features André Laurent choucroute (sauerkraut) cooked in various styles, Melfor (Alsace's signature honey and plant-infused vinegar), Fortwenger savory shortbread, mini stollen, and gingerbread cookies, as well as Maison Alsacienne traditional cookies. We have also included a lovely tea towel celebrating Alsace.
Enjoy the flavors.Take good care of yourself.
Marianne Prébet
Founder & Gourmand-in-Chief
Just in: more French favorites
Among the French favorites recently added to our shelves you will find André Laurent choucroute cooked with white wine and seaweeds (coastal style), Les Mouettes d'Arvor tuna rillettes with sundried tomato, Francis Miot Cœur d'Amour jam, Maison Pécou Occitane Dragées (sugar-coated almonds), and two new herbal teas by Les 2 Marmottes: Agrumes (Citrus) and 7ème Ciel (Seventh Heaven).
If there is a French treat you would like to find on our website, please share your craving with us.
Suggestions for your French agenda
There is plenty of exciting French cultural events all around America. Enjoy your picks!
The Denver Art Museum presents The 19th Century in European and American Art.
In Los Angeles the Getty Museum presents Gustave Caillebote: Painting Men. February 25 through May 25.
L'Alliance New York presents Isabelle Huppert reads Maupassant. March 3.
L'Alliance New York presents The Ballad of Patrick Dewaere, the new film series showcasing the unforgettable French actor of the 1970s and 1980s. Through March 4.
In New York the MoMA presents Lillie P. Bliss and the Birth of the Modern. Through March 29.
In San Francisco the de Young Museum presents Matisse's "Jazz" Unbound. Through July 6.
In Washington, DC Marc Chagall's magistral Orphée mosaic in on view in the sculpture garden of the National Gallery of Art.
Last but not least, French star comedian Gad Elmaleh is scheduled to perform (in French) in New York on September 10.
Try out our recipe for kugelhopf with bacon and herbs
This variation on the sweet Alsatian classic makes a gourmet apéritif! Accompany with a glass of white Riesling.
Ingredients (serves 6-8)
25cl milk
150g unsalted butter
1 Tbsp sugar
10g dry yeast
175g walnut halves
500g all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
125g lean smoked ham, finely chopped
1½ tsp dried sage
1½ dried thyme
2 1-liter kugelhopf molds
Directions
Scald the milk in a small saucepan, pour about half into a small bowl and let cool to tepid.
Meanwhile, add the butter and sugar to the remaining milk and continue heating, stirring until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved, 2-3 minutes.
Sprinkle the yeast over the tepid milk and leave until dissolved, about 5 minutes.
Coarsely chop the walnuts, reserving 20 halves for decoration.
Sift the flour with the salt into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add the butter and yeast mixtures, and the eggs.
With your hand, stir the central ingredients, gradually drawing in the flour to make a smooth dough.It should be very soft.
Using your cupped hand, knead the dough in a slapping motion against the side of the bowl. Knead the dough until shiny and very smooth, about 5 minutes.
Alternatively, mix and knead the dough in an electric mixer with a double hook.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover it with a damp cloth and leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1-1½ hour.
Butter the kugelhopf molds and set the reserved walnut halves in the bottom.
When risen, knead the dough lightly to knock out air and gently stir in the chopped walnuts, ham, sage, and thyme.
Drop the dough by spoonfuls into the molds. Cover with a damp cloth and leave the dough to rise to the top of the mold, 30-45 minutes. Heat the over to 190°C (375°F).
Bake the kugelhof in the heated oven until puffed and golden brow, 40-50 minutes.
Turn it out on to a rack to cool. It is best eaten on the day of baking, but can be stored in an airtight container up to 3 days.