HG Entertains
How to Dine Like the French
À Table
In France, 80% of meals are taken with other people, something the French believe is a grounding and necessary daily ritual. In fact, food is so deeply entrenched in French culture, it's built into some of the country's most common idioms: 'occupe-toi de tes oignons' (mind your own business); 'avoir la pêche' (to be full of energy); 'avoir du pain sur la planche' (to have a lot to do); 'la moutarde lui monte au nez' (to get angry). In honour of France's national holiday - la fête du 14-juillet, or Bastille Day - we salute the nation that rejects eating on the go or dining with one eye on a tablet, and whose love affair with food represents time spent with family and friends, good conversation, and what we believe contributes to a life well lived.
Wine & Dine ‘Commes Les Français’
Any day is a great excuse to dine like the French. We asked Victoria and Floris Lemstra-Bake, owners of Chateau Canet in France's Languedoc-Rousillon region (available in Canada through Opimian), to suggest the best wines to pair with these classic, summery French recipes:
Salade Nicoise. "Pair with a crisp, fresh, fruity and floral white, such as the Minervois blanc 2017. It's a perfect summer match."
Roast Provençal Chicken. "We suggest a Minervois rouge, which blends Syrah and Grenache grapes, and results in a wine with body and elegance. With a summer meal, serve slightly chilled at 16 or 17 C."
Moules à la Marinière. "These intensely flavorful mussels call for a full-bodied white wine with good acidity. Try a Chardonnay that's lightly oaked, in order to keep the balance between the fruit, the body and the oak. Delicious and fresh."
Cherry Clafoutis. "Ideal with any sparkling wine, including our Fines Bulles de Canet from our vineyard at the foothills of the Pyrenees. A perfect way to finish a meal."
You don't have to refrigerate butter? Thank you, France
A French invention when refrigeration didn't exist, a little water and some suction keeps butter in perfect spreading consistency and at the same time, fresh. Marble naturally keeps butter cool, and the French naturally know their way around a kitchen. Need we say more?
No bread plates required
Not only is bread fundamental to most meals in France, the French never actually use bread plates. David Lebovitz, the Paris-based American author, food blogger and chef, explains how it all works here.
Coffee, water, or wine? You can use this glass for all
Described as the "ultimate drinking vessel created by man," Duralex's Picardie glass has long been recognised as a design classic which screams 'France' just as much as the Eiffel Tower or a waiter in a long, white apron. It's also been the subject of several essays on the principles of functional design. Design guru Patrick Taylor lists the Picardie tumbler alongside the great classics, such as the Swiss army knife and Levi jeans.
Move over shakers and grinders, the salt cellar is here to stay
The days of salt shakers are mostly behind us, as we move away from the iodized salt of past generations toward more natural and flavourful sea salts for cooking and finishing. These salt flakes are too large to pass through a shaker, hence the return to cellars for beside the stove, or on the table.
