Notes From a French Kitchen

By Marie-Christine Perry

Thanks to the years I spent in Provence, I have many memories of the advent Marché des Santons on the Canebière in Marseille, where all the Santonniers of Provence come to sell their wares for people to buy for their Christmas crèches. Once you have the basic set—Joseph and Mary, the baby, the ox and donkey, the angel and the three kings on their camels—there is no end to the traditional clay figurines you can add: the fishwife with her basket of fish, the shepherds with their flocks, the miller and his donkey carrying sacks of flour, the padre and the local villagers, dressed in costumes of 17th-century Provence, bringing their humble presents for the baby. It was always difficult to choose the few we would add each year!

In my family, installation of the crèche was an activity for advent evenings, with bowls of hot chocolate, Christmas cookies, marrons glacés and the never-tiring play of moving the three kings closer to the manger each day and adjusting the folds of the mountains made of kraft paper. We seven children arranged and rearranged all the figurines until everything looked perfect. 

Chestnuts are eaten throughout the Christmas season, whether in chestnut and mushroom soup, turkey stuffing or elaborate desserts. Best of all are marrons glacés, which we bring as gifts to the numerous celebrations in December. Marrons glacés are not something we make at home. They come in opulent boxes from the best confiseries, as do the best panettoni, the Italian staple of our advent breakfasts.
For a delicious start to your holiday meal, try this chestnut and mushroom soup. For six to eight people you will need: 

2 tsp. sweet butter

1/4 cup heavy cream
1 yellow onion, diced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 lb. cremini mushrooms, evenly sliced
8 oz. prepared chestnuts (fresh, canned or sous-vide)
48 oz. vegetable broth
Salt and pepper and fresh thyme sprigs
 
Melt the butter in a large soup pot and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the garlic, mushrooms and chestnuts and sauté for an additional few minutes until the vegetables are softened and the volume of the mushrooms reduced. Add thyme sprigs, broth, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes, until chestnuts are soft. Remove the thyme sprigs.
Turn off the flame and wait a few moments to let the soup cool. Put half the soup in a blender and blend at high speed for 10 to 15 seconds. Add the blended soup back into the pot and stir to combine with the cream.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with a few leaves of fresh thyme. 

The quantities for this soup can be multiplied for the number of guests you are expecting, and it freezes well.

And why not try this French stuffing for the bird this year?

You will need:
1 loaf day-old rustic French or Italian bread (about 1 lb.), trimmed of crust and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 8 cups)
10 oz. prepared chestnuts (fresh, canned or sous-vide)
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 medium apples, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup Cognac or Armagnac
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage
2 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp. coarse sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
Unsalted butter, for baking dish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Split sausages; scrape meat into a large sauté pan over medium heat; crumble with a fork. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about five minutes. Add a bit of olive oil and swirl the pan. Add onions, celery and garlic. Reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add to bread mixture.
Add Cognac to pan. Scraping up any brown bits from bottom with a wooden spoon, cook over medium heat until liquid is reduced by half. Add to bread mixture.
Add stock to bread mixture and toss. Add thyme, sage and parsley. Add the salt and season with pepper. Stir in eggs.

Stuff the turkey before roasting with as much of the mixture as will fit. Place remaining stuffing in a buttered eight-inch-square baking dish; bake for 25 minutes covered with foil, and an additional 20 minutes uncovered, until golden brown.

Uncork some great Pinot Noir for the meal, and bon appétit!