Mirabelle

The symbol of this region is the little yellow plum known as Mirabelle. (et elle est belle!) You can make Mirabelle everything and they do (even Mirabelle schnapps, which is particularly strong.  I think I've mentioned it in the past when they made me try it with a sugar cube.  There are those who drink it straight...just so you know). 

I've had Mirabelle preserves (very good...I'll have to see how much I can bring home), Mirabelle  schnapps (with a sugar cube), Mirabelle nougat, Mirabelle madeleines, Mirabelle tarte, and now, last night, Mirabelle Galette des rois.


And today, I made Mirabelle bread pudding!  I had to use up some baguette before it went rock-solid on me, as well as some milk and eggs.  I found a simple recipe and made it au pif, or eye-balled it, as D would say.  (D is the roommate of the other assistants--an older French lady.  She is very nice and shares all of her cooking secrets with us young people--in fact I think she quite enjoys it.  Sometimes, she is a bit opinionated and goes head to head with Steffi, but more on that later.)  I just added a glop of Mirabelle preserves to the recipe (even though I had already added vanilla, which according to D "C'est pas terrible!" meaning it will taste terrible).  Well, it doesn't taste terrible.  I don't think it will last very long...hehe

Last night (and three other times this month) I have been invited to share La Galette des rois - the celebration of the feast of the three kings.  As one of my teachers, Mme L says, "It's a Catholic tradition.  I don't know why we do it, but I rather like it!"  I rather like it myself.

It's a cake...well, more like a pie, actually, as I found out last night.  You make a pie crust for the bottom and bake it while you make the filling or the frangipain.  La frangipain is made out of almond meal, sugar, eggs, sometimes butter or sometimes creme fraiche so sometime both (if you're D and you don't like butter...you go for the butter-less option).  You mix it all up(...I couldn't tell you the amounts exactly.  She did it au pif and kept changing her mind....)and you put it in the pie.  At this point, you can lay the Mirabelle plums inside (and maybe put a little of the syrup in the frangipain as well).  Cover with the other crust, and paint with one egg (and a pinch of salt).  Bake at 200 degrees Celcius for thirty minutes and voila!

Oh, I forgot one thing...you must add la fevre, or a little thing inside the cake.  It could be a little statue, a piece of money.  Ours was a cow last night.  The person who finds it become the king (or queen) for the day.  They take the paper crown and crown someone else to be their queen (or king). 

Just so you know, I was four times unlucky.  Perhaps next year...

And then I went off in the snow back to my own little home, my stomach warm with galette and my head warm with cidre and merlot (which is too strong, according to D it stays in your mouth too long, which is why Chico buys it--because it's strong, not because it annoys D).

Now back to lesson planning.