Bonjour French Market Friends,
This week saw the opening in Cannes of the most glamorous film Festival in the world. All the 
top names in the movie industry gather to celebrate the productions of the year, to pick the winners, make good deals, while cinema fans can watch free open-air screenings on the Plage Mace beach. Hosted by Camille Cottin, one of my favourite French actresses, who paid tribute to the Me Too# movement. The big moment of the opening evening was the awarding of an Honorary Palm D’Or to Meryl Streep by Juliette Binoche. Two very different and brilliant
actresses. (Image courtesy Observerbd.com) It was good to see so many women in such key moments at this global event. Ironically in a French Netflix series (Dix Pourcent) “Call My Agent” Camille Cottin plays a talent agent and in one of the episodes she supports Juliette Binoche in the same hosting role, at a fictitious “Cannes Film Festival”. I wonder if they reminisced on that. If you enjoy French based entertainment, this series is a good send up of the industry and a lot of the famous French actors participate as themselves.
Back here at the tip of Africa, we are welcoming new residents in Cape Town, who are discovering our shop and all the treats that we offer. I love it when someone new walks in and says “I have heard so much about your shop”, it keeps inspiring me to find new products.
This week we have authentic cheeses from across France, each one has a unique aroma, taste, and texture. There is lots of creamy Brie de Meaux from the East of Paris, Camemberts from Normandie, Epoiss
es from Burgundy, Munster from Alsace, Comte from the Jura, Bleu from Auvergne, Tomme and Reblochon from the Savoie. We received a new stock of Saint Marcellin, the small, very creamy raw cow’s milk cheese in a clay bowl. In goat’s cheese we have logs of buche de chevre and St Maure which is a small log of goat’s cheese dusted with ash. We have the little, fresh, and soft crottins de chevre and a few Crottin de Chavignol, a hard, raw milk goat’s cheese shaped in a small ball. Please ask to taste if you are not sure of what you would like to select. On special this week are the 150gr raw milk Camemberts from Normandie, they are ripe and full of flavour. We have a lot in stock, and I would like them to go to good homes.
Following on from my wine tasting last week, here is more information on three Cru (vintage) wines from Domaine de Comte de Thun. All these wines are limited as the estate production is small and 
exclusive. Each bottle is numbered so you can see the size of the harvest.
The Comte de Thun “La Maze” Merlot 2012 vintage, has a great depth of flavour and dark colour. The wine has aromas of cassis and blackberry, each sip reveals layers of flavours. It can still be enjoyed for another 10 years. In the Decanter world wine awards, it scored 95/100.
The Comte de Thun “La Cabane” Cabernet France 2014 vintage, has a dark ruby colour, with aromas of sweet pepper, blueberries and currants, tastes of blackcurrants and hints of liquorice and herbs. Similar to the La Maze, this wine can be enjoyed for several years and also scored 95/100.
The Comte de Thun “La Tarabelle”2014 vintage is made from 100% Shiraz grapes. It has a dark red colour with garnet reflections. With aromas of chocolate, berries, and spices. The wine is dense and has a taste of plums.
Please note that we only keep a small stock of these wines in our shop, these three wines are R895 each. Please contact me if you would like to pre-order. If you are travelling to France and would like to visit this lovely wine estate, you can stay at their guest house the Villa Thun in Frausseilles. Do contact me if you require more details.
For my recipe, this week I decided to share a dessert that can be made a day ahead, if you have a busy schedule and short of time to prepare your meal. Apples grow in abundance in the northern part of France, particularly in Normandie. Apart from the world-famous Camembert from Normandie, there is also a spirit 
called Calvados, which is made from the little apples growing in this region. Calvados is an apple brandy and like brandy has various ages which have different types of flavour. This Tarte aux Pommes et Calvados recèpe combines apples and Calvados. It does take a bit of time to prepare as you have to peel a lot of apples, but it is not difficult to make. I decided not to take any shortcuts and even made my own pastry (you can also use readymade short
crust pastry). The concentric rings of apple slices create a lovely pattern which look very attractive on the dessert table. The addition of Calvados into the apple puree gives an extra depth to the flavour. You could also sprinkle a little Calvados over the tart after you finish baking if you really want to enhance the aroma. I recommend serving this tart warm with a dollop of thick fresh cream, and a glass of chilled Pere Magloire Calvados available at our shop or order online. See recipe below.
I hope you have a relaxing weekend and look forward to seeing you again soon.
Regards,
Suzanne and The French Market Team