‘The Pretender’ features a fictional French monarchy, the actual
monarchy having been abolished in 1792 after the French Revolution. Their
demise being immortalized by the famous story of Marie Antoinette. However,
this novel is told as if the monarchy had never met such a tragic end and
imagines if there was still today a royal family in France.
For that reason, the royal family featured in ‘The Pretender’ are direct
descendants of the Bourbon family who were the last to rule France. They resided
at the Palace of Fontainebleau, which is also home to the characters in the
book.
Fontainebleau is around an hour outside of Paris but also has a strong
regional cuisine. So, as part of The Pretender’s blog tour, French food writer,
Nadege aka The Skinny French Chick has provided some typical recipes you could
expect to see in Fontainebleu as well as a little history on each recipe. So,
you are able to get an idea of the food that might be served on the Royal table
as well as being able to easily recreate them in your own home. Enjoy!
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Intro - Named for the town in which it was invented in the
1930s, Coulommiers is a cow’s milk cheese with the same buttery texture as Brie
or Camembert. Originally served uncooked as part of a platter, a new generation
of French food lovers, inspired by Spanish cuisine, has given it a new twist.
2/ Preheat oven to 200C. Melt the butter in a saucepan
and in it cook the onion. When it takes on a golden color add the crushed
garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary and honey. Stir well. When the honey is melted
add the wine. Stir until there’s no more liquid left at the bottom of the pan.
Intro - Reputedly
created by mistake by August Escoffier’s assistant at the Café de Paris in
Monte Carlo in 1895, the Crêpes Suzette were served for the first time to
Edward VII. The future king of England suggested they be named after the French
actress Suzanne Reichenberg, one of his guests that day.
*Praline paste: I can
find praline paste in the supermarket in France but don’t worry if you can’t
find it anywhere. It’s actually really easy to make and it can become a
must-have item in your pantry as it is an amazing spread. All you need is 250g
of mixed almonds and hazelnuts, 160g caster sugar and 5cl water. Mix the water
and sugar in a saucepan. When the sugar is melted add in the nuts. Stir well.
The sugar will give the nuts a solid white coating. Keep on stirring until they
take on a nice golden color. Remove from the heat and spread the caramelized
nuts on a baking tray. Let them cool then mix them in a blender until smooth.
It can take a few minutes depending on the power of your blender.
Fontainebleau Quail
Intro - Highly appreciated by food lovers, quail is at the
same time rustic and sophisticated. Many chefs have their own way of cooking it
and the variety of side dishes you can serve quails with is endless, but the
popular grape-based Fontainebleau quail is my favorite.
The Chasselas doré de
Fontainebleau is a very sweet dessert grape with a green and golden skin, but
if you can’t find this particular grape for your recipe another variety of
white grape will do. The sweeter and firmer, the better.
In my recipe I use
Sichuan pepper and ajwain (also known as ajowan caraway or carom - see the
photo below). I love their subtle taste. If you can’t find those condiments
don’t hesitate and make the recipe your own by using your favorite herbs and
peppers.
Recipe –
Ingredients (for 2
servings):
- 2 quails
- 300g Chasselas doré de
Fontainebleau
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp Cognac
- 1 tsp salt/Sichuan
pepper/Ajwain
- 2 tbsp breadcrumbs
Method:
1/ Melt the butter and mix with the Cognac, honey, salt,
pepper and ajwain.
2/ Preheat oven to 210C. Wash and dry the grapes.
3/ Stuff the quails with as many grapes as possible and
coat the birds with the butter mixture.
4/ Mix the remaining grapes with what’s left of the
butter mixture.
5/ Place the quails and the grapes in an oven dish,
sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cover with tin foil. You can refrigerate over
night if you intend to cook the following day.
6/ Cook for 25 minutes, then remove the tin foil, and
cook for another 25 minutes, basting regularly.
7/ Place the quails on the plates and serve immediately.
Baked Coulommiers
Intro - Named for the town in which it was invented in the
1930s, Coulommiers is a cow’s milk cheese with the same buttery texture as Brie
or Camembert. Originally served uncooked as part of a platter, a new generation
of French food lovers, inspired by Spanish cuisine, has given it a new twist.
Once baked it is shared
as tapas with crackers, bread or vegetable sticks. This is commonly eaten over
drinks with friends. You can also serve individual portions with salad as a
starter.
I use pine nuts and
rosemary, but don’t hesitate to adapt the recipe to your taste, or to whatever
you have in your pantry. Walnuts, chives, cream… be creative when it comes to
the toppings. Also, if you can’t find a Coulommiers in your local store, a
Camembert will be a good substitute.
Recipe
Ingredients (for 4
people):
- 1 Coulommiers (usually
500g)
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 small onion
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp white wine
- 1 tbsp butter
- salt and pepper
Method:
1/ Peel and chop the onion, peel and crush the garlic
and remove the top skin of the Coulommiers with a knife.
2/ Preheat oven to 200C. Melt the butter in a saucepan
and in it cook the onion. When it takes on a golden color add the crushed
garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary and honey. Stir well. When the honey is melted
add the wine. Stir until there’s no more liquid left at the bottom of the pan.
3/ Place the Coulommiers in the middle of a sheet of tin
foil or in a small oven dish. Top it with the butter-and-onion mixture and
sprinkle with pine nuts.
4/ Fold the tin foil tightly over the cheese and bake
for 30 minutes.
5/ Serve immediately. Mind the steam when you open the
tin foil.
Crepes Suzette
Intro - Reputedly
created by mistake by August Escoffier’s assistant at the Café de Paris in
Monte Carlo in 1895, the Crêpes Suzette were served for the first time to
Edward VII. The future king of England suggested they be named after the French
actress Suzanne Reichenberg, one of his guests that day.
Initially Crêpes Suzette
weren’t flambéed and curaçao was used instead of Grand-Marnier.
The orange-flavored
Cognac-based liquor was created by the Marnier-Lapostolle family in 1880.
Originally from Paris, the family moved the distillery to the Cognac region to
be closer to the source of their main ingredient.
A prime example of the
French turning a simple dish into something special, Crêpes Suzette became a
celebrated delicacy of the pre-war years.
Recipe –
Ingredient (for 4
servings):
- 4 crêpes
- The juice and zest of
1 orange
- 3 tbsp caster sugar +
1 tbsp for sprinkling
- 1 tbsp butter
- 20cl Grand-Marnier
Method:
1/ Preheat the oven to 120C.
2/ Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the orange
juice, zest, sugar and half the Grand-Marnier.
3/ Fold the crêpes and place them in an oven dish. Pour
the butter mixture on the crêpes.
4/ Cover with tin foil and place in the oven for 15
minutes.
5/ Place the crêpes on their serving plates, sprinkle
with sugar.
6/ Present the plates to your guests, pour the rest of
the Grand-Marnier on the crêpes and set them on fire immediately! (The crêpes,
not your guests!)
Paris-Brest in a forest of Caramel
Intro - Made of choux pastry and praline cream, the
Paris-Brest was created in 1910 by Louis Durand, a pastry chef in the Parisian
suburb of Maison Laffite.
Inspired by the annual
cycling race between Paris and Brest, Durand shaped his dessert after the
bicycles wheels.
Initially a large cake
that Durand sold by slice, the Paris-Brest is now more often sold in individual
portions.
The Paris-Brest is one
of my favorite desserts. I usually serve it in a forest of caramel that gives
this soft and creamy treat a contrasting crunchy texture.
Recipe –
Ingredients for the
choux pastry (for 4 individual portions):
- 4 eggs
- 25cl water
- 75g butter
- 150g plain flour
- 40g flaked almond or
crushed hazelnut
- 1tbs caster sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- Icing sugar for
topping
Ingredients for the
praline cream:
- 25cl milk
- the yolk of 3 eggs
- 80g praline paste*
- 150g butter
- 75g caster sugar
- 25g plain flour
Ingredients for the
caramel:
- 5 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Method:
1/ Make the choux pastry. In a saucepan, melt the butter,
sugar and salt in the water. Remove the pan from the heat when the mixture
starts to boil and add the flour. Mix energetically and bring the pan back on a
medium heat until you obtain a dry paste. Remove again from the heat, let it
cool for a couple of minutes and add the eggs one after the other. Mix well in
between.
2/ Preheat the oven to 200C. Fill a piping bag with the
pastry and form 8 circles on a baking tray. Sprinkle with the flaked almonds or
crushed hazelnut and bake for 25 minutes.
3/ Make the praline cream. In a saucepan bring the milk
to the boil with the praline paste. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl with the
sugar. Add in the flour, mix well. Add the egg-sugar-flour mixture to the hot
milk, stir well and bring back to the boil. Remove from the heat, let the cream
cool for a couple of minutes then add the butter and mix well.
4/ When the choux pastry is cooked and has cooled down,
cut them in half lengthways. Spread the praline cream on the bottom halves with
a piping bag or spoon. Cover the cream with the top halves of the choux.
Sprinkle with icing sugar. Place the desserts on their serving plates.
5/ Make the caramel. Put the water and sugar in a
saucepan and mix on high heat. Keep stirring until the melted sugar takes on a
golden color. Let the caramel cool until it forms ribbons when you pull the
wooden spoon out of it. Drip the caramel in strings and drops on a baking
sheet. Let the caramel cool and once hardened use it to decorate your serving
plates.
*Praline paste: I can
find praline paste in the supermarket in France but don’t worry if you can’t
find it anywhere. It’s actually really easy to make and it can become a
must-have item in your pantry as it is an amazing spread. All you need is 250g
of mixed almonds and hazelnuts, 160g caster sugar and 5cl water. Mix the water
and sugar in a saucepan. When the sugar is melted add in the nuts. Stir well.
The sugar will give the nuts a solid white coating. Keep on stirring until they
take on a nice golden color. Remove from the heat and spread the caramelized
nuts on a baking tray. Let them cool then mix them in a blender until smooth.
It can take a few minutes depending on the power of your blender.
You can find more delicious recipes like these at www.theskinnyfrenchchick.tumblr.com
In rural France, two babies are born just two hours apart but to two very different lives. Isabella is born as a Princess into a life of opulence and love while Sophia is born into a life of poverty and abuse at the hands of her father.
‘The Pretender’ follows the journey of Isabella and Sophia as their paths cross and after discovering how alike they look, they decide to switch places with each other. Sophia is seeking sanctuary from her abusive home while Isabella is seeking freedom from the tightening burden of her Royal title.
‘The Pretender’ is a story of friendship, love and the strange power of destiny.
Katie Ward always knew that she wanted to write for a living. After completing a degree in Journalism at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham, she moved to Dublin.
While there, she had a short story published in an anthology titled Do the Write Thing which was part of a competition being run by Irish TV show Seoige and O’Shea.
This story was originally written when Katie was 14 after she was inspired by an article in her favourite teen magazine. The anthology reached the Irish Bestsellers List.
Katie was also shortlisted for a competition judged by Man Booker Prize-winning author Roddy Doyle a few months later. The Pretender is her first Young Adult novel.
Author Links:
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❧Defining Ways❧ https://mariacatalinaegan.com/ Promo Post
The Cover Contessa https://www.thecovercontessa.com Promo Post
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Christine's Book Corner https://christinesbookcorner.wordpress.com/ Promo Post
April 2nd
BeachBoundBooks https://www.beachboundbooks.com/blogging-about-books Promo Post
Bookishy http://bookishy.com/ Review
Chapters through life https://chaptersthroughlife.blogspot.com/ Review
4covert2overt ☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼ https://4covert2overt.blogspot.com/ Promo Post
April 3rd
Bookish Looks anewlookonbooks.com/blog Promo Post
Mythical Books http://mythicalbooks.blogspot.com/ Promo Post
For the Love of KidLit www.jennifermaryg.com Promo Post
April 4th
Mind of Luxe https://mindofluxe.wordpress.com/ Review
What Is That Book About www.whatisthatbookabout.com Promo Post
Literary Gold https://www.literaryau.com Promo Post
April 5th
Books Direct https://www.booksdirectonline.com Promo Post
That Bookish Princess https://www.thatbookishprincess.com Review
Down The Rabbit Hole http://downtherabbithole13.blogspot.com Promo Post
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That is one way to impress during a blog tour.. wonderful recipes.. fantastic post.
ReplyDeleteI know. She has great friends! Those recipes are fabulous! The link to Skinny French Chick is there. Thanks for dropping by.
DeleteI cannot wait to try a few of these recipes. The books premise sounds like a fun read.
ReplyDelete