Discover with me the delicious French Pastries through the different French region.
This week will focus on Bourgogne – Franche-Comté region.
Find here a little map with the localization. We are still in the East part, just above the previous region.
I will only present you the pastries as usual, but you probably know that the famous Champagne which comes from this region as well!
Fun fact, I don’t live there anymore, but I was born in this region 😉
Gingerbread cake (Pain d’épices)
The gingerbread is a really really old recipe.
In France, the first baker who brought this recipe was situated in Reims city in the 14th century. Now, due to its proximity with Germany borders, it’s the region of Alsace that is really well known for its gingerbread.
Due to the strong spices taste, I was used to not like it at all as a child. Then, I tried to bake mine and now, I really like it! With some salted butter just spread on the top, it’s delicious.
Find here my recipe of this delicious cake.
Nonette de Dijon
This specialty is composed of a round gingerbread, stuff with some orange jam and icing sugar on the top.
The first “Nonnettes” appears during the Middle-Age. Basically, they were stuffed with orange, as it was considered a luxury and exotic product. Moreover, the sour notes are really good with the gingerbread flavor. The name comes from the nuns who baked them in the monasteries.
At this time, they were looking for nourishing food.
With years, the pastry start to become more gourmand with new flavours.
Montbozon cookies (Biscuits de Montbozon)
These small cookies are not too sweet, really “fondant” and have a delicious orange blossom water flavor. They come from the city of Vesoul in the Haute-Saône department.
They were created by the personal chef of Louis XVI (an old French sovereign, husband of Marie-Antoinette). During the revolution, the king and his wife run away really quickly from Versailles. In their trip, they stopped in Montbozon where their personal chef taught to the family in charge of the hotel, how to prepare the favorite treats of the royal family. Then, it’s why the branding was “The King’s dessert, the king of the desserts”.
In the tradition, these cookies are tasted during family parties or to celebrate the end of the harvest.
Cramaillotte
With a really strange name (even in French), I present you this sweet specialty, which is not really a pastry : The Cramaillotte. It’s a dandelion jelly or honey.
People created this jelly when there was not enough fruits on the beginning of spring. It seems that it was also used to treat the cough and bronchus.
It’s quite an easy recipe that you could bake at home with fresh dandelion just collected.
YOUR FREE EBOOK!
- 14 free pages full of advices to master the art of French tarts.
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- A delicious salty version: The French Quiche
