Recette: Sablés de Noël

A batch of freshly baked biscuits always makes the perfect hostess gift – and this recipe for classic French Christmas shortbread requires minimal effort for maximum reward.

Crumbly and oh-so-buttery, they’ll become your new festive season go-to.

*Bon appétit! Merci à Marmiton pour la recette.

*Enjoy! Thank you to Marmiton for the recipe.

Everyday Parisian

Sharing her lifelong love affair with France since 2016, American Francophile Rebecca Plotnick is the woman – and skilled snapper – behind the popular Everyday Parisian blog and The Paris Diaries newsletter.

Worth a look for her photos alone, Rebecca’s content ranges from seasonal packing tips and neighbourhood guides to advice on the best restaurants in Paris for solo dining.

You can also read about Rebecca’s passion for Paris (and new book) in her interview for A Table in France. Or pick up one of her prints online.

Sneak Peek into 'le nid': Quel est ton fromage français préféré?

Creamy or hard, nutty or tangy, mild or *puant, French cheeses offer a world of indulgent texture and flavour.

Nevertheless, we asked our *profs to play favourites – naming their *fromage français préféré to deck your boards this entertaining season.

Sarah
I love Camembert on the barbecue — it’s so delicious when it melts and you can dip a baguette into it.

Justine
My favourite is Gorgonzola cheese, creamy and tangy.

Anaïs
I love Morbier: its creamy and mild. Great on its own, with bread or melted on potatoes (like raclette)

*stinky | *teachers | *favourite French cheese

Recette: Tartiflette

With roots in the snowy Alps in Savoie, Tartiflette is a rich, ultra-comforting dish made with potatoes, reblochon cheese, onions and lardons – cooked until until molten and golden.

While traditionally a cold-weather go-to, we think the French potato bake is irresistible all year round. Serve yours with a fresh *salade verte and crisp white wine on balmy nights. Delish!

*Bon appétit! Merci au Marmiton pour la recette.

* green salad | *Enjoy! Thank you to Marmiton for the recipe

A Tour of France in 10 Classic Dishes

From *les huîtres at Cap Ferret to tartiflette in the Alps, whet your appetite for a culinary tour of France in 10 classic dishes. Rounding up the country’s most delectable regional delicacies with a side helping of accommodation suggestions, this Guardian article is a must for any gourmand.

*oysters

Oursons Guimauve

For this nostalgic French confection, the clue is in the name. With ‘oursons’ meaning bear cubs or little bears and ‘guimauve’ meaning marshmallow, oursons guimauve are chocolate-covered marshmallow bears loved by kids of all ages.

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Created in 1962 and produced by Cémoi since 2003, the classic commercial version, Petit Ourson Guimauve (Little Marshmallow Bear), is 6-ish centimetres and dipped in milk chocolate with a fluffy marshmallow centre.

Made in Villeneuve-d'Ascq in northern France, les Petits Oursons Guimauve are available in supermarkets across France. However, non-branded versions of the sweet little bears are also made by artisanal chocolatiers – sometimes with *chocolat noir for the more grown-up palate.

*dark chocolate

The Best Croissants in Brisbane

Searching for the best croissants in Brisbane? We’ve oh-so-selflessly put our taste buds on the line to find them for you. From the perfect balance of golden-brown flakiness to the light-as-air ‘puff’ and dreamy, buttery *goût, our 100% French taste testers know what makes quality *Viennoiserie – and THESE are the croissants sure to wow with every bite.

Brisbane’s Best Croissants (As Voted by Our French Team)

Without further ado, *voici Brisbane’s best croissants. Be sure to bookmark this article, ready for your next Saturday morning pastry and coffee run!

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Christian Jacques, Kangaroo Point

Christian Jacques, Kangaroo Point

According to four of our six experts, the best Brisbane croissant can be found at Christian Jacques Bakery, opposite the Story Bridge Hotel.  

Says Alicia, “Le feuilletage est parfait et ils sont croustillants comme je les aime. Peut-être un peu moins les jours très humides!”

Or, *en anglais…

The flakiness is perfect and they are crispy just the way I like them. Maybe a little less on very humid days!

Adds Justine D, “Sans surprise, le meilleur croissant que j'ai mangé à Brisbane vient de Christian Jacques. Tout le monde parlait de cette boulangerie, et je trouvais ça exagéré. Mais quand j'ai goûté le croissant aux amandes, j'ai COMPRIS!  

“Tendre et délicieux. Maintenant, j'adore y passer tous les dimanches matin pour rapporter des douceurs à ma famille.”

No surprise, the best croissant I’ve had in Brisbane is from Christian Jacques. Everyone kept talking about this bakery, and I thought it was exaggerated. But when I tasted the almond croissant, I UNDERSTOOD!

Tender and delicious. Now, I love stopping by every Sunday morning to bring home some sweet treats for my family.

A word to the wise, be prepared to queue! You won’t regret it.

Christian Jacques Bakery
Address: 8 Baildon St, Kangaroo Point
Opening Hours: Tues to Sun | 6am-1pm
Website: christianjacquespastries.com
Phone: 0432 009 006
Instagram |Facebook 

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Rise Bakery, Newstead and Hamilton

Rise Bakery, Newstead and Hamilton

While Marion is also rapt with the croissants from Christian Jacques, she names those from Rise Bakery as Brisbane’s second best.

“Les croissants ont la bonne quantité de beurre, ni trop ni pas assez.” 

The croissants have the right amount of butter, not too much or not enough.

The best bit? Rise has two Brisbane locations in Portside and Newstead, as well as an original outpost at Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast. So there’s no need to go without quality croissants on your next road trip to the beach.

Rise Bakery
Address: 194 Breakfast Creek Rd, Newstead; Shop 7.01F/39 Hercules St, Hamilton (Portside)
Opening Hours: Newstead Daily | 6am - 3pm; Portside Daily | 7am - 4pm
Website: risebakery.com.au
Phone: Newstead 0478 655 551; Portside 0434 132 995
Instagram| Facebook

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Banette Bayside, Wynnum

Banette, Wynnum

For teacher Justine H, a croissant must be “croustillant” (crisp) but not “sec” (dry) to be perfect. So, her verdict on the home of Brisbane’s best croissants? A bayside French bakery and café.

“J'ai essayé les croissants chez Banette à Wynnum et ils étaient plutôt bons! Gonflé et beurré.”  

I tried the croissants at Banette in Wynnum and they were quite good! Puffy and buttery.

Hot tip: Banette conveniently has a sister venue in West End.

Banette Bayside
Address: 70 Bay Terrace, Wynnum
Opening Hours: Daily | 6:30 am–2 pm
Website: banettebayside.com.au
Phone: 3189 0257
Instagram | Facebook

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Beurre Pastries, Milton

Beurre Pastries, Milton

Another hot contender in the Brisbane croissant battle, says Alexia, is the aptly named Beurre on Park Road in Milton.

“J'aime vraiment beaucoup ceux de Christian Jacques, mais j'ai également goûté ceux de chez Beurre, que je trouve aussi vraiment bon. Ils sont croustillants comme je les aime, bien aérés et ils n'ont pas trop de beurre.”

I really like the ones from Christian Jacques, but I also tried the ones from Beurre, which I also find really good. They are crispy as I like them, well fluffy and they don't have too much butter.

Beurre Pastries
Address: 33 Park Road, Milton
Opening Hours: Wednesday  Sunday| 7.00am - 1.30pm (unless sold out prior)
Instagram

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The Three Musketeers, Lota

The Three Musketeers, Lota

According to Deborah, hungry families should make a beeline to this Lota cafe for their flaky croissant fix – with the top-notch Viennoiserie baked fresh each day in their French bakery in Bulimba, Le Caprice.  

“À mes yeux, les meilleurs croissants sont ceux servis avec le sourire dans un petit café comme The Three Musketeers à Lota et dégustés en famille le dimanche matin.” 

In my opinion, the best croissants are those served with a smile in a small cafe like The Three Musketeers in Lota and enjoyed with family on Sunday mornings. 

Sounds good to us!

The Three Musketeers
Address: 687 Esplanade, Lota
Opening Hours: Weds & Sun | 7am-3pm; Thurs-Sat
Website: thethreemusketeers.au
Phone: 0481 139 173
Instagram | Facebook

Honourable Mentions

Other top spots for delicious croissants in Brisbane include:

• Lune Croissanterie (CBD & South Brisbane)

• Miche Bakery (New Farm)

• Flour & Chocolate (Morningside, Northgate, Redcliffe)

• Darvella Patisserie (Bulimba)

• Le Caprice Patisserie (Bulimba)

• C’est du Gâteau (South Brisbane)

• Sprout Artisan Bakery (Fortitude Valley)

newcomer alert!

Idle, New Farm

Appalled we’ve left Agnes Bakery off this list? The James Street favourite sadly closed its doors last month, *mais t'inquiète pas. The Anyday crew are now slinging top-notch pastry from their brand-spanking new Merthyr Road bakery and cafe, Idle. That’s right, some of Brisbane’s best croissants are now within easy strolling distance from *le nid!

*style of pastries | *taste | *here are | *in English | *but don’t worry | *the nest

Top Foodie Picks in France

Headed to France? Make sure you bookmark this article. From a country bistro in Beaujolais to a hot spot for *fruits de mer in Brittany, here are The Guardian readers’ favourite restaurants. And the best bit is they won’t break the bank.

Recette: Pâté de Pâques Berrichon

Looking for something to serve up this Easter instead of a classic lamb roast? This recipe for Pâté de Pâques Berrichon is well worth a try.

Originating in the Berry region in central France, the seasonal dish, signifying the end of Lent, is a *pâté en croûte with a filling of pork and veal mince and hard-boiled *œufs encased in a golden puff pastry shell. 

PÂTÉ DE PÂQUES BERRICHON (POUR 6)

1 cuillère à café de muscade
1 teaspoon of nutmeg

2 pincées de sel
2 pinches of salt

2 tours de moulin de poivre
2 turns of the pepper mill

3 brins de persil
3 sprigs of parsley

1 pâte feuilletée
1 sheet of puff pastry

150 g de viande hachée porc et veau
150g of minced pork and veal

3 oeufs
3 eggs

ÉTAPE 1

Faire cuire les oeufs pour qu'ils soient durs.
Cook the eggs until they are hard-boiled.

ÉTAPE 2

Etaler la pâte feuilletée.
Roll out the puff pastry.

ÉTAPE 3

Mélanger la viande, le persil et les épices.
Mix the meat, parsley and spices.

ÉTAPE 4

Faire un boudin de viande au milieu de la pâte.
Make a meat sausage in the middle of the dough.

ÉTAPE 5

Une fois que les oeufs sont froids, les couper en deux et les disposer sur la viande.
Once the eggs are cold, cut them in half and place them on the meat.

ÉTAPE 6

Refermer la pâte feuilletée sur le côté, pour que ce soit bien hermétique.
Close the puff pastry on the side so that it is airtight.

ÉTAPE 7

Vous pouvez badigeonner le pâté avec du jaune d'oeuf.|
You can brush the pie with egg yolk.

ÉTAPE 8

Percer quelques trous sur le dessus et faire cuire 30 minutes à 200°C (thermostat 6-7).
Make a few holes on top and bake for 30 minutes at 200°C (thermostat 6-7). 

Bon appétit*!

Merci au Marmiton pour la recette*.

*meat pâté baked in a pastry crust | *eggs | *Enjoy! | *Thank you to Marmiton for the recipe.