I like to nibble on a grissini with a glass of wine. It prevents the wine making me do stupid things.. Or dunk it in a cup of tomato soup, a gazpacho.. But frankly, the store bought grissini are awful. No matter how expensive or grand they are. They taste like compacted paper. Maybe you agree. Then you might enjoy this recipe which is so easy and so quick and so delicious and has absolutely nothing to do with compacted paper!
The recipe is so easy, I can do it in only two sentences…
- Unroll a sheet of puff pastry and cut into strips of about 15mm and divide each strip into two short strips. Brush the flat strips with one beaten egg.
- Take each strip at the ends and twist while you stretch a little at the same time . Place on a baking sheet, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with fleur de sel, freshly ground pepper and crushed red pepper berries.
- Place under grill for 8 minutes until golden, remove from the oven, turn them over, return and grill for another 8 minutes until golden.
- Remove and leave to cool.
- Can be stored in an airtight container for a week.
Pincée de fleur de sel:
- Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese on the flat strips, before twisting them. In which case you have to check your addition of salt, because the Parmesan is already very salty.
- Use other interesting salts..vanilla salt, sea salt, saffron salt(see photo of ingredients), maldon salt…
- Use some seeds of your choice. I’m not too fond of seeds like poppy seeds, which has no taste whatsoever and only embarrassingly sticks in between your teeth..
- Take care not to over bake your strips so they too indeed become compacted paper.
- Serve with a glass of wine or champagne or soup, in summer with a cold gazpacho.
- Sprinkle with sugar for something to serve with dessert or a champagne in summer.
- Bake only with brushed olive oil and when out of the oven, still warm, sprinkle liberally with icing sugar.
- Brush with melted butter for more flavor instead of olive oil.
..ingredients..
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As is the case all over the globe, December is family time. A time to snuggle in front of fires or laze on beaches and close to Christmas, we get together with families to open tins of cookies and traditional foods and drinks. Of course. It is Christmas. A time to remember. A time to forgive and forget. A time for peace..there is a song that says it all…
“Its a time for giving, a time for getting,
A time for forgiving and for forgetting.
Christmas is love, Christmas is peace,
A time for hating and fighting to cease..”
Mistletoe and wine -Cliff Richard
Getting together with families, whether only one or ten, we do it around tables and food than matter to us. After all, food is more than just nourishment for our bodies. It also feeds our senses. Our sensitive souls. Yes, a soul is a sensitive thing, we fight and cry and love with our souls.When we sit around a table and taste our apple pie, we remember our parents, our childhood, our children. Sometimes we laugh. Sometimes we cry. It is all good. We are feeding our souls.
Like the Chronicles 1 I have decided to also show our family tables, because it has now changed too…our Christmas table for the last 7 years at home has seated only our small family of 4. We have now grown to a wonderful 6 around the table! An exciting new chapter!
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I’ll leave you in peace to browse if you like or skip top the bottom if you don’t.
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- More photos of Decembers past can be seen in my gallery on the sidebar..Joyeux Noël.
- Music to add to your December playlist..Une Nuit à Versailles – Vanessa Paradis. I am quite the fan. Sure, there are some songs I skip, but mostly I enjoy them all. this is her 4th live album..hope you enjoy. Here is one of the songs..Il Y A
- Tomorrow I will see you with the last walk through memory lane… Easy caramel squares..and Chronicles III, backstage.
à plus!
Ronelle
Myfrenchkitchen 
Perfect recipe for nibbling with wine! Your tables are stunning, Ronelle … each and every one!
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Oh, I am jealous. Your tables are amazing and so dreamlike.
Those gressini look divine!
Cheers,
Rosa
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Ronelle, You have the artist eye and touch in everything!!
I’m going to give the grissini a try.
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Magical..each and every one..I love setting tables..I wish I would have kept photos like yours..well not like yours:-) I mean as you have.
I must confess the last several years have been a bit less grown up..with high chairs..booster seats..etc..but they are growing up..so soon again
I love candlelight and cristal..I a sure I will look and look again..and the sidebar..You know it’s very kind of you as one can glean and get ideas.
Super be.I agree the artist in you shines in evey vignette.
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P.s.
I enjoy the Fleur De Del too..and the blinkie was found on the net..no artist..
But you can easily create animated give:-)
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Home made grissinis are so much better than than the bought ones. Thanks for reminding me, to put them on my list of things to do., Your table decorations are fantastic, where do you put the serving dishes ?
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à Joey: thank you for the appreciation.
à Rosa: thank you to yo too.
à Barbara; hope you like them, they are so light, I love them..too much for my own good.
à Monique: Oh, I am looking forward to our high chair years, a totally different phase again! thanks for the info on the blinkie..I never chic such things out..should do it more..adds nice interest.
à Barbara: We don’t really have serving dishes. all our courses are plated in the kitchen and brought to each person at the table. We only have 1 platter, maybe 2 on the table with our main course. It usually only consists of a main meat something, like duck, or whole salmon or game or the likes and an accompaniment of vegetable, like green string beans or carrots or the likes, which is usually arranged along with the meat on the platter.
In the next post you can see some explanation and detail of how we do it.
thank you to everybody for visiting!
Ronelle
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Your Christmas tables just sparkle Ronelle. It must be very special to be a guest at your table. I had no idea the grissinis were so easy to make. They are going on my “to do” list to serve with drinks. Merci.
Sam
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How gorgeous Ronelle, Love your table, I will try your recipe, You are so very inspiring,thank you, love to you,Diana
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A magical visit down memory lane. I too change my theme from year to year and the number around the table changes also, but the good times remain forever etched in my mind.thank for sharing yours .
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I am enjoying very much your vignettes of Christmas past, Ronelle. I love that lyric from the song – so beautiful. This has been a wonderful series 🙂 I love the grissini recipe.
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Wow! Beautiful, beautiful tables! Was the first one the oldest? Love that red toile tablecloth. I know one can get the most exquisite linens in Europe. Someday….
This year none of our children could be here but we had a single, lonely neighbor guy and his little daughter for dinner.
I set the table with HOT PINK handwoven placemats bought from a Zapotec lady in Oaxaca, Mexico, several years ago. Now that was different!
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