Joyeux Noël 2013!

This year we have only but un petit Noël. We are in the process of moving home and want to be finished by end of December. Typical. Waiting until the last minute to get a lot of things done. And so Noël will have to stand over to next year when I will make up for it in our new home here at Coin Perdu(hopefully restored and liveable by that time..)

To have at least some Christmas spirit in our current barn/home, I put up a branch with some decorations which weren’t packed away too deep. The result is a very rustic tree…and what do you know..without planning it, it turned into a story tree! I am now very chuffed with our impromptu story tree!

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“One day…in a forest far, far in the cold North, was a large forest where the animals roamed gay and free. It was a magical world, undisturbed and quiet, with soft snowflakes sifting gently to the ground and covering the landscape in a coat of white glitter. There were  three quaint little houses with strawberry red walls. Birds were visiting freely, dropping letters through the windows of the three strawberry houses, where  Pére Noël and his elves would sort and read them; while laughing, singing and dancing and working. Then one silent night , the reindeer broke through the darkness with bells and glitter and song,  a hearty laugh echoed through the forest as Pére Noël waved his hand to his family, on his way through a sky of shooting stars to deliver happiness and joy to an outside world.”

..the forest was filled with birds and ice and mosss and lichens..

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…and the elves worked while they danced and sung merry songs..

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..the reindeer were ready, waiting…

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Three quaint houses with strawberry red walls..

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..and the skies were bright with shooting stars..

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May you all,  on that dark night when the stars will be extra bright and you hear a hearty laugh,  receive countless gifts of happiness and joy!!

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Joyeux Noël

Ronelle

Un Noël à la campagne 5: Apple turrets with amaretto sauce…and joyeux Noël!

This is the last post of our menu and it is with a touch of sadness that I say goodbye for now… I enjoyed sharing this menu with all of you and I enjoyed all the comments and visits and stories, kindness and care. Thank you!

apple turret with amaretto sauce large

With this festive dessert  I wish you all a very joyeux Noël. May you all be just as festive in spirit!

Recette:

  1. Cut 4 apples in 4 slices.
  2. Melt butter and dip the slices in the melted butter.
  3. Marinate some dried raisins, nuts and cranberries in amaretto liqueur.
  4. Rollther apple slices in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon and restack the slices to form a turret of apple with fruit in between the layers.
  5. Place in an oven proof oven pan, top with a knob of butter and bake for 30 minutes.
  6. Sauce: Heat 150ml milk and 150 ml cream. Whisk together 3 egg yolks and 40g sugar until light and thick. Add to the warm milk while whisking and continue whisking the mixture until it thickens. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine sieve.
  7. Add a tsp of amaretto liqueur. Sprinkle with sugar to prevent a skin from forming and leave to cool.
  8. Serve an apple on a plate, decorate with star anise, cinnamon stick and a spooning of sauce. Sprinkle some gold leaf and serve.

serves 4 people

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Joyeux noël…Merry Christmas…Geseënde Kersfees!!!

à bientôt

Ronelle