Ann Mah's newsletter / December 2020
December 2020 newsletter
Happy holidays!
I know I said this last month, but somehow December has come as just as much of a surprise as November did. Here in Hanoi we are still waiting for our sea shipment of household effects, which has delayed our decking of the halls. Luckily I have photos of my cute little smoking man – a "Räuchermann" in German – who conceals a cone of incense in his tummy and blows "pipe smoke" through his round mouth. He's called the Ghost of the Woods and I bought him last year on my visit to Seiffen, a village in the Erzgebirge in eastern Germany, a magical region that produces artisanal Christmas ornaments like nutcrackers and other holiday decor. I wrote all about it the "home of Christmas" (as its known) in this this article, which appeared in the New York Times last year.
Here's what else I've been up to...
What I've been eating
–It wouldn't be Christmas without a bûche de Noël and while we usually make this chocolate chestnut yule log from Bon Appétit – which is as light and dreamy as a cloud – we recently switched it up for Ottolenghi's pistacho, raspberry and white chocolate roulade.
–Have you heard of Hanoi's favorite fish dish? It's called "cha ca" and features turmeric, galangal, loads of dill and spring onions, and is cooked tableside. I enjoyed it so much I made a video! This article from CNN is also interesting.
–I love recipes that are inspired by novels and these Dorie Greenspan lemon meringue cookies – influenced by Louise Penny's mysteries – sound especially toothsome. (New York Times)
–A Bon Appétit recipe for kimchi macaroni and cheese uses butternut squash and only one pot and it sounds so good.
–Savory pumpkin soufflé would be the perfect celebratory fare for a small household holiday feast and the Everyday French Chef has a great recipe.
Holiday gift ideas
Is there a difficult-to-shop-for Francophile in your life? You're in luck because I've rounded up some gift ideas! These suggestions are all from friends and small business owners in Paris and beyond, and they're all people I love, whose work I admire. This has been a difficult year and I hope they see it through to the other side (eg this is not sponsored content) so why not support them now virtually until we can visit in person? :)
–If you can't be there in person, online cooking classes are the next best thing. If you're longing for the south of France, Rosa Jackson of Les Petits Farcis will show you how to make the food of Nice, including pissaladière and tourte aux blettes. She also offers classes on Moroccan cuisine, and the best of French country cooking.
–Everyone's favorite City of Light cooking school, La Cuisine Paris, is offering video classes featuring step-by-step instruction that you can keep and watch over and over. Learn how to make croissants, macarons, choux pastry, the mother sauces, and more.
–La Cuisine Paris also has a new online boutique featuring wines from small French producers that won't break the bank, and stellar cooking equipment.
–Learn the fundamentals of French fromage with cheese maven Jennifer Greco's online workshop, Cheese 101: A virtual deep dive into understanding and appreciating French cheese. Jenn is a true dairy aficionado and a wonderful teacher.
–My seven-year-old and her friends loved making jam tarts in the online class they took with kids' cooking expert Mardi Michels.
–Learn "Everything You Need to Know About Wine" with Wine Dine Caroline's fun and informative seminar. Caroline Conner is an American-British wine expert based in Lyon who believes in taking the "snob" out of wine snob and just leaving the wine.
–Plan a 2021 trip to Lyon with a gift certificate to famed cooking school Plum Lyon where owner Lucy Vanel teachers market table classes, French pastry workshops and more.
–For your favorite bookworm, check out books I loved in 2020 at Bookshop.org. Lots of novels, books about France, cookbooks...
–And finally... Of course I think my books make the perfect gift :) You can find them in my author shop at Bookshop.org.
A bientôt
A few weeks ago these flowers started appearing everywhere, sold from the backs of bicycle vendors. They're white daisies and they arrive in mid-November, symbolizing the beginning of winter. I think they look like great big bushels of stars.
I think it's safe to say that 2020 has been a difficult year for just about all of us and, like many of you, I'm ready to turn the page to 2021. Thank you for supporting my work here and on social media – I'm so grateful to all of you who have read my books, bought them for friends, and requested them at the library, as well as everyone who has liked, shared, and commented on my posts. You've helped make this transition to a new country an exciting adventure and I appreciate your support. I'm wishing you a safe and cozy holiday season – see you soon in the new year!
XO
Ann
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