Holy Chocolate: A Holiday Project for Young and Old

Anyone who thinks dessert can't be real work has never read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The Provencal Christmas tradition is very serious about sweets; rules and regulations must be respected. There are 13 desserts (Les Treize Desserts) served on Christmas Eve, one for Jesus and each of his apostles. Everyone must taste a piece of each (for luck), and best of all, you must must must leave the dishes and food on the table all night, so hungry travelers can come and dine if they like. (I say, anything that gets me out of doing the dinner dishes is a tradition worth adopting.)

Les Treize Desserts:

almonds, hazelnuts, raisins, figs

dates (often stuffed with marzipan)

white and dark nougat (forces of good and evil)

candied fruit

calisson d'aix (almond paste candies)

pompe a l'huile (olive oil-based brioche - here flavored with orange flower water)

Along with grapes, celementines and winter melon.

Gathering the ingredients was a bit like a scavenger hunt designed by mischievous Keebler elves, requiring at least two visits to the La Bonbonniere in Apt, aka: the most beautiful candy store on earth.

Not strictly required, I couldn't resist a little marzipan car for Augustin. He was confused: eat the toys? don't eat the toys? Oh well, I guess parental consistency can go out the window once a year.

Though I have a real textural thing for nougat (I love chewy candy - hence my obsession with DOTS), my favorite of the Provencal Christmas treats is the mendiant - small discs of dark or milk chocolate topped with dried fruit and nuts representing 4religious orders: raisins for the Dominicans, hazelnuts for the Augustinians, dried figs for Franciscans and almonds for the Carmelites.

I love the idea of wandering monks, combing the country side, looking for a cozy table to pass the winter storm. Of course this legend has a lot more atmospheric possibilities in our new village home. How would said monks have discovered the door code to our Paris apartment building? I once kissed a monk. Costume party. Everyboby relax. Anyway, I'm a storyteller by nature, so I love a side of legend with my meal.

Augustin is a bit young yet, but I think these would be great fun to make at home with your kids. They are essentially puddles of melted chocolate with a scattered fruit and nut topping, so there's no need for aesthetic precision, and lots of opportunities for licking fingers, etc.


Chocolate Mendiants

8 ounces best-quality dark chocolate

If you are being traditional: a generous handful each of dried figs (cut into small chunks), dark raisins, blanched almonds, and whole or halved hazelnuts.

If you are feeling fancy (and don't care much for monk symbolism) - swap in candied orange, lemon or grapefruit peel, candied ginger, pistachio or macadamia nuts.

Place a sheet of waxed paper on a cold cookie sheet or other smooth, cold surface.

Melt chocolate in a microwave oven or in a double boiler.

Place a teaspoonful of melted chocolate onto the sheet, shape into a disk using the back of a spoon. Make several at a time so that the chocolate does not have time to harden on the sheet.

Place a piece of fig, a raisin, an almond and a hazelnut on each disk, and leave to cool completely. The mendiants are ready when the chocolate has hardened and they peel of the waxed paper with ease.

Makes about 50 chocolates.

Wishing you and yours a sweet and merry holiday weekend - however many desserts you're eating.

Before and After

Forget nose jobs and cellulite creams, or whatever miracle fix the magazines are selling this year. These are my kind of Before and After photos. I'm making sea bass with Chinese black rice for Christmas Eve dinner, and to make it extra special, I’ve decided to add a bit of black truffle to the mix. I bought my specimen (whole truffles do have a lovely fossilized quality) at a store selling Provencal specialties on the road from Cereste to Mane.

Never having purchased a whole truffle before, I was in need of detailed instructions. Still encased in a hard layer of local soil, my precious ingredient looked more like a chocolate truffle dusted with Dutch cocoa powder than the roi des champignons.

The venduese told me to take a moist toothbrush and massage gently until the layer of brown gave way to a cratered geological black. Then wrap in aluminum foil and freeze. When the big day arrives, I am to grate my frozen truffle directly into the risotto, and inhale deeply.

I'm naturally suspicious of instant transformation. But this seems like a kind of alchemy worth trying. How are your holiday preparations going?

A Palette Cleanser

I just had a desperate plea from a reader: "PLEASE do a new post minus a naked beast...please?"

For those of you traumatized by one too many naked beasts over Thanksgiving, here's a soothing vegatarian dish to give your palette a rest - until the Christmas flesh fest begins...

Stuffed Pumpkins for Two:

Two baby pumpkins - wash, cut off the tops, remove the seeds and roast in a 350F oven until tender, 1 hour (possibly more). You can eat the skin and all. If you can't find baby pumpkins, buy a good size butternut squash, split in half (the long way) and roast with a bit of olive oil.

Fill your hot pumpkin (or squash) with cooked wild rice, brown rice, quinoa, or bulgur.

Sprinkle with cubes of feta cheese.

Top with lots of fresh dill, black pepper, and maybe a drizzle of honey.

This reheats nicely, so if you are cooking for one, make two - and take one to the office the next day for lunch.

Enjoy!