Breakfast

When you’re preparing to host a Christmas dinner in France, the choice of the bread(s) is as important as any course you will be serving. Usually each course gets accompanied by a different bread, each thoughfully paired with the food. Spice bread slices get toasted and served with foie gras. Dark breads such as rye or a viking banette get served with smoked salmon and seafood. Simple baguettes or rustic baguettes (such as traditon, festival or a meule de pierre) usually get served with the main dish.

Known in French as “Teurgoule”, this slow-baked rice pudding with cinnamon is a family-style specialty from Lower Normandy. It is baked in an earthenware dish for several hours to create a thick caramelized crust on top and a soft, creamy pudding underneath. Fun fact, the name “teurgoule” means twisted mouth in Norman (the regional language from Normandy). It is a reference to the faces supposedly pulled by Normandy people tasting this dessert – not out of disgust, but astonishment, as cinnamon was once a very foreign taste.