It is that time of the year for new year’s resolutions. Well here is one of mine which I intend to keep… Before the end of this year, I would like to try one of everything in my local boulangerie (french bakery).

Because a) I am only here for the next 8 months so I have to make the most of the french cuisine while I can…

b) We are planning on travelling Asia for a few months after here so any weight gained will be lost on the way home (Ill need those extra pounds) and…

c) I love love love my local boulangerie, and love supporting them to stay open too (much better bread than any of the department or chain stores, think Casino!).

So far, I have sampled about half of the pastries and I am a sucker for the double/triple chocolate ones (and avoiding the almond ones since I am not such a huge fan of nuts).

Upon going to the boulangerie for our daily baguette yesterday with the french boy’o (and realising we had both left our wallets at home), the lady there had no qualms on saying “no big deal, come tomorrow”. Shows how often we frequent there and makes us feel like regulars in our quartier.

And you know the best thing about France? The words ‘glutton’ and ‘greedy’ have negative connotations in English, but the French have their very own special word which has evolved away from the meaning of the word gluttony, towards the appreciation of good food when you take great pleasure in your food (rather than the previous words which make you feel like a piglet or like Homer Simpson). So I am officially a self-confessed gourmand here in France and not ashamed of it. Bring on the daily baguette, the chocolatines and the macarons. Mmmmm.

yummy.

This month has been the month of Epiphanie, where it is perfectly acceptable to eat sugary sweet cakes - Galette des Rois (Kings’ cake) - all month long. These cakes can be found in any boulangerie (french bakery) throughout France.

So what is… La Tradition?

1. With friends and family at the kitchen table, you nominate one person (often one of the kiddie winks) to crawl under the table and be the le main innocent.

2. Someone else needs to be the distributeur des parts (maybe one of the adults).

3. In french they say ‘tirer les rois‘ which means the distributeur cuts the galette into pieces and serves each piece to the person whose name has been called out by the child under the table (this ensures no cheating apparently!)

4. Lovingly mange (devour) the galette until someone announces that they have found la fève (a tiny porcelain figurine or trinket, sometimes a king or something else religious, or sometimes animals etc depending on the theme of the boulangerie).

5. Now is the time to crown the person who found the feve as the king or queen for the day, with a gold paper crown (included with the cake).

I am amazed at whether this tradition sends thousands of frenchies to the dentist with chipped teeth or prove to be a health hazard for littlies swallowing the little feve. Apparently not. It’s funny.

Two versions exist: the brioche (sweet cake) with fruit confits or the the flaky puff pastry one filled with frangipane below. I have tried them both and personally, I prefer the brioche but I also have an adversity to almonds so that might explain it. They are both extremely delicious. Luckily I was not subjected to wearing the silly paper crown