14.14 - French Recipe: Espresso Chocolate Fondants + Printable recipe
Introducing new Contributor & ex-chef sharing recipes from Toulouse. Then we dive into French Film, French controversy + Announcing the launch of 'The Postcard Exchange'. Book Club EVENT RSVP & more
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Merci. Judy - 13.4.24
1. This Week’s Featured Contributor is Ally Mitchell who has just joined MyFrenchLife™️ Magazine.
Please help me welcome Ally as we publish her first article.
Ally introduces herself as:
As an ex-chef, moving to Toulouse in 2021 was an excuse to immerse myself in the country's cuisine. I am now a food tour guide. I write about French food and Toulouse's hidden gems on my food blog: nigellaeatseverything and newsletter ‘From France, With Love..’ .”
2. French Recipe: Espresso Chocolate Fondants← by Ally Mitchell—Plus PRINTABLE RECIPE
“Recently, six chocolate fondants were on trial. They faced a jury of impartial tasters (me and my boyfriend Gaylord) to prove their… ok, not innocence exactly because these bad boys were sure as hell guilty of something – maybe let’s just say their virtue above all the others.
I’m going to lead with a spoiler – the espresso chocolate fondants won. (The title already gave it away didn’t it.)”
“I managed to taste six chocolate fondants in half as many hours, which I don’t recommend anyone do, I think my taste buds gave up around fondant au chocolat no. 4 and I needed to lie down.
You may be wondering why on earth I needed to taste so many, and that is an excellent question – turns out, Valentine’s Day was just around the corner. What screams romance and pink hearts more than dessert, especially a dessert sprinkled with chocolate, that wily old aphrodisiac? Not only that but chocolate fondants seem to be on every single round-up of the “best Valentine’s Day desserts” across the internet. Is the World Wide Web trying to tell us something?
Is this the dessert blessed by Aphrodite or pricked by Cupid’s arrow? The romance and sex appeal of chocolate fondants is undeniable, although also surprising because they are messy to eat at the best of times, let alone when you’re on a date with someone gorgeous and you finish eating with an alarming amount of chocolate lip liner.
Anyway, I can certainly not argue with the internet that chocolate fondants are the dessert of the season, however, what flavour is the Valentine’s Day favourite? Yes, there’s the classic, unadulterated plain chocolate fondant – the guy who calls when he says he will – but he’s in demand everywhere. You just need to type his name into Google, and he’s got the attention of Gordon Ramsay and the like.
Beyond him though, there are many alternative chocolate fondants, and so this was a trail of an extended family.
So, in the dock sat: Solid, reliable everyday chocolate fondant, then his more creative cousins Caramel, Black Forest, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Caramel, and Espresso chocolate fondants.
It was the taste test a jury has always dreamed of – wouldn’t jury duty be a lot more enticing if we knew we’d have baked goods on the stand rather than criminals?
Let me take you through the trial and find out which is the best, most virtuous (but not in that way) fondant au chocolat. (Although you already know the espresso chocolate fondants come out clean. We’ll save them until last.)”
…More Chocolate Fondant?… discover more
This is a snippet, a teaser—read on—This article appears in full in MyFrenchLife Magazine - read it there ←Ally trials all of these yummy Chocolate Fondants and photographs them PLUS her favourite PRINTABLE RECIPE is included.
3. MyFrenchLife™️ Magazine: new articles
Stay in touch by reading the new articles & don’t forget there are >3000 fascinating articles in our archive - this sounds like an amazing immersion opportunity to me - a chance to get lost in France, without jetlag.
a) Announcement: ‘The Postcard Exchange’ – inviting you to participate← by Jacqueline Dubois Pasquier
“Who still sends postcards when they are on holiday?” writes Jacqueline.
“There was a time – not so long ago, before the advent of emails and chats- when we used to send postcards to the people we cared for and expected to receive our share in return!
We would carefully select them according to their recipient; they could represent a painting, a point of interest, or were specially formatted for good wishes … they had a meaning and at the same time we could get away with a ‘Bons Baisers de Paris’ for instance which was enough to keep in touch.
It was a tradition.
No wonder ‘our’ book entitled ‘The Postcard’ revolves around the domino effect such an enigmatic one produces on a family. There’s more to it than a few words and a picture. In that respect, Judy and I have been discussing a project named ‘The Postcard Exchange’.
You may remember that, during COVID time, we exchanged French-themed books between participating members. It resulted in a real heart-warming and wonderful experience.
This time we suggest we exchange postcards.
Are you in? What do you think?…”
There are already >50 people participating and the list is growing as I write.
You’re invited to participate whether you’ve read ‘The Postcard’ book or NOT.
This is an opportunity for Francophiles from all around the world to connect
ALSO for those who’ve already registered your PARTNER information is being emailed to you now…check your inbox and SPAM filter.
Find out how to participate and join us←
b) Part 10: From the Pink Granite coast to Vannes in the south, Brittany← by Craig Healey
Brittany is a large region in the northwest of France. It is a diverse and popular peninsula with an often rugged and spectacular coastline, an interior full of vibrant towns and villages, and large numbers of prehistoric menhirs. During this leg of our trip, we stayed in 3 coastal locations, starting in the north and heading southwest along the coast.
c) French Film Review: Mr Blake At Your Service! by Cynthia Karena
It’s so wonderful to see Fanny Ardant in a film again.” writes Cynthia
‘Mr. Blake At Your Service!’ also stars John Malkovich, who lived and worked in theatre in the south of France for a decade, so he is a competent French speaker. Even so, he has a very peculiar French accent.
Malkovich plays Englishman Andrew Blake who is grieving the death of his wife. He isn’t happy in London and wants to return to the mansion in France where they first met...”
You can read the entire article here ←
d) A French Controversy: Who Will Sing at the Opening of the Paris Olympics←by Keith Van Sickle
Last month, rumors surfaced that French President Emmanuel Macron had invited Aya Nakamura to sing an Édith Piaf song at the Paris Summer Olympic Games opening ceremony.
A firestorm immediately erupted, and it has not died down yet.
Have your say. Lodge your vote.
Who is Aya Nakamura?… Discover more… You can read the entire article here←
4. ANNOUNCING Discussion EVENT 27 April - MyFrenchLife™ French Book Club #bookclub - RSVP required
'The Postcard' by Anne Berest has been our Spring read. It's been recently translated by Tina Kover and was first published under the French title 'La Carte Postale' in 2021.
We will continue reading through April and have scheduled our online ZOOM Discussion EVENT for Saturday 27 April 2024← make a note.
*If you intend to join us, then RSVP here now← RSVP to get the essential Zoom link. No link no attendance. You know how it works.
5. @MaVieFrancaise Instagram—it’s all happening
Video chats and articles… come join us←
6. Merci mille fois - thank you for subscribing and reading le Bulletin—Thank you, Judy
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