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Nancy Conway

Bringing French magic to your home cooking.

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A Traditional Christmas Dinner in France

December 23, 2020 //  by nancyconway//  Leave a Comment

Elegant Dinner Table set with candles

Christmas is one of those special occasions in France where you have what most closely resembles a “repas gastronomique français,” the traditional grand French meal. What makes it traditional and grand at the same time? Hint: It’s not just the food.

Table decoration is important

First I would say that the way the table is set is important: the attention to the decoration, harmonious colors and quality of the dishware – all these details are taken into consideration.

The dinner table is set beautifully with linen tablecloths and napkins and fine china. My table is decorated with branches from pine trees or pine cones to add a natural touch.

There are many more courses served in a traditional grand meal than in a regular, everyday meal, so the cutlery and glassware will reflect that.

Why is this important? The French value gathering the family around the table, uninterrupted, for a good meal (no jumping up to watch your favorite team’s playoffs, or to send a text message, for example). So the decoration of the table for a special occasion like Christmas is as important as the food.

A beautifully decorated Christmas table
A beautifully decorated Christmas table

They believe a well-decorated table is an important element that contributes to enjoying the meal. And the guests are expected to be well-dressed too!

The quality of the food, the harmony of the flavors

Of course, the quality of the food is extra special  for a grand meal, so attention is given to:

-the selection of top products which reflect the season

-the harmony of flavors amongst the different foods 

-the harmony between the food and the wine that accompanies it

The order of the dishes served

The order dishes are served is fixed in French tradition and part of France’s cultural heritage. This meal structure and its characteristics have been recognized by Unesco as a “world intangible heritage”.

The recipes, however, can vary according to different families and their own traditions, regional cuisine, and financial means.

However, if you were invited to a grand, traditional French Christmas meal, it would, in general, look like this:

L’Apéritif:

You would start off with an “Apéritif,” or before dinner drinks. There would be champagne or sparkling wine, red and white wines, whiskey, and fruit juice and sodas for children.

Champagne bottles with glasses
Champagne is often served during the Apéritif for Christmas

Snacks are served with the drinks:

I usually serve small leaves of endive with Roquefort and walnuts, mini smoked salmon blinis, mini blinis with caviar, and small toasts with foie gras (if we’re not having that as a starter).

Other examples of snacks the French serve are little gougeres with Comté cheese,  slices of parmesan, parma ham and speers of dried prunes with bacon.

The Starter or “Entrée”:

Some meals have a cold starter followed by a warm starter (foie gras can be served in either).

The Starters are all accompanied by white wine. Or the entire meal can be served with Champagne. Water is also served throughout and bread accompanies the meal:

-Panned foie gras

-Seafood: langoustines or oysters (served raw on the half shell)

-Sea Scallops

-Lobster

-Caviar or Salmon roe

-White sausage or “Boudin Blanc” infused with black truffles

-Escargots

The “Trou Normand:”

This is a sorbet drizzled with a strong alcohol like an Eau de Vie which supposedly  helps your digestion after the Starters (for adults only!)

The Main Course or “Plat Principal”:

The Main course is accompanied by red wine. Vegetables like green beans or a celeriac purée accompany the meat course

-Christmas turkey stuffed with chestnuts and accompanied by a classic sauce

-Capon with apples

-Goose

The Cheese Course:

– A variety of cheeses is served accompanied by a green salad with a vinaigrette sauce.

A selection of French cheeses in a shop.
A selection of cheeses in a French shop

A selection of cheeses would be a goat’s cheese, a blue-veined cheese, a soft cheese (Brie or Camembert) a hard cheese (Comté or Beaufort) and fresh soft cheese.

The Dessert Course:

-The “Buche de Noël” or Yule Log is the traditional buttercream cake served for Christmas. Coffee or chocolate are the traditional flavors for this dessert.

Coffee or “Tisanes” (herbal teas)

Coffee and “Tisanes” or “Infusions” (herbal teas) are served along with chocolates.

(Wait! It’s not over yet – there’s more!)

Digestifs & Eau de Vie:

France has a long tradition in producing “digestifs” or “eau de vie. ”

(Some are still produced in monasteries, such as Chartreuse).

Here is a shortlist of the main digestive alcohols that would be served after a traditional dinner:

-Eau de Vie de: Poire William, Prune, or Mirabelle

-Armagnac

-Bas Armagnac

-Cognac

-Calvados

–Grand Marnier

-Cointreau

-Aged Rum

A bottle of Grand Marnier on a dinner table
A bottle of Grand Marnier liqueur on my dinner table

An Example of a Christmas Dinner at a 5* Luxury Hotel in Paris:

If you find yourself in Paris during Christmas and would like to try a traditional French Christmas dinner, 5 Star luxury hotels offer the opportunity to try an extraordinary meal for Christmas.

This was the Christmas Dinner menu offered at the Paris Ritz Hotel for Christmas 2019:

Starters:

FOIE GRAS  with Passion fruit & toasted brioche

SEA SCALLOPS Creamy fennel and Imperial caviar

Sea Food Dish

BLUE LOBSTER Macaroni and bisque with verbena

Meat Dish

DUCK FROM CHALLANS « À la royale », black truffle and confit quince

Cheese & Salad

CHEESE Mont d’Or thin tartlet with black truffle, leaf lettuce

Dessert

THE CHRISTMAS DESSERT  The Ritz Paris Christmas Log with hazelnut and chocolate

Conclusion:

As you may have guessed by the number of courses served, the traditional French Christmas dinner lasts for hours!

This is the general structure of a traditional grand meal. But as you can see, it’s elaborate and costly. Not all French families want – or have the means – to serve such elaborate dishes.

And the dishes served at Christmas can, of course, vary according to a family’s own traditions and their regional cuisine.

A French Christmas dinner in Alsace will not be the same as a French Christmas dinner in Provence. However, the structure of the meal is the same.

And now you: Have you ever had a traditional French Christmas dinner? How does it differ from your family’s traditional holiday meals? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Are we following each other yet? Come on over and say “Hi” on Instagram and Facebook!

Photos courtesy of the author and of Unsplash.com

Category: UncategorizedTag: Hotle Ritz Paris, repas gastronomique, traditional French Christmas dinner, traditional French Christmas meal, Unesco, world intangible heritage

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Hi, I'm Nancy, and I'd like to bring French food magic to your home kitchen.

I grew up on the typical American diet of a kid with working parents who had no time to cook: Pop-tarts, frozen T.V. dinners, and Twinkies.

When I came to France years ago to study at a French business school, I developed an interest in fine food by taking weekend and evening classes at cooking schools. I discovered... Read More

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