Soupe Angevine – Angers “Oranges and Lemons” Cocktail

The days are getting warmer, the sun is shining and thoughts are turning to outdoor entertaining and barbecues. This easy-to-prepare cocktail always goes down well for aperos – like an x-rated homemade lemonade. Beware, as the fresh, zingy taste hides a real kick!

The name “Soupe Angevine” literally means “Angers Soup”, Angers being the chef-lieu of Maine-et Loire, formerly part of the province of Anjou and now a department of the Pays de la Loire, and whose inhabitants are known as “angevins”.

Ingredients:

- 1 bottle of fizzy white wine (e.g. a crémant or mousseux, no need to break the bank)
- 1 ladle* of lemon juice (preferably freshly squeezed)
- 1 ladle of sugar syrup (can be made by heating equal volume of sugar and water until the sugar dissolves – don’t overheat or it becomes caramel!)
- 1 ladle of orange liqueur (e.g. Cointreau or Grand Marnier)

Preparation

Not a lot to it really: all of the ingredients should be chilled in the fridge and are then mixed together in a punch bowl or similar just before serving.

Dampen and dip rim of glass in sugar for those with a sweet tooth. Serve with a slice or twist of lemon.

Enjoy!

 

* Regular kitchen ladle = about 6 fluid ounces, but a bit more or less doesn’t make too much difference.

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Recipe for Confiture de Lait

Confiture de lait

Confiture de lait or “milk jam” is similar to “dulce de leche” but here in Normandy it is made from whole milk rather than condensed milk.

It is often eaten in Normandy on bread, toast, or pain au lait, or as a topping for pancakes or ice cream.

Ingredients for 2 jars of confiture de lait:

• 1 l of whole milk
• 500 g sugar
• 1 vanilla pod or 4 packets of vanilla sugar (in which case, deduct equivalent weight from the 500 g of sugar)

Preparation:

1. Pour the milk, sugar and split vanilla pod into a large saucepan

2. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for about 2 hours

3. Stir every 10 minutes – important!

4. When the mixture takes on a golden caramel colour and thickens, remove the vanilla pod

5. The milk jam is ready when it forms a paste (like Nutella or thick honey)

6. Fill sterilized jars (a dishwasher will sterilize the jars), seal and turn upside down. The turning upside down helps seal the sterilised jars.

7. Once cool put in fridge. Keep jam milk in the fridge and wait 2-3 days before eating.

The milk jam will keep for several months in the sealed jars.

Here is a variant for chocolate milk jam:

To make chocolate milk jam,  then just at the point when you remove the vanilla pod stir and melt 50 grams of chopped-up chocolate in the mixture.

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Crême de Mûres Recipe

Crême de Mûres or Crême de Cassis Recipe

Blackberries grow in abundance in Normandy hedgerows – we pick them in late summer/early autumn and use them for jams, crumbles and for home-made crême de mûres, similar to crême de cassis. It is often used to make kir (an aperitif where it is mixed with chilled, dry white wine) or kir royale (mixed with dry champagne, crémant or other bubbly).

Here’s a simple recipe for this delicious home-made liqueur. In place of blackberries (mûres) you could use blackcurrants (cassis), blueberries (myrtilles) or raspberries (framboises).

Ingredients

1 kilo blackberries (or blackcurrants, raspberries or myrtilles)
2 litres decent, medium-bodied red wine
Sugar

Method

1. Wash fruit and mash in a blender.
2. Add red wine and leave it to macerate in a covered bowl for 48 hours in a cool place.
3. Strain the mixture through a muslin cloth.
4. Weigh the juice and add an equal weight of sugar.
5. Bring the mixture to the boil in a pan and leave to boil for 5 minutes.
6. Allow to cool to about 40 degrees (tepid) then strain again (if necessary) and bottle.

The crême de mûres (or cassi, or myrtilles) is ready to drink after a couple of weeks, keeps indefinitely.

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