I have a goddaughter who will be studying abroad this year: six weeks in Paris and her fall semester in the south of France. Hooray! For years I have wanted to visit France and its capital city. There’s no better time than this fall when my goddaughter, who speaks French fluently, will be there for three months. Secondly, I’ve been planning for the past year to research and add pages to the WikiSpices.com website discussing the flavors of French cooking. So, now’s the time.

The French believe in mastering the art of eating and living well. They call this "L'Art de Vivre!"

French cuisine is renowned for its herb blends of Bouquet Garni, Fines Herbes and Herbes de Provence. Each of these mixtures features herbs from France’s southern region. These classic blends and all the flavors of French cuisine are this month’s . . . . .

THE SPICE OF LIFE - French Food Spices

Besides herbs, there are five French "Mother Sauces" as every culinary student learns: Béchamel, Espagnole, Hollandaise, Tomato and Veloute. Numerous secondary sauces can be developed from these five.

Also, now-a-days there are many varieties of sauces being made using fruit, nuts, seeds and vegetables as thickeners; however, within French cuisine, the five Mother Sauces still reign supreme. Reducing or cooking down liquids from foods like raw tomatoes will result in a sauce. But, most liquids need some help in thickening. This is where roux comes in. Roux is a mixture of flour and fat, usually butter, cooked briefly to remove the pasty taste of the flour.

Liquid to be thickened is added to the roux and boiled until it becomes a sauce. Traditionally four of the five mother sauces are made from roux. Hollandaise sauce, an emulsification made from egg yoke and butter, is never made with a roux. Tomato sauce, traditionally made with a roux, can be thickened quite easily without one.

Click here to learn more about the basics of French flavors and cooking.

MONTHLY EVENTS

February is the Month for:

National Sweet Potato Month

Valentine's Day

And, some of our favorite food days in the month include:

February 3 National Carrot Cake Day

February 4 National Homemade Soup Day

February 7 National Fettuccine Alfredo Day

February 9 National Bagels and Lox Day

February 11 National Peppermint Patty Day

February 14 National Cream-Filled Chocolates Day

February 16 National Almond Day

February 20 National Cherry Pie Day

February 21 National Sticky Bun Day

February 25 National Clam Chowder Day

February 26 National Chili Day

February 26 National Pistachio Day

February 27 National Chocolate Cake Day

February 27 National Strawberry Day

SPICY TIDBITS

Food ALERT! Widget

MERCHANTS & RETAILERS:

Atlantic Spice Company - atlanticspice.com

Durkee® - durkee.com

Maison Terre - maisonterre.net

McCormick® - mccormick.com

Milford Spice Company - milfordspice.com

Penzeys Spices - penzeys.com

Savory Spice Shop - savoryspiceshop.com

Spice Islands® - spiceislands.com

The Spice House - thespicehouse.com

Spice Accessories Websites:

Bottles, Containers & Jars:

Bottle Store - www.bottlestore.com

eBottles.com - www.ebottles.com

SKS Bottle & Packaging, Inc. - www.sks-bottle.com

Labels:

Online Labels - www.onlinelabels.com

Spice Racks:

Tubular Spices - www.tubularspices.com/Spice_Racks.asp

Spice Rack Source - www.spiceracksource.com/all-spice-racks/

Check out our website that's All About Sweet Potatoes

YOUR TURN

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Ellen White