664945 Thu Nov 05 11:26:48 -0800 2009 11 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 5158558 Bon Jour 'Hounds, So my friend and I have volunteered to donate this year's Francophile basket to our childrens' school's Dinner Dance. How would you divvy up the purchases with out 200 dollar budget? We were thinking 125 toward the " cheer" and we defintiley need some alcoholic suggestions as neither of us is a drinker...and the other 75 toward......hmmmm? What do you think? We were thinking a wheel of brie, some marons glaces, perhaps a Peter Mayle book, some Tour Eifel cheese spreaders, Michel Cluziel or Payard chcolates, a g/ c to a French bistro? I'd be much better at something Italophile, however i am always up to a challenge. So, mom ami....what would be in your ideal French Basket of Cheer ? Merci Beaucoup, lisa antinore Thu Nov 05 11:26:48 -0800 2009 13389 ZenFoodist 1 5158747 Look into eaux-de-vie, clear fruit brandies. They come in several flavors -- raspberry is my favorite, but there's also peach, pear, plum. They can be used in mixed drinks, neat as an after-dinner drink, and in desserts and sauces. They can be found in small-ish bottles so as not to eat into your cheer budget too much. Thu Nov 05 12:18:28 -0800 2009 5158558 84890 nemo 1 5158897 For the non-alcoholic part: a jar of tapenade, a crock of herbs de Provence, a nice dijon mustard, an Edith Piaf CD, a French waiters' corkscrew, a lavender sachet,... Thu Nov 05 13:07:14 -0800 2009 5158558 49600 CindyJ 2 5159288 Cool ideas thus far.... Merci! Thu Nov 05 15:12:37 -0800 2009 5158897 13389 ZenFoodist 1 5159897 Definitely a Nouveau Beaujoulais for the wine. Another very French idea for the food would be escargot and/or an escargot serving dish. Thu Nov 05 19:42:42 -0800 2009 5158558 253542 cycloneillini 2 5160436 Beaujolais Nouveau, YES! Perfect timing (if you can wait about two weeks). Fri Nov 06 06:16:38 -0800 2009 5159897 49600 CindyJ 1 5159930 trader joe's has very good french truffles. Thu Nov 05 20:09:23 -0800 2009 5158558 105717 alkapal 1 5160082 Personally, I really disliked Peter Mayle's books, but that's just me. How about one of the Patricia Wells cookbooks? I love the Bistro Cookbook and use it all the time. Many upscale cookware stores have cute cheese plates with scenes of France on them, a set of those and a cheese server of some sort might be fun. Many stores also sell dishtowels with scenes of France on them as well. Also, to me, nothing says Frances like a bottle of Champagne. Thu Nov 05 22:23:55 -0800 2009 5158558 86221 lulubelle 2 5160444 These dishtowels are identical to ones I picked up at a market in Provence a couple of months ago. http://www.lacigale-usa.com/catalog_c169960.html Fri Nov 06 06:19:54 -0800 2009 5160082 49600 CindyJ 3 5160521 ooh, i like the grapes (or "raisin") dishtowel for the basket. ;-). williams-sonoma has had some french linens (toile) on sale lately... Fri Nov 06 06:53:41 -0800 2009 5160444 105717 alkapal 4 5161756 They're very pretty and nice quality. Of course, the fact that I paid approximately $10 for 3 towels at the market at L'Isle Sur la Sorgue makes them even more attractive. Fri Nov 06 13:18:54 -0800 2009 5160521 49600 CindyJ 1 5160141 You might want to cross post to the wine board for wine recs. If you don't mind the field trip, a good place to start would be a good wine buyer like Acker Merrill. Ask for recommendations for a 2005 Bordeaux, in particular, since that vintage was so strong, it's hard to go wrong, and these are also usually wines that are nice to drink in the cooler months. Then give them an upper bound for price (something good for under $30 is completely doable). For the rest of the basket, I'd probably avoid anything that assumed the recipient enjoys time in the kitchen. (A cassole and cassoulet cookbook would be lovely for a cook, but maybe a bit daunting for a non-culinarily inclined francophile.) If you don't think it would be controversial, maybe a canned foie gras terrine would be nice -- include a bottle of Sancerre, in that case -- or just include an alternate jarred pate. A variety of cheeses wrapped with a cheese board and cheese knives would be pretty cool, too. Maybe in addition to your brie, include a tomme de savoie and pont l’eveque. Murray's Cheese Shop has a decent selection: http://www.murrayscheese.com/findcheese.asp?lmt=&lc=FRANCE&lct=&lr=&pagenumber=6&sort_on=&sort_by=&view51=False . Package that with a baguette, maybe some seasonal anjou pears and quince paste (okay, so maybe more Spanish than French, but who cares? It goes great with French cheeses), beurre d'Echire or a similar regional butter, etc... Thu Nov 05 23:47:00 -0800 2009 5158558 64215 cimui