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A Winter Table to Close the Year

Our final French Fork edition of 2025, made for the holidays.

A Winter Table to Close the Year

Three courses, festive evenings, and a gentle goodbye to 2025

As the year draws to a close, there are evenings that ask us to slow down. Evenings when the table deserves linen instead of paper, when candles are lit a little earlier, and when cooking becomes a way of marking time rather than filling it.

This final edition of The French Fork for 2025 is just that. A winter table set for celebration. Not extravagant, not showy, but deeply considered. A menu that unfolds gently, course by course, inviting conversation, warmth, and presence.

We begin with seared scallops, kissed by heat and finished with beurre noisette and lemon. A quiet opening that invites the first pause, the first sip of wine, the first shared moment of the evening.

At the heart of the table sits roasted guinea fowl, tender and golden, served with a creamy Vin Jaune sauce and mushrooms. Rich, but never heavy. A dish made for lingering, for refilled glasses, for that comfortable silence that only appears when everyone is exactly where they want to be.

The evening closes with a pear tart, thin and crisp, drizzled with honey and scattered with almonds. Warm from the oven, light enough to keep the conversation going, sweet enough to feel like a proper ending.

As the holidays approach, we wish you peaceful days, generous tables, and the simple joy of cooking for the people you love. May your celebrations be warm, and your new year begin gently.

Starter

Saint-Jacques Poêlées au Beurre Noisette et Citron

An elegant French starter that sets the tone

Seared scallops are the definition of French restraint. When treated with care and cooked briefly in brown butter, they need almost nothing else. This dish opens a festive meal quietly and confidently, letting purity and balance lead the way.

Ingredients (serves 4)

12 large sea scallops, completely dry

60 g unsalted butter (4 tbsp)

1 tbsp neutral oil (grapeseed or sunflower)

1 small lemon

Fleur de sel

Freshly ground white pepper

Instructions

Heat a heavy pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil, then the butter. Let the butter foam and turn lightly golden, releasing a nutty aroma.

Place the scallops in the pan without overcrowding. Sear for about 1½ minutes per side until a deep golden crust forms while the center remains tender.

Remove from heat. Season with fleur de sel and white pepper, then finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Serve immediately, spooning the beurre noisette over the scallops.

Wine Pairing

Chablis Premier Cru, Sancerre, or Pouilly-Fumé.

Main Course

Suprême de Pintade Rôtie, Sauce au Vin Jaune et Champignons

A refined main course with depth and warmth

Guinea fowl sits perfectly between poultry and game. Its delicate yet expressive flavor makes it ideal for festive cooking. Paired with a Vin Jaune cream sauce and mushrooms, it becomes a dish of quiet luxury and deep comfort.

Ingredients (serves 4)

4 guinea fowl breasts, skin on

2 tbsp olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

250 g mixed mushrooms, sliced (9 oz)

1 shallot, finely chopped

150 ml Vin Jaune or dry Jura white wine (⅔ cup)

200 ml heavy cream (¾–1 cup)

30 g butter (2 tbsp)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C / 355°F.

Season the guinea fowl breasts generously. Heat the olive oil in a pan and cook the breasts skin-side down until the skin is golden and crisp. Turn briefly, then transfer to the oven for about 10 minutes, until just cooked through. Remove and let rest.

In the same pan, melt the butter. Add the shallot and mushrooms and sauté until soft and lightly browned.

Deglaze with the wine and reduce by half, scraping the pan. Add the cream and simmer gently until the sauce thickens. Season to taste.

Slice the guinea fowl and serve with the sauce spooned generously over the meat.

Wine Pairing

Savagnin du Jura or a structured Bourgogne blanc.

Dessert

Tarte Fine aux Poires, Amandes et Miel

A light and comforting French dessert

This pear tart is all about balance. Crisp pastry, soft fruit, gentle sweetness. It is a dessert that concludes a festive meal without heaviness, inviting the evening to linger just a little longer.

Ingredients (serves 4)

1 sheet all-butter puff pastry

3 ripe pears, peeled and thinly sliced

2 tbsp runny honey

40 g sliced almonds (⅓ cup)

30 g melted butter (2 tbsp)

Crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 190°C / 375°F.

Roll out the puff pastry and place it on a lined baking tray. Arrange the pear slices evenly on top, leaving a small border around the edges.

Brush the pears lightly with melted butter, drizzle with honey, and scatter the almonds over the tart.

Bake for about 20 minutes until the pastry is crisp and golden.

Serve warm, with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream if desired.

Wine Pairing

Coteaux du Layon, late-harvest Chenin Blanc, or a light Poiré.

Recipe Articles

Duck transforms an ordinary evening into an event, its rich aroma and slow, deliberate cooking filling the kitchen with anticipation.

The classic French pairing of duck with fruit finds a bold update with blackberries and balsamic, creating a tangy, dark glaze that envelopes the crisp-skinned breast.

Roasted sweet potatoes with fresh thyme offer earthy sweetness, their flavors coaxed gently by time and patience.

Together, the dish conjures warmth and intimacy, perfect for early sunsets and quiet gatherings.

Each bite is layered with savory duck, inky-sweet glaze, and the comforting glow of thyme-scented potatoes, served alongside a glass of Pinot Noir for an elegant finish.

This meal isn’t just dinner—it is the centerpiece of an evening designed to be remembered.

In the cool dawn of Caen, Tripes à la mode de Caen fills the air with an earthy, unforgettable aroma.

This iconic Norman specialty brings together four kinds of cow’s stomach and a foot, simmered for hours with onions, carrots, garlic, cider, Calvados, and a bouquet garni—no cream, no shortcuts.

Born in abbey kitchens and perfected by generations of butchers who valued every part of the animal, this dish asks for respect and patience.

The flavors linger, seeping into old stone walls and memory alike. Served hot with slices of rustic bread and a sharp, brut Norman cider, it delivers warmth and richness that lasts long after the meal.

Tradition, gratitude, and locality are at the heart of every bowl—a taste of Normandy’s soul that never shouts but is impossible to forget.

And so…

This marks the last edition of The French Fork for 2025. And it feels right to end the year this way, with a meal built on balance, care, and the quiet pleasure of sharing food.

French cooking has always known that celebration does not need spectacle. Sometimes, all it needs is attention, good ingredients, and a table that invites people to stay a little longer.

We’ll be back with a new edition in the second weekend of January 2026, ready to cook, wander, and taste our way into the new year together.

Until then, we wish you happy holidays and a very happy New Year. May 2026 begin with good food, good company, and time enough for both.

À très bientôt,

The French Fork

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