In our time, all kinds of breads are available to us to accompany the dishes that we serve to our guests during our New Year’s Eve and festive meals. Like pastry chefs who demonstrate incredible creativity when it comes to Christmas logs, master bakers offer us cult products, all delicious, and sometimes surprising. What could be better to accompany foie gras, caviar, oysters, salmon, turkey, capon, log… than these breads specially created for exceptional meals? The best Parisian bakeries also give pride of place to breads from elsewhere or regionally, such as birewecke from Alsace. Others are inspired by the development of ever more inventive bread recipes using corn or spelled flour for products sometimes adorned with toppings such as almonds, orange peel or candied lemon. Don’t panic, to avoid false notes, we asked Mickaël Reydellet, creator of La Parisienne bakeries (Best baguette in Paris 2016) for his best “food-bread” pairings.
The best food and bread pairings
With iodized products such as oysters, salmon, or prawns, we favor rye preparations. Like flaky rye bread (rye bread dough, enriched with butter, and rolled like puff pastry), with a very present buttery side, which “breaks” the power of the rye. But be careful with products that are very rye and strong in flavor which can mask the taste of the food they accompany.
With foie gras, scallops or capon, choose a bread with a mild and neutral flavor like a traditional baguette, which accompanies the food, without overshadowing it. And to add texture to the whole thing, creations covered in poppy or sesame are perfect.
With strong cheeses such as Roquefort or Maroilles, you should opt for a bread with dried fruits, grapes or figs, whose sweet note will temper the strength of the cheese.
With hard cheeses like Comté or Beaufort, we opt for a delicious and fragrant cereal bread. And if we find creations enriched with hazelnuts and pistachios, we go for it!
What to do with leftover bread?
Some ideas for using bread that is already a few days old.
With very typical rye bread. We cut it into croutons which we fry for a few moments and serve with onion soup.
With an individual roll or towel roll. We cut it in half lengthwise, toast it then serve it with a poached egg and Hollandaise sauce for an Eggs Benedict to die for.
With traditional baguette. We cut it into slices, toast it, and serve with seafood rillettes.
With an unopened loaf of bread. We cut out a hat, remove the crumb, and generously garnish the inside with cream, eggs, grated cheese, caramelized onions and sausages for stunning dog boats.
More information on www.boulangerielaparisienne.com
