Bastille Day Celebration Ideas
BON APPETIT! I just went to cooking school in Paris. I know…pinch me! I am biased on products coming from France. Only the best ingredients, creativity, and presentation at the highest level. The French set the bar. What a treat! To help you celebrate Bastille Day, we’re sharing our favorite French products, including a great French Gift Basket. They are the best of the best!
Let’s start with Olive Oil! France produces the least amount of olive oil for the export market. Most of the producers have small quantities and keep it for their own use or give to family and friends. We have 2 Extra Virgin Olive Oils from France that we are proud to offer our customers.
Moulins de la Brague Extra Virgin Olive Oil 500ml
This Extra Virgin Olive Oil is made from the finest Provence olives that are picked at their ripest point. The mill of La Brague, in the South of France, is the fifth generation family owned mill producing the best extra virgin olive oil. The olives are cold pressed, and only the oil from the first press is used to create this divine olive oil. Whether you want to create a salad dressing, dip fresh bread into it, or drizzle it over a Caprese salad, this olive oil’s flavor won’t let you down. Fruity and delicate, we have had this oil from the day we opened. It comes in a beautiful tin, perfect for Bastille Day celebrations, beautiful as a gift.
Our basket of French Products has to also include a favorite Edmond Fallot Tarragon Dijon Mustard. The Fallot family has enjoyed a world wide reputation for exceptional quality since 1840. The mustards are made in Beaune, France, near Dijon where seeds are selected for their high quality and are then ground in a traditional stone mill. Perfect for adding to your salad dressing for those delicate greens or brightening up Dover Sole.
Every basket needs a bit of sweet, and ours has hard candy pearls made with French honey and French lemon.
The French are known for their jams, with baguette or croissant in the morning. Andresey old fashioned jams are cooked in copper basins with whole selected fruits, cane sugar, and lemon juice to refine when necessary. All natural. We have Pear with vanilla and Peach with vanilla. Guaranteed to please all tastes and the perfect addition to weekend brunch.
Fleur de Sel- Flower of Salt 7.5 oz Delicate, moist and crunchy—Fleur de Sel is known as “the caviar of salts” for a reason. Widely regarded as one of the best of all finishing salts and used by cooks worldwide in cuisines and dishes galore, French Fleur de Sel is one of the most treasured gourmet salts in any kitchen. Use a pinch as a finishing salt to top dishes before they get to your table, or add it to sauces and soups and watch it melt evenly and impart its crisp, balanced flavor. From Guerande, France, and certified by Nature et Progres, the French standard for quality and purity.
And then the Award Winning French Oil from the 2017 New York Olive Oil Competition, voted on by the super tasters. Castelines Huile d Olive de France, is the Aglandau olive variety, a common olive in Provencal olive oils. Here it unveils its vibrant personality. It is an elegant green fruity oil with a cut grass note followed by mint and row artichoke. The finish is a fine balance between bitter and pepper. This olive oil is ideal with a roquette salad, on a fresh goat cheese or on a tomato toast. No need to add pepper!
Arnaud Black Olive Tapenade- (we have raving fans of this spread) The Arnaud brothers, Pierre and Philippe, combine their famous black olives with anchovies, capers, extra virgin olive oil, and local herbs to make this superb spread, which is excellent on grilled salmon or on crostini.
Arnaud Green Olive Tapenade- French green olive spread with anchovies, capers, and extra virgin olive oil, Arnaud Green Olive Tapenade is made with naturally-cured French green olives. It is delicious on crostini, grissini, or crusty bread with butter. Try this green tapenade with goat cheese, or add a spoonful or two to your favorite tomato sauce recipe for a great pasta sauce. It’s salty, and great with fish too.
Herbes de Provence is a mixture of dried herbs typical of the Provence region of southeast France. What makes these special is the addition of lavender. An ingredient in every French kitchen. Traditional packaging makes this a great gift.
The L’Epicurien line from France is homemade in the original style for 35 years, slowly simmering in copper caldrons. A customer suggested we order the Tapenade with Dried Tomatoes and Basil and it is a favorite. Has a touch of anchovy which is a traditional flavor. And a new addition is Mustard with Espelette Chili. Espelette Chilis are a delicacy and this mustard is a must have as a garnish for beef.
Cassées des Baux (unpasteurized), made from Grossane or Salonenque olives. They are produced in the Vallée des Baux, in France’s main olive and olive oil producing area Provence. Cassées des Baux olives are cracked and cured with fennel (fennel seed, fennel flowers, and fennel stalks). They are a nice fleshy olive with a great buttery, fennel flavor.
French Olives with Fennel
When is Bastille Day? Bastille Day is celebrated on July 14 every year. In France it is formally known as la Fete nationale which translates as the national celebration.
The day is celebrated with military parades, fireworks, concerts and balls.
What is Bastille Day? Bastille Day was created to commemorate the storming of the Bastille – a prison where many French dissidents were held – a critical turning point of the French revolution in 1789.
In France the population were angry at the reign of King Louis XVI, with people suffering from high taxes and a lack of food. As violence broke out on the Paris streets, an armed and angry mob surrounded the Bastille early on July 14. As word spread the French Revolution began to take shape which eventually resulted in the overthrow of the monarchy and the executions of King Louis XVI and his Queen Marie Antoinette.
Rooster apron and ‘Bon Appetit’ towel available
And that’s not all. We have Duck Pate (Mousse) with Port, Duck Sausage for your weekend picnic, cassoulet beans and cookbook for your meal for a crowd. I suggest the Duck cassoulet recipe, lighter in taste than the winter pork. If you’re asking yourself, what should I eat on Bastille Day, we’ve got you covered!
HAVE FUN & ‘BON APPETIT’