Raclette, Champagne and Family

When Vlad and I visited my French family in the Champagne region of France this fall, we left with a giant bottle of it - a magnum, to take home and drink with the boys.  The bottle sat on the credenza for the two-month-wait and finally, Christmas Eve was the appointed time to crack open the bottle.

Patrick, my cousin, works a few weeks every year at a local Champagne winery and takes home cases of it in payment for his work.

Now,  a magnum is equivalent to two regular bottles.  It's a hefty thing and one must take care when pouring it into the delicate champagne flutes.

One could even say that a two-handed approach is recommended.  So Vlad poured and poured and we drank and drank.  We decided to take the remaining Champagne to the dinner table to have with our Christmas Eve raclette.  Raclette is a type of nutty, deliciously-flavoured melting cheese that you melt by inserting into little Teflon pans over the heating element in a raclette pan. Atop of the cheese-melting compartment is a Teflon grill upon which one can cook an assortment of blanched vegetables and marinated meats.  I'm sure that marinated tofu could be grilled as well as an assortment of seafood.

 

Our two boys all grown up.  We had the best Christmas Eve just hanging out and talking and looking at old pictures.

Tristan is back from Chicago for 5 months until his residency starts.  It's a blessing to have this last opportunity to be with him before he goes off to start his life in a faraway place.

In the meantime, I love having him home, as do his Dad and brother.

I wish all of you the warmest, cuddliest, joyful holidays.

Love,

Stella