Réveillon

On the evening of December 24, the French will gather around the table and share a big meal with family.The name of this dinner, Réveillon, is based on the word réveil, which means waking, referencing that it often begins after midnight mass and family members and guests stay awake late into the night. This Christmas Eve dinner is the principal event compared to the meal on Christmas Day itself. The long dinner has several courses and includes many luxurious and unique foods. Caviar and fish on a toasted baguette is an example of a small snack that’s served before the meal begins. An array of appetizers like oysters, snails, and foie gras comes next. The plat principal usually consists of roasted meat or poultry. Turkey with roasted chestnut stuffing and goose are common main dishes with duck, ham, fish, and game meats, such as deer, also on the list. The grand feast is ended with dessert; a bûche de Noël, or yule log, is a popular choice. Les boules de neige, named after snowballs, are biscuit-like balls rolled in jam, commonly apricot, and then shredded coconut(recipe found below). Like many French holiday traditions, the focus of Christmas celebrations in France is on the dining table. Happy holidays from the Valhalla Voice!

Recipe:Boules de neige.

Servings: 6

Ingredients: -7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus extra for greasing -⅔ cup superfine sugar -1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon milk -1 teaspoon vanilla extract -2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted -2 teaspoons baking powder -4 tablespoons apricot preserves, warmed and strained (see note)* - 1 cup shredded coconut Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease a baking sheet with butter. Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Mix the flour and baking powder in a separate bowl, then stir them into the butter-and-sugar mixture. The dough should be fairly thick. Knead briefly until smooth. Break off walnut-size pieces of dough, shape these into balls, and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, increasing the oven temperature to 400 F after 10 minutes. When the snowballs have cooled, roll them first in the apricot preserves and then in the shredded coconut.