What's in the markets in December

[John Talbott]

What’s in the markets in December

The following are reported by Regal and the Almanach du Gastronomie* to appear in the markets in December, or December-January in the case of Regal:

Arriving: lobster, langouste, bar, goose, truffles & pears.

Leaving: herring, lettuces, turnips, beurre-hardy pears & grapes.

In full season: oysters, praires {Ok: trans: dog cockles, feel better?,} sea-urchins, jumbo shrimp, littleneck clams, scallops, merlan, red mullet, daurade, salmon, turkey, poularde, capon, mache, cardoons, Mont d’Or, Roquefort, apples, pears, citrus, exotic fruit and kiwis.

Also: anchovies, calamari, ray, sole, deer, pheasant, Touraine grouse/hen, hare, guinea fowl, farm pork, broccoli, crosne, endives, spinach, fennel, frisée, girolles, green beans, parsnips, pumpkin, salsifis, Jerusalem artichoke, pineapples, kumquats, mangoes, physalis {yah, I looked it up, didn’t help}, Abondance, Fourme de Montrison, Laguiole, Munster, Ossau-Iraty, Salers & Vacherin.

*Reference: Almanach du Gastronomie by Armelle de Scitivaux (Bottin Goumand, 1998, 133 FF.)

[Ptipois]

Hi, I'll help a bit with the translation of a few terms.

Beurré-hardy pears = I'm not sure this translates as butterbur pears but I wish it did.

Praires {Ok: trans: dog cockles, feel better?} = the late Alan Davidson refers to this as warty venus (not sure that helps much more).

Merlan = whiting.

Daurade = two different kinds of sea bream, either the gilt-headed bream (dorade or daurade royale) — hint: if it's below 800 grams, it's most probably farmed — and daurade grise or daurade rose, both being types of porgies (sometimes called pageot). Those two, not being expensive fish, are not farmed.

Mâche = lamb's lettuce.

Physalis {yah, I looked it up, didn’t help} = or coqueret du Pérou, amour-en-cage: this is the tomatillo in a miniature orange form (husk tomato, cape gooseberry), Physalis alkekengi.

[David Lebovitz]

Buerre-hardy pears are known as French Butter Pears in the US.

Sally Small of Pettigrew Farms in Northern California was one of the first (if not the first) to introduce them at her farm near Sacramento.

They're great, with the lush, fresh scent of a Comice and the relative firmness of a Bartlett, so they can be baked.

[Chocolate & Zucchini]

For physalis (they used to be a popular garnish for desserts, but they seem to be a bit passé now, don't they?), I've heard the terms ground cherry, cape gooseberry, husk tomato, or love in a cage. Not sure if those terms are actually used by anyone.

[John Talbott]

One addition, not in the markets so much as the restos, is not only the second year of unrelenting pumpkin soup amuse gueules or firsts but poached pears in red wine desserts. Where on earth do the chefs get their marching orders?