-
Cold Christmas in France, but little chance of snow
High-pressure system will move into France from north-east at the start of next week
-
British ‘Puppet Master’ conman in French jail wins phones back on appeal
Robert Hendy-Freegard was given a six-year sentence after hitting two gendarmes with his car
-
Alleged British hacker in jail in France offers to help with police data breach
Recent attack targeted police files
Pithiviers pastry chefs have their cake and label it
Pithiviers in Loiret south of Paris is well known for the almond cake that bears the town’s name – but now pastry chefs have agreed ‘the’ recipe for it and had it protected with an ‘Authentique Pithiviers’ label from the Institut National de la Propriété Industrielle (Inpi).
The catalyst for the move came after a spectacular 36metre version was made for last year’s Foire de la Saint-Georges with all the town’s 20 chefs contributing... but each version of the frangipane sponge with its icing covering and sugared fruit decoration tasted different.
Each chef had their own way of making it, even down to the individual ingredients, and the Confrérie de Pithiviers group, which promotes the area’s specialities, stepped in to create some order.
All Authentique Pithiviers are quatre-quarts with the same quantities of powdered almond, sugar, butter and eggs and flavoured with rum or kirsch (but no additives). The label is only for the fondant cake and not the flaky pastry Pithiviers, created in recent times.
The Confrérie coaxed the chefs to agree a common recipe to protect the name and not lose it as Aix-en-Provence did for its calissons, which were registered in China. Grand-Maître Jean-Philippe Liger said it was a way to promote Pithiviers in the same way as Brie cheese makers or Breton oyster fishermen do.
