Francophile gift guide

If you have a Francophile on your holiday shopping list, here are my recommendations to make your loved one say “oh la la” when they open their gift this year!

With everyone spending more time at home this winter, there is no better time to gift the joy of baking some amazing French pastries. One of my favorite French treats to make are madeleines. The best ones I have come across in Paris were from Blé Sucré. The shop now has new owners so I cannot speak to their recipe, but David Lebovitz absolutely nails the original recipe in this book. To ensure the proper Madeline shape, a special pan is needed, but they are so easy to make.

If madeleines are not their thing, how about sending the Eiffel Tower into the kitchen with these cookies?!  And accompanied by this French baking mat, the cookies can turn out perfectly each time. The mat can be reused thousands of times and ends the need to butter or grease the pan to prevent the cookies from sticking to the pan (or burning!). This mat is complete magic!

Tea would be a great accompaniment to those madeleines or cookies. Mariages Frères in the Marais is my favorite French tea, and it’s been around as a wholesaler for luxury hotels and restaurants since 1854 but in 1980 the company opened their doors to the public. I’m not their only fan...so is Gwyneth Paltrow! She prefers the Darjeeling tea while I like their Wedding Imperial flavor along with their bestselling Marco Polo. I used to bring bags of this tea back from Paris so I was thrilled to see that it can now be purchased online (It used to be stocked at Dean & Deluca too...RIP).

If baking isn’t their thing, you can treat them to the art of French cooking with no other than Julia Child! Or my personal favorite – Ina Garten. She has said that, when living in DC, she taught herself to cook by using these books. No recipe of hers ever disappoints so I think these will make for great gifts and hobbies! And if you like the French cooking theme for a gift, then you may want to add Ina’s favorite French salt to their gift. She likes to have this French sea salt for finishing, this kosher salt for cooking and this one for pastries. I also think Ina would love this pepper mill and this traditional French butter croc. Of course, don’t forget to wash your hands before you start cooking with my favorite French soap and dry them off with these fun tea towels!

Another option are these amazing French candles to add an intoxicating French scent to a room. And if you are already a fan of this brand please note they also make fragrances. I think this one is so special as it was made to capture ALL the scents of the original boutique at 34 Boulevard in Paris. It is a kaleidoscope of scents and I just think it so unique. 

For those that like to stay out of the kitchen, how about this adorable marble cafe table that can be tucked away in a nook to enjoy said madeleines or used as an end table? You can place this new bestselling Parisian coffee table book on top for decoration along with these luxurious French chocolates from one of the prestigious chocolate houses in Paris that the Tracadero ladies love, or these yummy lavender drops from Provence. And for the lady who wants to have all the French girl secrets, this product has a cult following and is now available for sale in the states.

Oh la la!