In Provence, Christmas is celebrated with 13 sweets that have very specific religious meanings. Among these are the Oreillettes and the Pompe à l'huile. Here are the recipes
For the eve of Christmas in Provence you eat the 13 desserts. A number not by chance, but with a very specific religious meaning: it is linked, in fact, to Christ and the twelve apostles during the Last Supper, even if some, such as the poet Frederic Mistral, only mention 11. For the occasion , on December 24th evening, a real ritual takes place: the table is set with three strictly white tablecloths, in order to give more importance to colors of the thirteen sweets; then all the desserts are arranged together at the same time, according to a precise order that changes from family to family; and finally they are left on the table even after midnight Mass, so that everyone can consume them when they prefer. But like all traditions of respect, they also change from one house to another in the same country, so you are always faced with different scenarios, even if there are constants. We have decided to rely on Monique Dumonteaux Brunel of Saint-Victor, Provençal cook doc.
What are the 13 desserts
The first ever present dessert is there Pompe à l'huile or Gibassie, a sweet focaccia with oil, scented with orange blossom water and citrus peel, for which we will give you Monique's recipe. Then there are the "four beggars": dried figs, raisins, almonds is nuts or hazelnuts; this number refers in the order mentioned to the four religious orders that have taken a vow of poverty, namely Franciscans, Augustinians, Dominicans and Carmelites. Sixth and seventh sweet are the white nougat and the black nougat, reserved for penitents: white, usually sweet and smooth, represents good and purity; black, on the other hand, hard and crunchy, evokes the forces of evil and sin. Eighth dessert are i dates, which are the symbol of Christ and the Magi from the East, while the ninth le Oreillettes, also called wonders, of which we will always reveal Monique's recipe. The tenth dessert is le Calissons, a paste of candied fruit and almonds, covered with a thin and smooth layer of icing, which is somewhat reminiscent of marzipan, but with a more fruity flavor. Finally, the three winter fruits: oranges, tangerines is grapes, the one that was kept hanging in the barns in clusters, precisely for the 13 desserts.
Pompe à l'huile recipe
In Provence this Christmas fouace sweet never fails, even without the other twelve desserts. Few simple ingredients, such as flour, sugar and extra virgin olive oil, scented with orange blossom water and various citrus peels (which change from one recipe to another), which are somewhat reminiscent of the Ligurian Stroscia di Pietrabruna .
Ingredients
½ kg of corn flour
90 g of powdered sugar
25 g of yeast for bread
25 cl of olive oil
2 cl orange flower water
25 cl of warm water
1 untreated orange
a pinch of salt
Method
Dilute the yeast in warm water and add some grated orange peel. Mix the flour, a pinch of salt and the sugar. Add the yeast, olive oil, flowers and orange peel. Knead until the mixture is smooth and then form a ball. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 2 hours at room temperature until the dough doubles its volume. Roll out the dough to form a kind of round crepe of about 1 cm on which to make cuts at regular intervals and discard what you have removed to create like cracks, in order to obtain an open crepe.
Let it rest again for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 180 ° C and cook for 20 minutes. Once removed from the oven, brush again with oil and serve.
Recipe of the Oreillettes ou Merveilles
Following the procedure, you will find that this dessert is very similar to our Carnival chatter. Also in this case, the recipe was given to us by Monique, who to prepare it follows the tradition of the house, handed down for generations in her family.
Ingredients
250 g of flour
1 egg
75 g of butter
1/2 glass of water
a pinch of salt
a teaspoon of orange flower water
Method
Mix all the ingredients to form a ball. Let it sit for an hour or two. Very flattened to about 2mm. With the help of a pastry wheel, cut very narrow strips of 4 or 5 cm and create strips of 10 cm. Fry piece by piece in a deep fryer until golden brown. Remove the excess oil and let it cool on a sheet of absorbent paper. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve crunchy. Oreillettes are also preserved for a long time.
Finally, we just have to wish you a Merry Christmas.
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