Les Poissonchats

My all time favourite – likely a variant of the French Lusignan cycle (see no 3) – goes like this:

A herdsman/cowboy leaves a bowl of cream on the doorstep of his mountain cabin each night for the dragon-fairy who dwells nearby, as was the custom of the old days. One day, quite by accident, he catches a glimpse of her and, as these tales invariably go, he falls in love and wants to marry her.

There is only one condition: he must never ever raise his voice to her.

With the fairy by his side, his farmstead flourishes, and they live in deep happiness. But one day, because this is a fairy tale, and these things always come to pass, he shouts at her in a moment of anger. At once, heartbroken, she leaves him and returns to her true form, becoming a dragon-fairy again.

I’d probably be ok with marrying a mortal without imposing any conditions provided he get’s me that perfect type of really really good fresh cream. There’s cream and cream and then on top of it all, there’s also Gentlemen’s cream, for which I’d even marry the dragon king himself. This is how it goes:

What you’ll need

• Some really good fresh full fat cream, say about half a litre
• 2 tablespoons of inverted sugar if available, if not plain sugar
• Some cherry brandy
• 2-3 large crushed meringues

How you make it

Whip the cream with the sugar until stiff, add a dash of cherry brandy. Gently fold in half the meringues. Transfer to a container and freeze over night. Take out of the freezer at least 40 minutes prior to serving, as the cream should be iced but not be ice. Serve in nice bowls, I love to use my silver sorbet bowls for this type of dessert. Sprinkle with meringues.

How you eat it

Oh so good, also this one is comparatively light for a winter dessert and will work even after a long French dinner, promised. You may or may not need a little cherry brandy by the side though.

*This is Les Poissonchats Wondrous Advent Calendar! Advent calendars are a big tradition where I come from: every day until Christmas Day you prepare a small gift for a loved one, fourandtwenty little surprises. Advent calendars come in beautifully old fashioned prints on cardboard, extra glitter and glory, and each day there’s a little perforated window waiting for you be opened. Others are more elaborate, pretty baskets filled with twenty four numbered parcels, red velvet ribbons and sprigs of fir. The one I’m making for you this season is a different one altogether, it comes in digital form. Unless specially marked, all content is hand-stitched by myself, lovingly compiled and written for your amusement.