Baking day

I had a plan for today. After breakfast I made some crèmes au muscat (prunes already done and waiting in the larder). Then I made a velouté aux topinambours (more prosaically known as Jerusalem artichoke soup), inspired by Franck Putelat. I was delighted with the result, exactly what I wanted. Now in the fridge awaiting tomorrow. Next up: some mini financiers to use up spare egg whites (not all of them, there are still four lurking in the fridge). These turned out beautifully too; I made them in mini muffin moulds so they are just the right size for serving with coffee, and jazzed them up with home-preserved cherries. Recipe on blog soon.

And finally, I made 36 sourdough blini. We will shortly be eating some of them with the smoked salmon we bought in les Halles, along with dollops of crème fraiche and a lovely muscat sec (3 euros a bottle from Lidl -- I have stocked up!). To follow: cheese, mince pies and more cream, and financiers if we are still hungry. Yes, for the first time in well over ten years we are spending Christmas at home!