Recipes

A toothpick tip is the right measure for a pot of soft red lentils and coconut milk: Sauce Martin’s Tsunami hot sauce, the most intense in the range, hides an extreme, lingering heat behind exceptionally fruity flavors.

Prunes, dried apricots and figs plump up slowly in a tea syrup scented with orange zest and honey: Dammann Frères’ Christmas Tea Bags N°155, black tea with maraschino, caramel and pineapple, turn a winter compote into a festive breakfast.

Creamy yolks piped back into their whites hide a slow-burning secret: Sauce Martin’s habanero mustard, a sharp, clean French mustard set alight by red habanero, leaves a lively, lingering warmth under the chives.

Just before serving, the set lemon cream gets a crown of lightly crunchy leaves: Confiserie Florian’s Crystallized Verbena Leaves, fresh verbena dressed in sugar, echo the citrus with their fresh, lemony aroma.

The simplest pleasure of the afternoon: golden scones broken in two, butter or clotted cream, and a generous spoonful of jelly. Dammann Frères’ Bella Blanca Tea Jelly, made from its white tea blend, brings herbaceous notes and a fruity touch of bergamot.

Cold vanilla ice cream, a teaspoon of oil pooling on top, a few crystals of salt: the daring pairing works because Domaine Salvator’s Vieux Oliviers Olive Oil, an organic Provence PDO oil of matured Aglandau, carries notes of cocoa and vanilla with very little bitterness.

Sprinkled at the last second so it keeps its lively crunch, Les Terres Blanches’ Sea Salt Citrus Spain wakes up mashed avocado and thin radish slices on golden country toast with a little Mediterranean light.

A pitcher waiting in the fridge, a glass full of ice, a generous splash of cold milk and a pinch of cinnamon on top: Dammann Frères’ Chaï Iced Tea, black tea with ginger, cloves, pink peppercorns and cardamom, brings warm spices to a cold glass.

Stirred into the hot tea, six little teapots vanish before ripe peach slices and a few hours of chill do the rest: Canasuc’s À la Bonne Heure Sugar Large, made in France in the traditional manner, sweetens a glass of summer served over ice.

Thick, cold and frothy, with a pinch of cardamom on top, this lassi takes five minutes and one blender. Maison Perrotte’s Mango & Passion Fruit Jam, a gold medalist at the Concours Général Agricole, brings tender mango and a lively tartness.

Folded gently into steaming rice with a spatula, it turns each grain glossy and faintly tangy. Le Paulmier’s Rice Vinegar, made from Camargue rice, seasons with restraint, leaving the crunch of cucumber, radish and edamame to speak.

Pears poach slowly in a golden bath of chamomile, honey and lemon zest, until the liquid reduces to a light syrup: Dammann Frères’ Chamomile N°422, a pure herbal tea with honeyed notes and a hint of pineapple, brings its gentle calm to dessert.