Foie gras, champagne, salmon… Tips and tricks to combat their rising prices

Some of the recipes on my blog no longer work, despite their success in previous years, simply because they are made with noble products. But there is no reason to be discouraged: “We are innovating, organizing ourselves, restoring forgotten products… We can cure ourselves by changing from eternal poultry, we can even surprise.” Tips and tricks for an equally merry Christmas.

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Estimate your purchase

It is important to shop in advance to mitigate inflationary costs: “You can find promotions, especially on meat or fish. Just freeze them.” Other categories of produce, such as canned goods, dry goods, and non-perishable goods, are also cheaper outside of the holiday season. Despite the lack of festive packaging, their quality is no less.

Don’t buy everything at once

In supermarkets, on the Internet or in a candy store? “It all depends on the product in question, the budget and the habits of each one, explains Natacha Mouton, I prefer direct sales to small producers”. Indeed, if we imagine higher prices in the collective unconscious, it may be cheaper to source the supply. For this, we prefer the market, the associations that care for peasant agriculture, and even the producer’s shops. Just compare prices!

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Optimize your foie gras with gourmet recipes

This is an unbeatable Christmas table. However, this year foie gras may be hurting our wallets more than ever. According to the firm NielsenIQ, there is a price increase of about 15% for this typical product of the Southwest. The consequences of a bird flu epidemic that destroys farms, but also inflation. But according to Natacha Mouton: “We can absolutely buy less and use it differently! Why buy a whole terrine when you can optimize a slice or two from the diner? All you have to do is introduce gras gras to the heart of gourmet and equally festive recipes: “You can make veloutes from chestnuts or pumpkin and enrich them with chopped foie gras.” On her blog, the expert gets creative by combining crispy gingerbread, pears and quenelle in a verrine, or turning foie gras into a panna cotta. Recipes that require less in quantity, but not necessarily in quality.

Read alsoOur best foie gras recipes for Christmas

Poultry: prefer cuts

Poultry is a regular on Christmas tables, experiencing the highest inflation rate of 29.34% in a year, according to NielsenIQ. For Natacha Mouton, there is no need to give it up: “We don’t have to offer ourselves all the poultry. Individual pieces like Supreme are simpler to buy, cheaper, easier to cook, and everyone likes them.” On her blog, we discover her recipe for morel chicken, yogurt pastries with death and chicken trumpets, or chicken hams and wonderful tacos. “In addition, it prevents waste,” concludes the expert.

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Optimize your smoked salmon with holiday recipes

“I wouldn’t recommend smoked trout, it’s practically the same price as smoked salmon,” says Natacha Mouton immediately. To compensate for the increase in the price of this seafood like foie gras, Natacha Mouton recommends optimizing its use rather than abandoning it: “We include salmon in certain recipes, for example small flans that only require a slice of salmon. make three. You can also make salmon rillettes with mascarpone, fresh herbs, chives. It tastes good and it’s like a holiday. Among the many recipes of La Petite Cuisine de Nat, we find salmon aperitif puff pastry, salmon maki sandwich bread or even verrines stuffed with Japanese salmon. This year, the recipe creator puts shrimp in the middle of his plate: “We can do so much! Shrimp foam in verrines, bite à la reine with champagne sauce, avocado mousse with shrimp… So delicious!”.

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Champagne: equally good alternatives

Champagne, the perfect holiday drink, is not immune to inflation, rising 6.93%, according to NielsenIQ. For Natacha Mouton, there is no doubt that the alternatives to champagne are just as good: “Between bad champagne and good sparkling wine, I prefer to drink good sparkling wine.” According to the expert, champagne overshadows very high-quality sparkling wines: “You can choose prosecco, Clairette de Die, cremant, Alsace, Burgundy or Jura… There are many options!”.

Oysters: choosing the right names

Oysters are not immune to inflation. Oyster farmers are forced to raise the price of their products after this summer’s intense heat and the increase in the price of firewood for nets and a very average harvest. In early November, Laurent Ciron, president of the Marennes-Oléron IGP oyster quality group, announced an increase of around 15% for the year-end celebrations at the BFM. For Natacha Mouton, care must be taken to select appropriate oyster destinations according to use: “There are costs that can be avoided. For example, we will not use high-quality oysters for food, we will prefer Bouzigues oysters grown in the Thau basin in Hérault.” Choices that make a big difference.

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