Holiday markets in France

The Holidays are my favorite time of the year to eat all things from the Alsace-Lorraine region of France – raclette (a huge kebab of melted cheese scraped over potatoes and onions), choucroute (sausage and cured meats with sauerkraut), and delicious stollen cake (with dried fruit and icing). Make sure you guys try vin chaud, or make some at home for a festive aperitif – cheap red wine, orange juice, 4 whole cloves, 1 star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks, fresh orange peel from one orange, and your sweetener of choice (sugar, honey, agave, stevia, etc) to taste. Simmer slowly over the stove for 15 minutes until your kitchen smells spicy and serve warm.

Some images from a market near my place in Paris: