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Spring weather may be just starting in parts of Canada, but the season is well under way in France, a country that is in full

bloom come May Fish Powder. "Everyone feels lighter in the spring," says Odile Jouanneau, the Paris-born-and-raised wife of

Daniel Jouanneau, the French ambassador posted to Canada in September 2004. We turned to Jouanneau and chefs at the French

embassy in Ottawa for their take on traditional, lighter fare to celebrate the season. There, chef de cuisine Jose Moniz and

pastry chef Gilles Gourdet created this selection of French favourites. "We wanted to keep spring in mind with a menu that is

as light as possible," says Moniz. Jouanneau is especially pleased with the Rice Cake with Maple Syrup - a Canadian twist on

French comfort food. "When Gilles proposed this rice cake, I said, 'Oh, that's my childhood,' " she says. "It's a very family

dessert, and very French."