French Food is Divine

As my time in France is coming far too quickly to an end, I have been thinking lately about what I love and will miss terribly about France, and also what I don't love and won't miss terribly about France. And the one thing that keeps sticking out that I will miss terribly is....the food. Now, unfortunately, the fact that I am just a mere college student with not much income limits my abilities to eat out at super fancy French restaurants, but that does not stop me from trying even the small things - like cheese...cheap wine...fresh tomatoes and fresh baked bread...kebabs...eclaires...crepes...croque monsieurs...and random pasta concoctions made using a hotplate. And oh how I am going to miss these things when I return to the land of hot dogs, hamburgers, greasy fast food, and processed cheese. Even my recreations I know will not be the same, and how sad this will be, but I shall try.

Some highlights that I have discovered and some I have made are as follows:

1. "The Ultimate French Sandwich:" (I just now named it that) This is a sandwich I first made Monday, and have had every day since. It is simply a baguette with ham, tomato, and Camembert cheese (Monoprix brand). My secret is I didn't just use any old cheese...I used Camembert....and it is oh so delicious. I actually just now finished one. And I my stomach is satisfied, and I am content with life. From the first bite to the last, this sandwich is simply divine...if I do say so myself. :-)

2. Pasta: I have been experimenting lately with different ways of making pasta, and one such pasta I have been attempting to perfect this week is bowtie pasta with tomatoes and mushrooms. A very simple dish that goes as follows - I boil the pasta in water and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil for those unfamiliar with the term coined by Rachael Ray), set it aside, then sautee some mushrooms in EVOO, and salt and pepper if available, and then pour it on top of the pasta. I then cut up a tomato and add that. Stir together, add some grated cheese (not sure what kind, it was in an unmarked bag at the Monoprix and it looked good so I tried it out) and some basil and stir it around and Voila! Pasta. It is quite delicious, however I must note that this still needs some work. I'm thinking less pasta, more mushrooms and tomatoes, and maybe even more basil next time. It's a work in progress. Next I plan to try pasta with mushrooms and a red pepper. Yum, yes? Katie made something similar one night and I found it to be quite tasty, so I'd like to give it a shot.

3. Camembert cheese: I don't remember ever really liking Camembert when I was younger. Similar to brie in texture, color, and taste, I didn't think it'd be a favorite, but it is turning out to be just that. I eat it everyday, either in my sandwich, or just with some bread. It is quite delicious. That is all I can say about Camembert cheese.

4. Chardonney: I've always been a white wine girl, and although I have branched out in France and tried some red wines (red wine and coke is also not so bad), I find myself always going back to white wine. Back home I usually enjoy a nice glass of Reisling, but alas I have not been able to find much of that here in France, and if I've found something close to it, it usually doesn't say what kind of wine it is, so I just assume it's Reisling. But one such wine I have had time and time again and grown to love is Chardonney. To me, it's similar to reisling, a little dry, but not too dry, and I don't really like wines that are too sweet, so to me it is a perfect blend. I have an unopened bottle in my mini-fridge, and I'm thinking of having a glass with dinner tonight...it sounds quite delicious...

5. Eclairs: There's this little boulangerie/patiserie type stand next to the Monoprix that does a 4 euro lunch deal - your pick of a sandwich, quiche, piece of pizza, etc., one pastry, and a drink. All that for 4 euro? Not bad! Well, when I go there, I've recently been getting the eclairs. I first tried the chocolate eclair. Very good, no lie, but it was a little to rich and I couldn't finish it. So the next time I went I got a eclair cafe - coffee flavored, and oh is it so good!! I really want to learn how to make one someday. It is the perfect blend of coffee flavor, pastry deliciousness, warm on the outside, cold on the inside wonderfulness. I am obsessed with eclairs. I actually really want one now...

6. Crepes: This will be my last one for now. Let me tell you about crepes...they are divine! Whenever I go to this cafe that has free wifi, I always order a chocolate crepe and something to drink, and although I have not had it often, each time I do eat it, it is like heaven. The crepe is so thin, and the chocolate is this thin syrup that they just pour over the crepe so it's completely drenched in this chocolate-y goodness. It's definitely a melt-in-your mouth treat.

There you have it, an explanation of some of my French cuisine discoveries. My last food goal while I am here is to have some duck. It is a French delicacy and so yummy-licious that I just couldn't possibly leave the country without having one. I'll let you know if my quest is successful.

I plan on creating at least 3 posts in the next 2 days - one with Geneva pictures, one with Nice pictures, and one over my Puy de Dome visit. Get excited, and stay tuned. I regret to inform you that I am not going anywhere super exciting this weekend. We were planning on going to Bordeaux but that plan fell through due to monetary funds running low and no place to stay because of the Fete de Musique (another blog-worthy explanation I'm sure). And so we decided since we were running out of time, energy, money, and everything else, we're just going to hang around Vichy for our last weekend and head to Cleremont-Ferrand on Sunday for the Fete de Musique and to do some exploring. I'm actually really excited though. I was a little bummed at first since my goal was to go somewhere every weekend (which I guess technically we are) but now I'm excited to get to relax, do some shopping, maybe go lay by the pool, and then for Cleremont, because I have wanted to see it. So that's that. I'll keep you updated on how the weekend festivities pan out. Only 10 more days in France! I try not to think about it too much, just gets me sad, for as much as I miss home and friends and family and cats and car and movies and Oklahoma accents, France is great, and I am thoroughly enjoying my time here. But all good things must come to an end, just not quite yet. :-)

Until next time...

Peace, Love, and French Cuisine.