Eat like a European

As most of you already know, I am now back in the US. That means my adventurous eating in Europe has been put on pause, I am planning a trip back (don't tell my parents!). I was very sad to leave a culture that valued food so highly, unlike America where food is mainly an afterthought, hence the success of TV dinners and Hamburger Helper. Living in Europe really made me aware of how much processed food I ate and I am working on eating like a European in the US. It is more of a challenge to eat non-processed food when I can't walk to an outdoor market everyday and pick up fresh produce and cheese but it is not impossible.
I really enjoyed blogging and sharing all of my food experiences. I am considering starting another blog focusing on my food discoveries in the US and all the food I will make in my new house. I also have two roommates that could be used as taste testers!

In honor of France, my home for six amazing months!

Au Revoir

During my last weekend in Lyon, I was on a mission to eat as many pastries as possible. I was lucky that most fruit was in season so all the fruit pastries were delicious. I ate a strawberry fraisier. A fraisier is a two layers of sponge cake filled with a creamy, buttercream-like filling and strawberries. Cherries were also in season so I had to eat a clafoutis. Cherries are arranged in a dish and then covered with a flan-like batter. The cherries are not pitted because the pits release flavor when they are cooked.

Clafoutis and a cafe

No fork, no problem

The Floating Island

I love that the French have given such descriptive names to their desserts. My favorite is the meringue dessert called iles flottantes.Literal translated into English it means floating islands. A big ball of meringue is floating in a bowl of creme anglaise (aka melted vanilla ice cream) and caramel is drizzled over the meringue. The dessert really does look like its name.

"Sea" of creme anglaise

My Last Supper

I recently discovered a book of photo essays called "My Last Supper" in which famous chefs state what they would want to eat as their final meal on earth. Some of the chefs want really elaborate meals and others want simple dishes their mothers used to make. This discovery provoked me to think about what I would want as my last meal in France. I am only twenty years old and hopefully will live many more decades so thinking about my final meal ever was too hard. I decided the roasted chickens sold in the outdoor markets would be the perfect last meal. The chickens are delicious and smell so good, as soon as I get near a markets I can immediately smell them. I would also want the potatoes that are cooked in the chicken fat and sprinkled with herbs de provence. Luckily for me there is a market on Sunday so I might just have to go by one final chicken.

 

Algeria's National Dish

I have been pleasantly surprised with the North African food I have found in France. The most common food served in North African restaurants is couscous. Couscous was first created in Algeria by the Berbers after discovering semolina. The couscous dough is created by mixing water and coarse semolina particles and then is "crumbled" through a sieve creating tiny pellets. I went to an Algerian restaurant and ordered the lamb couscous. A big hunk of lamb was served on top of a bowl of couscous, along with carrots, chickpeas, zucchini, and cabbage. A bowl of the cooking liquid was served as a sauce and was flavored with cinnamon, cumin, and ginger. It was very good and also very filling; the waiter made fun of my "tiny stomach".

Fruits of the Sea

I recently spent a week traveling along the French Riviera where there is an abundance of seafood. Almost every restaurant serves a dish called moules-frites, which is simply mussels and french fries. The most common way the mussels are served is "moules marinieres". The mussels are steamed with a broth of white wine and shallots. I do not like mussels mainly because of their texture but decided to give them a try. Also moules-frites is usually the least expensive item on a seafood menu so that was another incentive. After a couple of mussels I came to the conclusion that they are just a food I do not like. If I am going to eat a mollusk I prefer scallops, especially scallops provencal.

   

Roman Picnic

One of my most favorite activities to do in Europe is to go to an outdoor market and buy food for a picnic. The Italian markets are not as good as the French markets but I still managed to find some delicious food while I was in Rome. I bought some sweet provolone, provaolone dolce, which is made from cow's milk and is milder in flavor than provolone piccante. Slices of salami and Italian rolls similar to popovers with a crusty outside and a hollow, chewy inside were also added to the picnic. Finally wild strawberries were bought for dessert. The picnic took place over looking the entire city of Rome on Janiculum Hill.

Janiculum Hill

 

Potato Pillows

As much as I love Italian food, I am not really a pasta lover. Sure, I love lasagna but the pasta is not really the main attraction, more like the supporting character to the cheese and homemade tomato sauce. But I have always been intrigued by the potato pasta known as gnocchi. I am hesitant to make gnocchi because many people run into problems with the dough and I am even more hesitant to order gnocchi for fear of a plate of gummy, dense pelts. While in Rome, I put my gnocchi fears aside and ordered "gnocchi ai quatrro formaggi". I was pleasantly surprised when the gnocchi was fluffy and light but really what should I have expected, I was in Italy. My friend also order gnocchi with a simple tomato sauce.

 

Do not be fooled by the imitators

I was lucky enough to return to Italy one more time. I visited Milan in March and fell in love with the gelato so a trip to Rome meant I could be reunited with my lover. I know that sounds a bit dramatic but gelato captures the essence of the ingredients used in a way that American ice cream does not. Coffee gelato tastes like you are actually eating a coffee bean, very intense and a little bitter but still very tasty. I thought I had tasted the best gelato until I visited a restaurant in Piazza Navona in Rome. The restaurant was called Tre Scalini and outside there were signs for "Tartufo". I had no idea was a "Tartufo" was but figured it must be a big deal if it cost 10 euros and was claiming to be the original. After ordering a "Tartufo" and taking one bite, I fell even more in love with gelato. A tartufo is a gelato dessert that is supposed to resemble the savory black truffles. It is chocolate gelato sculpted by hand into a ball. Then the center of the ice cream is scooped out and chocolate chunks and a cherry soaked in some type of liquor is placed in the hole. The ball is then rolled in shaved chocolate and topped with whipped cream. The tartufo was so good, I had to go back the next day and get another one.

 

Bacon Soup

There was one French dish called a Tartiflette that I have been dying to try. The best way to describe this dish is bacon soup. Potatoes, leeks, and bacon are covered, quite an understatement, with a cream sauce and then Reblochon cheese is put on top of the whole thing and broiled until crispy. Tartiflette is usually eaten in the winter before going skiing because of the extremely high fat and calorie content. I had a Tartiflette for lunch and only ate about a third of it because it was so rich. It was very yummy!

Bubbly and Gooey!

   

EGGcellent

I am continually amazed at how much better simple ingredients taste in France. All the produce and especially the eggs are superior to their American counterparts. On the few occasions that I have had access to a kitchen and was able to cook, my food tasted better and looked more vibrant. The egg yolks are a much richer yellow color. The apartment my parents rented in Paris had a large kitchen, by French standards, so I decided to make a quiche. I made a traditional French quiche Lorraine with leeks, bacon,Comte cheese, and, of course, fresh eggs.

Almost gone!!

Cheese Please!!!

I can't believe I have not done a post about cheese! Since living in France, I have eaten more cheese than I would like to admit. My favorite is goat cheese. During my recent trip to Paris to visit with my parents, we bought a variety of cheeses to sample; Camembert, plain goat cheese, Manchego, and blue cheese, and goat cheese covered in herbs. To accompany the cheese, we also bought a baguette and a fig preserve. All of the cheeses were very good. I especially liked the Manchego which is actually a Spanish cheese.

       

Toast and Jam, not in Spain

In continuing with the theme of unusual food combinations, I was introduced to a traditional Spanish breakfast of toast drenched in olive oil and sprinkled with sugar. At first I was skeptical about the combination of olive oil and sugar but I ended up really liking it. The olive oil was very mild and offered a "burst of flavor", as my friend would say. I am hoping I will be able to find a similar olive oil in the US so I can reproduce the delicious Spanish breakfast.

An Unlikely Combination

I was introduced to the most unlikely sandwich combination on my recent trip to Nerja, Spain. My friend who is studying abroad in Spain enlightened me on the many ways she likes to eat chorizo. In the US, chorizo is most often found in the form of fresh sausage that needs to be cooked before it is eaten. In Spain it is found in its cured form, similar to salami. We needed to purchase some food for lunch and that is when I discovered the combination of cured chorizo and fresh cucumbers. At first I was not sure how the two foods would create a delicious sandwich but after one bite, I was convinced. The freshness of the cucumber helped to balance out the fattiness of the chorizo.

   

Paris Picnic

I recently met my friend, Elanor, in Paris to spend the weekend in the City of Lights. She is studying in Sevilla, Spain and I visited her during March to experience Spanish culture. I wanted to share French culture with her and there is no better place than Paris. In my opinion the easiest way to discover the French lifestyle is to visit an outdoor market. We were lucky enough to be in Paris on a Sunday which is when most markets are open. After attending Mass at Notre Dame, we found a market and bought some things to eat for lunch. As soon as you walk into the market, the smell of roasting chickens is wafting through the air. I had never bought a chicken before but figured the roasted chicken is quintessentially French and Elanor should experience it. We also bought some bread, fresh goat cheese, and a bottle of "cider" (to me it tastes like appley beer and is so delicious). We found ourselves a bench and started feasting. We got some strange looks for people passing by because we did not have any utensils and were tearing into the chicken with our hands.

Ice Cream, a seasonal food in France

I really love ice cream. I could eat it everyday whether or not it is 20 degrees or 100 degrees outside. I was extremely devastated to learn ice cream shops in France are not open until it becomes sunny and warm. Last week it finally became warm enough for ice cream to be sold, according to French standards. There is a very cool ice cream shop in Lyon, Rene Nardone, that sells many unique flavors. They sell over 60 flavors including rhubarb, fig, ginger, basil, and lavender. I got a hazelnut ice cream sundae with salted caramel sauce. My friend, Taylor, got a more adventurous sundae with strawberry and violet ice cream.

 

How many honors students does it take to make a souffle?

I recently got the urge to make a souffle. This was partly due to the fact I had purchased a French cookbook with recipes for a spinach, Parmesan souffle and I had never made a souffle before so I thought France would be the perfect place for my first attempt. I employed my friend Taylor as translator of the French recipe and as my sous chef. The preparation time given in the recipe was 20 minutes but it took us 2 hours. We ran into many problems starting with figuring out how to turn on and set the temperature of the oven. The next big problem was trying to cook using the metric system. I can guess how much milk is in a half a cup but trying to guess how much 35 cl of milk is was more than a little tricky. I also had to beat the egg whites by hand because the kitchen I was using did not have a KitchenAid or hand mixer. After all the problems we ran into while preparing the souffle, I was convinced it would not rise but to my surprise it worked. The souffle was very tasty. I want to try and make a chocolate souffle next but I might wait until I am back in the US in my own kitchen.

They are rising

Notice all the buttons on this oven!!

   

Le Poisson d'Avril

The most important part of most holidays is the food. St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Valentine's Day all have certain foods associated with the celebration. But what about April Fools' Day? In the US, there are not really any food associations I could think of. Some people dye food weird colors but that is not a wide spread practice. So I was excited to learn in France people eat chocolate fish on Le Poission d'Avril. The chocolate fish originated from the practice of sticking a paper fish on someone's back as a joke. The victim of the prank was called Le Poission d'Avril, the April fish. Chocolatiers started making chocolate fish in honor of the prank.
 

Gelato, Gelato, and more Gelato!

I am a little embarrassed to admit that the main reason I wanted to go to Italy was so I could eat gelato! Sure, Italy has amazing architecture and a rich culture history but what I really cared about was the gelato. I have only ever eaten the sad excuse for "gelato" sold in the US. I was very anxious to eat the real deal. Gelato and ice cream differ because gelato has a lower butterfat content and a higher sugar content. The higher sugar content is balanced with the water content to prevent the gelato from freezing solid. Anyone who has ever tried to scoop ice cream straight from the freezer knows ice cream can freeze very hard. Gelato also has less air incorporated into it which creates a more intense flavor.
I ate a lot of gelato in the four days I was in Milan. I was not expecting the gelato to be as different as it was from ice cream. I have to say I prefer gelato to ice cream which is going to be a problem once I am back in the US!

Nutella Gelato

Really excited about my chocolate gelato

Biscotti and Cream (Italian version of Cookies and Cream)

 

Birthday Dinner

I was lucky enough to spend my 20th birthday in Milan, Italy. Milan is not really the first city one thinks of when thinking about Italian food but it is know for one dish, Risotto Milanese. Risotto is served all over Italy but Milan has created their own version cooked with saffron. The saffron causes the rice to turn a bright yellow, similar to the yellow color of the rice found in paella. I knew I wanted to eat Risotto Milanese for my birthday dinner. Almost every restaurant in Milan serves the dish so finding it was not difficult. I found a cute restaurant that was filled with Italians, which is always a good sign. The risotto was delicious and the bright yellow color was very striking against the white plate. I also ate fresh mozzarella made in the restaurant and the best tiramisu.

     

Tartine, not a dessert

When I look at a French menu and I often have no idea what most of the dishes are. I try and pick out words that I know, like "tart". Generally I associated the word tart with a dessert but often I would see the word "tartine" on the savory menu which was slightly confusing. On my recent trip to Beaune, France, I decided to order a tartine and was I surprised. I learned a tartine is a traditional French open-faced sandwich.
The waiter brought be a large piece of toasted bread layered with potatoes, bacon, and Gruyere and Emmental cheeses that was put into the oven until the cheese was gooey and melted. It was so good, one of the most flavorful dishes I have had in France. It also was a good meal to eat before my wine tasting, helped to absorb the fifteen different wines I drank!

 

The Secret is in the Sauce

If you have a craving for "junk food" in France, there are two options; McDonald's or kebabs. Yes, that's right, kebabs. Kebabs were introduced to France through the immigrants from North Africa. There is a lot of tension between the French and North Africans but we should all be grateful for the culinary contribution the North Africans have made. Kebab restaurants are found all over Lyon. They usually are not the most attractive or clean restaurants but the food is so good, I am willing to overlook the less than desirable ambiance. The best part of the kebab is the Algerian sauce they cover the meat with. I don't know what they put in the sauce, I tried googling it, but it is addictive. It tastes like a spicy mayonnaise. Besides tasting really good, the kebabs are inexpensive which is a huge bonus for a non-working college student like myself.

     

French Cooking Class

Yesterday afternoon, I attended a cooking class at a culinary school in Lyon. I knew I wanted to take a cooking class while I was in France so I could learn French food from a French chef. Ideally, I wanted the class to be taught in English because my French is still at a five year old's level. But all I could find were classes in French so I decided at least I would be able to watch and learn that way instead of listening. Cooking is visual anyways. The class I chose was a macaroon class in which I would learn how to make four different kinds of macaroons. The macaroon itself was stayed the same but the filling inside is what changed. I made salted caramel, white chocolate and ginger, vanilla and Creme de Cassis (black current liqueur), and Champagne and raspberry fillings. The chef was really nice and the kitchen we cooked in was huge with every kind of cooking equipment you could think of. I had a lot of fun and am looking into other classes to take.

Not my best examples but I started eating them before I remembered to take a picture!

   

The Real Deal

I have had my fair share of churros in the US and even in France. They have always been covered in cinnamon sugar and slightly doughy. During my recent visit to Spain, my friend, who is studying in Spain, took me to an authentic churro restaurant. I was extremely surprised to learn that the churros I had eaten in the past were South American style and that Spain had it own style of churros. The churros in Spain are not covered in sugar and are served with a cup of thick hot chocolate-like sauce for dipping. The dough is slightly salty and becomes more crispy and airy after being fried. Also churros are only served at certain times during the day. You can eat churros in the morning for breakfast or at 5pm when you wake up from your Siesta. Those are the only options. If you want churros at noon, sorry you can't have them.

Tasty Tapas

My recent trip to Sevilla, Spain provided a much needed break from French food. Sevilla has a very rich culinary history as the birth place of the famous mini-dishes called tapas. I was very excited to try real, authentic Spanish tapas. Our hostel was conveniently located next to one of Sevilla's tapas restaurants. I ordered a "surprise" (meaning the waiter would not tell me which tapas I was getting) plate of seven different tapas. Some of them I really liked (fried Chorizo and cheese balls) and others I did not like (octopus sprinkled with a very spicy red pepper). There was one tapa, fried Camembert covered with a sweet raspberry sauce, that seemed like it belonged in France but it was surprisingly good.

     

Guess the Flavor

     In the United States, red colored foods, especially desserts, usually signal to the eater that the flavor is going to be either strawberry, cherry, or red raspberry. On my many visits to pastry shops in Lyon, I always saw breads and tarts with red filling. I assumed they were some type of red fruit flavor but the sign always said "praline." The word praline has a couple different meanings but basically it is a nut coated in sugar. I had only ever associated the color brown with praline but in Lyon, the almonds are covered in red sugar. This red sugar is what gives the color to the praline breads and tarts.
    The recipe for the tart is very easy. You just pre-bake a tart shell and then fill it with a mixture of the crushed red pralines and cream. Put the tart in the refrigerator for the filling to set up and then serve.    
     Naturally I had to try one of the praline tarts because I could not image how it would taste. The tart is basically just sugar and almonds in a crust so it was really sugary and kind of "one-dimensional" in regards to flavor. But I was glad I finally tried one. I still am unsure why the sugar is dyed red so if anyone does any research and finds out, let me know!

Textural Issues

As some as you may know I absolutely love making and eating soup. Soup is a great dish for a college student like myself to make because the ingredients are cheap and you can pretty much put anything, aka leftovers, into it.
I was sad to find out that France does not share my love of soup. It is very hard to find soup in a restaurant and when I did find soup, it was basically a thinner version of pureed vegetable baby food. No chunky vegetables, just watery vegetable particles. I thought I would have better luck at the grocery store finding some soup with texture but that was not the case. I did, however, find an organic soup company that at least puts a lot of herb in their pureed soup so it actually tastes like something.

Of course eating lots of bread and butter with my soup helps it taste better!