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)