Travel/Tastings

Like many Americans, I grew up on American Kraft Singles and string cheese. Even in college, I still went for them at the supermarkets. Needless to say, the heaping mounds of cheese wedges and discs (not even to mention the smell...) displayed in Whole Foods, World Market, Fresh Market, Trader Joes, etc, left me completely clueless; and I would just walk by totally defeated. Smelling Lindberger cheese in 9th grade didn't help either.

I was exposed to "real" cheese a bit more in one of my nutrition classes (for which my group did a presentation and even made our own), but it didn't go very far. One, I wasn't accustomed to the stronger taste, and two, the ones we tried didn't even make a dent in the choices available. So, who would have thought I'd be digging into forms of blue cheese now???

I don't know what it is about Camembert, but once you've had it, you're hooked. Chevre is stronger, but just as creamy soft. It seems I prefer the lighter creamier types. Cheddar is pretty much a staple, and the sage flavored ones are good (altho the color might say otherwise). And gouda from Gouda (both young and old), is that much better than the ones you get in the States (isn't that always the case?? ). I had tried Roquefort, but it seemed a little too strong. Stilton was nice, tho a bit firm. The "eureka" moment was when my departing housemate left me a slice of Brie and some type of blue cheese.

I was hesitant, but after the first bite? Yum! Now that thought was a surprise. It wasn't until after I'd finished eating it and did a little research online before I realized that it was neither Roquefort or Stilton (as my naive cheese knowledge led me to believe), but rather Gorgonzola.

Truthfully, "real" cheese is good and addictive. Thankfully, the selection here is much more extensive than the States, and relatively cheaper, too. And, of course, my inability to eat too much cream keeps my consumption in check.

(Btw, mozzarella should come in the form of a ball stored in water, not just the shredded form found in US stores. A cheese enthusiast friend enlightened me on this, and several other facts (which I can't recall right now...))

Less than four months, and I find myself back in France. B-)

I just returned from visiting my housemate in Aix en Provence as well as hiking through Les Calanques near Cassis and exploring Marseille. England has been plagued with uncharacteristically gloomy and unpredictably moody weather, so France's incessant southern coastal sunshine was the exact cure (although a tad overboard at times). But even more so was the much anticipated French gastronomy...

Pain au chocolat from Patisserie Weibel

I love French pastries, and I loyally had one every morning. (I would have it for all three meals if I could stomach it.) The best, we discovered, was from the Patisserie Weibel. The pain au chocolat--baked golden brown, enclosed in a thin fragile crust, puffed round with air, and buttery moist and smooth--disappeared unsatisfactorily fast, leaving you craving for more. The pain au raisin disintegrated into flakes with each bite, coating the tongue with flurries of butter, flour, and sugar, and contrasted well with the chewy raisin. I was a bit disappointed with the brioche--fluffy white dough encased in a thin honeyed crust--as it was a bit too dry. I may be blaspheming, but I think I prefer the brioche at Le Chatelaine (Columbus, Ohio) for its better moisture and tenderness.

We happened across Bechard and decided to have a very unhealthy and high in refined carbohydrate and fat lunch. (Hey, it's France; forget the diet. :-? ) I was intrigued in trying the cannele de bordeaux as I've heard it is difficult to make. It is typically baked in a mould that resembles a mini bundt cake; on the outside is a honeyed crust while the inside is a creamy custard. The texture was leaning towards rubbery, so I wasn't too impressed by it. I also tried the Aix specialty, the calisson, which consisted of marzipan and flour sandwiched between a wafer and a layer of sugar frosting; it's chewy but not very sweet. The original was okay, but I wish I could try the fig and lavender flavored ones..

Fourré chocolat with Olives au chocolat in the background

We also walked through the confectionary chain "La Cure Gourmande" and were warmly offered samples. The fourré frambouise was quite fascinating; it's a biscuit ("cookie" in the US) with raspberry filling. The store in Marseille offered a fourré chocolat. Both were nice, though buttery rich like a shortbread. The other sample was the olives au chocolat; but the name deceives. It's made to look like olives, but it's actually almond covered with a layer of chocolate followed by a layer of flavoured sugar coating (kind of like an M & M). The flavours ranged from pistachio to tea to licorice to several others (my French was a bit too limited...).

Charlotte

For dinner, we splurged on a three-course meal at Le Village. I didn't realize until a couple days later that the fish soup that I ordered as my starter was actually a cheaper version of the famed Marseille bouillabaisse (there's even a charter dictating the required ingredients). The flavour was incredible! It didn't taste of fishiness; but rather, it was a rich meld of meaty fish broth, vegetables, and herbs. Soaking the croutons topped with the garlic chili aioli and grated cheese in the soup enhanced the richness of flavour. The braised lamb, my main, was cooked so well that I could tear the meat off with just the fork; each piece was incredibly tender, moist, and well-infused with flavour. As for dessert, the crushed nuts and cream in the summery light charlotte complemented very well with the strawberry coulis. Rounded off with a deep Buzet red wine, it was definitely a satisfying meal.

Overall, I would have to say this trip was a gastronomical success! I still love, if not enamored further by, the pastries, chocolate, and food from France! ) Vive la France!

Okay, so I wasn't planning to meddle with my blog anymore this week as I've basically been living at the lab, and I leave for France tomorrow; but I just saw the article The World’s Best Candy Bars? English, of Course from the NYTimes and definitely had to comment on it.

The difference between British and American chocolate can be boiled down to milky/creamy versus sugary sweet, respectively. Initially, I wasn't aware of the difference. I had tried Cadbury's in the US to see why it was so popular but was completely disgusted by it, so I was fairly hesitant to try it here in the UK (foolishness??). But when I finally did, I was completely amazed at the difference. My advice: don't try Cadbury's made in America. But this may result from my somewhat lack of affinity towards the original Hershey's because it's so sweet... Still, I can't even say I'm that big a fan of Cadbury's chocolate, *laughs*.

After that, I was keenly interested with trying the popular chocolate bars that only exist in the UK as well as the British versions of American chocolate bars. One interesting note is the relationship between Mars bar, Snickers, Milky Way, and Three Musketeers. First, the Mars bar only exists in the UK while Three Musketeers only exists in the US. In the UK, the Mars bar tastes like the Snickers in the US and the Milky Way like the Three Musketeers. I can't say I really like the Mars bar (nor anything made by Mars...I was shocked when the Galaxy bar curved rather than break when I tried to break a piece off...). Nor do I like the Smarties much as you can kinda taste the milk flavor. I still prefer the American Kit Kat and Twix. But I do have to say that I prefer the British Snickers bar because it's not so sweet. And last but not least, if you love Ferrero Rocher, you HAVE to try Kinder Bueno.