Gastronomie

As previously mentioned, after arriving in France, it was almost immediate that my taste buds began to change. Bizarrely enough, I began to enjoy foods I previously didn't particularly enjoy unless cooked certain ways; tomatoes and cheese being two great examples. Obviously how could I live in France and not enjoy cheese...very true. The dairy products here are all much different however, as they ultra-pasteurize, meaning they be stored at heat levels above room temperature. This means that all milk isn't refrigerated when you buy it at the store. Coming from the states where there are so many regulations about food storage I was very skeptical about this at first. After conducting some research and actually trying the milk however, I found that I like it just as much if not more.

Cheese is another realm entirely...there are frommageries which are shops that sell only cheese everywhere in France. Every cheese is known for the region it comes from and the Provence region is best known for Roquefort. I prefer the more mild cheeses but I attended a cheese tasting yesterday and my new favorite is Franche Comte which is a very aged cheese from the east. The cows that produce this cheese must live at least 400m above sea level and the process of producing this particular cheese has been maintained for over 400 years! I sampled one that was aged 20 years and it's very true that the older the cheese gets the stronger it becomes...

While I have been enjoying my new appetite for cheese, it's amazing how easy it is to put on a few pounds on a diet rich in these delicious little morsels. This being said, with my new love for la gastronomie has come a love of cooking. We have fresh outdoor markets here everyday so I've been experimenting and adding many new vegetable dishes to my recipe repertoire with much success! While I'm no master chef, I have been able to successfully caramelize onions, make burre blanc, and poach pears in red wine! This is quite a feat as many of you know, before coming here my cooking was limited to pasta and...well more pasta actually. Now, I've been trying to try something new each night and my favorites have been from this past week. My first favorite would have to be "Farmers Market Quesadillas" where I sauteed zucchini, mushrooms, onions and red bell peppers in a little bit of olive oil and added them to cheese quesadillas made with whole wheat tortillas.

My next favorite was a sort of tortellini salad made with fresh artichokes, onions, spinach, artichoke hearts, tomatoes and a bit of basil. The tortellini was pre-made with spinach and ricotta and can be either served warm or cold with the veggies. I preferred it warm as it slightly cooked the vegetables and I added a bit of cheese that melted on the top. Quite tasty...

With the leftovers, last night I mixed together all the vegetables and put them over rice (which is hidden in the photo) topped with feta cheese and paired with a small salad of avocados and carrots with a splash of balsamic vinegar.

My next endeavor is to recreate a French quiche which will definitely be a challenge with my toaster-like oven...Tomorrow for breakfast I am also going to try to create the porridge I had in London which I have been craving since leaving there. Hopefully all goes well! More pictures and updates later :)