Manger français

A few years ago I went to France to study the language and explore the culinary wonders of the country. To sum it up, “c'était parfait”. Fellow blogger Ashley joined me on the adventure, and la première importance was to eat as much food as possible; inexpensive bakery food, moderately priced crêpes, somewhat expensive bars of chocolate. We weren’t able to experience pâté de foie gras or escargot, but our taste buds did collide with some wonderful treats.

In Paris, we walked around for hours searching for the perfect bakery, or patisserie, to pick out our daily pastries and breads. One day we frequented La Reine des Blés‎ (The Queen of Wheat). Ashley settled on a simple baguette to accompany her hummus fetish, while I had my eye on an éclair hybrid: le divorcée. A chocolate éclair and a maple éclair connected by a clever piping of the pâte à choux. It was delicious. We took our treats next door to Les Vendanges, a restaurant with an owner kind enough to allow us to devour our treats while enjoying une tasse de café.

Eventually Ashley and I made it down to Nice in the south of France. We ooh-ed and aah-ed at the macarons, drooled over les gâteaux and ate enough crêpe to gain five pounds in three days. Although the possibilities are endless, I favored le crêpe citron, a crêpe doused in lemon juice and sugar (although le crêpe avec Nutella was equally delicious).

Before my dear friend and I met up for our culinary quest, I stayed with a host family while studying in Angers, France. They knew of my passion for baking, and allowed me to bake a special treat for them: a tart! My host mother Térèse picked up some kiwis from the market, and had little strawberries that she picked herself. I made a flaky butter crust, cream cheese filling and topped the tart with the fruit. It turned out well. My host family and roommates were very happy, and we even indulged in an aperitif of kir (white wine and crème de cassis).

Although I wish I could share the true memory of France with you, it is impossible to put into words how amazing the sights, smell and tastes were. In lieu of this life-changing experience, I’ll share the tart recipe with you to make anytime you are feeling especially francophile. Bon appétit!

la tarte française

1. First make the French tart dough found at David Lebovitz’ site. He is an amazing author and food critic living in Paris, and is full of knowledge about French food and good French recipes.

2. While the crust is baking, cut up different varieties of fruit to top the tart with. I challenge you to do two things: Choose fruit that is in season and choose local. Try the Portland Farmers Market, your town’s farmers market or Spicer Brother’s Produce – all great choices! If the fruit is too tart for you, toss it with some sugar.

3. After taking the crust out of the oven, make the cream cheese filling:

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat all ingredients until smooth and creamy.

4. Once the crust is cooled, assemble the tart by spreading the filling in the bottom and topping with the fruit. Enjoy with a glass of wine, or champagne, or beer – it’s all good!