The Culinary Experience
Owing to possible limited attention span of my readers and the trending bucket challenges, I will restrict to ten of the coolest, weirdest and most shocking things I ate/drank.
- Croissant aux Amandes – This originated as a means of getting rid of the old croissants of the previous day and crudely translated as a “croissant of almonds”. It is filled with almond paste, sprinkled with sugar powder and sliced almonds and baked again. Have you ever had breakfast at a bar? A steaming cup of espresso and buttery croissant on the side is a brilliant way to start any day.
- Fraises de Plougastel – In Brittany, to the west of France, lies this beautiful region that produces the most delicious red strawberries (‘fraises’ in French). They also have excellent seafood and the best mushroom sauce that I have ever had.
- Cuisses de Grenouille – Roughly means frog legs. You might not want to talk to me after you read this, but here goes. At Lac Hong restaurant, a little Vietnamese place very close to what used to be Victor Hugo’s house, you get delicious Pho broth (beef broth with rice noodles), overpriced but very unusual sautéed frog legs and amazing wild mushrooms with canard, which is French for duck. In my defence, it’s like bungee jumping – something you do very rarely just for the experience – and I took the plunge. I am still vegetarian, though.
- Macaroons – Just one look at a macaroon and you will swoon. This pastry requires great skill, is made of egg whites, almonds and sugar and this is reflected in the exorbitant prices. Different colours are flavoured differently; I loved raspberry.
- Moroccan Tajine – This is a traditional North African dish made in clay pots called tajine. It is basically a stew cooked slowly and patiently. It can be a mixture of vegetables or lamb, chicken or fish cooked in spices (how excited I was to find out that Moroccans use spicy spices unlike the French) and olive oil. I was taught to make a version where I beat a couple of eggs and pour it over stewing vegetables and close the lid. An egg layer will slightly puff and set. Eat with Moroccan semolina bread (khobz).
- Parisian hot chocolate – Enter a chocolatier, a shop exclusively for chocolates with brimming chocolate fountains. Café de Flore, very close to my university, is woefully expensive but is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
- Moule-frites – Calais is a small port city right across the coast of England, just 32 km away. On a nice day, one can see the Dover cliffs on the horizon. It is brimming with seafood, and moule-frites – mussels and fries – is available in every restaurant. The mussels are seasoned with white wine and leek or celery. They come in a pot, warm and perfect. The wine and the seasoning mask the strong seafood smell that might dissuade the usual vegetarian. Basically, the process of eating it was similar to eating pistas– open a shell and eat contents inside. You could also use the shell as pincers and pry out the contents of other shells. It is messy and slightly tedious, but tastes good and light on the stomach.
- Le Welsh simple – The other amazing and absolutely, guiltily unhealthy dish popular in Calais is Le Welsh, borrowed from
Cuisses de Grenouille – Sautéed frog legs. across the English Channel. Welsh simple is the vegetarian version. It is a huge bowl of cheese processed with beer with a slice of toast hanging around somewhere at the bottom of the bowl. It is most definitely a cheese overload. It is also extremely scrumptious. This is also accompanied with fries (like every other dish in the city of Calais).
- French Cider – French cider is a concoction blessed by the Gods. It is a low alcohol content drink made primarily of apple that can be had in plenty with no behavioural side-effects. All other cider is apple juice – the French make it special.
- Christmas-flavoured tiramisu – I know it is Italian, but this is one of those desserts that have to be eaten extremely slowly, savouring every morsel. It is basically sponge cake with an airy filling of whipped egg yolk, cream, sugar, cocoa and mascarpone cheese (soft Italian cheese). The one I devoured also had a hint of nutmeg and rum. Heavenly.
