forgotten flavors

My first evening at my two-minutes-from-Paris pied-à-terre, Kathy and I walked to the neighborhood Monoprix. It's not a fancy grocery store, but it's not bad, though the name which always makes me think that everything should be the same price. The one in St. Ouen has been redone since I was here last summer; they now have a small household and clothing section. Note to self: leave room in suitcase for some bakeware purchases towards the end of trip.

After we parked the our caddy in front of the cash registers and traded it for the store's version (a quite clever one if you ask me), we wandered the aisles seeking inspiration for dinner. I may have only been away for 10 months, but I'd already forgotten about the little things I love about France. Like rhubarb yogurt. And fig. I can't decide which is better. Or what about Speculoos cookies? Those delicious treats popular in the north of France, Belgium and the Netherlands. They're a bit like ginger snaps, though not as spicy or snappy. They're so delicious. One time, my reaction upon receiving them with a coffee in a café in Rouen was so enthusiastic that the waiter snuck me some more. But this trip to the store revealed a new Speculoos-y treat: Speculoos pâte à tartiner, which looks sort of like peanut butter, but tastes nothing like it. Kathy and I had it on our tartines yesterday morning. Okay, today too. Not bad, but it doesn't really sastify my craving for the crunchy cookies, so we'll have to get some of those on the next trip. We also picked up some cheese - bleu, of course (St. Agur, this time), and although I would love a bowl, we skipped over the Jordan's "riche en noix" cereal, because I once read that it's the fattiest brand of cereal you can find here. No wonder it's so good!


Dinner: gnocchi à la poêle, mâche salad with homemade vinaigrette, cheese and yogurt. Oh, if you're wondering, I chose rhubarb.