Fresh Food!

I love, love, love how fresh food is so readily available in France. There are farmers markets everyday all around the city for fruits vegetables olives and spices. People buy meat from the butcher, cheese from the cheese maker, wine from the wine seller, bread from the baker and pastries and cakes from the pastry maker.

As I mentioned in another blog, I had to learn to cook everything from scratch when I first moved here. Now, I can't imagine doing it any other way. It is such a pleasure to place your nose up against a tomato that actually smells like a tomato--pure heaven.

Here is a photo of my kitchen counter after a Saturday morning run of errands.

I made chocolate and butterscotch pudding from scratch with raw cow's milk form the market-- sooo easy. There is some pate-en-croute--chicken and sun dried tomato--on the right, green cheese (it has basil in it--wow--delicious!), crusty baguette and tons of salad-y stuff.

I don't have a photo, but my very favorite summer fresh salad is: really good quality tomatoes (the ones you want to eat like an apple) sliced on a platter, sprinkle them liberally with chopped fresh basil, salt, pepper, a bit of freshly minced garlic, some finely chopped red onion (if you like) and some fresh mozzarella buffalo or feta cheese crumbled on top. Then drizzle a good quality olive oil over it all and voila! Yum!

Tomorrow, frogs! We are off to a summer tradition tonight, eating frog legs on an outdoor terrace along the river in the country. I can't wait!

Gros bosous et a demain!

Love, Charley