Mission Baguette.

Boulangerie Bèle.

It's Sunday morning, 11:40 am. I'm speed-walking down the street toward Boulangerie Bèle, cutting my normal walking time from 15 minutes down to 10. Families pushing strollers down the street, those hyper-motivated Sunday morning runners, and old men sitting in front of their houses jet a glance at me and are probably wondering either one of two things: this girl is training for the 20km Racewalk for the 2012 Summer Olympics (wha?!), or she's on a mission.

Well damn right I'm on a mission.

It's Sunday morning! 20 minutes before the boulangerie closes! They have the best baguette I've ever had in my life, and 500 other French families will probably agree! I'm in a race against an unknown number of hungry Frenchies trying to snatch up the last few baguettes that are hopefully left.

As I reach the cross street, I glance nervously at the bakery, scoping out the scene and possible competition. The couple on my left are hanging a right, in the opposite direction. Good. That runner doesn't look like he's going to stop for some bread anytime soon. Great. Oh, but wait. There's a car pulling up in front of the shop window. A mother and her daughter step out with 2 large Carrefour bags. How much bread could they possibly need to fill up two Carrefour bags!? There are probably barely any baguettes left and still 8 minutes on the clock--meaning there are other people who need bread too! Those selfish, greedy bitches.

I go into finish-line mode, flooring it at 95% of my racewalking speed. But they had the advantage of getting dropped off right in front of the doorstep, and enter Boulangerie Bèle before I can. First thing I account for are the baguettes. 3 torchons left. 2 baguettes (one lady just bought one. At least she had the decency to take only what she needed). The mother and daughter in front of me probably don't notice the annoyed and cold looks I'm throwing their way. When we get to the front of the line, I hear "J'ai commandé..." and the lady working goes to the back and brings out a huge bag filled with fresh, chewy, crunchy goodness.

WHEW. They had reserved some bread ahead of time, and therefore the 3 torchons and 2 baguettes that remain are still up for the taking. Thank God. With 3 minutes left on the clock, I order 1 baguette and 1 torchon (a type of brown/wheat baguette that Patricia likes), and...yesss. They're mine.

I never thought I could fall in love with a baguette. Before France, I've always considered myself more of a rice girl, being Asian and all. But there's something about the perfect baguette that you just can't deny: you want more. Like that corny but true stereotype of the French, you walk with pride holding your baguette, cocked under one arm as if you were about to nonchalantly fire a round of soft, yeasty, delicious bread at whoever gets in your way (think Terminator). It's an excellent way to start a Sunday.

The proud baguette.

***

Boulangerie Bèle is a bakery here in Lambersart that Patricia introduced me to when I first moved here. "You have to try this. It's some of the best bread I've ever had. Probably one of the best in Lille." Coming from a French mother (who knows what's good) I put my full trust in her words and took my very first bite of what I now consider to be the best baguette ever. Cream of the crop, exemplary, top-notch, superior, incomparable baguette. The crust is thin and crackles when you press on it. The inside is moist, elastic, spongy. The perfect balance of chewy and crunchy. If you're looking for the epitome to which you should compare all baguettes, this is it.

Jambon sec baguette: effortless but delicious!

It's been snowing cats and dogs here, and all transportation has pretty much come to a halt in France. Last week I went on what was supposed to be a 2 day, 1 night school trip to England. But the return trip back to France was a complete disaster. Calais had experienced a nasty snowstorm, two Eurotunnel shuttle trains got stuck in the tunnel, and at least 2,000 other people were forced to wait on the English coast until things cleared up (and this is not including the people who got stuck in England because of the Eurostar's problems).

I, 3 other professors, and 50 students had to wait in the bus a second night, from 8 pm until 2 am, until we could board the navette. As usual, I got hungry just waiting there, with no food and only a few British pounds. The passenger terminal was open, but food can get expensive, and all I wanted was a nice cheesy sandwich with some ham. Instead I had pasta salad, a Bounty bar, a Reese's bar, and about 10 mini Cadbury chocolate squares. Needless to say, I felt a bit sick after all that chocolate.

The parking lot waiting to board the Eurotunnel shuttle.

If all goes well this Thursday, Romain will be arriving at 11:30 am at Charles de Gaulle. However, given the total chaos France is in at the moment, I'm not sure if we'll make it to Paris to catch the TGV to Sète, because the RER is apparently broken or on strike...or something that would be easily cleared up in the States. SO. In anticipation of all the wonderful waiting to come, I decided I would prepare some jambon sandwiches to stave off the hunger (at least for a little while).

This sandwich is easy to prepare, doesn't take more than 5 minutes, and is pretty tasty. Sorry I don't have a photo of the one I made..I'll add it the next time I do this. Here goes!

Jambon sec baguette
(French dry ham baguette)

French dry ham is similar to Italian prosciutto. It's good on sandwiches, pizzas, toast, salad, or sprinkled over some pasta. Use your imagination! YUM. This is for 1 person.

Ingredients:
1 small (~ 6"), fresh baguette
1 small tomato
8-10 thin slices of jambon sec or prosicutto
1 slice of Emmental (Swiss) cheese
butter

Tools:
knife

Directions:

1. Cut the baguette in half, lengthwise.
   
2. Spread an even layer of butter on both sides of the baguette.
   
3. Slice the Emmental cheese in half, layer on one side of baguette.
4. Cut tomato into 1/4" slices, add on top of cheese.
   
5. Layer the jambon sec on top of the tomatoes, then cover with other half of the baguette.
   
6. EAT!

Make it fancy schmancy:
Once you've finished step 5, throw the baguette sandwich into the toaster oven or conventional oven for 4 minutes at 400 deg F (or 200 deg C).

Add some caramelized onions: in a small pan, heat up about 1 tablespoon of butter. When it begins to melt, add finely sliced onions (or shallots, whatever is onion-like) and let them simmer slowly in the butter on med-low heat until they turn a nice golden brown (about 15-20 minutes).

Use garlic aioli instead of butter.

Add a small salad to the side.

Et voilà!

I can't believe it's come to this.

PREAMBLE OF A FOODIE
Welcome to my food blog. A blog about all things food, inspired by my current life in France and the incredible (or even not-so-incredible) dishes I've tried here so far. I plan to post recipes, new gustatory experiences, and my general observations on food and culture (not in a pretentious way I hope, I just find it interesting that many French families have x sets of dishes, x sets of silverware, x different glasses for wine and liqueur, and apéro is a normal part of life starting from when the kid can hold a fork).

In short, when it starts to seem like at least 50% of my facebook photos are close-ups of the dinner table, and when the majority of my ideas for blog subjects are about the meal I had last night...I think it's time to come to terms with myself.

I am a foodie.


BACKGROUND: "NUMA NUM"
When I think about it, this mild obsession with food all started at a very early age. My first utterance as a baby was a version of "yum yum" ("numa num"). My mom has a photo of me when I was about 3 years old. I was sitting in my high-chair, with half a honeydew sliced in front of me. I had eaten about a fourth of it, I had melon all over my face, and in my sticky little hands--I had a slice of melon I was slowly but surely working on.

Fast-forward 5 years. I'm in the living room with my family, watching Yan Can Cook. I was enamored by his cheery face, his kung-fu chopping skills, and that unmistakable tagline said in his questionably thick Chinese accent: "If Yan can cook, so can you!"



In middle school, my parents didn't allow me to have cable. I had no other option but to watch regular TV, and thus 4-hour marathons of Julia Child and Jacques Pépin on KQED every Saturday afternoon, after Chinese school.


TODAY
My hyper-active appetite is still easily stimulated by words like "melting", "savory", "caramelized", and "infused". So you can probably guess that for me, being surrounded by amazing gastronomical opportunities and words like moelleux and croustillant is like living in Paradise...but torturous because I can't have it all.

I'm currently 24, living in France, and attempting to soak up the French way of life. When I think about it, it's surprising how much a culture is defined by its cuisine, and how much a cuisine is defined by its culture. For example, apéritif can be described as a social gathering that revolves around food and drink, usually on weekends or when there are invitees over. However, the serviceware and food/drinks served may depend on the type of event being celebrated and the people who are over.

We don't really have this type of gathering in the US, and we most definitely don't have it in Chinese culture (but do we have yum cha and dim sum--with a whole other set of customs and subtleties like knocking your fingers on the table, pouring tea for others first, and leaving the teapot open for refills).

Anyway, I diverge. So I'll just end this with my recipe for Gratin de pommes de terre aux poireaux (Potato & Leek Gratin), my spin-off of Gratin Dauphinois.


Gratin de pommes de terre aux poireaux (Potato & Leek Gratin)

As a side-dish, this would serve about 6!

Ingredients:
4-5 large yukon gold potatoes
1 medium-sized leek
3/4 cup of milk
5 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp salt
1.5 cups emmental or gruyère cheese

*I haven't done this yet, but you could also try adding a finely chopped clove of garlic and a dash of white pepper for a slight kick*

Tools:
vegetable peeler
chopping knife
2 medium-sized bowls
teaspoon & tablespoon (but I just eyeball it)
measuring cup (again, I eyeball it)
ceramic or glass baking dish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F (or 180 deg C).
   
2. Wash and peel potatoes. Make 1/4" slices.
3. Peel off leek's old outer leaves and rinse the stalk. Chop leek into 1/2" rounds and rinse/soak them in a medium-sized bowl.
4. In the other bowl, mix the sour cream, milk, and salt. The consistency should be slightly thick but still liquidy. Think Yoplait yogurt.
5. Drain chopped leeks and add to the liquid mixture.
   
6. Start one layer of potato slices in the baking dish. Add a few spoonfuls of leeks evenly over the potatos, and pour a bit of the cream in. Continue with the potato-leek-cream layers.
   
7. When the dish is filled, pile the cheese on top (evenly)! If you like more cheese, by all means, add more.
   
8. Bake for about 45-50 minutes.

Enjoy! :) Ma numa num.