You know how in American supermarkets, there is usually an isle that has foreign or ethnic stuff: Mexican, Chinese, Thai, etc.? Well in France they have the same thing—and on the ‘international food aisle’, they have an American section! Who knew? For some reason this tickles me, and also makes me realize how truly far we are from Charleston.
So, what’s in the ‘American section’? Can you guess? Some of the things the French just don’t eat or understand, though not many I really would like to have (those would be grits, corn meal, black beans, chicken broth, buttermilk...). Also they throw the UK must-haves on the same shelves, like the dreaded Marmite and Brown Sauce.
Here, for your reading pleasure, are a few of the curious American selections at my local store:
- Peanut butter
- Pecans (they call them noix Américains)
- A1 Steak sauce, and worcestershire sauce
- Cranberry juice
- Dr. Pepper (!? I am speechless here)
- Cans of of those American casserole staples, cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup
- Canned ‘spaghetti loops’
- Bottles of Thousand Island dressing
And my favorite: A box of sage stuffing mix (the French don’t do bread stuffing) in a skinny 2 oz. box, which says on the package “enough for one whole bird.” Stuffed baby quail, anyone?
One hopes the French do not see this selection as representative of American cuisine.
Then again, I may have to widen my search for my beloved American items. At the same store just this week I discovered one more 'international' product, Vermont Real Maple Syrup. It was in the Chinese section.
Recipe: A Week-night Gratin, Deconstructed
So, shall we make a casserole the French way, and skip the Campbells? In France a casserole baked with a topping, like bread crumbs and/or cheese, is called a gratin. We southern cooks don't much go in for canned soup casseroles, so when I have the time I make a lovely béchamel sauce for a gratin. But on a busy weeknight, who has the time? So here is a gratin, deconstructed, that you can whip up, maybe with what you have on hand. Those who follow recipes religiously and like precise measurements may not feel at home with this one. This is for your creative side (translation: time to clean out the frige).
Three Parts: Sauce, Filling, Topping.
A simple sauce, trés vite: In France I use crème fraiche, which is a milder, slightly thinner version of sour cream. Use this for your sauce, or sour cream thinned with milk so that it's more liquid but still heavier than whipping cream. You could stir in a bit of mayonnaise or soft cream cheese. To give it more body, you may want to add a beaten egg. Mix it up with salt and pepper, and flavor it if you like with a splash of brandy, some spices, a spoonful of mustard, hot sauce, or chives.
The filling: Use cooked vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, squash, chopped asparagus, and so on, for vegetable gratins. You can mix in cooked pasta (very al dente), rice, or grains. To ramp up the flavor, sauté some aromatics---onions, garlic, shallots, celery, mushrooms--in olive oil or butter and mix them in. Roasted tomatoes or leftover cooked carrots can be popped in too, for example. Of course you can add chopped cooked meat like chicken, ham, sausage, bacon, etc. Stir in some grated, melty cheese, or not.
The topping: Use crushed crackers, bread crumbs, croutons, nuts, crushed chips, or a combination of these. Grated cheese is optional. My favorite crunchy topping: I save stale or leftover bread, then make bread crumbs in the blender. I sauté these in butter (about 3 tablespoons butter per cup of crumbs), plus sea salt and pepper, and throw them in a bag in the freezer. I use them to top gratins but also for pasta dishes or just to dress up steamed vegetables.
Now just bake your creation for half an hour or so, until it's bubbly hot, and you're done. Bon appetit, y'all!
Favorite Reads: Mon Dieu, a Southern Fried French first: A BOOK GIVEAWAY! Kristin Espinasse of the French Word a Day blog has most graciously given us four copies of her new book, Blossoming in Provence
And by the way, if you missed her first book, you may want to start at the beginning, with her lovely Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language from the South of France
Our Reader's Blogs: It seems the perfect time to mention Anne-Clair's My American Market, where expats can order American ingredients they don't find on that international isle. There is a great expat newsletter on the site, too.
Coming to BURGUNDY? You could stay at the château! Nicole and Pierre now have a couple of rooms they rent out to visitors. Nicole will provide French lessons, too, if you're interested. Check out the website for Château de Balleure: Les Saveurs du Château.
