Hit and Miss: French Grocery Stores Go Anglo

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. I've been traveling through my copy this week--it's like living the good life in Provence, through Kristin's eyes. Kristin, an American who lives with her French husband and two French kids, has a way of drawing you into her family life and her world, with her lovely insights and photos.  To enter, just leave a comment that mentions the book, or with a heads-up that you want to enter.  We'll send winners an email to get a mailing address. With apologies to our international readers: the gift books can only be shipped to the states, but maybe you've got a friend or family member there who might like a copy? Leave a comment this week or next, then we'll randomly pick four winners.

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.

Comments

[Mindy]

I already have Kristin's books, and I look forward to the day when you publish yours!!!

[Howard Tepper]

Enjoy your comments and recipes very much. I too am a fan of Kristin's blog and would like a copy of her latest book.

[Deb Christmas]

I'd love to win a copy of Kristin Espinasse's new book. I've read her first one, subscribe to her newsletter (which is how I found this blog, to which I've just subscribed). THANKS!

[Ledys C]

I'd love to win! Her first book was fabulous :-)

[Susan]

I would love to win a copy of the book. Thanks for the chance...and the recipe. :)

[Alastair Grant]

Blossoming in France by Kristin would be a good addition to my bookshelf of our French country house in Ariege - so I'll go for it even if I don't win.

[Kate O'Kula]

Provence has been blossoming in my soul ever since I visited 2 years ago. I want to go back... and I would love to enter this drawing to possibly win a copy of Kristin's Blossoming in Provence!
And what a sweet blog this is! Thanks to Kristin for paving the internet highway to you! Kate

[Adrienne]

I love Kristin's blog and would love to win a copy of Blossoming in Provence. Provence and the Loire Valley are my two favorite areas I have been so blessed to visit thus far. I can't wait to return and soak up some more French culture.

A la prochaine...
Adrienne (self-proclaimed Francophile!)

[kristi Zahn]

I would love to have Kristin's new book, Blossoming in Provence!!! I just retired from teaching French. I recently discovered her site, and love reading it!
Kristi

[Corinne]

I'd love to win a copy!! I love Kristin's blog!
Thanks for considering me!

[Ido]

Hi Lynn, I have to agree with the other comments on your blog, you should start writing your own book and publish your recipes, I bet it would be a great hit! I've been kind of away from the blog world due to my pregnancy and pretty soon I'll start my own business, I missed reading your blog! That "blossoming in provence" must be a great book, would love to win a copy. Have a fantastic day!
XXX Ido

[Nila]

Oh, I would love to win a copy of her book!

[Julia Brown]

Blossoming in Provence...would love to win a copy!!!
Would love to be there!

[Liza in Ann Arbor]

Hope it's not too late to enter the giveaway! I've been reading Kristin's blog for a while now. Recommended by you I think! Oh, and I agree, those are not the most appetizing of American ingredients.

[Andrea Hughes]

I would really love to win a copy of Kristin's book "Blossoming in Provence". I used to be an expat living in Paris and miss my "French" life.

[Anne Daigle]

My mother was first generation American. She stuffed turkey with French bread cubes, aromatics, giblets and oysters. I can only assume she learned this bread dressing from her mother whom I never knew. Her parents were from somewhere around Toulouse

[Sue Campbell]

Please choose me to receive a copy of Kristin's new book! I found her first book by chance in the library and I have been hooked on her blog ever since. So happy to find your "blob" and the chance to vicariously experience life in your part of France. It's almost like being there!

[Eileen]

Love your blog! I am a newbie here, who was just referred by a friend. She also mentioned Krisitins books...and I would love to be entered for a chance to win one! Ciao!

[Alicia Deavens]

J'aime vraiment le livre "Words In A French Life"! Je sais que le nouveau livre de Kristin "Blossoming In Provence" est merveilleux aussi. J'espère que je gagne!
Merci et Bonne Chance tout le monde!

[Lucy]

I love this glimpse inside the French grocery store to see the "foreign" section. Americans don't think of ourselves as foreigners much, do we? Reminds me of a few years ago, was talking with a woman from Africa and I said, "I love your accent." And she said, "Oh, I love yours too!" I said, "Oh, I don't have an accent." She laughed and said, "You Americans...you think everyone else in the world has an accent except you."

Touche...thanks for the gratin recipe, sounds so easy and perfect for a weeknight.