Southern Fried French

How the French Talk About Sex

Ah, l’amour! “The French, they love Love”, as our friend George always says with a flourish, in his best fake French accent."

My husband is fond of quoting an astute observation from Nicole, who is French teacher to us all: “Americans can’t talk about sex, and the French can’t talk about money.” In France it is quite impolite to talk about income, your investments, or even your career unless you know the person well. Ostentatious displays of wealth are seen as très gauche. Sex, however, may be more freely discussed.  Photo left: Spotted at a French flea market, I believe this is an old-fashioned chamber pot, but with a festive theme.

So today, we WILL talk about sex, in honor of Valentine's Day this month. Or rather, we will talk about how the French talk about sex.

This post was inspired by an article in the Local (an e-zine for French expats, in English), called French Expressions for Sex you Won’t Find in Your Dictionary. As you might guess, many are quite amusing.

You will not be surprised to learn that many of the French “sexpressions” revolve around food. Hey, let’s dip the biscuit, Baby! That’s tremper le biscuit, in French. Well anyway the Local translated it as ‘dip the biscuit’; a more correct translation is to 'dunk the cookie', but that doesn’t rise up to the same level of nuance.

I tried to think of some American expressions for sex that involve food. Mae West’s famous comment leaps into the mind: “Is that a banana in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?”.

I asked my expat friends in France to offer up some sexpressions from their native tongues. Some of what they sent is of questionable appropriateness to be printed here (including a photo, sent by a Dutch friend, of a woman who has incorporated condoms into her hairstyle. Don’t ask). But one you should know about, in the faux amis category, if you go to England: If you ask a Brit if they’d like to shag, you will be talking about a dance, but they will be thinking of something more, ahem, intimate.

Vive l’amour, and happy (belated) Valentine’s Day!

RECIPE: Better-Than-Sex Chocolate Cake, from Julia Child

This is a nearly flourless chocolate almond cake which I’ve been making sort of forever (Madame Child calls it Gâteau Reine de Saba). It’s from her first cookbook. It’s lighter than most flourless chocolate cakes and has that lovely hint of almond. The top often cracks; doesn't matter, it's still the best chocolate cake ever. The only tricky part of the recipe is the baking. You have to take it out at just the right time, so check carefully. You could frost it, but to me it needs no adornment except perhaps a dollop of whipped cream. Photo left by Justine Bursoni.

 

4 oz. (110 gr) semi-sweet chocolate
2 tablespoons espresso, brandy, or rum
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
3 eggs, separated
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
a pinch of salt
1/3 cup almonds (add  to blender with 2 tablespoons of sugar and blend until finely
ground)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup cake flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set the oven rack in lower middle level. Butter and flour an 8” cake pan.

In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate in the coffee or liquor. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter. When soft and fluffy, add sugar and beat 1 minute. Beat in egg yolks until well blended.

In another bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Beat in cream of tartar and salt and continue beating until soft peaks are formed. Gradually beat in 2 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until stiff, shiny peaks are formed. Blend melted chocolate mixture into yolk mixture, then add almonds and almond extract.

Delicately fold in a third of the remaining whites and when partially blended, sift a third of the flour over it, and continue folding. Alternate rapidly with more egg whites and more flour until all egg whites and flour are incorporated.
Turn batter into prepared pan, tilting it to get it evenly distributed. Bake 25 minutes but start checking at 20.
Cake is done when puffed to the top and a toothpick inserted 2 to 3 inches from edge comes out clean. The center should move slightly when the pan is gently shaken.

Remove pan to a rack and let cool 15 minutes. Unmold onto rack.  Let cool 2 hours before storing. To serve garnish with berries, almonds, whipped cream, or powdered sugar.

In the COMMENTS: Frank, I love the Camenbert story!  And see what Ralphe, who is French, has to say about cutting cheese.

Favorite Reads: If you haven’t been reading The Local, my dear Francophiles, you are missing out. It is France's news in English, plus lots of features for expats. Another good one, in a similar vein, is The Connexion.

My friend Sandi, an avid reader, kindly sent me a list of some  interesting books she's dipping in to, and several have a French theme.  Here are some to try:  Some Girls, Some Hats and Hitler: A True Love Story Rediscovered, by Trudi Kanter; Paris Was Ours: Writers Reflect on the City of Light, by  Penelope Rowlands; and True Pleasures: A Memoir of Women in Paris, by Lucinda Holdforth.  Maybe some of you have read them, and can offer a review?

To “Couper le Fromage”, Know your Rules!

I was several years into our French adventure when I discovered to my horror, that there were les règles de politesse (rules of politeness) which had completely escaped me. Oh la la, I’d been an ugly American all that time!

Of course I should have realized, that in the land of liberté, egalité, fraternité, one must share the prime parts of the cheese.

Who knew that cheese, even slices, had prime parts? But indeed they do. And when there’s a plâteau de fromage, you must not be a greedy goat and take the best pieces for yourself (as I’d been unwittingly doing for years).

So stay with me, Francophiles, this is going to be complex.

First of all, there is the rind and there is the dough. Your role is to not leave the rind for the last person; the dough should be distributed as evenly as possible. For info, the taste gets stronger as it gets closer to the rind. This means any small round cheese, such as a Camembert, should be cut into wedges, so each person gets all the flavors.

Easy enough. But if a wedge from a large round is served on a platter, like a big slice of brie, the rules change. In this case, the first cutter slices off the nose, but at an angle, never straight. The next person cuts a diagonal slice, making a smaller wedge. Subsequent diners cut perpendicular to the rind. Got it?

But what if the slice is laid on its end, like a big slice of Roquefort? In that case, cut each dough corner off at an angle. Then cut in slices perpendicular to the rind.

Logs are cut in parallel slices, but you may remove the end first if there is a thick rind. Pyramidal and square shapes should be cut like a cake. There are additional acceptable ways to cut a square cheese, too complicated and mathematical to cover here.

Runny cheeses in a round box, such as époisse, are dipped out with a spoon, and eating the rind is optional.

Firm cheeses, usually laid flat in a rectangle, are cut in slices lengthwise if rind is only on one end, crosswise if rind runs along parallel edges.

Now, you cheese gluttons, get out there and eat some fromage!

 

Many thanks to French Today and to Acup-le blog for some of the tips and illustrations.

Some Ideas for a Great French Cheese Platter:  Be sure to serve cheeses at room temperature, and  serve them after dinner, not before. Choose a balance of flavors and textures: firm and soft cheeses, sharp and mild. Three or four is a good number.  Serve with a garnish of fruit and/or something to spread on top: walnuts soaked in honey, jams, or chutney.  For an alternative to the plâteau de fromage, try serving a special goat cheese: see my post called Goats on a Log.

 

In the COMMENTS: Debbie, Ann, Judy, and Connie have all been to Le Rochepot, and yes Connie, let's all chip in and buy the place! Kiki, I was sorry I missed that Rick Steves show on Burgundy, but then I found this on Youtube: Rick Steves Burgundy: Profoundly French.  Thanks for the tip!