Emily in France 🇫🇷 Galette-a-Palooza 2022!
A time for terroir.
One of the things I love most about France is how much they care about, not just the flavors and textures of their food and wine, but the stories behind it. A French person is far more likely to try a new food, not if it boasts unique health benefits, but rather if it's linked, somehow, to a story: a region, a culture, a group of people.
It's something they've legislated about extensively – and something I've written about extensively, too, be it with regards to the forgotten vegetables that almost fell out of use during World War II (try and find a rutabaga in this country. Just try.) or cheeses still made in natural volcanic cellars thanks to a loophole in European food safety legislation (albeit perhaps not for much longer).
I've spoken about the concept of terroir on my podcast, Navigating the French, but there's so much more to say. So next month, I'll be launching a brand-new podcast on the topic with my friend and colleague, Caroline Conner. The Terroir Podcast will take deep dives on the foods and drinks of France's regions, bringing you history, stories, and definitely a few laughs. I do hope you'll tune in!
In the meantime, I'm deviating (only slightly!) from my cheese-focused ways this month to bring you Galette-A-Palooza 2022, aka a sampling of the best in Paris' galette offerings.
While galette des rois has a long, illustrious history in France (which I charted several years ago for USA Today), it's only recently, thanks in large part to social media, that it's become the kind of gotta-catch-em-all feeding frenzy it is today. And with its buttery pastry encasing a filling of almond frangipane (and occasionally more offbeat flavors ranging from bergamot to sesame), I'm all for it.
Be sure to follow me on Instagram for my thoughts on the ones I'm tasting all month long (not to mention to get a glimpse inside this bad boy from Liberté). At the end of the month, I'll be ranking my favorite flaky, buttery slices. (My black coat may never be the same...)
Cheese of the Week
Despite what it may seem, I do eat (and enjoy!) cheeses from outside of France. Case in point: this beautiful blue number from Nottinghamshire, England.
Stichelton (and no, that's no typo) is similar to Stilton, save one factor: Stilton is made with pasteurized milk, and Stichelton relies on the raw stuff. It's made by just one team – Randolph Hodgson of Neal's Yard Dairy and American Joe Schneider – in Cuckney, and is named after one of a few ancestral names of the village of Stilton found in the 1086 Domesday Book. Rich and nutty, it boasts that trademark assertiveness of blue with an ultra creamy texture.
It is (and God I hope they don't rescind my citizenship for this...) my current favorite cheese.
To discover more of my favorite cheeses, be sure to follow me on Instagram @emily_in_france.
What I'm Eating
What most in the Anglophone world know as a Napoleon is dubbed a millefeuille in France: a rich combination of flaky puff pastry and vanilla-scented pastry cream. It's usually nearly impossible to eat with any semblance of grace, but François Perret at Le Ritz Comptoir is changing all that. He launched an ultra-long, mildly-portable millefeuille that's balanced and decadent. It's even hiding a secret layer of caramel praline under that beautiful squiggle of cream!
Discover more of my foodie finds via Instagram @emily_in_france.
What I'm Writing
1. So I didn't actually write this piece... but I was interviewed by France Today about my top cheese tips, tricks, and more. So if you want to know what I put on my cheese boards aside from cheese (or whether you can bring all of my favorite raw milk morsels back to the States), check out this interview.
2. It was pure joy to interview six Chez Panisse alums about what they learned from their time under the inimitable Alice Waters for InsideHook.
3. Did you know that monkfish is sold headless in France to keep from scaring customers away? Well now you know! And you'll know even more with this list of everything you need to know about the fish better known as a "sea devil" for Tasting Table.
What I'm Saying
1. In France, everything from knowing which "you" to use to buying stamps has an added layer of complexity. To discuss why, I chat with Ellen Hampton, historian and author of books like Women of Valor: The Rochambelles on the WWII Front. We're delving into the ins and outs of compliqué on Navigating the French.
2. On Chez Toi, Caroline Conner and I pair your home-cooked recipes with the perfect wine and most complementary cheese. This week's recipe comes from Christy Velasquez, a salmon dish with miso, sesame, and rich tahini. These flavors pave the way for some pretty interesting pairings: Caroline deviates from the default of most Western sommeliers for a new, intriguing wine selection, while I chooses a cheese with a surprising plant-based heart.
What I'm Reading
1. Second Place is the second novel I’ve read by Rachel Cusk. The literary style of her prose is impeccable; it’s pure joy to read. But more than just the poetry of her words, this book offers a sort of looming, parasitic vibe coming, not from any outside influence, against which the protagonist has skillfully and diligently protected herself, but from within her own mind. It's a subversion of the frequent conflation of female "hysteria" and horror, and it's pleasurable and awful in equal measure. More on the blog.
2. This Rick Steves interview on the future of travel, which features a lovely rant about why it's worth it to seek out local culinary (and beverage) traditions when we travel, in the New Yorker.
3. There’s a lot to love about this profile of Alison Roman, but for some reason, the thing that stuck with me was the way the script has been flipped from the “you” of Nigella (and Gen X) to the “I” of Millennial Roman. Also in the New Yorker.
A bientôt !