spicy final friday

Friday night, we were, as I mentioned a couple posts earlier, without any definite plans.

So we went back to the Argentine restaurant and got empanadas and then walked around Place St. George.

The food was so good! Oh la la, once again, I will lament leaving this country for that fact alone. Beef empanadas with peppers and green olives (who knew I liked those? I do when they're in an amazing empanada apparently) and then dulce de leche empanadas for dessert. Noemi informed me that you can get empanada dough at any Latino market back home and that Walmart sells a good brand of dulce de leche. 

You know what this means, right? 

Tapas night when I get back!!!

Here are some photos:

(the restaurant is so awesome. It's teeny and chock full of crazy, South American decor.)

collioure, extended edition

Noemi and I found this deal where if you pay 20 euros for a train vacation card you can get 50% off certain tickets for the summer. We bought it and then immediately bought a ticket for Collioure, a little city on the Mediterranean coast, only about 2 hours away from Spain.

It was gorgeous! The city itself is very cute and French with little shops and bakeries and cafes and souvenirs. There's a lot of Catalan/Spanish influence, and because of that we saw lots of Catalan flags and tapas restaurants. We ended up eating paella (traditional Spanish dish with rice, seafood, chicken, beef) for lunch outside at a fancy restaurant with a view of the ocean. It was delicious (except for the seafood...I really just don't like eating things with tentacles and little suckers still attached)!

We spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying the beach and the sun. A lot of beaches in this area are really pebbly instead of sandy, but that was okay. If you swam out a little ways there was a massive sandbar to play on, and there were a bunch of people playing volleyball, ping pong (without a table), and frisbee in the middle of the ocean. It looked really funny (slash fun and I was really tempted to go ask if I could join). The water was so clear! So blue! And the perfect temperature! Oh my gosh guys, it was paradise.

We did not want to leave.

parfum peche blanche

Today I had the opportunity to participate in a sortie to go to a cafe at the Jardin des Plantes for ice cream. A new French volunteer and I went to pick up two ladies who are in wheelchairs and another lady who doesn't walk too well. It was fun to speak French with the volunteer because she's closer to my age. We were supposed to meet three other volunteers who were accompanying 6 other elderly people.
There were a lot of mix ups in communication so we ended up at the Grand Rond instead of the Jardin des Plantes which meant we had to get the ladies across a bridge going up and over the street and then walk through the Jardin des Plantes to get to the cafe. Whew. Walking with that wheelchair uphill was tricky. A very nice French lady noticed me struggling and helped me push it up the hill. Going downhill I swear my body was at a 45 degree angle to balance out the force (shudder...having physics 121 free body diagrams come to mind). Anyway, we finally made it to the cafe and had some delicious ice cream. I had a lot of fun talking to a few of the ladies and one complimented my French! (ah, how I treasure those sorts of compliments, makes this all seem worth it.)

All in all, a good afternoon. However. I believed I was going to be getting lunch at this event, not just dessert. So I did not eat lunch. So I was starving. Good thing I was informed of a Chinese restaurant/outdoor hut stand thing down the street from Francois Verdier. Good thing Noemi and I decided to go eat there. Best curry chicken I've had in Toulouse. Yum yum yum.

This weekend we're going to the beach! (provided we can still buy train tickets tomorrow) we're heading to the small, picturesque village of Collioure to get some Mediterranean sun!

eat, drink, and be merry!

Sorry for the over abundance of posts today, I just need to get caught up!

A couple of days ago les petits frères hosted a little international luncheon (okay, yes, this post is about food). They asked Noemi to make Spanish tortilla and me to make an American dessert. So what did I make? Brownies. From a box mix found on the American shelf at Auchan (next to the peanut butter and pancake mix) the truly American way.

Noemi allowed me to be obnoxious and take a million photos for you, dear readers, your very own photo tutorial of how to make Spanish tortilla!!!!!

Ingredients (amounts are all very...hazy...):

A couple of potatoes
An onion
Salt
Olive oil
3-4 eggs

Slice potatoes and onions into little pieces.

Fry in oil until browned nicely.

Mix fried stuff with eggs and a couple tablespoons? teaspoons? of salt. Mix well, until eggs are frothy.

Pour into an oiled frying pan and cook! Flip onto other side using large, flat plate and continue cooking until browned.

Partake and feel cultured.

Here's a couple photos from the luncheon:

*side note: also on the menu was a cheese tart, zucchini/feta cheese bread, and homemade apple tart. Wow, heaven. Can't stop beaming over French food.

one quick note

Cassoulet*....
tastes about as good as it looks...

When we were visiting Madame Fernandez this week we mentioned that we hadn't eaten cassoulet yet, so she went and grabbed a can of it to give to us. It was so nice of her! So we decided to try it this evening, and well, 

we didn't really like it.

I'm betting fresh cassoulet is better, but

we don't really want to spend money trying it.

Sorry, Toulouse,

we don't like your signature dish.

*cassoulet is like a soup with lentils and toulousian sausage and in the case of the one we tried duck confit. but it tasted really gamey...and not like yum.

follow the sun

Apparently, violets are the famous flower of Toulouse. I have yet to see any growing anywhere, but violet flavored and scented things are sold in every little shop. Now, eating something that tastes like a flower did not sound appealing to me, but when I walked into the little chocolatier on Rue du Taur and saw the little purple violet macaron cookie, well, I just had to try it. (I also bought a caramel one just in case I had to get rid of a nasty flower taste in my mouth.)

And then I attempted artsy (read: out of focus) photos on the train ride over to the charming village of Albi.

(10 points if you know which book that is)

I think the chocolatier cheated a little bit because the violet one tasted slightly berry-like. Not complaining, it was delicious. As was the caramel one.

I really enjoy taking train rides across the countryside. It is beautiful! There are all of these fields of giant, hand-sized sunflowers everywhere, in addition to corn fields, wheat fields, and who knows what else (not an expert farmer). 

Noemi and I are now going to go make a dinner of cassoulet (famous soup/sausage dish of Toulouse), steak, baguettes, and salad. Yum! Stay tuned for more on our day trip to Albi!

currently drooling

basque fromage: tomato, ham, peppers, emmental cheese

dessert: house made chocolate, pineapple

Oh, Le Sherpa, you are heaven sent.

aux champignons

Last night Noemi and I watched "Inception" VO (version originale, aka in English with French subtitles). We were oh so very glad we didn't watch it in French, because it was trippy enough to follow in English. The last time we saw a film VO ("Hesitation"/"Eclipse") I had a lot of fun comparing what I was listening to in English to what I was reading in French, but I gave up on that for this movie.

It was awesome. 

And I'm dying to go see it again. 

And also get it on DVD for Christmas (hint, hint).

After watching the movie we ran up Rue du Taur to get crepes, and what do you know, but we happen to stumble upon the best creperie we've eaten at so far in Toulouse, Le Sherpa. It's this teeny little restaurant where the back fourth of the room is the kitchen so you can see everything that's going on with your food's preparation. There were three guys working (one cooking, one taking orders, one doing dishes-there was a cute little dishwasher like you'd have in your house), and it seemed like they were a bunch of friends who decided to open a creperie together or something. The walls were all painted with whimsical paintings and quotes, and it kind of reminded me of Guru's, except way more indie and authentic. And! It was way cheaper than any of the other crepe places we've been (we've been to four here). I'm talking max 6 euro for a dinner crepe, average of 4.5. And 3-4 euro for a dessert crepe. Oh my gosh, it was heaven. I had a crepe with ham, emmental cheese, peppers, and tomatoes, plus a chocolate (house made) and pineapple crepe for less than 8 euros. BAM.

It's up there with La Papilloterie. It has been added to my if-you-were-ever-to-visit-me-in-Toulouse-this-is-the-ideal itinerary (a post to be written in three weeks when I come home). 

Today I stared longingly at crepe cookbooks in the librarie near le Musée des Augustins and decided that alas, it wouldn't do me any good as I do not have a cooking scale (all French recipes call for ingredients in grams [mass], not in cups [volume]). Noemi said she thinks that cooking French food requires being in France, and I am saddened to say I probably agree. 

Not that I'm not going to try to have a massive crepe making night when I get back to the States of course.

So I shall continue to enjoy my French cuisine while I still can. MMmmmmm...

carcassonne-not the board game

On Saturday, Noemi, Pierre, Laura, and I took a train to Carcassonne, a little medieval village about 45 minutes away from Toulouse.

So. freaking. cool.

When I come back to France, I am adding this place to the itinerary. It's a huge fortress (I think the largest one in Europe? According to Pierre?) with a million little shops and restaurants and houses inside the castle walls. It was so picturesque. We ran into a singing group from the University of Grenada (like 1.5 hours away from Noemi's hometown), so Noemi ran over and talked to them, and we took our picture with them. Then, a bunch of girls having a bachelorette party came over and started dancing to their singing. And then pretty soon everyone in the vicinity was either dancing around and singing traditional Spanish songs, or watching, highly entertained. It was hilarious. We had a delightful little picnic dinner just outside the walls, near the lower city. Baguettes, nutella, mousse du canard, Spanish tortillas, chorizo, some sort of sausage that I can't remember the name of, and chips were the menu. Yum! (Seriously, how will I eat when I get home? Too bad cheese won't last a 14 hour plane ride.)

a night in spain*

*Or maybe just a night where Noemi, Melissa (a girl from Mexico who lives in the residence with us), and I got tapas...

Yum!

There's a lot of Spanish influence in Toulouse, because a lot of people immigrated here from Spain during the Spanish Civil War. Consequently, we hear people speaking Spanish everywhere, and there are many many tapas restaurants (tapas are like little dishes like calamari, ham, fried potatoes, Spanish tortillas which are like eggs and potatoes mixed together and then fried so they're like potato cubes, etc.). After eating dinner, we walked along the Garonne river (the ferris wheel is on the other side of the river near Pont Neuf). It was sort of fun to look down at the river bank and see all the Toulousians out, picnicking and drinking and playing guitar and singing.

I love nights out in Toulouse. You just can't beat cobblestone streets and little cafes everywhere.

flick swivel crepe.

Last Friday night Noemi and I decided to go get crepes downtown at Place St. Georges. Toulouse has a million of these little plaza-like "places" (rhymes with glass) that have a big cobblestone/paved area usually with a fountain or statue or something and lots of little cafes and shops. We really like Place St. George because it's really classy. When we got there we were surprised to see people dancing argentine tango in the middle of the place. So fun! It really made me miss ballroom people and wish they were there so we could rock that dang tango. Alas. I was too scared to go dance with a random Toulousian guy (you'd be too after living at Jolimont).

noemi and i shall open a papillote and macaron shop in provo someday

This is a post to bring to your attention the goodness and glory of a place called
La Papilloterie.
I know that I have mentioned it before on this blog, but...
Noemi and I ate lunch there a couple of days ago again (chicken papillote with tomatoes and fresh chives)...

And it was so amazing that it merits a post all of its own.

cue rhapsody:

Who knew such flavors could be coaxed from a humble tomato? How do you get chicken so juicy, so tender? And how in the heck was I completely convinced I loved chives? This is a magical little piece of heaven where anything edible tastes like food from the gods!

I cannot say enough about this place. If ever you are in Toulouse, you. absolutely. must. eat. here.

end rhapsody.

the menu that is currently tacked to the bulletin board in my room that reminds me daily of the goodness that exists in this city

well, this is mostly about food.

So today I got to run around Toulouse by myself as Noemi and I were visiting different people. So after checking in at the Petits Freres office, I walked down Rue Riquet to the most awesome little cafe called La Papilloterie (many thanks to Miriam the accountant for recommending it to me and Noemi the other day!) Noemi and I went there yesterday for lunch and got papillotes- the French equivalent of tin foil dinners, complete with meat (chicken or salmon), vegetables, and delicious sauce, all wrapped in parchment paper and baked. Yesterday's flavor was cumin. Hello, cumin is my favorite spice in the world, so it was amazing, even if I accidentally ordered salmon (generally, I hate fish, but this was the one exception because it was so good). The decor in this restaurant is really cute too. One wall is bright green and there are all of these paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling. I'll have to take a picture next time I go. Anyway, I went there today and got a bagel sandwich. Heaven. I went downtown and ate in a little park next to Mango, where I then went to purchase a purse (les soldes! only 18 euros!). After that I went to visit Mme Sciacco. She is such a cute lady, with a cute family and cute grandkids. She told me all about them and her children. Unfortunately I still only understand maybe half of what people are saying to me, but it was obvious that she's very family-oriented. She kept telling me, "Une famille doit etre unie!" (families should be close-knit!) She didn't have a lot of opportunities for education, and for that reason I think, she kept telling me how important it is to keep studying and going to school. At the end of our visit, she told me, "Tu es adorable et tres gentille! Merci de votre visite!" (You are adorable and so nice! Thank you for visiting!) which somehow made everything worth it-the hot, hot weather, the whole navigating the city alone, the residence, it was okay.

Later, Noemi and I did some more exploring downtown trying to find Stradivarius (we shop a lot...). We did not find it, but we did discover a more classy part of downtown which we very much enjoyed. We got macaron cookies that we've been dying to try, and oh my goodness (they're in the photo above). They were so so so so so good. (I swear I could do a blog on my European culinary experiences alone.) They look like cookies, but taste like cake, really soft and delicious. Mmmmm. Tonight we're going to go out and get dessert crepes. Oh, how I love French desserts.