So I finished off the box of Universal Yums from Greece and began the wait for the next one. There was a hint in the booklet that came in the Greece box that made me think the next one might be coming from France. I guessed correctly. Here’s what was inside:
OK, let’s start with those Basil Pesto Crepes. That sounds odd to American ears, because we are used to eating crepes with some kind of sweet or fruit filling, like the ones you get at IHOP. The story goes that back in 1882, in Quimper, France, the owner of a crepe shop covered for a batch of burnt crepes by rolling them up and calling them “lace crepes.” She sold her recipe to Gavottes, who still makes them today.
These look a lot like the Combos snacks that I ate about a billion of as a teenager while working the concession stand at our local pool. The texture of the shell, however, is far lighter and flakier.
As for the basil pesto filling? It’s not subtle at all. I tried one and thought I was chewing a mouthful of fresh basil leaves. It was a bit overwhelming. Then I tried another and tasted the more understated flavors of cheese, olive oil and a hint of garlic. I thought, “Interesting, but I probably won’t ever crave this.” Then I ate 7 or 8 more. By the time I got to the bottom of the bag a couple of days later, I wanted about a pound of these things.
You can’t have French food without pastries, so here we have Raspberry Madeleines and Almond Financiers from Roullier Bakery. My wife and daughter were big fans of these. The Madeleine is a shell-shaped cake with fresh raspberries folded into the batter. Financiers are little pound cakes shaped like gold bricks, originally baked for bankers in France’s financial district in the 19th century.
Several different candies in this box. We have caramels filled with chestnut cream from Klaus. Remember those Brach’s Milk Maid Royals we used to get when we were kids? The ones that had funky-flavored cream fillings like maple and orange? These are kind of like that, only fancier. We also have Fruit Filled Hearts from Kubli, a fourth-generation confectionery in Paris. These are heart-shaped bon bons with an apple flavor.
The sweet that got my attention was the Violet Dark Chocolate Bar, also from Klaus. I love me some dark chocolate, and this bar was big–a full 100 grams. (That’s just over 3 1/2 ounces for those of you who don’t metric. Like me.) I didn’t think too hard about the word “violet,” figuring that the chocolate might have had some kind of purple tint or something. I really wasn’t paying attention. Then I unwrapped it and smelled. . .
Oh. You mean “violet” as in “flower.” Mmmkay. I looked at the ingredients, and indeed, this chocolate bar is generously sprinkled with “violet chips,” which also contain apple and pineapple to tamper down the floral taste a bit. But it’s still very much there. I did finish this (because chocolate), with some help, but unlike the Basil Pesto Crepes, I am fairly certain I won’t be craving violet chocolate again anytime soon.
OK, you may have noticed that I skipped over the Black Truffle Chips from Sibell. This is because the mere thought of them would have distracted me from writing the rest of this post.
First of all, if you don’t know about truffles, they are a species of mushroom. What is different about a black truffle is that they only grow on living trees and plants, typically by the roots.
Anyone who knows me knows that the one food product I despise above all others is the mushroom. Can’t stand the smell, the taste, or in many cases, the texture. I am still traumatized by the dinner where my parents served fried mushroom caps and didn’t tell me what they were. They were about the same size, shape and color as a sausage patty, so I grabbed a couple. No one stopped me. I took a big bite and. . .well. . .much unpleasantness ensued.
My dad thought it was hilarious. In retrospect, it was a good lesson in attention to detail and speaking concretely. Apparently I had asked, “Are these sausages or something?” Dad just said, “Yes,” because they were “something.” So he wasn’t lying, really; I just asked the wrong question.
Now I mention all that to say this. As much as I hate mushrooms, truffles are another matter entirely. White truffle oil on french fries is excellent, for example. But these black truffle chips. . . oh…my…dog.
I opened the bag while my wife and I were watching TV. She braced herself for the violent gross-out reaction she expected from me. Then I tried just one chip, and I was like. . .
These chips tasted like the best smoked meat I had ever had. Nothing mushroomy about them. I ate the whole bag. Then I licked my fingers. Then I wanted to eat my own fingers. Then I didn’t want to wash my hands for days just so I could SMELL the memory of these chips on my fingers.
Alton Brown once said of truffles on Iron Chef, “Those are better than 97% of the sex you will have during your lifetime.” I can neither confirm nor deny the accuracy of that statement.
Next up–Poland!