Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

,

French Meal Made Simple

 

 

Bread and wine

It starts with a baguette and wine,

 

Champagne glass

Followed by one course after another,

 

Desserts

With increasing mouthfuls of sweetness. Now we know why my best friend is elastic.

 

 

Sugar tablets

I love how the sugar was stacked at the restaurant.

After dinner: Dessert. For the last several years in France a trend that has gained more and more common ground is to have a Cafe Gourmand:

"The first "café gourmand" is believed to have appeared in restaurants in Paris around 2005.

It is a step further in a general trend, in France, to have lunches in restaurants that are quicker than in the past. Back in the 20th century it was common as a minimum to have a starter, then a main course, then a plate of cheese, then a dessert, then a cup of coffee, and then a digestif. Then the starter ceased to be the accepted norm, and the plate of cheese became scarce, and the digestif disappeared. The "café gourmand" represents a further step, as ordering the dessert and the coffee in one go gains time, avoiding the need to have to call the waiter over to order.

Apart from the gain of time, the "café gourmand" has other advantages:

 

hotel-tribunal mortagne au perche

 

What is your favorite part of the meal?

The aperitif?

The table setting?

The wine and bread –

First course –

Main Plate?

Salad –

Cheese?

Dessert?

Coffee –

After dinner drinks?

The tip.

The one you are with?

 

Comments

11 responses to “French Meal Made Simple”

  1. g

    The one you are with-for sure-all that matters.

    Reply
  2. WR

    My favorite part of a special dinner is the people that I share it with. I love making dinner for people I love and I love eating dinner prepared by people that I love. Eating dinner with people I love in a special place really tops the chart. If dinner is all that plus delicious, I am in a social, culinary paradise…

    Reply
  3. RebeccaNYC

    as soon as I heard about Cafe Gourmand, I knew I would love it, and I order it every chance I get. I love the surprise, and all the cute little pots and dishes the deserts come in. But then I heard that being called a gourmand is the same as being called greedy. I hate to be thought of as greedy…but…when it comes to desert, I might be, just a little bit.

    Reply
  4. Leigh NZ

    DESSERT…What else?

    Reply
  5. jend’isère

    Starting with the first letter of alphabet, the aperitif brings such anticipation of what food, conversation as well as emotions are to come!
    PS. IKEAS worldwide reflect the local culture, so, so sorry to tell you that in France they’ve been serving a café gourmand for several years.

    Reply
  6. Kathie

    Really good breads (Portugal has them, too) with really good butter.
    And of course desserts: Farmboy Husband and I like to order different desserts, then swap plates halfway through the course!

    Reply
  7. Diogenes

    I am a fan of bistro classics: salade frisee aux lardons, pot-au-feu, croque monsieur, etc.
    and a good quiche….comfort food

    Reply
  8. Diogenes

    But I like the idea of the gourmand with its surprise little desserts!

    Reply
  9. Rebecca from the pacific northwest

    “It starts with a baguette and wine,” and with really lovely lighting on that fork, I just want to note.

    Reply
  10. Patti

    I must admit that I love the table settings most… followed by the people.

    Reply
  11. monika

    Good bread and good wine makes everything delicious, but when it comes to it, I cannot pick a favourite — I love all the courses!
    Corey, a question for you now… do you have a favourite brand of strawberry jam?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions