We were tired. It had been a long day of walking, viewing, taking pictures and
shopping. Michael’s shopping list included a pair of a specific style of
Speedo swim trunks; that day we had tried two different stores in two different
neighborhoods and still came up empty.
While we were at Le Bon Marche I had ensured my indentured servitude for the next year by dropping the equivalent of a mortgage payment on two gorgeous silk scarves at Chanel. Needless to say, I was feeling less than flush. Michael was ambivalent about going out to dinner so I suggested we eat “at home”.
But what?
“Hot dogs,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind a hot dog.”
“With macaroni and cheese,” I added.
The decision was made. However—we hadn’t seen anything like hot dog stand anywhere nearby and doubted the existence of something considered “instant” macaroni and cheese at the local Franprix. I offered to go to the grocery to see what I could find for dinner.
For me, this was more of an exciting exploration rather than a chore. One of the reasons I wanted the availability of a kitchen was to experience French ingredients close up and personal. At Franprix I grabbed a basket and looked through the aisles.
First stop: meat department. The store wasn’t merchandised in quite the same way we Americans organize the products and because this Franprix wasn’t a huge mega-mart, the selection was smaller. Fresh chicken, beef, pork and lamb segued immediately into packaged, deli-sliced meat and a good selection of charcroute.
I considered this to be to my advantage because I didn’t want to become muddled by too many exotic choices. I found a package of four nice-looking frankfurters that looked mild in flavor and familiar in ingredients.
A walk through the pasta section came up zero for packaged mac and cheese. In fact, there wasn’t anything that even came close. I decided that we would improvise.
In the Dairy section I found a package of President Brand microwave cheese fondue, a small container of crème fraiche (the French version of sour cream) and a one-cup package of shredded Gruyere cheese. My final grab in the refrigerated section was a package of fresh fettuccine. When I took a spin past the freezer my attention was stopped by a bag of cultivated and wild mushroom mix, which went on the top of the pile.
Total expense: about ten Euros.
When I got back to the apartment I presented my mother lode to Michael and explained how I thought we could use the ingredients.
He ran with it. The frankfurters were gently browned in butter until the casings were crispy. He cooked the pasta while I warmed the fondue in the microwave until it was just liquid, then it was added to the pasta with a knob of the sea-salted butter, a dash of the crème fraiche and tossed with the shredded cheese. All the mushrooms required were a turn in melted butter with salt and pepper.
It hit the spot. I didn’t even mind scrubbing out the cookware after dinner.
Recipe: “Just in Case You’re There” Pasta with Multi Cheeses
1 package fresh fettuccine
1 small container President Brand microwave cheese fondue
1 cup (or one small package) shredded Gruyere cheese
¼ cup crème frache
Few tablespoons milk if needed for consistency
3 tablespoons butter (the kind with the sea salt if possible)
Salt and pepper
Warm up the cheese fondue in the microwave on a low setting (such as Defrost) until it’s just liquid but not necessarily hot. Cook the pasta to al dente stage in boiling salted water; drain. With the pan on low heat (we had a hot plate), stir the fondue into the pasta, letting the warmth of the noodles and the low heat finish melting the fondue and make it liquid. Stir in the butter and crème fraiche, adding a bit of milk if needed to make the mixture creamy. When the sauce comes together and is warm for serving, stir in the shredded cheese and add salt and pepper to taste.
While we were at Le Bon Marche I had ensured my indentured servitude for the next year by dropping the equivalent of a mortgage payment on two gorgeous silk scarves at Chanel. Needless to say, I was feeling less than flush. Michael was ambivalent about going out to dinner so I suggested we eat “at home”.
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But what?
“Hot dogs,” he said. “I wouldn’t mind a hot dog.”
“With macaroni and cheese,” I added.
The decision was made. However—we hadn’t seen anything like hot dog stand anywhere nearby and doubted the existence of something considered “instant” macaroni and cheese at the local Franprix. I offered to go to the grocery to see what I could find for dinner.
For me, this was more of an exciting exploration rather than a chore. One of the reasons I wanted the availability of a kitchen was to experience French ingredients close up and personal. At Franprix I grabbed a basket and looked through the aisles.
First stop: meat department. The store wasn’t merchandised in quite the same way we Americans organize the products and because this Franprix wasn’t a huge mega-mart, the selection was smaller. Fresh chicken, beef, pork and lamb segued immediately into packaged, deli-sliced meat and a good selection of charcroute.
I considered this to be to my advantage because I didn’t want to become muddled by too many exotic choices. I found a package of four nice-looking frankfurters that looked mild in flavor and familiar in ingredients.
A walk through the pasta section came up zero for packaged mac and cheese. In fact, there wasn’t anything that even came close. I decided that we would improvise.
In the Dairy section I found a package of President Brand microwave cheese fondue, a small container of crème fraiche (the French version of sour cream) and a one-cup package of shredded Gruyere cheese. My final grab in the refrigerated section was a package of fresh fettuccine. When I took a spin past the freezer my attention was stopped by a bag of cultivated and wild mushroom mix, which went on the top of the pile.
Total expense: about ten Euros.
When I got back to the apartment I presented my mother lode to Michael and explained how I thought we could use the ingredients.
He ran with it. The frankfurters were gently browned in butter until the casings were crispy. He cooked the pasta while I warmed the fondue in the microwave until it was just liquid, then it was added to the pasta with a knob of the sea-salted butter, a dash of the crème fraiche and tossed with the shredded cheese. All the mushrooms required were a turn in melted butter with salt and pepper.
It hit the spot. I didn’t even mind scrubbing out the cookware after dinner.
Recipe: “Just in Case You’re There” Pasta with Multi Cheeses
1 package fresh fettuccine
1 small container President Brand microwave cheese fondue
1 cup (or one small package) shredded Gruyere cheese
¼ cup crème frache
Few tablespoons milk if needed for consistency
3 tablespoons butter (the kind with the sea salt if possible)
Salt and pepper
Warm up the cheese fondue in the microwave on a low setting (such as Defrost) until it’s just liquid but not necessarily hot. Cook the pasta to al dente stage in boiling salted water; drain. With the pan on low heat (we had a hot plate), stir the fondue into the pasta, letting the warmth of the noodles and the low heat finish melting the fondue and make it liquid. Stir in the butter and crème fraiche, adding a bit of milk if needed to make the mixture creamy. When the sauce comes together and is warm for serving, stir in the shredded cheese and add salt and pepper to taste.
on April 23, 2007, 8:07 am
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