Finally a good selection of French cheese

     What was my surprise to find this good selection of French cheese in this supermarket. I wasn’t looking especially for that, just trying to find some place where I could be covered from the rain. By chance, I stumble upon that fine area of the supermarket.

     We already found a small shop in the big market next to the bus station where they were selling French cheese. I didn’t know Latvians enjoy so much this national treasure the world envy us.

     We couldn’t wait to buy a cheese in each of those shops, one of lunch and one for dinner. When I say lunch or dinner, we litteraly eat only this with some good bread. Some turkish bread went with the first cheese and a ciabbata bread was used for the camembert for dinner. We bought it around 5pm but we didn’t get home before 10pm. So the camembert was very runny, so much we could eat it with a spoon !

     I almost forget about the other culinary treasure I found in Riga. That friend who knew Riga brought us to this French café where I could find some really nice croissants and « pains au chocolat ». They really tasted like home. The first day we went there even though I had my breakfast, I could’nt resist having one of each. My body and my mind would never thank me enough for that. I had to go back there before I took my bus back to Pärnu to get some croissants and « pains au chocolat » for my breakfast.

My first official Italian ice-cream

     Ah it was a great day for my stomach on Friday.  After participating in some activities with some French learning pupils in a local school, I went shopping and bring the food back home. I had to check my emails and i saw this very good news: Mama Toni's gelato is officially open!! I just send my friend a message and set off for the shop. I drive my bicycle pretty fast for once since I really wanted to get my hands on the new flavours they had to offer. 

     So when I arrived there, I checked directly what's on offer and decided for Belgian Chocolate, Pistaccio and Vanilia. What a treat!! The nice and warm weather invited me to have it on their terrasse while talking to Paul, Toni's husband who help setting the shop, Bas, deputy gelato maker and when I was inside, talking with Toni, my delicious American friend who decided to set this up in Little Pärnu. 

A new italian ice cream shop in Pärnu!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello dear readers,

As the summer is arriving fast here in Pärnu, I will need some ice creams. It's impossible for me not to enjoy summer without ice-cream. I have very fond memories of this italian ice-cream shop in Pompei where I went when I was about 12 years old. This is where I had two scoops of melon and kiwi for the time in my life. Since then, I try to have those flavour as much as possible. 

some of the flavours at Mama Toni's gelato

When I arrived in Pärnu, I met an American woman, Toni, who is opening a gelato shop close to the beach of the city. I am waiting anxiously the opening to try them. This joyful moment will be this week on Thursday, May 24th around 7pm. I don't know how many people will beat me at waiting in front of the door but they won't be a lot, trust me on that!!!!!

Bon Appétit: Wheat Fricassee in Provence style

For the recipe, click on the picture (in french only).

Preparation : 15min, cooking : 20/25min.

Ingredients :

150grs of bulgur - if you can’t find it, use wheat grains

1 big can of tuna in brine or oil – around 100grs or 3.6 oz of fresh tuna

(if you want to do it with meat, 250/300grs of chicken will do the trick)

2 big tomatoes

½ a medium onion

I red pepper

1 courgette/zucchini

½ eggplant

1 big can of Tomato Purée

Olive Oil, salt, pepper

Preparation :

Wash, peel (except the pepper) and cut all vegetables, and meat if needed, into small cubes.

In a big frying pan, cook until golden the onion along with the pepper

Then add vegetables, salt, pepper and stir

At this moment, you should put the bulgur or wheat to cook like rice

Just before the water is completely evaporated, add the chicken if you choose meat. In case of fish, wait until there is no more water from the vegetables.

Pour the tomatoe purée diluded in water (to your convenience) ; let it stew for a few minutes at low heat

About 5 minutes before the wheat is al dente, pour it into the frying pan with the preparation and let it stew during a few minutes on low heat.

Be careful : do not let the tomatoe sauce stick onto the pan. You should be able to have lots of sauce ; Add more water if you want.

Shrove day!!!!

As it’s an international day, I had to do something. It was more I had to discover what they were doing it while being unaware they do something. LOL. When I was talking to my tutor’s wife who is cooking for us every day, I saw her preparing some kind of soup with peas and pork and also something like brioche, some Vastlakukkel. I was very interested in tasting it for dessert. What I didn’t know was those dishes are usually made on Shrove day in Estonia like Mardi Gras in France with " the tourtisseaux" (donuts made especially for this day). So I had (too bad for my waist line ;) ) to try some lovely sweet buns she prepared. So here is the recipe she used to do:

Vastlakukkel with whipped cream and home made jam

Ingredients: 

• 500grs of wheat flour
• 100grs of butter at room temperature
• 250 ml of warm milk
• 25 grs of fresh yeast
• 1 egg
• 1 dl of sugar (use a mesuring glass and use the liquid mark to weight the sugar)
• a pinch of salt

Recipe courtesy of Kaia, my tutor's wife.

Mix the yeast and the warm milk and put the preparation in a salad bowl

Introduce the salt, the sugar and the egg yolk.

Then, by smal portions, pour the flour. When it’s finished, mix it with the butter

Leave the bowl covered by a cloth in a hot space for about one hour

Knead the dough for about 5 min and roll it into a big sausage

Cuti t into small pieces to make some small balls of about 10cm diameter you put on a cooking tray

Leave the tray to rise for 30 min in a hot place. At the end of those 30 min, mix the white of the egg with some milk to brush the small brioches

Bake it for 10-15 min at 490°F in the middle rack of your oven. Temperature and time of baking to be adapted to the oven.

After you get it out of the oven, leave it to cool down under a cloth. Eat it while it’s still warm.

To eat the Estonian way, cut the top of the brioches, and spread some homemade whipped cream and jam.