So why the name Tartines and Things? Well on my second full day in Montpellier, France, where I spent the summer studying abroad, I went out to a restaurant and ordered tartine without knowing what it was, except that chèvre was involved, and that was good enough for me. Half an hour later came out these pieces of toast covered in warm honey and fresh slices of goat cheese on top. Needless to say, it was heavenly. I soon learned that tartine was a common French dish, with a variety of toppings, but the goat cheese and honey is the only I have tried to this day. It's something that is comforting, filling, and tasty, along with being easy to make yourself.
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| Courtesy of Robert Otani |
Gazpacho is something pretty common that somehow slipped through the cracks for me. I was not used to 85-90° weather, and gazpacho was the heat relieving food, real food and not gelato, that did the trick. For me, it seemed important to balance the tomato and cucumber flavor as to not to be overwhelming one more than the ever. However, when the chef got it right, it was a refreshing treat on a hot summer day when the winds were warm and the shade was just a slight break from the heat.
Once a week, maybe more, we would all have head over to Amorino after dinner for some gelato in the square. Amorino is a European gelato chain, but this isn't any old chain. The quality is superb, and then best part is that no matter what size you get, you're allowed as many flavors as you desire. The result (if you get a cone) is a flower full of petals of flavors. It's quite extraordinary. But no matter how many flavors we got, Speculoos was still our favorite. It wasn't something we could translate, as there is no name in English for this amazing flavor. I first described it as a cinnamon graham cracker, but it's so much more than that. The flavor originates from a Christmas cookie from the Benelux region of Europe. The main spices in Speculoos are cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, and ginger. What makes Speculoos even better is that it is also a spread, like peanut butter or Nutella. When I found it at Cost Plus/World Market, I was beyond thrilled. In the U.S. it is marketed at Biscoff spread, so go out and get yourself some!
Now this doesn't seem that out of the ordinary, but have you know, peach juice is not that common in the U.S. When I was in Spain, we bought it at the corner grocer without a thought, but I was constantly drinking it, either because it tasted so good or I was dehydrated. However, upon my return to the states I soon realized that Minute Maid did not produce peach juice here. I finally found pure peach juice at Whole Foods, not mixed with mango or any other fillers like that. The funniest part is that the company is Belgian. I don't know what American brands have against melocotón, but it's something worth trying at least once, especially as peaches are a rare summer fruit.
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