Five Friday Finds from France: May 14th

Happy Friday from Normandy! Thursday was a holiday in France so many people faire le pont (make the bridge) between Thursday and Saturday to have an extra long four day weekend. There are no complaints here! This week’s Five Friday Finds from France includes an incredible cookie to try in Paris, a French road trip essential: the gas station, my quest to find green Tabasco and more.

Homemade Confitures at the Carolles Marché

One of my favorite vendors at the Carolles Marché (every Thursday) is the lady who sells homemade confitures (jams). She used to own a pâtisserie in Paris but moved to Normandy after retiring. There’s a big assortment of fruity flavors which are delicious (think caramelized cinnamon apple, wild blackberry and raspberry melon), but I went straight for the caramel au beurre salé and chocolat this time. I always try to keep a stockpile of her confitures to bring home for friends and family.

A French Road Trip Essential: The Gas Station

One of my favorite parts about road trips in France is stopping for gas and checking out all of the different offerings inside the gas stations along the autoroute. I like salty snacks, so I usually head towards the chips to look at all of the different flavors. They have vending machines with decent coffee and hot soups. Some stations are bigger and better than others, but they’re almost always all clean and a safe bet for using the restroom.

On Wednesday night we stopped on the way to Normandy and I couldn’t get over the Normandy-specific assortment of items. My favorite was the terrine and rillette set that came with a knife for spreading as well as a little cutting board. The different tin boxes were pretty cute too. If you’re looking for easy food-related souvenirs to bring home, stop at a gas station!

Le Cookie at Mamiche

Cookies aren’t usually something I go for in France. In my mind they’re an American staple and no one makes them better than my grandmother. And then Le Cookie at Mamiche caught my eye (but to be honest, just about everything at Mamiche catches my eye). I could tell they didn’t skimp on the dark chocolate and loved that each cookie was topped with a bit of sel de guerande. I warmed my cookie up before eating it and all I can say is wow. If you’re a fan of chocolate chip cookies you must try Mamiche’s iteration.

My Quest for Green Tabasco in France

There are certain things that are just randomly difficult to find in France, and Green Tabasco is one of them. You can always find it at La Grande Épicerie, if you don’t mind spending 18€ for one bottle. Green Tabasco on scrambled eggs is in my opinion one of the best combinations in the world, but there is absolutely no way I would spend 18€ for a bottle. It’s strange because you can find Red Tabasco pretty much anywhere for a normal price. I randomly found one bottle of Green Tabasco at a Franprix in Paris for 4.75€ and felt like I’d won the lottery. At the small grocery store in Normandy it’s readily available for 2.77€ – go figure. Just another item I’ll be stockpiling to bring home.

Framboisier Meringué

I love Fraisiers but haven’t seen any Framboisiers in Paris this year (at least yet). Le Friand in Sartilly (where you can get my favorite croissant in France) has a Framboisier Meringué and it is divine. It’s so light and fluffy and perfect and you can really taste the little crystals of sugar in the merengue. I’m going to need one daily while we’re in Normandy!

I hope you enjoyed this week’s Five Friday Finds from France. I’ll be back tomorrow with Weekend Links!

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