French Food!

If the French know anything, it’s food! From the fresh bread and pain au chocolat the beef bourguignon and risotto– the French have it down.

We had the pleasure of having dinner in the home of a French man – Nikolai- in true French style. (Thank you to Paul and his professor at Hillsdale connecting us to a past Hillsdale professor — it was a treasured and insightful evening. A gift from the Lord.)

Nikolai invited us at 7:00 and we arrived a bit tardy from our walk, the metro, and bad timing. When we went to apologize for our rudeness, he waived it away and informed us that traditionally, he would invite his guests over at 8:00pm and expect them to arrive at 8:30. We were right on time for him.

He started off our evening with some champagne and a sample board of fresh meats and cheeses from the local shops — meat from the butcher, cheese from the fromagerie, tomatoes and cucumbers from a produce stand. Fresh and quality foods. We chatted and sampled the goods for a while until dinner was ready. He prepared a chicken bourguinon with onions and mushrooms, as well as sides of potatoes and green beans. The meat melted off the bones.

After the main meal, he produced another board of cheeses and meats with some red wine, and after a time, a little sampling of french desserts to share. At this point, it was around midnight, and we skipped the coffee that came after dessert. Ben and I were heading off on a train the next day to London and still had to get home, so we called it a night. And what a night it was.

Nikolai was a lovely host and extremely generous with us. We are very grateful for his kindness. He is French-born and yet taught and lived in the U.S. for quite some time, so he has a vast knowledge of both US and French customs, as well as politics, ideas, and taste. Not to mention that he is a professor of economics and very well studied in language. It was a fascinating and delightful evening. It made us both want to be as joyful a hosts as he was — in our own home and hearts.

Below are some pictures of food and goods from France that we captured photos of and caught our fancy. For me the butter and dairy products were by far a favorite — top of the Brown Cow Yogurt amazing! For Ben the fresh Orange Juice was “the best purchase.”