On Friday morning, I leave for Toulouse to catch up with family and a beach holiday. Despite my repeat reminders to myself to focus on the here and now, I just can't wait to go home, lounge around and read non-improving books.
Here are some of the things I am really looking forward to eating:
Haricots verts
As a child, we used to dread haricot vert season because it was just so intense. First, we'd have to pick the damn things early in the morning before it got too hot. Then they would feature at lunch and possibly at dinner too. For what felt like weeks on end. Plus they were green. And ubiquitous. We didn't know how lucky we were.
The haricots verts you get in Sweden are wrong in all sorts of ways. First of all, I have been spoiled when it comes to freshness. I mean come on, you pick in the morning to eat at lunch - can't really get fresher than that. Also they come from East Africa which is great for East African farmers, but not so great for the old carbon footprint. Nor is it great for the food budget - outrageous prices! Finally, they are just too stringy for this haricot snob.
Magret de canard
Duckbreast, but actually I'd be glad for any part of the duck to be honest. It should be cooked over a woodfire, bright pink in the middle and served with parsleyed pommes sautées cooked in duck fat. Hells bells, I am drooling already.
White peaches
These delicate little beauties are hard to find abroad because they don't travel well. But the rewards! Sweet, juicy and parfumée, they are perfect after any meal as you let the juices run down your wrists. They spell summer for me.
Le plateau de fromage
This year, I will forgo all soft unpasteurised cheeses. It's a tough thing to do, but at least I will be consoled by the likes of Ossau Iraty and other Pyrenees cheese made with cow or ewe's milk. Sharp yet creamy, they are absolutely delicious with a good piece of baguette (my mother has informed me that she has ordered daily fresh bread - I am in heaven). We do not bother with crackers, digestives, fruit or other preserves here, it is just pure unadulterated cheese bliss.
Salade de tomates
Not a fancy dish by any means, and probably not with homegrown tomatoes either, but with a sharp red wine vinegar dressing and some finely chopped red onion, this is another summer starter hit. I can feel the sweet acidy taste hitting my tongue now, soothed by the olive oil... The juices get soaked up with a piece of bread. Heaven.
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