So here we are, the first of May. It’s a jour férié, which means that almost nobody is at work today. Instead, they will gather at Place de la République to march in support of (or against) whatever issue is important to them. I stumbled into this défilé last year by accident, and I’ll be doing my best to avoid it this year. The Tamil Tigers have been there since Tuesday – I guess thay wanted to make sure to get a good spot. There are a few people working exceptionellement today, notably the scientists who work on things like genetic sequencing of flu viruses, for example. Which brings me around to why this post is a day late. Judging from the news last night, everyone was going to be dead of swine flu by morning, and I preferred to spend my last hours enjoying a bottle of wine with my husband.
Since it looks like we’re all going to live for at least another day, though, I’m going ahead with my last Breton cuisine post. (Anyway, it’s a holiday, so it’s not like May has officially started yet, right?) Last Sunday evening (!), Nick and I dined at Breizh Café, a mecca for enthusiasts of that quintessential Breton creation: the crêpe. Of course we ordered cider – we chose one that was described as “dry” by the menu, and recommended by the waiter. It was served in little earthenware bowls. I always feel kind of silly drinking out of a bowl, but when in Rome… The cider itself was less than impressive. It was dry, as in not sweet, but it had none of the tart apple complexity I was hoping for.
Fortunately, the meal looked up from there. We started with a rolled galette (savory buckwheat crêpe) filled with Andouille de Guémené and cheese. (“What kind?” I asked, hoping it would be some as-yet-unknown-to-me Breton cheese. “Gruyère,” came the reply. No dice.)
For the main course, more galettes:
Ab
Ac
Croque-Camille 