So THAT'S why we love the French!

I admit sometimes it's hard for me to find reasons of why I'm still living in France when the French seem so..... exasperating at times. Other the fact that I'm in love with one, I find myself asking how is it that I put up with their rude driving habits, the fact that all American TV shows are dubbed in French or that they don't even know what Valentina is.... and then I remember: IT'S THEIR FOOD !!!!!

Last night my loving hubby (who incidentally is saved from being "too" French by the fact that he is half Rumanian) prepared me one of the most delicious, romantic and unforgettable diners ever for my birthday... I doubt even going to a Michelin star restaurant would have been better.

The apperitif consisted of a single chilled glass of Champagne while we both winded down from the usual grind at the office... it should be mandatory for people to have a chilled glass of bubbly when getting home after a day's work... it spruces you up for the evening and prevents you from becoming a comatose couch potato the minute you walk in the door.

Once the champagne had discretely started working its magic, we sat down to diner at a table carefully decorated with lighted candles and a beautiful orchid (my b-day present from A's parents) as centre piece. A lovely table for a wonderful three course meal (which in reality was a four course meal!)

The first (of two!) entrée consisted of snails in a lovely buttery-basil sauce..... yes, I know, snails? Eeeeewwww!! My feelings exactly when I first came to France. But one night my mother-in-law served them for diner not knowing that just looking at the plate was seriously grossing me out ... yet, as everybody knows, you never say no to your MIL at her own diner table, so I sucked it up and tasted one... and then another, and another and discovered I actually liked the little buggers (I guess the butter-basil sauce has something to do with it too)....

Then came a second entrée which made me forget all about the snails : fois gras poilée aux pommes et salade à la vinaigrette (translation : fried duck liver with apples and salad with a vinaigrette topping)..... okay, so the English version sounds less enticing.... I'm personally not a big fan of duck (be it its liver, its leg or any other part) so André was seriously pushing his luck here.... but I'd never had it fried with apples before and the combination was mouth-watering.... the melting duck liver with the crispy apples just kept you coming back for more. The salad was not bad either...

I would have been happy leaving it there... but then came le plat de réssistance. Let the real games begin: André had prepared a delicious fish just delicately browned in olive oil, enough for it to be crispy on the outside and melt-on-your-tongue on the inside... I know that's he's not a big fan of fish so the fact that he prepared it so good made me appreciate much more how lucky I am (to have a man that CAN cook and SO WELL!!!)... the steamed veggies that came with the fish showed me he understands a girl likes watching her weight (ok, lets forget for a minute entrées 1 and 2)...

By this time I was half hoping-half dreading that a cheese course was to follow (there is always a cheese course) but André had guessed (quite correctly) that I would not be in a position to honour that long standing French tradition and so we jumped the dairy and went straight for the chocolate... ehem... I mean the dessert.... which was a lovely two tiers chocolate-praline cake (in my book the only cake worth the guilt trip that always comes with dessert)...

So, I guess I can put up with the rude drivers and watching "Friends" and "CSI" in French ... I can always smuggle the Valentina in my bags when I come back from Mexico.... it is for THIS that we love the French!!!