If you’ve been reading SM for awhile, you already know I’m mad for the markets in France, at the bottom of this post you’ll find links to past posts on some of my favorites. There are times, however, when you may not have the time to shop the regional markets, and you just need the convenience of the Supermarché, where you may even find a few more gift items to bring home with you.
Now, you may not think that a magnum of rosé is a very practical gift to bring home, but when I saw this, I knew I just had to get it home to a certain friend who has been missing her Minuty (I’ve never seen this wine in the US, have you? It’s a staple beverage on the Cote d’azur.} I actually put 2 of them in plastic bags and packed them between layers of clothing in my suitcase, checked it, and they made it back just fine.
The Supermarche I used most frequently was the Super U in Beaulieu~Sur~Mer, it was fun to revisit this high volume store to get some water and fruit for my room. This is the largest supermarket in the “golden triangle” {Villafranche~sur~Mer, Beaulieu~sur~Mer, St. Jean~Cap Ferrat}. When I was living here, this is where I’d find ingredients to make Pot-au-feu, Canard á l’orange, and other delicious little morsels.
I was pleased to find they had a sufficient cache of my favorite Lobello lip gloss. I’m addicted to this stuff, so I was happy to have a chance to stock up again so I can share a few tubes and keep that “fruity shine” going for awhile longer.
It’s also a great place to stock up on these elegant confections, Callissons d’aix.
These marvelous little morsels are composed of a paste made of ground almonds, crystallized melon and orange peel, sandwiched between a thin layer of rice paper and a crisp layer of white royal icing.
They are exquisite!
I picked up a large box to use at home and some smaller boxes to bring as hostess gifts. These confection have been made for here centuries, and there is a legendary story about their creation. If you want to try your hand at making a batch, you can try this Calissons recipe, and you can even find Calissons from Confiseur du Roy René on line.
Another thing that made me smile was finding plenty of tubes of Email Diamant. This toothpaste is designed to make your teeth look whiter and brighter. The polishing paste has a tint of red, designed to stain your gums so that your teeth look whiter in contrast.
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| Brush with a smile, Brush your whole smile {?} |
While traveling I also like to pick up a few copies of the local newspapers to bring back, paired with shiny ribbons or twine, it makes a fun gift wrap.
The Super U is at 1 Rue du 8 Mai 1945, there is parking underneath the building. It is open from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm each day except Sunday, on Sunday they close at 12:45 so everyone can go home to enjoy a leisurely Sunday lunch.
Other options in the area are Carrefour markets in Mt. Baron {just east of Nice} and in Monaco, there are plenty of signs along the main road to lead you to them.
Now, as promised, here are some past posts on visits to some of my favorite markets in France.
across from daily produce market in Beaulieu~sur~Mer
{food, housewares, clothing and antiques}
I hope you have a rosé Father’s Day!
Where have I been? Need to sample the Calissons the next time I am in France – sounds like a very elegant treat! Cheers! Loi
Loi, your in for such a treat!