Salon de l’Agriculture: What I Brought Home.

Being at home after an all-day feeding frenzy like the Salon de l’Agriculture is a little bit strange. You’ve sampled a bit of everything: some foie gras, some saucisson, a helluva lot of wine, and when you actually look into your bag to see what’s made it home, it’s interesting to see what stuck out of all of the samples and free things you tried.

At least, that’s how I felt when I went through my bag to see what had hitched a ride home with me.

The bottle of cassis was the one I hemmed and hawed about the most. I probably wouldn’t have bought it had the man at the counter not been so nice. He engaged the American Proust Fan and me in conversation for quite some time, asking us questions and offering us samples of all of his different varieties of liqueurs. I asked him what his favorite was, and he poured us a glass of the pêche de vigne liqueur while extolling the virtues of a cocktail, mixed with sparkling wine and a raspberry.

The APF and I had decided to make rounds before buying anything, so we wouldn’t be tempted by something on site and regret it later. We wanted to circle back and buy bottles of cassis, which, when drunk plain, tasted like jam, but I faltered a bit at the price of 16 euro. Luckily, there was a reduction when bought in bulk, and since the APF bought two bottles, mine cost 12 euro. Sold! I’ll be keeping this around for very special occasions.

Next up: smoke cured filet mignon. This was one of the first samples we were given, and I knew the whole time I’d be coming back to bring one of these filets home. It was expensive but completely worth it: you can really taste the woodsmoke, and the tenderness of filet with the smoky taste of really good sausage was incredible. The Country Boy and I tasted a few slices of this as soon as I brought it home, but the woman selling it said it keeps for several weeks in the fridge. I don’t think it will last that long.

Next up: cheese. The first was a Comté, which I bought for TCB: it’s his favorite. There were two to sample — an aged one and a fruité, a younger Comté with a fruity taste and creamy texture. I went for the latter, as TCB prefers it. He’s keeping it out of the fridge, like a true Frenchman, and is being very careful about not gobbling it all up in one go via thin slices eaten off the back of a knife, which is his MO for eating supermarket Comté.

The last of my four items was this Corsican sheepsmilk cheese. We tasted four cheeses from this booth, and both the APF and I preferred this one. The girl giving us tastes told us that most people think that there is too much herb coating — the Country Boy agreed — but I loved the explosion of flavors contrasting with the creamy cheese. I ate a thick slice on a piece of toast with my salad last night, and while the Country Boy tasted it, he preferred Comté with his salad.

That’s fine, more for me.

One thing’s for sure: next year, I’m definitely going back to the Salon de l’Agriculture… and I’m saving up my spending money.