A less crazy breakfast treat, Mouse aux Marrons.   Lighter and fluffier then a puree, this one is yummy, and a little more reasonable then eating Lait Sucre right from the tube.

 

Part of the joy of traveling to foreign countries is checking out the food: what’s new, what’s different. Even junk food can be exciting. (In Lyon, our cab driver’s eyes popped open when I offered him a piece of “Canadian gum.”)

 

But in France, there’s one sweet that stands out above the rest and that’s “Lait Concentré Sucré.” Basically it’s condensed milk in a tube. Sticky, sugary and disgustingly good, I’m hooked on it. The FC’s father always has some laying on the table for breakfast, either to add to coffee or spread directly on bread. I’ve always liked condensed milk in pies and custards, I never knew it could also be a tasty condiment!

 

laitsucree1

Lait Concentré Sucré: My new favourite toothpaste.

 

Jerome, a consultant in Paris, pours Lait Sucree into his coffee. He particularly likes the sugary stuff that settles on the bottom.

Jerome, a consultant in Paris, pours Lait Sucré into his coffee. He particularly likes the stuff that settles on the bottom at the end.

 

Maxim, who works for a European train company, guzzles some Lait Sucree. He's not the only Frenchie I've seen doing this.

Maxim, who works for a European train company, guzzles some Lait Concentré Sucré. He's not the only Frenchie I've seen doing this.

 

Alongside the tube of Lait Sucré, the breakfast table also includes honey, three types of jam and a box of raw cane sugar (which I saw Maxim, the FC’s closest friend, sprinkle directly on white bread and butter.) No eggs. No bacon. No veggies. Biscuits, yes.  We also had chocolate sauce in a can served alongside “fromage blanc” (a cheese that has a sour cream/ yogurt-like taste and feel.) Creme de Marrons (a sweetened chestnut puree) is another French breakfast fave, also served with fromage blanc.)

 

I love waking up and walking onto the terrace where Frederich, the FC’s father, has already layed out all the goodies, pouring my coffee, and one by one, being joined by the other French guests (Marie-Anne, Nicolas, Jerome, Perrine.)

 

With the exquisite view of the sea and the warm rainless weather, life doesn’t get much sweeter.

 

French Rivvie breakfast table. See all the jams? I count 4, almost finished, plus a honey jar that's in its final days. That's my teaspoon of lait sucre in the foreground, which I popped directly into my mouth after taking this picture. Yum.

French Rivvie breakfast table. See all the jams? I count 4, almost finished, plus a honey jar that's in its final days.

 

Café Au Lait Sucré

Ingredients
1 small cup strong brewed coffee or espresso
2-3 teaspoons lait concentré sucré

Directions
Mix and enjoy the sugar rush.

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