5 French products I always have in my kitchen #FrenchFridays

The French take pride in their “savoir-faire” (expertise) in the way they create their products, especially when it comes to food. One of the things I miss most about France is the food. The markets, the fresh produce and the options! You think the supermarket aisles have options here?? The yogurt aisles, the egg aisles, even the canned goods– everything is meticulously labeled. Just like there are hundreds of different types of cheeses and wines, there are hundreds of different options for so many of their products.

Luckily for me, now I am finding more and more French products in my neighborhood (and care packages from France always have great goodies in them as well!) Here are 5 products that you will always find in my kitchen:

Rich, European-style butter is never a bad idea served with bread alone. #butter #bread #food #yum

A photo posted by President Cheese (@presidentcheese) on Oct 5, 2014 at 12:13pm PDT

1. Président butter: Salted or unsalted, take your pick. The best one I’ve ever tasted is actually not avaialble here but if you ever go to France, try it, it’s the one with “gros sel” (coarse salt,like kosher salt) it’s SO delicious. In the meantime, you can find President butter in many supermarkets in NYC. You can also find some President cheese as well. (In Astoria, you can find it at Key Food and C-Town).
2. Amora mustard: This mustard is really delicious. Astoria Bier and Cheese carries it.
3. La Baleine salt: This salt is delicous, it’s perfect for salads or tartines in my opinion. My son loves to have tomatoes with olive oil and gros sel. (You can find it at Sorriso’s Salumeria in Astoria)
4. Bonne Maman jam: Bonne Maman jam has been around for a long time. Its ingredients are real, no fillers or unpronounceable ingredients. (In Astoria you can find it at Key Food and C-Town).
5. St. Michel cookies: I buy these for my son’s snacks but truthfully mama & papa like them too. What’s not to like about cookies made of the best ingredients? They also have madeleines too. I found these in the Village, at Morton Williams (not sure if they are sold in Astoria).

MY ABSOLUTE MOST FAVORITE FRENCH PRODUCT:

There is one French product that we can’t live without, CHEESE! We try to buy fresh cheese as often as possible! A great place to grab some cheese is the French Cheese Board in Midtown (In Astoria, Astoria Bier and Cheese has some French cheeses as do some Maghrebi shops on Steinway Street. You can also find some cheeses at Key Food and C-Town).

What are some of your favorite French products? Where do you shop for French products in NYC? Share with us below! 

Check out some of my favorite French places in NYC: Ladurée Soho and Mille-feuille Bakery 

Looking for some French goodness this weekend? Check out the Best of France event happening this weekend in Times Square! Sept 26th and 27th  (Some of my faves will be there!)

Featured photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/54445553@N04/5058520058″>National flag of France Xavier Buaillon</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/”>(license)</a>

Featured photo credit: National flag of France Xavier Buaillon via photopin (license)