Strange Bagels and the Joy of Cooking

Sesame and black bagels

I found a bagel shop two blocks from my new apartment.  He's hardly ever open; when I stopped in yesterday, he'd been on vacation since the 10th, and told me that he would open today.  I popped in at about 10:30 only to be told that he'd open in half an hour.  I guess the concept of toasted bagels for breakfast is foreign to the Carcassonnais.

I puttered around the Bastide, window-licking, and returned at 11:00.  I bought two bagels, one blue-black and one sesame.  My first clue that there was going to be something different about them should have come when he handed me the bag--it weighed almost nothing and these are big bagels!  He did tell me that the French, or at least the Carcassonnais do not like the dense bagels I am used to having in the US.  To be fair, he did try to warn me that these bagels were going to have a lot of air bubbles.

Light as a feather bagel--good but odd

And indeed--I found the air pockets when I cut into the blue-black one.  I don't know what kind of flour this is, but I am convincing myself that since it's not white, it must be healthier.  It was like cutting into a feather-light croissant.  I put it in the toaster (where it barely fit) and pushed the button.  What emerged a minute or so later had the texture of a meringue!  Crumbly.  

Christmas Cactus is putting on a real show!

Even the cream cheese is different--much softer. Once I got over the initial shock of the texture, it tasted pretty good.  Kind of like a savory meringue, only blue black.  It will be interesting to see how the sesame one tastes.  The proprietor tried to talk me into having one with smoked salmon--he was deaf to my protestations that I don't like salmon in any form.  He assured me that his was better than anyone else's because he smoked his with Chinese green tea.  I still politely declined.  He did, however,  offer me a piece of pastrami that was the best I have ever tasted.  

Miss Prissy Camellia needs a new, bigger pot for Christmas

Not as easy as Libby's--note the still-missing lid!

So, while my pea soup cooked, I ate the bagel for lunch.  I also peeled and diced some pumpkin to make a puree, a trial run for a Thanksgiving pumpkin pie.  I have to confess, I miss Libby's.  But this will be good, too.  Cooking here is a joy, because of the quality of the ingredients, but once in a while, I long for a convenience food.  We'll see how the pie turns out!