Have you ever seen the movie Midnight in Paris? You know the closing scene where Owen Wilson meets the tour guide on the bridge and they walk away together in the rain? Well if you’re ever in Paris on a sunny day, on this particular bridge you will find a little ice cream truck serving up some of the best ice cream in Paris.
My friend Stephen had been raving about this little truck parked on the Pont Alexandre III for some time now, so last weekend, the sun was shining and we decided to check it out. We walked on over Sunday afternoon and Stephen introduced me to Fabrice, the man behind this ice cream madness. Fabrice was friendly and smiled and went on to tell me how Glaces Risi came about. He is part of an ice cream loving family who has been making artisanal ice cream for four generations. Growing up he would help his dad make the sweet, soft frozen dessert and has continued to carry the tradition on. Their family secret? An ice cream pasteurised with crème fraiche.
So that day on the menu board, Fabrice was scooping chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, mango, strawberry and coconut. I am a sucker for pistachio, so chose that and a scoop of vanilla. (2 scoops, it was a hot day! What can I say?!) Fabrice must have been feeling generous, because he added a little glob of coconut, which was icing on the cake. Stephen chose the chocolate and strawberry, his icing on the cake was a little bit of mango. Lucky us! We got to try all of the daily specials that day! The cold, creamy sweetness was lip-smacking good. It was like biting into a fresh mango or sipping on coconut juice on a tropical beach somewhere. Under that sunny sky, last Sunday, the Glaces Risi definitely went down a treat.
So what’s the difference for a Canadian girl eating an Italian ice cream in France? I turned to the pros at icecreamnation.org to answer this one. And I found, without doing too much stereotyping, that North Americans are likely to prefer creamier, sweeter and softer ice cream. French people also enjoy creamy ice cream yet less sweet and less soft, whereas Italians are partial to milkier, leaner ice cream. One thing is for sure, I can always enjoy an ice cream, glace or gelato, rain, shine or snow, in Thorold, Rome or Paris!
My friend Stephen had been raving about this little truck parked on the Pont Alexandre III for some time now, so last weekend, the sun was shining and we decided to check it out. We walked on over Sunday afternoon and Stephen introduced me to Fabrice, the man behind this ice cream madness. Fabrice was friendly and smiled and went on to tell me how Glaces Risi came about. He is part of an ice cream loving family who has been making artisanal ice cream for four generations. Growing up he would help his dad make the sweet, soft frozen dessert and has continued to carry the tradition on. Their family secret? An ice cream pasteurised with crème fraiche.
So that day on the menu board, Fabrice was scooping chocolate, vanilla, pistachio, mango, strawberry and coconut. I am a sucker for pistachio, so chose that and a scoop of vanilla. (2 scoops, it was a hot day! What can I say?!) Fabrice must have been feeling generous, because he added a little glob of coconut, which was icing on the cake. Stephen chose the chocolate and strawberry, his icing on the cake was a little bit of mango. Lucky us! We got to try all of the daily specials that day! The cold, creamy sweetness was lip-smacking good. It was like biting into a fresh mango or sipping on coconut juice on a tropical beach somewhere. Under that sunny sky, last Sunday, the Glaces Risi definitely went down a treat.
So what’s the difference for a Canadian girl eating an Italian ice cream in France? I turned to the pros at icecreamnation.org to answer this one. And I found, without doing too much stereotyping, that North Americans are likely to prefer creamier, sweeter and softer ice cream. French people also enjoy creamy ice cream yet less sweet and less soft, whereas Italians are partial to milkier, leaner ice cream. One thing is for sure, I can always enjoy an ice cream, glace or gelato, rain, shine or snow, in Thorold, Rome or Paris!