This Week's Frenchest Food Finds at Aldi

Have I mentioned that I’m a huge fan of Aldi supermarkets? If you know Aldi and you know my culinary passions, you can easily guess why: Aldi has an amazing amount of great, European (and European-style) gourmet products at a great price. And these products often fit right into the kind of everyday French cooking I love.

If you’re unfamiliar with Aldi, there’s likely two reasons for it: One, you live in a state where Aldi has not yet arrived (condolences, Colorado!). The other possibility? You haven’t been to an Aldi, or you haven’t dug deep enough to find that, amidst the great bargains on staples that Aldi is best known for, there are truly head-turning (and head-spiningly good) products that you don’t expect to find at a discount chain.

Par examples, check out my recent Haul-di from Aldi:

My recent “haul-di” from Aldi.

More specifically, here are a few items I positively love:

I Rarely Say “No” to Specially Selected Desserts from Aldi

I generally buy at least one Specially Selected Dessert.

In general, the Specially Selected brand of anything — from cheese and charcuterie to crackers and jams — is Aldi’s top-tier brand. If you spot a Specially Selected Dessert (and it sounds good to you), give it a go. I generally pick one two-serving pack up each week.

Note that—like many Aldi offerings—Specially Selected desserts change weekly, so don’t go looking for the beauty pictured above (it was great, BTW!), but always, always keep your eye out for these. They remind me of the kind of shockingly good French desserts you can buy in French supermarkets.

Yes! Choceur, Moser Roth, and Schogetten Chocolates from Aldi Are Great, Too

Are Aldi’s chocolates good? No, they’re great—especially for the price!

Aldi’s Moser Roth and Schogetten branded chocolates hail from Germany, while the Choceur brand hails from Belgium. Both are right at home on my French table. I use them for a quick sweet after lunch, and I often make them into spectacular desserts for dinner. In fact, just yesterday, I made two Chocolate-Coconut Pots-de-Crème from Choceur’s amazing Coconut-Macaroon chocolates. It was a stellar dessert.

Aldi French Green Beans (Specially Selected Fresh French Green Beans) Are a Definite Yes.

Aldi’s Specially Selected French Beans are what the French would call haricots verts. And they’re great!

Haricot verts —slender French green beans—used to be something I’d only get in France or during a brief window at a local farmers market. These days, you can find them pretty widely at places like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. But I don’t think anyone sells them as inexpensively as Aldi. Look for Specially Selected French Beans in the produce aisle. And yes, they’re already trimmed. How convenient. (P.S.: Aldi’s frozen French green beans are pretty darned good, too, though I do prefer the fresh option when they have it.)

The Best Aldi Cheeses

None of these Aldi cheeses hail from France, but all of them deserve a spot on my French-inspired table.

Aldi has a slew of your typical supermarket cheeses; many are branded under the name of “Happy Farms,” and include go-to’s like provolone, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, a Mexican blend, etc.

What really sends me, however, are the European (or Euro-quality) cheeses that rotate in and out. Recently, I picked up a delightfully creamy Camembert from Canada, a nutty-good Manchego from Spain, an bold and snappy Gruyère from Switzerland, and Rustic Red Cheddar, from England. The latter was quite the find: a mild, nutty-sweet, strikingly red-orange cheese, it reminded me a little of a younger version of France’s Mimolette cheese.

Sure, your local artisanal cheese counter will likely have more refined (and more expertly aged) cheeses. But when you don’t feel the need to spend $20+ a pound, Aldi’s imported cheeses offer a fabulous middle ground between supermarket cheapies and artisanal budget-busters. I always have many on hand.

I would love to hear about your favorite Aldi finds! Comment below, or on my facebook page.