breakfasts time

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

0 WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - ARTY & HOMELY FOOD

~ Rustic British Pasties ~

~ Graphic Kiwis ~

1 Paris By Mouth Food Tours

Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining Paris By Mouth Food Tours to Montmartre. A little word to the wise - take the bus, do not take the Metro to Abbesses unless you love 100+ climbing stairs.

Paris By Mouth is a terrific up-to-date website for Foodies on Paris - a don't miss daily read. Meg Zimbeck was our astute guide from PBM.

First stop bien sur was this year's best baguette winner.

Meg explains in detail what constitutes the best baguette. A hunk of bread will never taste the same.

We're joined by Barbara Austen, former pastry chef, for more details on texture, construction, flavours, ingredients. I scribble madly notes. If only I could read my hand-writing.

Meg shows us the difference between a plain baguette and a baguette traditional (the prize winner now adorns the President's table). The price difference between la creme de la creme and l'ordinaire is a mere 15 centimes. The French government decides these things tu sait.

On to the next course - charcuterie and another prize winner for their boudin noir/blood sausage (which we do not sample Dieu merci!).

Red meat isn't on my menu these days but you have to be flexible when traveling.

Meg and Barbara set up a mini picnic dans la rue for tasting. That baguette came in handy.

La fromagerie is next.

Chevre/goat cheese is my favorite. These are quite aged. We taste frais/fresh and unpasturized chevre.

The cheese seller is a beau mec/cute guy...miam

On to the park nearby to sample and discuss fromage at length. I must admit I buy French cheese at the super marche, never a fromagerie - shame on me. That evening I am brave and buy chevre frais with figue inside from a fromagerie - delish!

On to dessert.
And rue des Martyr's newest most fashionable patisserie - reknown Sebastien Gaudard.

You can tell from his website this is going to be an elegant experience. Chef Gaudard came out while we invaded his shop. He chastised one of us not to touch anything (and correctly so).
*Jamais/never help yourself in a Paris shop to the merchandise, but especially in a patisserie.
l'interdit!
I did not have the nerve to take a photo.

Les patisseries were lush. Meg picked 3 and I bought another 3. Can you ever have too much dessert?

Meg, always well-equipped, divies up in the street, the 1st taste - an Alsacian mini kugel - very light and delicate - the outer crust crunchie and caramelized.

Puit d'amour, Paris Brest + une dacquoise à l'amande (ou à la noisette - meringue-esque - all exceptional.

And the rhum Baba.

Chef Sebastien Gaudard's adorable Jack Russell, 'Hot Dog' at Selby/Colette. Wouldn't he look handsome painted in front of Gaudard's new shop 22, rue des Martrys?

Don't miss Paris By Mouth's Food tours.

You won't need lunch and your tastebuds won't forget the experience.

Last Friday I took a cooking class thanks to Meeting The French in a French chef's home.

And what a gracious home it is, like walking into a Matisse painting.

Chef Marthe Brohan, used to teach in her bistro's kitchen in the 11th. Now she opens her home to share bistro trade secrets. Before cooking we went off to the marche Raspail for ingredients.

Chef Marthe shares her favorite purveyors for olive oil and olives of Nylons/Provence. Irresistable.

Back in her apartment, it's all hands on deck to make the 3-course menu:

Mediterranean zucchini

Chicken with two vinegars

Citron Madeleines

I fell in love with these special herb cutting shears
.

I found them on Saturday at the Bio marche on Raspail as directed.

On to our main course - the chicken with two vinegars + a touch of honey and rosemary.

While the chicken is cooking we move on to dessert - lemony madeleines. Marthe makes it easy as pie.

And shares her favorite cookbooks...

Who knew the American Embassy had such a terrific cookbook? Marthe has marked up many pages for reference. I must get this book.

You can find it on Amazon in English:
Elegant Entertaining, Seasonal Recipes from the American Ambassador's Residence in Paris.

Another favorite book.

And just out in the US,

French Bistro, with recipes from Bistro Paul Bert and L'Ami Jean. It looks gorge.

Enfin a table!

The poulet is fragrant and delicious - so simple
.

Is anything better than eating madeleines right out of the oven? It will spoil you forever. And so easy using Marthe's methods. She explains a French expression to us -

'it is the 'Madeleine de Proust'

meaning this is something I ate as a child. Nostalgia for dishes of one's childhood is so much a part of French taste/gout.