0 Paris Pop-up Shop

Paris Dreams Shop, watercolor 9" x 11"

I planned to open an 'imaginary' Pop-up Paris souvenir shop pre-Christmas....
I didn't get around to it, but it's not too late right? I planned to import real French bollards to put in front of the shop...
It would be nice to have a little cafe corner...
There will be FREE/gratis petit fours for everyone...
But you will have to pay for the caramels beurre sale
And Carambar caramels...
This 'imaginary' shop will only carry Parisien tchotchkes (under $20). It will include all the junk I meant to pick up in Paris but never got to, like these Comptoir de Famille hot chocolate bowls.

Any tchotcka with 'Paris je t'aime' on it...

Or Paris dogs makes the grade.

Plus those adorable street sign magnets but in bigger sizes...
Paris has much better postcards than NYC I think...

Do you agree?

Very girly...

Very pink.

I bought my ticket to Paris yesterday for March, so maybe next trip I'll bring back tons of Paris junk and really open a pop-up shop...

Wouldn't that be a hoot?

What's YOUR favorite Paris junk? Do tell.

0 The Paris Bus!

Yesterday one of you said she'd prefer not to take the hot, stuffy Metro to her new Paris job, so today I'll show you how to take the bus to work.

Paris must have one of the best public transportation systems on the planet if not THE BEST.
Walk up to the bus shelter and *note the buses stopping are listed on the side.

Now this is the cherry on top! Every bus shelter has a 'working' digital sign announce exactly when you're bus will arrive (or if it won't arrive at all because of a demonstration, ahem).

There are clear maps (really they are) telling you where you're going, indicating if you are on the right side of the street (tres important).
 Interactive Paris bus map here.

Including a map with ALL the buses in the immediate vicinity. Paris since 2006 has a special night line of buses running after midnight btw.

No need to buy Pariscope when bus shelter signs tell you What's On.

The side of all Paris buses will tell you their first and last destination.

Please board at the front of the bus and smash your Navigo magnetic card against the box thing. Or you can buy a ticket from the driver.
~

Do say 'Bonjour Monsieur/Madame' to the driver svp.

Inside you'll find a bus map + another digital sign telling (in French) the next stop/la prochaine arret

The bus is quite a civilized way to see Paris and get around, definitely more scenic than the Metro.

Please do exit/partie out the backdoor. The red button is to alert the driver of your stop/arret

Once you know the buses in your area you can go online to check out it's route. Easy peasy.
Line 38 runs north to south through the city center and provides memorable views of the Latin Quarter, the Seine river, or Notre Dame Cathedral.

Line 68 offers a vantage of the Musee d'Orsay, Saint-Germain des Près, the Seine, The Louvre, and the Opéra Garnier.

Line 28 offers lovely views of the Ecole Militaire, the Assemblée Nationale, the Seine River, le Grand Palais, and the Champs-Elysées.

Line 96 winds through beautiful spots on the right bank, including Hotel de Ville, the medieval Marais neighborhood, and trendy Bastille.
Info from Go Paris.

These days we take the bus all the time in Paris.
But never in NYC.
New York has contests to see which bus is slowest.
Do you take the bus in Paris?

0 Paris Job Hunt!

Do you dream of working in Paris?
Would you be willing to do anything including working at Fauchon?
Dishing out macarons? I can think of worse ways to earn a euro...
How about Angelinas? Hmmm...this looks a bit grueling...
Do you think it's true what they say about working in a candy/pastry shop..?
At Ble Sucre could you ever lose your taste for pastries?
Or macarons?
Could I ever lose my taste for Amorino's pistache + framboise + cafe combo?

Do I need an Italian accent to work at Amorino? I'll fake it.

Serving penny candy at Metro Odeon? I'd do that.

Take the Metro to work? I wouldn't mind...

I loved shooting fashion shows in Paris.

I'm not willing to make bread in the window...

And MacDos..serving up macarons? Hmmm...

Dog walker? Oui, absolutement!

What would YOU like to do in Paris?

BONJOUR JOB HUNTING!

0 January Diet

Will you be eating salade today? AND tomorrow?
And perhaps all of January?
Wouldn't it be nice if this month's salades could be Paris take-out from MIYOU?

Or La Cantine at Merci?

Miam...miam

MIYOU again - shrimp, quinoa, pomegranate, rocket.

Saumon + salade in St. Germain-en-Lay

I lurve Rose Bakery's mixed salade plate. Not a bad way to make up for all the marshmallows and gingerbread of December.

Is salade des fruits allowed on the January diet?

0 VICTORIA SANDWICH - A GUEST POST FOR SIA AT "MONSOON SPICE"

I haven’t been following Sia’s site for very long (only a few months), but the little time I have spent on her swell blog has only been placed under the sign of pure enchantment and discovery. Her fragrant dishes look delectable, are always so exotic sounding and a real novelty to me, and the pictures, although free of useless frilly embellishment, are pretty, moody, luminous, colorful and reflect the creator’s straightforwardness. A true breath of fresh air and an awesome source for meat-free Indian recipes. I love everything about the poetically named “Monsoon Spice”. So, the day Sia asked me to write a guest post for her, I was overcome with joy and so thrilled at the prospect of appearing on her truly brilliant space!

This statuesque young woman and mum of one was born and brought up in a beautiful coastal city of Mangalore in the Southern Indian state of Karnataka where she was introduced, at a very tender age, to authentic and traditional Indian cuisine by her grandmother, mother and half a dozen aunties in a typical Indian joint family. Six years ago, when she moved to the UK with her husband, her passion for food and culinary knowledge started to grow increasingly.

After a hectic beginning as a cook, numerous SOS phone calls to her mother, a lot of panicking, a few burning accidents and a lot of running around like a headless chicken trying to find her notes, Sia decided to create a site where she would catalogue all her recipes and findings online. That's how “Monsoon Spice” saw the light of day in 2006.

Her husband K. is her main inspiration and motivation behind her blog as he eats what she cooks, but is also her food critic and sous-chef. With the arrival of her son P. she is all the more inspired to cook fresh and healthy food that is strongly rooted in their Indian culture and traditions.

Having been asked to come up with something vegetarian and considering the fact that Sia is an inhabitant of the country of my roots (actually I have a dual nationality – I’m Anglo-Swiss), I thought that it would be a wonderful idea if I presented a delicacy on which my English mother has raised me and which occupies a special place in my heart: “Victoria Sandwich” (also called “Victoria Sponge”).

I am incredibly happy to share my fetish recipe as well as my memories with you here and I wish to warmly thank Sia for opening the doors of her platform to me. It is an honor to know you and to have my work hosted by such a fabulous blogger like you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve always cherished my British heritage as well as Great Britain’s uniquely comforting and regional cuisine. It has a sentimental value to me as it reminds me of my beloved Nan and Pop who passed away a short while ago. Now that both my grandparents have gone on to glory and I have no family nor pied-à-terre left there anymore, I tend to venerate anything that hails from this gloriously green island in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Whenever I feel nostalgic of England and need to uplift my soul, this incomparably ambrosial, moist and featherlight torte always brings a smile to my lips and tempers my sadness. It has this marvelously soothing granny-style flavor that never fails to bring back fond remembrances of the unforgettable moments spent in the company of my grandma and grandpa during my childhood summer holidays in Warwickshire (Stratford-Upon-Avon) and Derbyshire (Belper).

“I'm not a total dead loss as a woman. I can't knit or make plum jam but I can bake a bloody victoria sponge.”
- Chris, “Calendar Girls”.

My grandmother Jean was a talented home cook and baker who had the gift for baking a mean “Victoria Sandwich” along with exquistely fluffy scones (amongst other things) on the occasion of friends’ visit. As any honorable English person, those were invariably accompanied by a nice cuppa and some cheerful chatting - something the people of this archipelago do to perfection.

I also remember seeing the generous array of mouthwatering and tempting cakes that were magnificently put on display in the quaint Peak District tearooms we went to. In such magical places, it is difficult to remain unmoved, especially if you are a voracious little girl (or grownup, to that matter) with an insatiable appetite for rich, floury goodies decorated with thick layers of icing/frosting and mountains of whipped cream. Pa-ra-dise! [...] 

So, if that short introduction made your mouth water and your tastebuds tingle, tickled your curiosity, captivated your attention and gave you the urge to read my article, then please hop on over to "Monsoon Spice" in order to read the whole article, get a glimpse of my pictures, discover my recipe and have a look at Sia's great site.

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Etant donné que beaucoup de mes lecteurs francophones ne comprennent pas forcément l'anglais et que malheureusement peu d'entre-eux auront la chance de lire mon billet invité et dernier article en date sur le joli blog “Monsoon Spice” qui appartient à ma talentueuse collègue indienne Sia, je me suis permise de traduire la recette qui y figure afin que vous puissiez aussi en profiter car je pense qu'elle pourra vous intéresser (vous pouvez tout de même y jeter un coup d'oeil car ses recettes sont vraiment passionnantes et mon article contient d'autres images que celles exposées ici).

J'espère que mon "Gâteau Victoria" à la crème et à la compote de prunes vous plaira car c'est un gâteau très British, merveilleusement raffiné et divinement bon. Cette création personnelle adaptée du magazine Delicious est une ode à la cuisine Anglaise qui est unique, si réconfortante, fabuleusement savoureuse, humble et qui est loin d'être insipide/fade, peu délicate et inintéressante comme le prétendent certaines personnes mal-attentionnées et à l'esprit étroit. Ce cliché est vieillissant et dépassé de mode...

~ Gâteau Victoria ~

Recette adaptée du magazine Delicious.

Pour 4-5 personnes.
Donne un gâteau de 18cm.
Temps de préparation: un peu moins de 30 minutes.
Temps de cuisson: 35-40 minutes.

Ingrédients Pour Le "Gâteau":
175g de Beurre non salé, à température ambiante (+ supplément pour graisser le moule)
175g de Sucre cristallisé
175g d'Oeufs 175g (~ 3 gros, voir les commentaires)
1 CC d'Extrait de vanille pure
175g de Farine
1 CC de Poudre à pâte/lever (pas bombée)
1/4 de Sel de mer fin
3 CS de Lait
Ingrédients Pour La "Garniture":
6 CS de Compote de fruits ou de confiture (j'ai utilisé de la compote de prunes)
8 CS de Crème fouettée
Sucre glace, pour saupoudrer sur le dessus du gâteau

Méthode:
1. Préchauffer le four à 180 º C.
2. Coupez un disque de papier sulfurisé de 18cm, recouvrir la base du moule à charnière avec  et beurrer.
3. Mélanger ensemble la farine, la poudre à pâte et le sel. Mettre de côté.
4. Mettre le beurre dans un bol (ou le bol de votre batteur) avec le sucre semoule et battre ensemble jusqu'à ce que le mélange soit léger, pâle et mousseux.
5. Ajouter un oeuf à la fois, en battant bien après chaque ajout. Puis incorporer l'extrait de vanille.
6. Tamiser la farine et l'incorporer délicatement.
7. Ajouter suffisamment de lait afin d'obtenir une pâte qui tombe en "ruban" quand on la laisse couler de la spatule.
8. Verser la pâte dans le moule et lisser le dessus avec une spatule.
9. Cuire au centre du four pendant environ 35-40 minutes ou jusqu'à que le gâteau soit doré et que la pointe d'un couteau insérée en son centre en ressorte propre.



10. Laisser refroidir dans le moule pendant 10 minutes et démouler sur une grille recouverte d'un torchon en coton propre (afin d'éviter que la gâteau ait des marques), puis retirer le papier sulfurisé. Laisser refroidir complètement.
11. Couper le gâteau en deux, horizentalement et placez le partie inférieure du gâteau sur un présentoire/plat à gâteau. Tartiner généreusement avec la crème fouettée, puis avec la compote/confiture et couvrir avec la partie supérieure du gâteau.
12. Juste avant de servir, saupoudrer de sucre glace.

Remarques:
Toujours casser les œufs dans un bol et les peser avant de peser les autres ingrédients. Si jamais ils sont plus légers (ou lourds) que 175g, réduire (ou augmenter) la masse de beurre, de sucre et de farine en conséquence, afin que les quatre ingrédients aient le même poids que les oeufs.
Si vous n'aimez pas la confiture de framboise et vous voulez être aventureux, vous pouvez utiliser la garniture (compote de prunes, lemon curd, confiture de marrons/vermicelles, crème pâtissière, Nutella, etc ...) de votre choix.
Les gâteaux cuits, refroidis et non sandwichés (et non coupés en deux) peuvent être congelés pendant 3 mois au maximum.

Idée de présentation:
Servir ce gâteau pour le dessert ou à l'heure du goûter avec une tasse de thé ou de café.