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Posts from the ‘Paris’ Category

Jan 29

9 Comments

No. 125: Roussillon

luberon_mapThe stunning village of Roussillon is located in Languedoc-Roussillon, the southernmost region of France, about 10 km northwest of Apt, just a bit north between Avignon and Apt.

En fait this hamlet is so picturesque, it is considered one of the Plus Beaux Villages de France. Set outside an emerald pine forest on bright red-ocre hills, Roussillon is known for its clay-colored rooftops and structures, narrow medieval streets, handsome doors, colorful shutters and of course, great wine. It is a teeny village, but the perfect place to spend a sunny afternoon with girlfriends exploring, eating fabulous fresh food, and sharing a bottle, or two, of Côtes de Luberon on a sun-kissed balcony. It’s also a wonderful place to stop on a romantic holiday with your hubby as you tour this spectacular region in early summer…hint, hint, Superman..

The Sentier des Ocres, or Ochre Trail, also known as the Giants’ Causeway, is an otherworldly natural park (and national treasure) of red cliffs and gorgeous sandy trails just beside Roussillon. For this western girl it’s a happy reminder, albeit on a small scale, of Canyon Lands and Arches National Park. A hike through the park is two very well spent hours among God’s southwestern canvas. A word of warning: so touchable is the reddish-orange sand, the kid-at-heart would be wise to take an extra set of clothing, or at least an extra pair of shoes, to change into as ocres stains are not so easy to wash out.

Roussillon

Kudos to the lovely Pascale Moreau for sharing this beautiful photo (above) from our girls’ weekend in and around Languedoc-Roussillon.

And one last interesting fact for my book club friends, Samuel Beckett lived in this terra-cotta town for a couple of years and references Roussillon in Waiting for Godot.

On the way to Roussillon...

On the way to Roussillon…

Vocabulaire

en fait: in fact

Plus Beaux Villages de France: (one of the) Most Beautiful Villages in France

Sentier des Ocre: Ochre Trail

 

Jan 29

4 Comments

No. 124: Bone Marrow

Humanoids have been feasting on bone marrow for nearly two million years. I, on the other hand, only became acquainted with it about two months ago, and lately it seems to be a consistent offering on my plate.

My first go with it was at a lunch lesson that featured Daube Provençale, a hearty pork stew made with pork cheeks, pork belly and a delicious homemade beef broth prepared with beef bones.

l'apéro avant la Daube Provençale

l’apéro avant la Daube Provençale

When we finished making the broth, we kept the beef bones, and as an appetizer we spread the marrow on a sliced,  crusty baguette and sprinkled it with a wee bit of sea salt. C’est délicieux! Subtle, a bit sweet, très riche, with a velvety nuttiness, no, this treat should not be carelessly disregarded.

bone marrow

Vite! Vite! Head to your nearest boucher and pick up your bones today. 

daube provençale

Click here for the delicious Daube Provençale recipe.

 

Vocabulaire

boucher: butcher

C’est délicieux! It’s delicious!

très riche: very rich

Vite! Vite! Quick! Quick!

Jan 28

2 Comments

No. 123: Le Jardin des Plantes

Okay. So it’s not quite Martinique, but the glasshouses of le Jardin des Plantes are certainly a warm and wonderful place to spend a cold and cloudy winter day in Paris.

jardin des plantes

…a fern fiddle head à la Doctor Seuss...

…a fern fiddle head à la Doctor Seuss…

Vocabulaire

jardin des plantes: botanical gardens

 

 

Jan 24

5 Comments

No. 121: Profiteroles

Cream puffs filled with ice cream (usually vanilla) and topped with hot chocolate sauce—that is what the French call profiteroles. Supposedly Catherine de Medici (wife of the French King Henri II) was the first to have a slightly more modest version of this dessert, a pastry puff filled with whipped cream, or as we Americans know them, cream puffs.

Over the centuries, ice cream and chocolate sauce were added to make this delicious and cold treat you will find on most French dessert menus.

profiteroles

The first time I lived in France, I took a course on making pate à choux, fell in love with it (mes petits choux) and since then, profiteroles have been a fan favorite chez nous.

choux pastry profiterole

Once you get the hang of it, it’s really not that hard. They are brilliant with coffee ice cream and caramel beurre à la fleur de sel sauce. For a savory twist, gougères, I make the choux with different types of cheeses (Comté & Bleu d’Auvergne, j’adore) and fresh herbs.

If you want to make Géraldine’s yummy recipes, click the links below:

PROFITEROLE

GOUGÈRES

 

Vocabulaire:

caramel beurre à la fleur de sel: buttered caramel with sea salt

chez nous: at our house

gougères: savory choux pastry mixed with cheese

j’adore… I love…

mes petits choux: my little cream puffs (a term of endearment not just for pastry)

pâte à choux: a standard puff pastry that can be either sweet or savory, literally cabbage dough; also know as pâte à chaud (heated dough)

Jan 24

12 Comments

No. 120: Chic Bicycle Helmets

Before I moved to Paris, I wore my bicycle helmet religiously. In fact we shipped all our helmets from the U.S. before we arrived. But Parisians are not big on wearing bicycle helmets when they commute to work or run errands, and since living here I have been totally swayed by the herd mentality, and rarely remember to wear mine, unless I’m going for a long weekend ride. There is something about the Vélib bike share program and being able to hop on and off a bike at will that makes me feel footloose and fancy free, and think, hey, I don’t need safety equipment.

I realize this is completely STUPID. And actually everyday when I hop on my vélo, I have the same passing thought, “I wonder if this is the day you will regret forever not wearing a helmet?”

Still I’ve become lazy and annoyed by the chore of lugging it around while je fais les courses, and as much as it shames me to admit it, wary of what Parisians will think about how I look.

Mais, the other day when I was out walking with Taz, I saw a family of three (mom, dad and teenage daughter) on their bikes with some very chic headgear. “Leave it to the French to make bicycle helmets pretty,” I thought, and went home to do some research.

When I opened my email, a monthly newsletter popped up, and one of the top features was this:

folding bicycle helmet closca turtle VERSIONS

Exactly the chic chapeaux the French family had been sporting. I took it as a sign. After more research, I discovered that not only did these helmets (by Closca) look good, but also they are collapsible and safety certified. Apparently I have been totally out of the loop. In most big cities around the world, collapsible bicycle helmets are the latest trend.

And guess what? This particular one is not designed by the French, but created by two Spanish entrepreneurs and design engineers.

Bien hecho! Y muchas gracias!

And I then I found these by Yakkay:

Don’t tell Superman. Who knows, maybe he will find a bicycle helmet cover obsession easier to relate to than a shoe obsession?

Which one do you like?

Vocabulaire

Bien hecho! Y muchas gracias! Well done! And thanks a lot!

Je fais les courses: I run errands; I do the shopping

vélo: bicycle

Jan 23

2 Comments

No. 118-119: Spéculoos and le Musée du quai Branly Combined

Out and about this morning and in search of a birthday gift for Charlotte, my favorite soon to be 4-year-old, I decided to pop into la librairie du Musée du quai Branly and take a peek at their unique collection of gifts. Much to my delight, I came across this in the children’s book section:

Spéculoos! La quête/Spéculoos! the Quest

Spéculoos! La quête/Spéculoos! the Quest

When I first spied it, I thought surely, there must be another meaning for the word Spéculoos that I don’t know. Mais non!

Speculoos

This is actually a tale of an extraordinarily happy, rotund and spoiled princess from a magical far eastern land who is saved by Spéculoos!

The princess leads a grandiose life. When she wakes up, she nibbles cake and pralines. For dinner she gobbles pralines and cake, and for dessert, she savors ice cream with pralines. Mais un jour, la Princesse n’eut plus faim/but one day, the princess was no longer hungry. Well, this certainly makes her very sad and she cries for a very long time. Not one single soul in the entire kingdom can find a cure for her sickness.

But then one day Maurice, le ménestrel de la Cour, who, naturally, is profoundly in love with princess, has an idea. He will go to the sorcière, and ask if he has any ancient potions to cure his secret love. And this is what the sorcerer tells him:

J’ai ce qu’il te faut, une très vieille recette de biscuit, mais qui agit mieux qu’une potion/I have what you need, a very old cookie recipe, that is better than any potion. 

…and the cookie that’s better than a magic potion? Spéculoos, obviously.

Speculoos

So he travels dans des contrées lointaines pour ramener le gingembre, le clou de girofle, la cannelle, la cardamone et la muscade/to distant lands to find the ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. Upon hearing about his plan and envisioning the recipe, the princess falls instantly and madly in love with her hero.

From Nigeria to Zanzibar, to India and the red Orient, and onward to Sri Lanka and the Indonesian archipelago, love struck Maurice diligently gathers the indispensible spices.

Upon his return he bakes her the cookies (as can Charlotte, by following along with the simple recipe)…

…et en goûtant le Spéculoos, la Princesse avait retrouvé toute sa gaieté. Mais plus que le biscuit, c’était le courage de Maurice qui l’avait conquise/and upon tasting the Speculoos, the princess’ cheerfulness was restored. But more than the cookies, it was the courage of Maurice that conquered her malady and won her heart.

Speculoos

Awww…shucks….

I have to say, I’ve had some days where Speculoos is as good as, if not better, than any other magic potion to chase away the blues. I’m glad the Musée Branly thinks so too!

Spéculoos

But if you don’t like Spéculoos, the Quai Branly Museum has plenty of other nifty and colorful gifts for you to choose from.

Vocabulaire

la librairie du Musée du quai Branly: the bookshop at the Branly Museum

le ménestrel de la Cour: the court minstrel

Mais non! But, no!

sorcière: sorcerer

Jan 23

12 Comments

No. 117: Foggy Nights

I guess because I don’t hail from a place where it is foggy, I adore foggy nights in Paris. There is something mysterious and romantic about getting lost in the fog, or at least losing part of your tower.

ET foggy.benioff

ET foggy

ET foggy

ET foggy 2009

…the fog is beautiful in the morning too...

…the fog is beautiful in the morning too……and all day long...

…and all day long…
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