13 Days Till Paris

In 13 days we will be in Paris.  We don't have any set plans or specific sights we want to see, but rather a series of walks or wanderings.  We hope to stumble upon hidden gems, cafés and tiny shops.  There is no hurry in our journey.  We have already spent countless hous in the Louvre and rushed from museum to museum in a frenzy as if we had to crowd every moment with beauty and wonder.  This time there will be wonder in just being there, shopping, cooking and living there.

Planning My Next Trip

Bob and I are busy planning for our next trip to Europe.  This time we will be branching out and visiting several countries we haven't been to before.  Our 3 weeks will begin in Paris.  We have rented a small apartment, so that we can make the most of the beautiful french markets and cooking some of our own meals.  From Paris, we will be boarding a TGV to Amsterdam.  Our next stop will be Germany with stays in Bacharach, Rottenberg, and Munich.  We will be finishing up our trip in Italy by visiting, Verona, Venice, Florence and Rome.  I will keep you posted on our many new adventures!

Gerard's Mustard Tart. Week 2 of French Friday's With Dorie. The tart was simple to make and full of flavor, but I am not wild about the leeks. I think it would be better if I sliced them smaller and sauteed them in butter or olive oil instead of steaming them. They seemed a bit stringy to me.

Gougeres

Recipe number 1: Gougeres, cheesy little puffy bites came out pretty well. I think the secret is leaving them in the oven until they get a bit crispy on the outside while still moist and tender on the inside. My daughter and I enjoyed the process though. I am not really a pastry chef, but it was actually pretty simple.

French Friday's With Dorrie

So, today starts a new era in my blogging life. Each Sunday (Friday is too hectic) I will be cooking a recipe from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan and blogging about the results. Today is gougeres. Little cheesy cream puffs. I am excited to try them and will post a picture of the results.

French Markets and Produce

On my recent trip to France, I was fortunate enough to be able to take a cooking class from Muriel Marguerite. Muriel is a delightful woman with an extensive knowledge of the French open air markets. Our group met Muriel outside the Metro and we walked to one of the numerous open air markets. Muriel explained that the French government guarantees the French people that they will be able to shop locally for fresh produce, meats and dairy at least two times per week. The vendors pay a monthly fee to the local city council. In turn the city sets up the market stalls and provides the vendors with electricity and water. Both farmers and resellers have booths and Muriel showed us how to tell which is which. She also told us about the French rating system for meats and vegetables. I feel much more competent now that I know how to tell where the food is grown, caught or raised. The produce is so lovely in these markets. Enjoy these photos.

My birthday

Today we took a cooking class from Muriel Margarite. We met her outside the metro and she took us to an open air food market where we bought the ingredients for our meal. We made tuna steaks with a red wine reduction sauce, zucchini, and a chocolate fondant. It was a fantastic experience.  Muriel runs her cooking school out of her home in Paris.  Her home was once an old farm, but she has remodeled it and added the cooking school to the addition upstairs.  The school has 4 complete working stations with everything needed for 2 people to cook comfortably at each station.  Upon completing our meal, we carried it down to her garden to enjoy with a nice bottle of red wine from Beaune.