We woke up to some unexpected sunshine! The perfect thing to start our first full day together.
We met at the apartment for a tea and macaron tasting and then the skies clouded over as we headed out on our city tour. But our spirits were hardly dampened. We took the metro down to St. Germain and walked from Place de Concorde through the Tuileries to the Louvre. We encountered a bit of a downpour but we barely missed a beat. We put up our hoods and umbrellas and for a few amazing minutes had the square in the Louvre all to ourselves.
We made our way to the E. Dehillerin in search of some treasures and arrived just in time for the chiming of the bells at the St. Eustache Church.
After witnessing a baptism and taking in the amazing light and calm of the church we moved on to enjoy a drink at a local café. Our walk home was followed by a quick freshening up and a re-group for dinner at a local restaurant called Marguerite.
Drinks, dinner and some lovely conversation closed out our second day.
Tomorrow we shop at the Raspail Sunday bio market and cook and eat!
We spent the morning with our guests, that arrived early, walking in the rain around Montmartre and up to the Sacré Cœur. When we arrived at the Basilica there was a mass in progress complete with the sweet singing of a resident nun which warmed our hearts and our much chilled bodies.
After our group headed back to the hotel to check in, unpack and unwind, Sarolta and I got to work preparing for the opening cocktail reception at the apartment.
By 4:30 pm the penthouse was filled with new friends, laughter, and of course, food.
Tomorrow our agenda includes a tea and macaron tasting, a city walk and dinner out at a local Montmartre restaurant.
Such a great first day and looking forward to tomorrow.
We set out to briefly mingle with the many tourists at the the Sacre Cœur and planned our walking tour routes for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We lunched and then spent hours sourcing ingredients and exploring the city. We walked through the Tuilleries to the Place de Concord and into St. Germain. We stopped for a coffee to refuel and then headed on to the Bon Marché for some menu inspiration.
Before we knew it we were hungry for dinner and found ourselves at Brasserie Lipp where we ate delicious beet and mâche salad, roasted chicken, beef tartare and frites. Our waiter was patient and funny and even though it had started to rain when we emerged onto Boulevard St. Germain we were ready to walk back up the hill to our neighbourhood in Montmartre to do a bit of work.
One final day of planning and preparation before our group arrives on Friday!
Today is the day. At 10:45 am our plane leaves for Paris!
Our very first culinary tour in the City of Light is about to begin.
Sarolta and I are going a few days ahead of the rest of our group to get settled in, make sure we have everything we will need in our rented apartment kitchen, organize our cooking class recipes, buy some ingredients and have a chance to reacquaint ourselves with lovely Paris.
This culinary tour has been a year in the planning, yet I still can’t believe the day is finally here.
We dreamed and planned and organized and recipe tested. Now, our bags are packed and our hopes are high.
We are excited to welcome and meet the 10 women who will be joining us on Friday.
I will be posting recipes, daily highlights (hopefully daily!) and a whole lot of photos here on the site, so feel free to pull up a chair and join us.
We are looking forward to a trip filled with good food and wine, many adventures and a whole lot of laughter.
Only five days to go before we leave for Paris. FIVE days!
While there is still so much to do before next Monday lots has already been accomplished for our upcoming adventure. We have made restaurant reservations, made lists of cooking equipment to take, booked a private bike tour to explore the city and picked up a few treats for our group of lovely attendees.
During this past week we have been refining the menus for our Paris cooking classes and I’ve been testing a few new recipes too. We are trying to keep the menus French in theme, yet flexible so that we can choose the best, seasonal ingredients that Paris, in the springtime, has to offer.
Will the duck breasts look amazing and we will be inspired to sear them off to a beautiful medium rare, thinly slice them and serve them with a orange beurre blanc, an orange and parsley salad and a bubbling dish of gratin dauphinois? Maybe…
But what if the duck legs look even more enticing? Should we confit the legs and use the leftover duck fat to fry some sliced potatoes and then serve a green salad with tarragon, toasted walnuts and a tangy vinaigrette?
What about dessert? Should we roll up our sleeves and make some chocolate truffles by hand? Maybe serve some beautiful spring strawberries with a caramel sauce, black pepper and mint…
Whatever decision we make next week, for our first dinner class in Paris, I will be sure to post a proper photo and the full recipe. Stay tuned…
Two weekends ago I was invited out for dinner at a friend’s house. This may not sound like a big deal but I very, very rarely get invited out for dinner at someone’s home. I used to wonder if this was because I was a lousy conversationalist, didn’t bring the right kind of wine, or perhaps at the end of the evening I left too early (or late).
Finally, I asked a friend and she said, “Well, people don’t want to have to cook for you. They are intimidated to cook for someone who teaches other people how to cook. What if they have a cooking disaster and you are there to witness it, or what if the food just tastes bad? Plus people feel that they have to make something special, not just the same old macaroni and cheese casserole they usually serve when they have friends over.”
The funny thing is that people who love to cook, people who cook for a living, absolutely LOVE it when someone else cooks for them. We understand and appreciate all of the effort that goes into making a meal, from the shopping to the prepping to the setting of the table to the actual cooking part. I happen to love macaroni and cheese and, in fact, will happily eat any dish that is put before me, especially when someone has gone to the effort of inviting me to share a place at their table.
And the idea that people need to “impress” people who cook professionally? Nothing could be further from the truth. If I want a five star meal with a million tiny courses and truffles all over the place I will go to restaurant where they have a kitchen brigade to successfully pull off such culinary feats. But, quite honestly, I’m just not very interested in that kind of fancy schmancy cooking. I crave simpler, thoughtful, homemade meals, laid out on platters and served around a communal table.
Which brings me back to my recent dinner out.
The dinner was held at my friend Natalie’s warm and comfortable home that’s filled with great furniture, cool art, books and flowers and a fire in the fireplace. Some beautiful olives, perfectly ripe cheese and a selection of crackers were laid out on the living room table when we arrived. Sarolta and Cathy, two of my favourite people in my world, were there too. The four of us sat and talked and laughed and nibbled and drank some nice wine. When it was time for dinner we moved into the kitchen so that Natalie and Cathy could pull together a lovely, low key supper in the kitchen.
While Natalie grilled some fragrant, local sausages, Cathy assembled a couple of salads she had pre-prepped. One consisted of silky slices of prosciutto, grilled asparagus and a grainy mustard crème fraîche which was served on a platter to go alongside the sausages. The other dish was the salad you see pictured above and was served as the starting course. It was the perfect start to our very perfect dinner. For dessert we had chocolate tarts prepared by a friend of Natalie who is a budding pastry chef and some peppermint tea.
Since our dinner at Natalie’s I have made the proscuitto salad and served it with some sausages I picked up at the Farmer’s market and I was also inspired to give the crab and avocado salad a go. Stealing bits of inspiration.
I have thought back on this evening a number of times trying to pinpoint why it was so special for me. I loved the meal. I loved the entire evening. I loved that it was relaxed and comfortable and full of great conversation. It was great to be surrounded by good friends.
Most of all it was wonderful to be invited to take my place at the table.
Dungeness Crab Salad with Avocado, Beets, Crème Fraîche, and Lime
3 bunches medium beets
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup finely diced shallots
3 tablespoons seeded, diced jalapeños
1/3 cup lime juice
2 large avocados
6 small handfuls of arugula leaves
3/4 lb (454 g) cooked Dungeness crab meat that has been carefully picked for stray bits of shell
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1/2 cup crème fraîche
Fine grain sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 C).
Trim the beets of their roots and stems and wash them well. Toss the beets with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with some salt and then wrap them in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Place in the oven and roast for 40 to 50 minutes until they are easily pierced with a sharp knife.
When the beets are done remove from the oven and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle peel the beets by slipping off the skins with your fingers and then slice in 1/2 inch wedges. Place them in a medium bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, a generous squeeze of lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
While the beets are roasting, combine the shallots, jalapeños, lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/2 a cup plus 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then taste for balance and seasoning.
Cut the avocados in half lengthwise, remove the pit and peel. Cut into 1/4 inch slices and then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fan the avocado slices on one side of a chilled platter or on six individual plates. Place the beets on the other side and arrange the arugula in the middle.
Toss the crab gently with two-thirds of the jalapeño lime vinaigrette, the parsley and the cilantro in a large bowl. Taste the crab and season with some salt and/or lime juice if you like. Pile the crab on the arugula and top with the crème fraîche and a few grinds of black pepper. Drizzle a bit more of the vinaigrette over the avocado.
Everyone has arrived safe and sound.
