Kitchen Culinaire

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are…

It was a day of firsts in Paris.

With my Mom I explored Père Lachaise for the very first time.

This has been on my list for a few years but I have never managed to make it to this much loved cemetery.

After our lazy day yesterday we set out at the crack of noon to make our way over to the 20th arrondissement and happily spent two hours wending our way around the winding paths marvelling at the beauty of the tree lined allées, ornate family plots and tranquility of the cemetery.

We visited the graves of Edith Piaf and Chopin and Jim Morrison and Oscar Wilde. I was pleased to be able to pay my respects to Brillat de Savarin, French gastronome, whose words “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are” take me back to my days at cooking school.

After my Mom headed back to our flat I went off to accomplish another thing that has long been on my Paris to-do list.

I set out on a rented Velib bike (lucky number 15) to explore beautiful Paris.

For years and years I have vowed to rent one of the ubiquitous Parisian bikes to tour around the city but each time I have been here I have been too busy or, perhaps more accurately, too scared to hop on one of these city bikes, join the monstrous traffic and ride.

Today I overcame my fear.

Right near the flat is a Velib station and so I gathered my courage, punched in my credit card number and pulled out a bike. With more than a bit of trepidation I wheeled it down the street and hopped on, initially going the wrong way down a one way street. Yikes.

Soon enough I was pedalling down the Avenue de l’Opéra towards the Louvre, hair flying, legs pumping and heart pounding. To be honest, my heart was pounding not from the physical exertion of riding the bike but from the sheer pleasure and excitement to be riding amongst the cars and buses and other cyclists and garbage trucks and pedestrians. I rode along the Seine and witnessed a beautiful, stormy sky that made my heart stop for a moment. I felt so thankful to be here, right now, in Paris

For a time I followed a guy, also riding a Velib, who was listening to his iPod in one ear, talking on the phone in the other and smoking a cigarette, while weaving in and out of traffic. Something to aspire to.

I arrived back at the St. George Velib station somewhat out of breath, but very happy and still in one piece. A glass or two of rosé wine ensued. It was magical.

Tomorrow is a new day in Paris. Anything could happen.

xo J

Flea market silver from Les Puces de Saint-Ouen

The last week has flown by. It has been a whirlwind of trying new restaurants (Spring, La Verre Volé and Bistrot Paul Bert) and enjoying a few old favourites (Chez Toinette, Chez Savy) as well. Wonderful meals with friends and family and lots of good wine and conversation. But now Leigh-Anne and Patsy have gone home to Vancouver, Jeannot and Sacha are back in London and Ross and Rolti have gone on to Lisbon.

For the first time since we have been together in Paris my Mom and I enjoyed a very quiet, very tranquil, very low-key day.

A rainy Sunday. Perfect for staying in our pyjamas until noon, drinking tea, eating orange butter cookies, reading and catching up on emails.

In the early afternoon I set off for the Saint-Ouen flea market in search of some silverware to match the collection that I started last year. After carefully combing through the many silver shops I found just what I was looking for. Forks and spoons and even a couple of fish knives that matched those I had previously purchased, all for a very decent price. Success!

Tonight we decided to have a simple supper at our lovely apartment. After eating out so much over the past week both my Mom and I agreed that a simple salad, dressed in a grainy mustard vinaigrette, topped with some crisp bacon and a poached egg was just what we felt like. I picked up a fresh baguette from our favourite bakery and dinner was served.

Before I head off to a much anticipated early bedtime I want to post some photo highlights of the last few days.

I’ll be back soon with a proper recipe (as this is supposed to be a food blog, after all). One for a very easy duck confit that was perhaps the very favourite dish that we cooked with our group during the tour.

Happy Sunday!

xo J

Settling in to the new apartment.

I can’t believe it is over. Our first culinary tour has come to a close. It is a bit of a strange feeling after all of the planning, prepping, excitement, adrenaline, and even the few surprises, to see this fast paced 10 days draw to an end.

It was hard work but also a ton of fun and both Sarolta and I feel proud of how this first tour was planned and executed. We may change a thing of two for next year but we both agreed, without hesitation, that we want to do a “Second Annual Paris Culinary Tour”. We are hoping for another adventuresome group of people with open hearts, a sense of humour and a good appetite to join us in June of 2014 in the City of Light.

Yesterday it was time to pack up the Montmartre penthouse and head off in search of some new Parisian adventures. Sarolta moved to an apartment in the Bastille with her husband for a few days before heading off to vacation in Portugal.

I will be staying with my Mom in an apartment in the 9th arrondissement, just off of rue Martyrs, until the rest of my family arrives on June 14th. We will head off to do a bit of biking in Burgundy and then go to visit my husband’s family in Germany.

Even though both Sarolta and I are happy to have some relaxing time away from the stove we both felt a bit lost and sad that the culinary tour was over. We missed our group and the daily culinary discoveries that we made together. We missed the many, many laughs that we shared. We are both excited to start planning for next year.

Thanks to our friends and family who supported us to make this dream a reality. Thanks to all of the women who trusted us and came and shared this magical experience with us. Thanks to all of you who followed along on the blog.

Here’s to next year!

xo J

PS For anyone who may be interested in joining us next year and would like to be added to an email list for when we have our dates confirmed please drop us a line at events@kitchenculinaire
We are hoping to keep our number of participants to 8 people and should be able to provide details and pricing for 2014 by September. We would love to have you join us in Paris!

The final day of our Parisian Culinary Tour.

Our guests have just left the apartment after having a final dinner together. Tonight we shared stories and hugs and even a few tears as we said our goodbyes after 10 amazing days together.

Our group has shared so much. We have had some great meals out in restaurants around the city.  We have tied on our aprons and cooked some delicious meals together. We have explored some great culinary highlights in Paris. Friendships have been forged and plans for the future have been made.

Just like the very best dinner party, a culinary tour is all about the people who open their hearts and pull up a chair at the table.

This inaugural group has been simply wonderful.

From the bottom of my heart…thank you:

Patsy and Leigh-Anne
Joyce and Jill
Jan and Cheryl
Laura-Lee and Andrea
Natalie and Cathy
and our expert travel co-ordinator Carol.

The magic of this first tour together is a once in a lifetime experience.

xo J

A beautiful day in Paris.

We awoke to sunny skies and our group assembled early to take advantage of our good fortune to escape the hustle and bustle of the city and head out to Versailles for the day.

Upon arriving at the Palace we set off to explore the grounds. Some of us chose to enjoy the gardens, while others rode bicycles through the Royal forests, had picnics while rowing on the Grand Canal, or checked out Marie Antoinette’s house and the Chateau.

At 3:30 pm we made our way back to Paris to refresh and recharge before heading off to the Bastille for a spirited group dinner at one of our favourite restaurants, Chez Paul.

I cannot believe that it will be our final day tomorrow.

Our plan is to go to the flea market at St. Ouen followed by cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and  dinner at the apartment.

Sarolta and I will be hitting the Sunday market to see what is fresh and inspiring and will design our final group dinner together based on our finds. No matter what we decide to cook I am sure it will be a delightful evening filled with food, wine, stories and lots of laughter!

xo J

Such a nice day today.

This morning we headed down to Rue Cler Market and strolled along checking out all of the inspiring shops. Our group discovered amazing chocolate shops, shoe and baby stores, wonderful boulangeries and cafés.

From Rue Cler we caught the subway down to the Bon Marché and wandered around in the amazing food floor. A good array of Mariage Frères tea was purchased and then we all spent the rest of the afternoon pursuing our own interests in the neighbourhood.

At 5:30 pm we met up in our beautiful, light-filled apartment to do an informal wine tasting and enjoy cooking and tasting some hors d’oeuvres. Potato feta pancakes, homemade ricotta with spicy bitter greens on crostini and prosciutto wrapped figs with lemon mascarpone and frisée were all on the menu. We paired these with some classic varietals from the Burgundy region of France. A Crèmant de Bourgounge along with a Chablis and a lovely Pinot Noir. So delicious.

Tomorrow the forecast calls for sunny skies and so we are heading off early to Versailles. Biking, chateau touring and wandering about in the gardens are all on our agenda followed by dinner at a lovely french bistro, Chez Paul, in the Bastille.

Time for some sleep to get ready for our full day tomorrow!

xo J

PS. A heartfelt thanks to all of you who have commented. I appreciate it so much and look forward to replying to each and every comment just as soon as our jam-packed culinary tour days are done!

This morning we woke up to overcast skies and torrential rain, so we soon decided that our day of biking, picnicking and strolling through the gardens of Versailles might be best saved for another (sunnier) day.

No problem. We decided to switch gears and spend the day exploring the amazing museums in Paris and host our picnic lunch around the ample table in our apartment kitchen.

While some of the group headed to the Museé d’Orsay, others explored galleries in St. Germain and still others ventured off to the Champs-Élyées. When we re-convened, everyone seemed very happy to have had a day to pursue the places on their personal lists of things to do while in the city of light.

By 4:00 pm Sarolta and I had tidied the flat, arranged some bread, cheese, fruit and paté on platters and were warming up two amazing quiches that we had picked up at our local bakery. When everyone arrived, we sat around the big table, drinking wine, enjoying our lunch and catching up on everyone’s adventures.

Tomorrow my dear, sweet Mum arrives and then as a group we will be off to La Grande Épicerie, Rue Cler Market and the Marriage Frère tea shop and museum. Later in the day we will meet back here at the flat to do a wine tasting and sample some hors d’oeuvres.

Our revised plan is to visit Versailles under some very sunny skies on Saturday. Three more days of adventure ahead!

xo J

Here are a few highlights from our last few days. Biking, eating, and travelling around the city.

Tomorrow we head to Versailles for a picnic and some exploring and so we are crossing our fingers for good weather.

À demain!

xo J