Market Tour

Yesterday morning, my Practical group and I went on our “Market Tour” for class.  There are 7 additional people in my Practical group who I share a kitchen and cook with every time we have a Practical. I absolutely adore and respect every individual in my group. Plus, we are all great friends because we continually experience the most intense circumstances together, cooking several dishes at once for an esteemed Chef.

We met at the school at 8:30 AM and headed down the street to the St. Charles Market in the 15^th district. Leading the pack was Chef Vaca, who is very stout, loud, and has a personality that will always keep you entertained. He reminds me of a movie character who is playing the cliché French chef but with a fun and witty personality and not so stern. We also had a new translator present to translate for all of us English speakers. The translator, Kim, just got hired at Le Cordon Bleu to help translate for all the Demo classes. Turns out that she is actually from Texas, which was a very thrilling moment for me! I felt as though someone could actually know where I was from when I said, “No way! I’m from Oklahoma City!” The only other American I’ve met that lives semi-close to OK and sort of understands the whole southern thing is Elyssa, who is from Athens, Georgia.

Anyways, we arrived at the outdoor market. This outdoor market is open only on Tuesday and Fridays. No worries though, because there are dozens more outdoor markets in Paris open on other days in different districts. At each vendor, Chef Vaca would greet and chat with the individual for about 2 minutes. Chef explained that his relationship with the vendors is a vital aspect to visiting the outdoor markets in Paris and purchasing your goods. A lot of the French come to these markets for the amazingly fresh products but it is also a social outing. At each stand, he would chat with the vendor and then the vendor would fish out some samples for the group to try. After, Chef Vaca would purchase his favorite items and get them packed up for us to take away.

After spending 3 ½ hours at the market, we trekked back to Le Cordon Bleu to enjoy a beautiful and private lunch for our group. Every item the chef purchased at each different vendor was beautifully laid out on platters for the group to devour before our 12:30 PM Practical. My morning at the market with one of the head Chef’s from Le Cordon Bleu was a true Parisian experience. We got to sample everything at each vendor, which most Americans or tourists would never get to take pleasure in because they don’t have special relationships with all the producers. Plus the interesting facts that Chef Vaca enlightened us with at each different stop was so interesting that I had to take notes to share with you all. Here are some of my favorite pictures and facts to go along with each one- 

Below is one of the vendors collecting Sea Snails for us to enjoy back at school for lunch. (I was talked into trying these raw snails by my fellow classmates and decided to give it a try…won’t be eating a Sea Snail ever again to say the least) 

 

 Below are a few of the “Noble Fishes” which are types of fish that are of higher quality and therefore cost more. The “Noble” fishes include Dorade, Turbot, Red Mullet & Sole. Chef Vaca mentioned that he would never buy fish that is Farm-Raised because a fish should be in its natural environment and eating what it would normally eat. He said he can even tell a difference in taste between Farm-Raised and Wild Raised fish. 

 

Below are two of the cheese samplings we had at the Fromage stand. The cheese in the back is Comte, which is a French Gruyere cheese but has a much more intense flavor than our Gruyere back home. It is quite salty with a sweet hint in the background. This Comte we sampled was aged for 24 months but Chef Vaca would normally prefer it to be aged longer. The second cheese is Brie and it was aged for 4 months. Chef Vaca explained that if you were to eat Brie right after its made and it has not aged, then it would have Zero flavor. We also purchased a block of Roquefort cheese, which is a French Blue cheese. It is produced in the South of France and made from sheep’s milk. It is actually studded with a blue mould that gives it its distinct flavor. Chef Vaca actually lives in the South of France and lives in Paris during the week while working and then goes home on the weekends. His family and him live on some land out in the country hillside. He said that one of his favorite meals they have a lot involves many types of French cheeses. They will sit out on their terrace and have several cheese varieties with a baguette, a fresh tossed salad, and a glass of red wine. Funny how a chef who could cook anything truly enjoys the simple tastes and great products available in France. 

 

Below is some of the beautiful produce from the fruit and vegetable stands. Chef said that September is a great time of the year to enjoy the outdoor markets because you can still buy fruits with seeds in them but they will be out of season in a few weeks. These include peaches, pears, nectarines, plums, melons, and berries. Figs are now in season and can be enjoyed all winter long. In France, you find them in a variety of reds, purples, and dark greens. I love figs and one of my favorite ways to enjoy them is simply wrapping a piece of Prosciutto and popping it into your mouth. 

 

 

 

Below is one of the vendors who sells cured meats and sausages. We purchased Prosciutto, Ham, and Meat Terrines. 

 

 

Below is Chef Vaca chatting with the vendor and making some purchases.

 

 

 

Below is some pictures from this beautiful bakery that we walked into to purchase our baguette and other breads for lunch. A small bakery with rustic wood floors and amazing pastries.

 

 

 

Below is the stand where they sell all the strange body parts of animals. The first picture is a cow heart and the second is a picture of cow tongues. I had to take a picture of the tongues for my Dad, because he hates tongue which was served to him often as a child. At this stand, Chef purchased Blood Sausage for the group. I tried it and it was actually very tasty. 

 

 

Below is one of the most amazing/beautiful cheese shops I have ever been in. Here you can see the store clerk in his apron and black hat helping cut a wedge of cheese for a customer. There were huge wooden chopping boards along all of the displays and shelves of cheese. There were huge cheese knives that you could use when needed to cut a piece of any variety you desire. The smells in French cheese shops literally drag you in off the streets because they are just so amazing! 

 

 

 

Here is my group and I inside the cheese shop

 

 

Enjoying the wonderful items we purchased at the market back at school! We had plates of all sorts which included: a meat plate with prosciutto, ham, duck terrine, blood sausage and dried salami. A desert plate with eclairs, pastries, cakes & fruit tarts. A plate full of Figs, a plate full of Sea Snails, a plate of Sourdough and Rye bread slices, a Baguette, a plate of Nectarines and Grapes, a plate of Brie, Roquefort and Comte cheeses, a plate of 3 different types of Chevre or Goat cheese….the list goes on. This was hands down one of my most memorable meals I have ever had! 

 

 

 

There are so many more photos from the market that I will post later but at least you could get a good feel of how amazing it was! Happy Thursday! 

Love Always, 

Britt xoxo

Paris Playlist

While I have been in Paris, I have slowly created the greatest playlist which is composed of French classics and American classics. Today, my player randomly played this song and I just had to share it. It is one of those songs that can enlighten even the worst of days and make you smile! Enjoy! 

Love Always, 

Britt xoxo 

 

Home Away from Home

I woke up today feeling at ease and finally enjoying the sounds of the Paris streets (which now actually help me sleep). Although I have adjusted very quickly to my school schedule and daily routine at Le Cordon Bleu, it has taken a bit of time to settle into my new apartment and have it feel like it is actually mine. Even when you move into a new home/environment, your sometimes not in your comfort zone until you have lived there for about 2 weeks and broken everything in. I have slowly added a few touches to my apartment to make it feel more like me, apart from the fact that it was already furnished. Luckily, the landlord had pretty good taste in furniture. 

Even though I am not in good ole’ Oklahoma, I am finding myself at a great place since my move to Paris. The apartment finally feels as though its mine and it is the perfect home away from home. I am so excited about how it looks now, so I thought I would finally share some pictures of my little nest that I call home (for now anyways). 

What you see when you walk through the apartment door

View into the living room 

 

 

 

Here I added a rug and some fun pillows 

 

Windows in my living room area 

 

Bathroom 

 

Bathroom continued 

My “closet” + my designated shoe area (haven’t touched any of the pairs of heels by the way) 

 

View walking into my bedroom 

 

My cozy bed 

 

My favorite part- the Kitchen

 

My area for chopping & making my morning coffee 

 

My wonderful 2-in-1 washer & dryer right in the kitchen 

 

With love my from home to yours! Have a great Saturday & BOOMER SOONER! 

Love Always, 

Britt xoxo

 

 

In my 12:30 Pra…

In my 12:30 Practical yesterday, we made the Roasted Chicken with Jus. We also had to prepare the carved artichoke that I evidently could not get precisely. I don’t know why, but everyone in my group seemed to be off on their game a bit. We had one of the older Chef’s who speaks zero English but always makes me laugh when he is residing over our groups practical. He has a great sense of humor and seems to always be yelling out, “Britttttneeey” to show me something comical (although it sounds more like “Prittney”). He is a well respected Chef and anytime he counsels us or advises the group to do something, he always expects the entire group to respond with, “Oui Chef!” He is that wonderful balance between being a respectable authority figure but still enjoys throwing in some hilarity while in the intense kitchen atmosphere. 

Although most of us took too much time carving the artichoke or cutting up our matchstick shaped vegetables, we somehow managed not to completely burn our roasted chickens. One girl burned her hand terribly at the beginning by grabbing the panhandle that had been in the oven for 15 minutes. Although she had her chef towel wrapped several times around the handle, the heat still penetrated through the towel to her palm. It was exceptionally difficult for her to hold her knife the rest of the practical when chopping anything. 

I let my water boil too much while cooking my carved artichokes, allowing it to brim over and spill all over the scorching burners. (Creating a large burning hiss that traveled through out the entire kitchen and letting everyone know that I had sort of messed up). Despite everyone’s set backs, we somehow managed to finish on time. 

The Chef tasted my chicken, which he said was cooked flawlessly including the crispy skin being just crispy enough. He tried my blanched/sautéed vegetables and made the whole class stop so he could illustrate to them how the vegetables should be cooked and seasoned. Apparently amongst all my mishaps, I managed to cook my chicken and vegetables just perfectly. Lastly he tried my Jus, and responded with “Tres bien Brittney!!” Chef said it was the correct color, consistency, and had just enough salt therefore it tasted great. Not even joking when I say this, but after he had tasted the last component of my dish, I took in the deepest breath and let out the largest sigh ever. I was beyond relieved after my awkward and clumsy day in the kitchen. 

Here is the dish that took everything out of me but came out a success-

 

Happy Saturday everyone! 

Love Always, 

Britt xoxo

 

Steak-Frites

Last night, a few girls and I decided that we would meet outside the St. Germain des-Pres Metro station in the 6th district to meet and go have dinner at an actual restaurant. Being at school every day and cooking, my friends and I at school haven’t had much time to go out and enjoy the amazing dining scene in Paris. Everyone has been so busy outside of school trying to get a french phone, get internet working in their apartments, or get a bank card. Finally we went out for a nice meal last night. As you stand at the Metro exit in the 6th district, you are surrounded by all these stunning Paris cafe’s and bistros. They are quintessential Paris cafes that you picture in some beautiful French movie. These are not tourist spots, which I can’t stomach anymore. These are the cafes in Paris that serve simple and reasonably priced food that is traditional French fare and is amazing. The patios of each cafe are covered in tables facing the streets (perfect for people watching and enjoying the view in front of you). The people at these cafes are your local French who have the most elegant style and look stunning although they probably aren’t evening trying. Basically, we had about 8 different amazing spots to choose from for dinner. Katherine, who has lived here for a year saw one in the distance called, “Le Relais de l’Entrecôte”. She mentioned that there is usually a line for a mile outside its door of people waiting to snag a table inside. Since we are old and eat dinner at 7:15 (unlike everyone in Paris who doesn’t consider eating before 9), we happened to arrive at the restaurant right as they were opening their doors to do the evenings first seating. We all jumped at this offer immediately. Although we have been eating well since arriving in Paris, all four of us have not had a good piece of red meat in quite some time. We all decided its what we were craving.

At Le Relais de L’Entrecôte, the choices are steak or steak, and the supply of golden fries is unending. I was extremely excited because I have been wanting to sample the cliche dish, “steak-frites”, since arriving in Paris but have not had the time. Inside, the atmosphere is very French. The walls are red with chandeliers all around. Each waitress is dressed in a black maids dress with a white bib to add a classy touch. Once seated, the waitress immediately comes over to ask first, how each patron would like their steak cooked- “How do you want them?”…”a point” or “bleu”? “Bleu” is literally thrown on the grill for 1 minute and is very rare. “A point” is on a little longer and is the same as medium/rare. After she writes each persons steak temperature down, she then proceeds to ask what you would like to drink. This was so much fun! We shared a bottle of red wine between the four of us and enjoyed every moment of this traditional French meal at one of the most traditional French restaurants in Paris. It was a night for the books just because of the food and the fact that I was enjoying this dish in Paris with my Le Cordon Bleu friends. (Of course they can appreciate a good piece of red meat) Making things even more enjoyable, they are famous for this green sauce that they drizzle over each steak. Everyone in Paris wants their steak sauce recipe, but it will never be revealed. And don’t worry, if you devour all your steak or fries, the waitress will notice and come back in about 15 minutes with freshly cut steak and hot fries to refill your plate. 

Here is our amazing meal- 

 

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Friday and a beautiful weekend! I am off to my Practical to make Roasted Chicken with a Jus! 

Love Always, 

Britt xoxo

 

“Fat gives things flavor”- Julia Child

As Julia once said, using fats while cooking will only yield great results. In our Demo yesterday, we were taught two classics: The traditional Mixed Herb Omelette and Roasted Chicken with Jus. In both of these recipes, the chef incorporated butter into each dish in an appropriate but not overbearing manner. 

For the Omelette’s, we made two different versions. The first was a Mushroom Omelette- 

The second was a Ham (or Prosciutto) Omelette-

 

Both of these omelette’s had the exact same base ingredients: Eggs, a tablespoon of whipping cream, pinch of salt, and a pinch of white pepper. You barely combine the eggs, cream, and seasonings with a fork and put aside. (Over whisking the eggs will create a stiff omelette) The interesting aspect of this process was that the chef took his cast iron skillet and filled it with coarse salt to cover the pan surface. He then took a dry paper towel to rub the salt into the iron surface of the skillet. This apparently cleans the pan better than anything else and also creates a very smooth surface so when cooking the omelette, there is no unnecessary friction. Once rubbed with the coarse salt, it was discarded. He then added a large nob of butter into the pan with a tiny splash of oil just to have something to handle the heat. The butter in the hot pan is where the “fat” comes in to this dish and adds all the flavor. Once the butter was swirled around the pan, the chef would add the egg mixture into the pan. In one single motion, he would make a circular/round movement with a fork in the eggs while using the other hand to clench the handle, making a back and forth movement with the pan. Both of these movements are done at the same time for about 5 seconds. You then stop all movement and slightly fold 1 end into the center of the omelette with your fork. You then slide the omelette to the one side of the pan while tilting the pan away from you. With the other hand, you create a fist and pound the handle of the cast iron skillet. The banging of the handle slowly flips the omelette over as you are tilting the pan away from you. You then do a very special maneuver to flip the omelette onto the white plate. (I am not very successful at explaining this process but I had to attempt to explain it because I have never seen an omelette made this way…plus I am fully aware that it is much more complicated than I think it may be)

For the Prosciutto omelette, the chef simply “jullienne’d” the prosciutto into thin strips and threw them into a pan over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes and set them aside. For the mushroom omelette, he simply removed the stem and sliced the mushrooms thinly. He then added a tablespoon of butter to a heated pan and threw in the mushrooms to saute for less than 5 minutes and then set them aside. Both the prosciutto and mushrooms were added to the base egg mix right before starting the omelette. 

Here is the thing- I was completely taken aback by the simplicity of these omelettes. Both were composed of two basic things- an egg mixture and one main ingredient. As Julia said, “Fat gives things flavors”. This rings true for the French Omelette. Egg + 1 ingredient + Butter in the pan= perfection. If you have quality eggs and a quality ingredient, its all you need. Although most people would prefer to use oil while cooking their omelette’s (thinking that this is making it so much healthier), the French don’t skip on butter because they know how it enhances a simple dish. There was no cheese, no extra vegetables or protein in the omelette’s, just eggs, the main ingredient, and butter. SO…next time you order an omelette, try choosing one ingredient, whether it is ham, mushrooms, bacon, onions, etc. and forget the unnecessary cheese. We can all learn from the French, add fat where needed and forget all the extra add-ins that are not important if you are using great ingredients. 

Next we made the Roasted Chicken with Jus. Simply torching the chickens feathers, trussing the chicken the French way, and placing it into a roasting pan. As simple as that. (No need to stuff chickens or turkeys for flavor, do it the French way and you’ll be more than satisfied) A package of chicken wings were also placed into the roasting pan around the sides of the chicken. Before placing the chicken into the oven, it was set on its left side (side #1), which will be cooked for exactly 15 minutes on side #1. After 15 minutes, you take it out of the oven, take a small ladle or spoon, collect the juices or “Jus” on the bottom of the pan, and spoon them over the chicken 5-6 times to “baste” the chicken skin. Once done basting, you flip the chicken onto its right side (side #2). After 15 minutes, you take it out, “baste” 5-6 times, and then flip the chicken with its breast facing up (side #3) and place back into the oven for 15 minutes. After side #3 has cooked, the chicken is done. So easy.

The “fat” as flavor in this dish was incorporated right before placing the chicken into the oven from the start. Our Demo chef placed 3-4 knobs of butter onto the chicken skin before initially placing it into the oven. The butter combined with the natural fat that is released from the chicken skin is what creates the “basting” liquids and gives you the juices to make the “Jus” for the sauce at the end. 

This roasted chicken was perfectly cooked with the meat having lots of moist flavor while still having that amazing crispy skin with a hint of caramelized butter in the background. Simple dish, simple ingredients, correct process, addition of a fat…all add up to an amazing roasted chicken. 

 

The first plating of the roast chickens- The whole chicken plated on a silver platter (the traditional French way) with accompanying sides we made. Turned Artichoke Bottoms which were filled with a Garden Vegetable mixture. Lastly, the platter was garnished with fresh Watercress. 

The second roasted chicken plating took the breast from the other roasted chicken and carved with the crispy skin still intact. Obviously this plating would be to serve one person. You can see the beautiful “Jus” that has been spooned onto the platter. Its taste was indescribable…no need to make some heavy and creamy gravy to go alongside when you can take advantage of the natural juices from the chicken for your sauce. 

Anyways, thats my take on the use of fat in dishes. I have a Hygiene class today and then I am done until our Practical tomorrow when we will be making the Roasted Chicken with Jus. Hopefully I don’t fail on one of the most classic and amazing dishes of all time! 

Enjoy your Thursday! Sending all my love from Paris! 

Love Always, 

Britt xoxo

 

 

Soups Continued

Yesterday we learned how to make 3 more soups. (My friends and I are kind of “souped-out”) We were taught in our Demo class how to prepare a Fish Stew by making the stock from scratch, straining it after it has cooked for several hours, then adding pieces of several varieties of fish to the stew at the end.

Here is the Fish Stew:

The second soup we learned was the French classic- French Onion Soup. This was so exciting to me and made my week because French Onion Soup is one of my all time favorites. It made it even more fun that one of the top Chefs at school who is “so French” would be preparing this traditional soup for us to taste. By the time he had finished, the room was filled with the aromas of caramelized onions, toasted baguettes, and melted/oozing Gruyere cheese. The French Onion Soup was perfection!

Here is the amazing French Onion Soup:

We also were taught how to prepare a Vegetable Consumme with a Brunoise Garnish. Basically this is a beef and chicken stock combined and then adding a “clarification mixture” of ground beef and egg whites which basically forms a crust on top of the stock and clarifies the liquid from a milky and foggy color to a perfectly clear color of stock.  A Brunoise Garnish is when you cut the vegetables into perfect squares that are as small as you can get them. Cutting carrots, celery, daikon and green beans into these perfect and minute squares is a very intense chopping session.

Here is the Chef’s Vegetable Consumme Soup with a Vegetable Brunoise. You can also see the 3 glasses showing how each step in making this Consumme creates a more clarified version of the soup:

In our Practical that directly followed the 3-hour Demo, we had to take Homemade Chicken & Beef stock and do the whole “clarification process” to the Vegetable Consumme soup. This is much more intense than it seems and you MUST keep an eye on the pot of simmering liquid at all times to make sure that the “clarification crust” stays intact. We also made a Brunoise with carrots, celery, daikon and green beans which took much longer to cut up with my Chef’s Knife than I figured it would…So please try to appreciate my beautiful little squares used as garnish in my Vegetable Consumme Soup that is shown below:

The last item we made in our Practical to accompany the Vegetable Consumme was Puff Pastry Cheese sticks. We had to finish making our batch of Puff Pastry, roll it out, cut into matchsticks, brush in an egg wash, and top with different items like toasted sesame seeds, toasted poppy seeds, curry powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and Gruyere cheese. They were amazing!

Here are my Puff Pastry Cheese Straws:

Here is a picture of my girlfriends and I in between classes yesterday. This is not all of our group but at least you can see a few of them!

On the far left, you have Laura. She is newly engaged, 25 and is from London. She is so sweet and has a heart of gold but also has great British humor. Her accent is so fun to listen to. To the right of me is “Magic”. She is from Thailand and is 18. She just graduated from a private high school in Thailand and pursued this field immediately. She is so laid back and is always fun to be around. To the right of Magic is Aleesa. She is my age and is from Athens, Georgia. She attended a big college in Washington D.C. You can tell she is very smart but she is a great friend and lots of fun to be around at all times. She also has that slight “southern” touch that makes me feel like a bit of home is near me. Lastly, you have Katherine. She is 21 and has been living in Paris for 2 years. She just finished the entire 9-month Pastry program at Le Cordon Bleu and decided to do the 9-month Cuisine program after. She is very worldly and has helped me get adjusted in many ways.  She speaks English, French, and her native language in Indonesia. She is surprisingly into fashion and always shows up at school in some wedge boots and cool outfit.

Lastly, here is a picture of my beautiful school, Le Cordon Bleu:

Off to run errands and then have a Demonstration at 3:30! Enjoy your Wednesday!

Love Always,

Britt xoxo

Enjoying a beautiful Macaron after class last night that was made by the Pastry students:

Soup Overload

I had a demonstration this morning for 3 hours and it involved learning how to make four different soups. The Asparagus and Wild Mushroom soups are based around the season. Spring/Summer- you would make the Asparagus soup while during the Fall/Winter- you would make the Wild Mushroom soup. Both have the same base ingredients and involve the same process. I could not believe how intense the Wild Mushroom taste was in the mushroom soup. I have never tasted such a concentrated mushroom flavor in a soup…it was unbelievable!

Here is the beautiful Wild Mushroom soup-

We also were taught how to make a Cream of Cauliflower Soup that surprisingly was pretty good considering I am not a huge fan of Cauliflower. It was very creamy and velvety, which only made it more rich and delightful.

Here is the Cream of Cauliflower soup- garnished with whipped cream and Parsley-

The last soup we were taught this morning was a Crab Bisque. The chef brought in live, blue crabs and threw them into a huge pot with melted butter and cooked them until their shells turned bright red. He then added a basic vegetable garnish of chopped onions, leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic. The vegetables were sweated in the butter and juices of the crabs, therefore infusing them with the crab flavor. You then add Cognac, White Wine, and Fish stock and let the whole pot come to a simmer and cook for about 40 minutes. Later on, you add rice flour mixed with water to create a thickening agent in the bisque liquid. Once you are done cooking, you put the whole pot through a sieve and push the liquid through to be reserved for the Crab Bisque soup.

We were also shown how to make perfectly cut croutons and saute them in a hot pan with clarified butter. The croutons were beautiful and the perfect garnish because they were all uniform in size and were as small as an eraser on a pencil. The Crab Bisque was a taste of the sea in the best way possible. I could not wait to get into our Practical directly after and make my Crab Bisque to bring home this evening.

The Crab Bisque topped with whipped cream-

 

The perfectly cut, mini croutons that topped each of today’s soups-

Of course being Monday, everyone was a little frazzled in the kitchen during the three hour practical. One step of making the Bisque was placing 5-6 crabs in a large bowl and using the end of a rolling pin to smash their shells. This maneuver releases all of their juices and therefore, enhances the flavor of the soup. As I began to beat down on the crabs, their insides and liquids immediately shot up into my face. Soon enough, the students and I were dying laughing because by the end, everyone had some sort of crab remnants on their white coats. (This only made the experience of making this dish even more realistic and fun). We had to make the Crab Bisque from scratch and then also had to prepare a whole new batch of Puff Pastry from scratch to use in the dishes for the next three days.

The Crab Bisque that I made in the Practical-

Despite it being a clumsy day, there is something about cooking in a kitchen amongst friends who love to cook just as much as you do. Everyone is in the same boat and messes up from time to time. I am lucky enough to be amongst friends/fellow students who are willing to look out for their classmates in the kitchen and lend a helping hand when needed. I wake up everyday and am ACTUALLY excited about going to school. I look forward to sitting in a desk while taking intense notes for 3 hours straight. and this is such a refreshing feeling!

I hope everyone enjoys their Monday!

Love Always,

Britt xoxo

Sunny Sunday

It is a beautiful Sunday in Paris. It feels like Santa Monica weather and I have been enjoying the sights all morning. I went out on a mission- to find a new Pastry shop called “Popelini”. Instead of the cliche Macaron that everyone (especially tourists) are always after, these Creme Puffs are the new “it” pastry. According to many food critics and Vogue magazine, Popelini will soon become the “hot” pastry to sample and the Macaron will eventually be put on the back burner. The shop is beautiful inside and the Creme Puffs or “Bon Bons” are even cuter. They each have a different flavor and you can tell them apart by their coordinating “hats” that reveal their main ingredient. I of course
had to get 6 so I could take a bite of each flavor they had available today.

Here are the Rose flavored ones on display in Popelini 

I chose Rose, Cafe, Chocolat au Lait, Citron, Praline and Tiramisu. 

The rest of the afternoon I am doing laundry and ironing my white outfits for school. (Yes, they must be ironed and clean of any spots or else we get called out, haha)

Last night I had a practical from 6:30 to 9:30. We finally got to make a completed dish using the Puff Pastry we made two days ago. The dish we made is called “Feuillete de Poireaux et Oeufs Poches, Sauce Albufera” or Puff Pastry with Leeks and Poached Eggs with Albufera Sauce. Besides finalizing all rolling and preparation of the Puff Pastry dough, we had to make the Albufera sauce from reduced chicken stock and add Bernie Marni (butter kneaded with flour) to thicken the sauce. We also cooked down julienned Leeks for an hour and creamed them. Lastly, we had to perfect and show the chef that we could poach 4 eggs perfectly. Making sure the whites were fully cooked while leaving the yoke runny and luscious. Once we cut out many shapes from our puff pastry dough, we could assemble the dish. Cutting out the center of a puff pastry square, you place the creamed leeks in the bottom, top them with Albufera sauce, place the poached egg inside gently and top it off with more sauce and sautéed red peppers. Obviously our plating is a big part of our grade. We must always make sure that the white plates are spotless, including no trace of our fingerprints. The Chefs can somehow detect a single fingerprint in the correct lighting.

Here is my plated dish:

The best part, according to the chef, was that my “puff pastry was perfectly browned and my poached
eggs looked like they were done by a professional”. Each student had to show that they could make variations of shapes with our puff pastry so I was left with all of these to bring home…Oh Darn.

 

We were so proud of our Puff Pastry shapes and just thankful that our folding techniques didn’t result in a piece of cooked and un-puffed pastry. I am now ready to make my own Croissants!

That’s all for today, I’m off to grab some fresh produce at the market to make a light, Parisian dinner at the apartment. Hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday! Au revoir!

Love Always, 

Britt xoxo

Marche des Efants Rouges

Visiting the “marches” or outdoor markets in Paris is a must! The selection of fresh produce, fish, meats, fromages, pastries, flowers, etc is unreal! Supposedly September and October are great “fooding” months because the seasonal change means shoppers can still enjoy summer fruits like berries and melons. The fall harvest offers beautiful squash, pumpkin, and various wild mushrooms.

One of the top Marches in Paris is a 9 minute walk from my apartment. Its called “Marche des Efants Rouges”. This outdoor market is one of the oldest in Paris (dating from the 1600s) and is known for great values. The cool aspect of this outdoor venue is that it not only sells individual ingredients but it also has ready-to-eat cuisine from all over
the world. Among the traditional food stands, there is a variety of stalls offering Moroccan, Italian, Lebanese, Japanese, and Organic dishes to take away or eat ‘sur place’ at one of the rustic tables placed in a beautiful courtyard within the market area.

I first ran into this amazing area of fresh flowers with massive bouquets they were dirt cheap. No bouquet was more
than 15 €. Of course I bought some to enjoy at my apartment. The Dahlia’s caught my eye and I had to purchase them!

There were so many different stalls and stands offering the most beautiful produce and fresh fruits. Others were covered in ice and displaying shiny fish and other sea creatures. Some had fresh and dry pastas and hundreds of homemade pasta sauces. Others sold bottles of wine or wine the glass to enjoy while eating at the marches.

It was such a stimulating sight and something I’ve never experienced. Each day in Paris, I am more and more blown away by the food scene and the beauty and spirit of the city!

I am off to class for my 6:30 Practical! Everyone enjoy your Saturday!

Love Always,

Britt