Archive for May, 2014

Whisky and Chocolate Paring at Maison Claudel

Wednesday, May 28th, 2014
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Marie-Hélène Gantois - Michèle Claudel - Charles Claudel

Marie-Hélène Gantois of Mococha Chocolates
Michèle and Charles Claudel of Maison Claudel

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The wine and whisky store Maison Claudel and chocolate shop Mococha joined forces two weeks ago to present a whisky and chocolate pairing. For me, it was a wonderful adventure into the discovery of exotic aromas and flavors.

The evening began with a presentation by Marie-Hélène, who described the process that cocoa beans go through during the production of chocolate. I learned that cocoa does not become chocolate until sugar—as little as 1%—is added to the cocoa mass. Marie-Hélène distributed raw cocoa beans, and then roasted beans, for us to taste. The roasted beans were easier to shell, because the roasting process had rendered their husks brittle. In either state (raw or roasted) they were pleasant to eat and not too bitter, because cocoa butter was present in the bean. During the process of making chocolate, cocoa butter is squeezed out, rendering the mass bitter until sugar is added. At some point during the manufacturing process, cocoa butter is added back in.

Charles Claudel then explained how whisky is produced from cereal grain. One of the early steps in the process is the production of malted barley. Wet barley grains are allowed to sprout at which point they are dried to stop the sprouting. In Scotland, during the drying process, peat is used to fuel the fire that heats the kiln in which the barley is dried. The barley absorbs the odor of the peat, yielding the smokey, peaty aroma that many whisky drinkers seek.

Charles spoke about the six aromas of whisky: malt (cereal, herbes), peat (smokey, medicinal, iodine), perfume (floral), acrid (sulfur, bitterness), fruit (dried or cooked fruit), woody (odor of the barrel in which it was aged). An acrid aroma is considered to be an imperfection, a defect. Nonetheless, Charles declared, even good whiskies have some imperfection&#8212imperfection contributes to the character of the beverage.

Whisky Afficionado Romain Berbudeau Seeks Out Those Notes of Caramel

Whisky Aficionado Romain Berbudeau Seeks Out Those Notes of Caramel
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Chocolate Aficionada Rosa Hewins Selects a Chocolate

Chocolate Aficionada Rosa Hewins Selects a Sweet
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Following the presentations, we tasted four whiskies paired with four chocolates. I preferred Compass Box Oak Cross that was served with a praline-filled chocolate. For me, the soft herbal aroma of the spirit harmonized well with the mild nutty flavor of the chocolate.

A Man Who Knows His Whisky

A Man Who Knows His Whisky
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

A good time was had by all!

Maison Claudel
62, rue Monge
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.45.87.17.95

Mococha Chocolats
89, rue Mouffetard
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.47.07.13.66

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Aux Merveilleux de Fred

Wednesday, May 21st, 2014
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L'Incroyable

L’Incroyable
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

When a pastry shop specializes in a single type of pastry, good things happen: it produces one of the most divine sweets that we have ever tasted!

We purchased an Incroyable from Aux Mervielleux de Fred, little realizing that it was filled with whipped cream and crunchy meringue. What a treat it was to bite into this confection! The meringue quickly collapsed under the bite, while the dreamy Speculoos-flavored, whipped-cream filling engorged the mouth with dreamy sweetness. A bittersweet chocolate swirl on top and sprinkles of white chocolate flakes all around make the experience of eating this a heavenly pleasure.

Fred produces five other flavors: Le Merveilleux (dark chocolate), L’Impensable (coffee), L’Excentrique (cherry), Le Magnifique (praline), and Le Sans-Culotte (caramel).

Aux Merveilleux de Fred
2, rue Monge
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.43.54.63.72

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The Eternal Quest for Beautiful Fesses – Our Fesses of the Month

Tuesday, May 20th, 2014
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Le Miroir d'Eau in the Square Jean-Perrin

Miroir d’Eau in the Square jean-Perrin
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Around the corner from the Champs-Elysées Clémenceau metro station, in the Square Jean-Perrin, stands a large oval fountain designed by sculptor François-Raoul Larche in 1910. Named Miroir d’eau, la Seine et ses affluents, it displays three allegorical groups that represent the tributaries of the Seine. Each group consists of a woman, each accompanied by two children, all evoking nine tributaries: L’Aube, Le Loing, L’Essonne, L’Yonne, L’Armançon, La Cure, L’Oise, La Marne, and Le Petit Morin.

The sculpted marble figures are shown admiring their own reflections in the water, and, at the same time, revealing their magnificent naked buttocks to real-life humans passing by.

Follow the link below for a close-up view:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/411586853418340623/

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How to Find a Party in Paris

Friday, May 16th, 2014
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Party People

Finding a party in Paris can be as easy as walking down the street. Take me, for example. Yesterday afternoon I was walking up boulevard Saint-Michel towards place Edmond-Rostand. All of a sudden I saw a huge cloud of thick white smoke rise up. A fire? I asked myself. An explosion? No! It was a party!

I rushed to place Edmond-Rostand and arrived just in time to see a caravan of vehicles emerging from rue Sufflot and turning left onto rue Gay-Lussac. Pressing forward through the crowd, I was able to make my way to the lead vehicle, which happened to be a beer truck…the most important element of a party! The truck emitted loud, pulse-pounding music while young men busied themselves serving draught beer to the crown. I got mine!

Surfing

Party for the Fun of It

Party for the Fun of It
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

This blowout was organized by the students of the Ecole Polytechnique to announce the annual Point Gamma extravaganza, “the biggest student event in France.” It was, in other words, a party to announce a party. What a great idea!

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Tasting Kassave au Chocolat at the Foire de Paris

Wednesday, May 14th, 2014
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Preparing Kassave on a Giant Skillet

Preparing Kassave on a Giant Skillet
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

While at the Foire de Paris last week, I stopped by a stand operated by a company called Kassaverie Saveurs. It appeared that the cook there was preparing crêpes, that paper-thin pancake that the French are so good at making. It turned out, though, that she was making kassaves (also spelled cassave), a pancake made from manioc flour. Manioc is a starchy, tuberous root that has to be ground and then soaked before it can be eaten. The finished product is a flour that looks like grated coconut.

When I requested a chocolate-flavored kassave, the cook spread a heap of manioc flour on a large skillet and then added globs of chocolate to the heap. After a while, she covered the confection with another helping of flour and then flipped it like a pancake. When the pancake displayed a light-brown toasted color on both sides, it was done!

Kassave au Chocolat

A Slice of Kassave au Chocolat
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

I took the kassave home, where I tasted it at room temperature, rather than warming it in the oven. Its texture was dry, grainy, spongy, and chewy, similar to the texture of day-old, whole-grain bread. The manioc flour tasted slightly sour, but otherwise did not have remarkable flavor. The part of the pancake that contained chocolate, though, tasted somewhat like a Hostess Sno Ball. My lasting impression of this confection was that eating it was similar to eating a chocolate sandwich that had been prepared with two slices of dry whole-grain bread.

A video (in French) on manioc production in Guadeloupe can be viewed here.

Kassaverie Saveurs is located in Guadeloupe.

Kassaverie Saveurs
3, Allée des Hibiscus
Cité des Sources
97130 Capesterre Belle Eau
France

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Vanina Desanges Exhibits at Artame Gallery

Tuesday, May 13th, 2014
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Vanina Desanges

Vanina Desanges, Artist
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Last Saturday I had the occasion to meet an artist on the metro. Her name is Vanina Desanges and she was taking three of her paintings to a gallery where she will be participating in a group exposition with twenty other artists. I was intrigued with her painting, so I asked her if she would pose for a picture. She did, and I braced myself as best as I could against the sway of the speeding train.

The group exhibition will be held from May 15 to June 6 at the Artame Gallery in the Belleville district of the 20th arrondissement.

And, coincidentally, the Journées Portes Ouvertes des Ateliers d’Artistes de Belleville will take place from May 23 to May 26 this year. Visitors who come by the gallery will be invited to participate in a collective effort to decorate a giant layer “cake,” called an artgato. The event sounds as if it will be a lot of fun!.

Artame
37, rue Ramponeau
75020 Paris
Tel.: 01.40.33.42.51
Open Tues to Sat from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

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Tropical Stars Shine over Paris

Saturday, May 10th, 2014
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Collage of Caribbean Singers

Big-name singers from the Caribbean performed last night on an outdoor stage at the Foire de Paris.

VBJ Soul Men

VBJ Soul Men
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Of all of the performers that came on stage, only one group, the VBJ Soul Men, sang hits that Americans will easily recognize—they gave a powerful rendition of “I’m a Soul Man.” Their Web site (in French) can be found at the following link http://vigonbamyjay.fr

A good time was had by all!

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Les Délices d’Haïti at the Foire de Paris

Wednesday, May 7th, 2014
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Three Young Women at the Délices d'Haïti Stand

Three Young Women at the Délices d’Haïti Food Stand
From left to right: Kerenne – Jemuma – Iné

Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

Yesterday at the Foire de Paris, I happened by a food stand called Les Délices d’Haïti. Seeing that there were not many customers there at that moment, I decided that it would be a good time to pause for lunch.

Barquette Créole

Barquette Créole
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net

The lunch menu (called Barquette Créole) offered four dishes for only 7€, a fair price! The dishes were Riz Djon-Djon (rice with mushrooms), Poulet (chicken), Pickliz (coleslaw), and Bananes Pesées (flat plantain fritters). A can of Oasis orange soda was 2€ extra.

I found all of the dishes to be delicious and spicy. The rice was made with djon-djon, a black mushroom native to Haiti. During cooking, the mushrooms release a grayish-black coloring that gives the rice its gray color and the dish’s distinctive flavor. Spices from Haiti (the exact names of which I never found out) gave all of the dishes piquancy. I liked the fried chicken leg and was told that it had been marinated for twenty-four hours in lemon juice and mustard. I enjoyed the coleslaw, but had to remove some of the tiny slices of red pepper that gave the salad a too spicy kick. The bananes pesées were fun to eat. Soft on the inside and crusty on the outside, they are prepared by mashing or flattening slices of plantain and then frying them like fritters.

Délices d’Haïti, located in the town of Pontoise (about twenty-five kilometers to the northwest of Paris), has a Facebook page.

Délices d’Haïti
2, route de Menandon
95300 Pontoise
Tel.: 06.58.79.86.99

The Foire de Paris continues through Sunday, May 11.

Haïtian flag 450w

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