Chef Diane Anthonissen gives a guided tour of the open-air food market located on avenue President Wilson in Paris.
Contact us for information about her cooking classes and private dinners.
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Breakfast at Le Comptoir des Saint-Pères
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net
As illustrated in this photograph, the standard French breakfast that is served in cafés consists of tartines (buttered bread), croissants, jam, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and coffee. Apart from the orange juice the breakfast is not very nourishing! It is also not cheap: 10.80€ was the price for the petit déjeuner that we had at Le Comptoir des Saint-Pères. (The photograph illustrates three sticks of bread and three croissants because there were three of us at the table.)
Thanks to Doni Belau of Girls Guide to Paris for treating us this morning!
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Gariguette Strawberries
(c) Discover Paris!
What would summer in Paris be without strawberries? When this succulent, sweet, bright-to-deep-red fruit appears in the markets, Parisians celebrate the coming of longer days, sunny skies and the promise of slipping away for three to four weeks to the beach or to the French countryside.
Our article on summer strawberries appears in the newly-released abridged edition of our book Paris Insights – An Anthology. And now, for the ridiculously low price of a Tweet, you can download the e-book and read other fascinating things about the Paris that you never knew! Read what is the number one difference between French and American wines in the article entitled “Wining and Dining with Juan Sanchez;” learn about the diversity of worship in the article “Christian Churches in Paris;” and learn why the avenue des Champs-Elysées is an important place in the hearts and minds of Parisians.
Want to learn more about Paris? Click here!
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There are numerous restaurant guides available for the Paris-bound traveler to consult before making that dream trip to the City of Light, but the one that I have found that best describes the city’s culinary scene is the soon-to-be-published J’aime Paris: Mon Paris du goût en 200 adresses, by Alain Ducasse (April 2011, Alain Ducasse Edition).
J’aime Paris is a heavy book, weighing in at 4 lbs! It contains 596 pages, and is illustrated with sumptuous black-and-white and color photographs. Co-written with Frédérick E. Grasser Hermé, it is a lively account in words and pictures of some 230 establishments in Paris. While most of the places described are restaurants, the authors also include numerous marketplaces, kitchenware shops, specialty food shops, bars, bakeries, pastry shops, cheese shops, butcher shops, cafés, and more. The book is a veritable treasure-trove of information on the vast and varied world of gastronomy for which Paris is famous.
Although the brief accounts of each establishment are written in French, in my opinion, an understanding of the language is not necessary to enjoy and to learn from the book. It is amply illustrated with hundreds of photographs. The images by themselves effectively convey the passion that motivates Parisian restaurant and food shop owners, and the rich culture and traditions of the French gastronomic experience.
J’aime Paris by Alain Ducasse
Alain Ducasse Edition
Photographer: Pierre Monetta
Appears in bookshops in April 2011 – 35 €
A full review of J’aime Paris is available to the subscribers of our monthly newsletter Paris Insights.
Access to the newsletter is by paid subscription. Click here to view the announcement of the newsletter that features the book review. Click here to enter a subscription.
Bonne lecture!
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The irrepressible Lové Anthony, hostess of the YouTube video series Love2Eat, engaged Discover Paris! to escort her around Ile-Saint-Louis so that she could sample food at the gourmet boutiques there. Click on the video screen below to view her culinary adventure!
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Two Crêpes
(c) Discover Paris!
Just as the 2010 holiday season was fading into distant memory, we are jolted back to the reality that today, February 2, is the last day of Christmas. For today is Candlemas (La Chandeleur in French), the celebration of the presentation of Jesus at the temple. Crêpes are traditionally prepared and consumed on this day.
We purchased two freshly-made crêpes from La Moisson, a bakery located just below rue Mouffetard at 2, rue Bazeilles, in the 5th arrondissement. If you do not eat them immediately, crêpes are best prepared by carefully unfolding them, placing them on a warm skillet, melting a pat of butter on them, and adding a sprinkling of sugar. Nutella (the brand name of a chocolate sauce containing ground hazelnuts) is a favorite filling in France for these ultra-thin pancakes.
Most readers of this blog do not enjoy the convenience of a neighborhood bakery that sells crêpes. For detailed instructions on how to make them, follow this link.
Bon appétit!
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The twelfth day of Christmas, Epiphany, is celebrated with Kings’ cake, or galette des Rois, as they are called in France.
Galette des Rois from Pain de Sucre
(c) Discover Paris!
The cakes, made of flaky puff-pastry layers with a dense center of frangipane, are sold in bakeries during the month of January. We wanted to purchase our galette from a specific bakery in the Marais, but when we arrived at the address we found that it was no longer in business. We stopped at a coffee house in the neighborhood to purchase some fresh-roasted coffee beans and were told that one of the finest bakeries in Paris was the nearby Pain de Sucre. So we hastened over there and purchased a small galette (for two to four persons). This 6 ¾” diameter by 1” tall cake weighing 290 grams cost 20€. A pretty penny to pay for such a small cake!
We found the galette to be quite buttery and flaky; its 3/8” almond-paste filling was light and airy, rather than heavy and pasty as one so often finds in these pastries. Each contains a porcelain bean (fève, in French). The person whose slice contains the fève is King or Queen for the day! He or she gets to wear a paper crown, which is provided with the galette.
Pain de Sucre
14 Rue Rambuteau
75003 Paris
Tel: 01.45.74.68. 92
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Veganism is more than a diet—it is a lifestyle. This is the primary lesson that we learned when we attended Paris Vegan Day on November 28 at La Bellevilloise, a cultural center located in the 20th arrondissement of the French capital.
Our day began at La Halle aux Oliviers, a grand banquet room located in the back of the cultural center. There, we feasted on an all-you-can-eat vegan brunch, a meal that we recently reported on in our Paris Insights free restaurant review.
Cooking Demonstration
(c) Discover Paris!
Following the brunch, we entered the main area of the cultural center to see what Paris Vegan Day was all about. La Bellevilloise has three floors, each of which was devoted to vegan-centered activities. We entered the ground floor where a cooking demonstration was being given by Sébastien Kardinal. Sébastien was showing the large audience how to make Tofoie gras, a vegan alternative to foie gras. His recipe (in French) can be found on the VG-Zone Web site.
Food'Joie
(c) Discover Paris!
At the opposite side of the room, Elodie Beaucent was creating amusing faces from vegetables and fruit. She gives workshops to adults on how to make a balanced vegetarian lunch from organic food products; and to children on how eat healthfully and to create funny faces from food. She has a Web site (in French) at Food’Joie.
Vegan Fashions
(c) Discover Paris!
Going upstairs, we arrived just in time to see a fashion show of vegan clothing presented by Joshua Katcher of The Discerning Brute (Web site in English). Male and female models paraded out one by one demonstrating attractive clothing that incorporates no leather or wool. Instead, the leather-like jackets that the men and women were modeling were made from rubber! I had never heard of vegan clothing before, but the idea that there could be a market for these products made me realize that veganism was a way of life, much more than just a diet.
Vegan Speed Dating
(c) Discover Paris!
Walking over to the Freshman Consulting stand, a company that had set up a speed-dating service for vegans, the concept of veganism as a lifestyle became even more apparent. How could vegan and non-vegan partners ever hope to live together harmoniously? I wondered. Vegans eschew anything that exploits the use of animals in the service of man: leather and wool products; meat, fish, and poultry; animal testing for drug and cosmetic research and development; the consumption of milk, honey, and eggs… They consider that the exploitation of animals in any form by humans is morally wrong. A couple that does not adhere to this fundamental concept would, in my mind, be in constant conflict. For a man or a woman, then, to find a partner that subscribes to this principle, he or she must move in a circle of vegans, hence the usefulness of a vegan dating service at this event.
We moved about to other stands on this floor.
Dominique and Alice
(c) Discover Paris!
Dominique and Alice were selling justuman eco conscious t-shirts.
Lili Cerise
(c) Discover Paris!
Lili Cerise was selling cute handbags.
Lush Cosmetics
(c) Discover Paris!
Lush was selling cosmetics.
The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life
(c) Discover Paris!
Messler Elliot was selling her book The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life.
Jasmine
(c) Discover Paris!
And in the hallway, Jasmine was distributing a brochure entitled “Nutrition végétale” (Plant-Based Nutrition and Health).
Downstairs Exhibitors
(c) Discover Paris!
Finally, we descended the stairway to enter the basement. This level is normally used as a nightclub, and we entered a vast, poorly-lit room with red lighting predominating. We found the effect to be rather sinister, so we did not remain long. This floor was given over to advocacy groups, including animal rights and anti-vivisection societies. A link to a Web site (in French) of one of these groups gives an idea of what they advocate, as well as their militancy.
People Waiting to Get In
(c) Discover Paris!
As we left the building, we learned that attendance had exceeded all expectations. In fact, people were waiting on the sidewalk in the cold, because security regulations did not permit everybody to enter at once. Judging from the lively activities that went on within the cultural center, the enthusiasm of the attendees, and the number of persons waiting to get in, it was a successful event. Alexandre Pivan, one of the organizers, told us that he anticipates that in five years the city of Paris will be the leading center for veganism in the world!
Paris Vegan Day was organized by Deborah Brown Pivain and her son and daughter Alexandre and Caroline Pivain. The family owns and operates the Gentle Gourmet Bread and Breakfast in Paris. We dined at their establishment in April of this year and reviewed their cuisine for our Paris Insights newsletter.
L'Atelier du Saumon
(c)Discover Paris!
The Comité Départemental de Tourisme de Saint-Saint-Denis recently organized a visit to L’Atelier du Saumon, a store in the town of Saint-Denis where fresh Scottish salmon is processed. The owner of the store, Laurent Leymonie, gave a one-hour presentation about how he prepares the fish for sale.
Leymonie buys only Scottish salmon that is certified “Label Rouge,” a guarantee that food products have undergone certain standards of control and production. The salmon is raised on a fish farm in Scotland and shipped to him. Upon reception of the fish, he follows a five-step process to prepare it for his customers:
• First, Leymonie covers the salmon with pure, white salt for about six to seven hours. Salting removes excess water from the fish and prevents bacteria from growing.
• Next, he places the fish in a drying chamber. This process removes water, but does not dry the fish.
• He then lays the salmon in a smoker where the fish reposes in the smoke of burning beech wood for about six to seven hours at 25° C.
• Following the smoking, he lets the salmon rest 24 hours in a refrigerated chamber, allowing the aroma of the smoke to permeate the fish.
• Finally, he packages the fish for sale, using a special machine to evacuate the air and seal the salmon in a vacuum-tight package.
The resulting product is a delicate, flavorsome fish with a mild, smoky flavor. It is delicious!
Laurent Leymonie
(c) Discover Paris!
Part of Leymonie’s presentation was a demonstration of the technique for slicing the fish. Participants were encouraged to try their hand at it; best of all, following the slicing was the tasting!
Perhaps even more interesting than learning about the preparation of salmon was to learn that Mr. Leymonie worked for thirty years as a cameraman and photo director. Perceiving changes in the industry and a diminution of his passion for the work, he decided that the moment had come to switch careers. He enrolled in the cooking school École Ferrandi and received a Certificate d’Aptitude Professionnelle. During his studies he was introduced to the techniques of smoking salmon and decided that he would pursue a career in that niche. This was a good choice, given that his lack of experience in the restaurant industry at his age would prohibit him from entering a career path in cuisine. After a period of experimenting with various techniques of smoking salmon, he was ready to open his shop. Today he has loyal customers, including a number of restaurants that purchase his product.
Bon appetit!
L’Atelier du Saumon
11, rue de la Charronnerie
93200 Saint Denis
Telephone: 01.49.22.06.13
Open from Tuesday to Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Web site: www.atelierdusaumon.com
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 | Tom Reeves - author of Paris Insights - An Anthology and Dining Out in Paris - What You Need to Know before You Get to the City of Light. |