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A Visit to the Marché de Saint-Denis – Part III

April 6th, 2012

During the Middle Ages, an enormous market called La Foire du Lendit was held every year just outside of Saint-Denis. From June 11 to June 24, it attracted buyers and sellers from all over Europe. In 1556, King Henri II moved it within the city walls, where the modern Marché de Saint-Denis continues the market tradition today.

Philippe Rochette Buys Parsley at the Aromatic Herb Stand
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Zohire Sells Aromatic Herbs
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

We stopped at the aromatic herb stand where Philippe purchased a bunch of parsley. Aziz, the proprietor (not pictured), offered me a bunch of fresh mint. I took it home and brewed it in hot water. With a little sugar added, it produced a refreshing hot mint tea.

Harry at Tripe Stand
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Although Philippe didn’t buy any provisions at the tripe stand, he introduced me to Harry, who works there.

Michel at Maison Haësig Meat Stand
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

He also introduced me to Michel, who works at the Maison Haësig meat stand. Michel is a butcher in the town of Stans, and comes to the Saint-Denis market on Tuesdays.

Madame Vandezande with Daughter Aurélie at the Vegetable Stand
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Philippe purchased some watercress from Madame Vandezande. She and her husband cultivate vegetables in L’Oise, a département in the Picardie region of France. What a great privilege to be able to buy products fresh from the farm at the Saint-Denis market!

Join me tomorrow, when we finish our grocery shopping with a crêpe and a caress!

Marché de Saint-Denis
Place Victor Hugo
93200 Saint-Denis
Open Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Métro: Basilique de Saint-Denis (Line 13)

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Tags: Maison Haësig, Marché de Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis food market
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A Visit to the Marché de Saint-Denis – Part II

April 5th, 2012

During my market visit with Philippe Rochette, I learned that he does not plan in advance the dishes that he serves at his restaurant on any particular day. Instead, he goes around the market to see what the vendors are selling and determines on the spot what he will prepare.

Philippe Rochette at the Stand of Pascal Vavasseur

Philippe Rochette at the Fruit Stand of Pascal Vavasseur
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Madame Vavasseur
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Our first stop was at the fruit stand of Pascal Vavasseur, who sells products straight from his orchard in Val-d’Oise. Philippe purchased a sack of Starkinson apples for only 1€ a kilogram! Jonagold apples were selling for the same price.

Les Volailles des Prés
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

At the next stand, Philippe stopped to buy eggs and free-range guinea fowl. The birds came from Chalans in Vendée, an administrative département in west-central France. The producer there won a Bronze Medal in 2011 at the Salon International de l’Agriculture held in Paris.

Buying Beets at Chez Colette
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Philippe selected some nice beets selling for 2.50€/kg at a vegetable stand called Chez Colette. He picked up each one with a two-pronged fork and examined it carefully before putting it in his bag…or rejecting it.

Anne-Laure of La Ferme Sainte-Anne
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Next, we stopped by La Ferme Sainte-Anne where Philippe purchased some Comté, a semi-hard, unpasteurized, cow’s milk cheese from the Franche-Comté region of eastern France.

Join me tomorrow for some more grocery shopping at the Marché de Saint-Denis!

Marché de Saint-Denis
Place Victor Hugo
93200 Saint-Denis
Open Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Métro: Basilique de Saint-Denis (Line 13)

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Tags: Chez Colette, La Ferme Sainte-Anne, Les Volailles des Prés, Marché de Saint-Denis, Pascal Vavasseur, Saint-Denis food market
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A Visit to the Marché de Saint-Denis – Part I

April 4th, 2012

Yesterday found me getting out of bed at 5:45 a.m. to catch a bus and then a metro out to the neighboring town of Saint-Denis for a 7:30 a.m. rendezvous with Mathilde Christnacht of the Seine-Saint-Denis Department of Tourism. I met her and Philippe Rochette for an early-morning tour of the food market there. The purpose of the tour was to watch Philippe, owner and chef of a local restaurant called Chez Rochette, make purchases for his lunchtime service.

Marché de Saint-Denis in the Early-morning Light
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

The Saint-Denis market is located in a handsome 19th century halle that was renovated and brought up to modern standards in 2005. It shelters 80 food stands selling such diverse products as fish, meat, tripe, sausages, fruit, vegetables, and more. Farm-fresh produce comes from the region and beyond. The market is one of the biggest in Ile-de-France!

The first thing that I noticed during the tour was the price of the products. They were certainly much lower than the prices that one finds at the markets in Paris. Only 1€ for a kilogram of Starkinson apples!

And the second thing that I noticed was the camaraderie among the vendors and buyers. There was so much good-natured joking at every stand that within five minutes of arriving I was smiling from ear to ear. This joyous joshing certainly makes grocery shopping in any supermarket akin to attending a funeral!

Philippe Rochette - Tom Reeves - Nicolas Gagnère

Philippe Rochette, Owner of Chez Rochette
Tom Reeves of Paris Insights
Nicolas Gagnère, Maître d'hôtel at Chez Rochette
Photo taken by Mathilde Christnacht

Join me tomorrow when we walk from stand to stand to buy fresh produce!

Marché de Saint-Denis
Place Victor Hugo
93200 Saint-Denis
Open Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Métro: Basilique de Saint-Denis (Line 13)

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We participate in Wanderfood Wednesdays. Head over there to explore food from around the world!

Tags: Chez Rochette, Marché de Saint-Denis, Saint-Denis food market
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Not Your Ordinary Chiclets

March 28th, 2012

Elma Classic Chewing Gum
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

We stopped by Mavrommatis, a Greek delicatessen near rue Mouffetard, and purchased a pack of chewing gum called Elma. It is made from mastic, a resin known to the people of the Eastern Mediterranean since Antiquity. It was the first natural chewing gum of the ancient world!

Flavored with mastic oil, the gum has a menthol-like, resinous flavor. It requires more effort to chew than your ordinary Chiclets.

Mavrommatis
47, rue Censier
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.45.35.96.50

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Tags: chewing gum, Elma, Mavrommatis
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Are We the First Anglophones to Review La Cerise sur la Pizza?

March 26th, 2012

La Cerise sur la Pizza
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Are we the first Anglophones to review La Cerise sur la Pizza? We like to think so!

We think that anyone seeking authentic Italian pizza in Paris will enjoy coming to La Cerise sur la Pizza to dine.

To gain access to this and ninety-nine other restaurant reviews, all you need to do is to sign up at the following link: http://www.parisinsights.com/restaurants.php.

Buon appetito!

To read my review of our fabulous lunch there, as well as to gain access to ninety-nine other restaurant reviews, all you need to do is to sign up at the following link: http://www.parisinsights.com/restaurants.php.

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Tags: La Cerise sur la Pizza
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My Day at the Paris Cookbook Fair – Part VI

March 14th, 2012

I attended the Paris Cookbook Fair last Thursday. For me, the fun took place at the food and beverage stands and the cooking demonstrations.

I stopped at the Brewberry stand to say hello to Cécile Thomas. (I wrote about her cave à bière in my Paris Insights newsletter in December 2011.)

Cécile poured me a Dubbel Bock made by Brouwerij de Molen, a brewery in Holland dedicated to producing craft beers. I was surprised by the strength of the beer and plan to return to her cave to try it again. The brewery has been producing award-winning beers for a number of years now.

Cécile Thomas pours a Dubbel Bock
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

While I was there, three men lined up for a photo opportunity: Alex Barlow, author of All Beer Guide, a book that won the World’s Best Beer Book award (Gourmand, 2010); John Brus, marketing and development for de Molen brewery; and Ales Gacnik (unidentified affiliation), holding a copy of the book and a bottle of Dubbel Bock.

Alex Barlow - John Brus - Ales Gacnik
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

This report brings to an end the “My Day at the Paris Cookbook Fair” series. It was an exciting event and I look forward to returning next year!

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We participate in Wanderfood Wednesdays. Head over there to explore food from around the world!

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Tags: Ales Gacnik, Alex Barlow, All Beer Guide, Brewberry, Brouwerij de Molen, Cécile Thomas, Festival du Livre Culinaire, John Brus, Paris Cookbook Fair
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My Day at the Paris Cookbook Fair – Part V

March 13th, 2012

I attended the Paris Cookbook Fair last Thursday. For me, the fun took place at the food and beverage stands and the cooking demonstrations.

The company Gourmet Patagonia held a presentation of its award-winning cookbook Patagonia Cuisine, winner of the best culinary book of the year. The award was given by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards at a ceremony that was held at the Théâtre des Folies Bergère on March 6.

The speakers, Rodrigo Durand Cerda and Francisco Fantini Jarpa, talked lovingly of the Patagonia region of South America, where one can find crystal-clear waters and pristine mountains…and fine cuisine.

Francisco Fantini Jarpa, Editorial Director
Gourmet Patagonia
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

After their presentation they distributed samples of Kunstmann beer, a beer that is brewed by descendants of a German family that settled in Valdivia, Chile in the 19th century. I liked the dark-brown beer that they served. It had a nice malty flavor with no bitter aftertaste. They also served a white beer and a blueberry-flavored beer. Both were quite refreshing.

The people at Kunstmann throw a big Bierfest every year at which time a King and Queen of Beer are crowned. To be crowned King one must be able to drink a liter of beer more quickly that the other contestants. Congratulates go out to Andres Hettish, crowned King for the last four years in a row. He can drink a liter of beer in four seconds! I’ll drink to that!

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Tags: Bierfest Kunstmann, Cerveza Kunstmann, Festival du Livre Culinaire, Francisco Fantini Jarpa, Gourmand World Cookbook Awards, Gourmet Patagonia, Paris Cookbook Fair, Patagonia, Rodrigo Durand Cerda
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My Day at the Paris Cookbook Fair – Part IV
An Amazing Technique for Preparing Scrambled Eggs

March 11th, 2012

I attended the Paris Cookbook Fair last Thursday. For me, the fun took place at the food and beverage stands and the cooking demonstrations.

At 2:00 p.m. I entered the International Show Kitchen to watch Chef Chakall prepare egg recipes from the new book Angry Birds — Bad Piggies’ Egg Recipes. As I watched him and his colleagues set the stage for the presentation I knew that something spectacular was about to happen. He brought out a sound board (a mixing console used for routing and changing the level, timbre, and dynamics of audio signals). “Why would he need a sound board to prepare eggs?” I wondered. Then I saw his colleague place two speakers on the stage, so I figured that Chef Chakall was going to play some music while he cooked.

Chef Chakall played a number of recordings, including “Heart of Glass” by Blondie, while he prepared the egg dishes. For those who don’t know what the Angry Birds and the Bad Piggies are, it is a video game in which birds are launched at pigs to keep them from eating their eggs. It sounds crazy, but it is a popular game.

Taking his cue from the Angry Birds concept, Chef Chakall launched a few eggs, not birds, one at a time across the room towards his colleague who caught them in a large bowl. I use “caught” advisedly, because when the eggs hit the bowl they would splatter. Kids, don’t try this at home!

Here are some photos of the cooking event:

Chef Chakall Presents Recipe Book
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Chef Chakall Prepares to Launch an Egg
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Assistant Prepares to Catch Egg while Angry Bird Stands By Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Egg Reaches Target
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Chef Chakall Prepares Scrambled Eggs
while His Lovely Assistant Looks On
Photo by www.DiscoverParis.net

Today is the last day of the Paris Cookbook Festival. Chef Chakall will once again prepare recipes from the Angry Birds — Bad Piggies’ Egg Recipes book at 3:00 p.m.

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Tags: Angry Birds — Bad Piggies’ Egg Recipes, Chakall, Festival du Livre Culinaire, Paris Cookbook Fair
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An Amazing Technique for Preparing Scrambled Eggs

Paris Insights - The Blog

A Visit to the Marché de Saint-Denis – Part III

A Visit to the Marché de Saint-Denis – Part II

A Visit to the Marché de Saint-Denis – Part I

Not Your Ordinary Chiclets

Are We the First Anglophones to Review La Cerise sur la Pizza?

My Day at the Paris Cookbook Fair – Part VI

My Day at the Paris Cookbook Fair – Part V

My Day at the Paris Cookbook Fair – Part IV
An Amazing Technique for Preparing Scrambled Eggs

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