Tom Photographing Le Chasseur d’Ours
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
This month’s sculpted fanny was realized in 1893 by Emannuel Frémiet. It is affixed to the façade of the Musée de Paléontologie, rue Buffon.
Follow the link below for a close-up view!
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/411586853417338114/
Priscilla Pilon’s Annual Paris Tweet Up is now history, and what a blast it was!
38 Saint Louis
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
It was held yesterday evening at a cheese shop called 38 Saint Louis located on rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Isle. Operated by Thibault Lhirondelle and Didier Grosjean, this is a great delicatessen that sells cheese, wine, sausages, and fine foods. Before setting foot there, I never realized that cheese could be so much fun.
Thibault Lhirondelle and Didier Grosjean
Proprietors of 38 Saint Louis
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Pierre-André Rouard (left)
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Pierre-André Rouard of Origine Gourmet presented some of the finest salmon that I have ever tasted. It was served with a glass of diluted Highland Park whisky (2/3 water, 1/3 whisky), an eminently appropriate accompaniment for salmon.
Frédéric Royan
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Wine merchant Frédéric Royan presented four wines (two white and two red), which we tasted one at a time, each with a different cheese.
Thibault Ringing Bell
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Thibault would call people to order from time to time so that he could announce the names of the cheeses, each of which was paired with an appropriate wine.
Cheese Board
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Pictured above: Fontenille Selles-sur-Cher goat cheese (left-hand corner), Comté Charles Arnaud, aged 20 months (center), Saint-Marcellin (right-hand corner), Fourme d’Ambert au lait cru (lower corner), .
Baguettes in a Bread Basket
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Fresh, chewy bread from Boulangerie Martin, a bakery shop located on the same street, was served with the cheese.
Lily Heise
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Lily “La Tigresse” Heise, who rocked the world with her explosive kiss-and-tell memoir Je t’aime, Me neither, was there.
Priscilla Pilon and Kathryn Reichart
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Priscilla (who organized the event) poses with avid tweeter Kathryn Reichart.
Pouring Red for Anna Eklund-Cheong
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Anna Eklund-Cheong of Paris Haiku was there.
Happy People
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Pictured (with faces to camera, from left to right):
Mary Kay Bosshart of Out and About in Paris
Frédéric Royan
Leah Walker of Leah Travels
Colleen Shaughnessy-Larsson of Colleen’s Paris
Not pictured:
Tom Reeves of Discover Paris and Paris Insights
Monique Y. Wells of Entrée to Black Paris
Nathalie of The Parisienne
Richard Reichart
Susan Ferguson
Patty Jenkins
Other names will be added as they are communicated to me.
A good time was had by all! A big thank you goes out to Priscilla for organizing such a great event.
38 Saint Louis
38, rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Ile
75004 Paris
Tel.: 01.46.33.30.00
Pam Pappas Stanoch
Books for Africa
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
In celebration of the first Martin Luther King, Jr. Global Day of Service, the Union of Overseas Voters sponsored a talk at the Foundation des Etats-Unis yesterday evening. Pam Stanoch, gave a presentation on Books for Africa, an organization that collects, sorts, ships, and distributes books to students of all ages in Africa.
Neige
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
In December, we were invited to attend a tasting of what I thought was going to be apple cider at Philovino, a wine shop operated by Bruno Quenioux. I blogged about tasting cider at Mr. Quenioux’s shop back in July of last year. This time, we were in for a big surprise because the “cider” that we came to taste was in reality an apple wine, or more specifically, an apple ice wine.
The concept of producing wine from frozen apples is confusing to the uninitiated. How, you might ask, does one get wine from this?
There are two ways* and both methods are used by La Face Cachée de la Pomme, the company that produces the wine that we tasted that evening.
Method 1 – Cryoconcentration
In autumn, very ripe apples are picked and kept in cool storage until winter. At the end of December, apples are then pressed and the freshly-extracted juice is placed outside in the extreme cold temperatures of January. Slowly, the water crystallizes and separates from the sugar. After a few days of intense cold, the concentrated apple nectar (called “must”) is drawn off and placed in stainless steel tanks where it ferments for a period of approximately eight months at low temperatures before being bottled.
Method 2 – Cryoextraction
In this method, apple ice wine is produced from varieties of apples that do not fall from the trees in autumn; they are picked in December and January when the temperatures are near –15°C. These apples have been dehydrated by the sun and literally cooked by the cold and the wind. Sugars have been concentrated through natural cryoextraction. The frozen apples are then pressed to extract the nectar. The must is then placed in stainless steel tanks where it ferments for a period of approximately eight months at low temperatures before being bottled.
More than 6kg of apples are required to produce 1L of apple ice wine.
We tasted this limpid, light-amber wine and were astounded by its intense apple aroma and rich apple-and-butterscotch flavor. In the mouth, it is soft, smooth, and very sweet, but not cloying. It makes a great after-dinner drink and can be served as an accompaniment with certain sharp cheeses, such as aged cheddar and blue-veined cheeses.
In searching the Internet to learn more about the apple ice wines that are produced by La Face Cachée, I was surprised to learn that the role that Mr. Quenioux played in their development has been overlooked. Quenioux was impressed by this wine when, as manager of the wine shop at Lafayette Gourmet (of the Galeries Lafayette department store in Paris), he tasted it for the first time. Sometime later, François Pouliot, founder of La Face Cachée, contacted Quenioux for advice on how to improve the quality of what was already a good product. Quenioux suggested using a different variety of apple and provided guidance on the process of fermentation. Now, five years later, Quenioux says that Neige tastes even better than when he first enthused about it.
Bruno Qenioux and François Pouliot in front of Philovino
Photograph courtesy of Philovino
Neige is sold in Bruno Quenioux’s wine shop:
Boutique Philovino
33, rue Claude Bernard
75005 PARIS
Open from Tuesday to Saturday
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
*Information about the production of apple ice wine was gleaned from La Face Cachée Web site.
Fig Bread and Mont d’Or
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
We have occasionally been stopping by a new bakery located on the corner of rue Flatters and rue Bertholet called Les Pains d’Alexis. Although Alexis does not produce a wide variety of breads, the ones that he makes are delicious. They are sold by the kilogram and customers can request the amount that they desire.
We recently purchased a half-loaf of Alexis’ fig bread and decided to taste it with Mont d’Or, a creamy, runny, raw cow’s-milk cheese made in the Franche-Comté region of France. Our favorite place for cheese is Patrick Veron on rue Mouffetard.
I told Mr. Veron that we would be eating the cheese right away, so he selected one for me that was particularly ripe.
Back home, we sliced the fig bread thinly and spread it with the runny Mont d’Or. Mr. Vernon had selected the cheese well—it had a wonderfully mild “welcome to the farm” aroma and a slightly tangy taste. The bread was chewy and tasted earthy. What a great flavor combination!
Les Pains d’Alexis and Fig Bread
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Les Pains d’Alexis
18, rue Flatters
75005 Paris
Tel: 01.43.31.03.51
Patrick Veron and Mont d’Or
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Fromagerie Patrick Veron
105, rue Mouffetard
75005 Paris
Tel: 01.47.07.55.79
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In mid-November, I received an invitation from the Saint-Ouen Tourist Office to attend a pastry workshop at a bakery in their town. Saint-Ouen lies just outside of Paris, to the north. I was going to learn how to make a Tarte choco-praliné (chocolate-praline tart)!
Boulangerie Blot
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
The bakery, Boulangerie Blot, is operated by Patrick and Céline Blot. It lies on rue des Rosiers, not far from the famous Paris Flea Market (which is, in reality, located in Saint-Ouen).
Madame Blot and Group
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Pastry Dough
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Madame Blot had prepared the dough for the tart in advance. All we had to do was to place it into a tart mold. (There was one mold for each of us.) Then she prepared the ganache (filling), while at the same time talking about the ingredients that she was using. I quickly realized that there wouldn’t be much “hands-on” in this workshop, but that didn’t matter too much, because I also realized that this was a rare occasion to be part of an all-French group experience. There weren’t any Anglophones to talk to!
Madame Blot Preparing Ganache (Filling)
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Catherine Taking Notes
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
One of the participants, Catherine, took careful notes. There was a lot of discussion between Madame Blot and the participants about ingredients, technique, and so on. It was enough for me to keep up with the spoken French as the words whizzed by me at super-speed.
Tom Filling the Pastry Shell with Ganache
Photograph by Saint-Ouen Tourist Office
After Madame Blot finished preparing the ganache, we each spooned it into our pastry shell. At this point, the tart should have gone into the oven to bake. After it cooled, it would be finished off with a topping of croquant praliné (crunchy praline). However, as time was short, Madame Blot had already prepared and baked a number of ganache-filled tarts. She brought these out for us to top off with the praliné.
Preparing Croquant Praliné
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Some of the participants took a hand at mixing the croquant praliné. Many hands make light work!
Catherine Spreading Croquant Praliné onto Her Tart
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
We spread a layer of croquant praliné onto our tarts.
Tom Squirting Chocolate From Piping Bag
Photograph by Saint-Ouen Tourist Office
After we spread the croquant praliné, we squirted chocolate from a piping bag to decorate the tart. It wasn’t as easy as Madame Blot made it look!
Tom’s Work of Art
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
I thought that my handiwork was particularly compelling.
Catherine’s Masterpiece
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Catherine displays her masterpiece.
Marion Landry-Stoffyn
Chargée de l’Accueil et des Animations
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Thanks to Marion Landry-Stoffyn of the Saint-Ouen Tourist Office.
Patrick Blot and His Daughter
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
And thanks to Monsieur and Madame Blot for inviting us into their bakery.
Saint-Ouen Office of Tourism
30, avenue Gabriel Péri
93400 Saint-Ouen
Tel.: 01.40.11.77.36
Boulangerie Blot
49, rue des Rosiers
93400 Saint-Ouen
Tel.: 01.40.11.08.15
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Alexandre Billon and Marie-Hélène Gantois
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
In December, I had the opportunity to attend a champagne and chocolate tasting at Mococha—our favorite chocolate shop on rue Mouffetard. Marie-Hélène Gantois, the proprietor of the shop, provided chocolates and Alexandre Billon, a wine merchant from the nearby wine shop La Fontaine aux Vins, supplied the champagne.
Marie declared that the purpose of the tasting was to challenge the idea that champagne doesn’t go well with chocolate.
Alexandre began by pouring a Ronseaux-Wanner Grand Cru 2005. He explained that the older a champagne is, the fewer bubbles it will have, because the carbonation slowly escapes through the champagne cork over time. Indeed, this grand cru did not have as much fizz as a younger champagne. I found its taste to be quite bitter.
While the participants enjoyed the champagne, Marie circulated with trays of different ganache (cream-filled) chocolates. We tried several with this wine, and I succeeded in determining that a fig-flavored ganache by Rémi Henry did indeed complement the champagne. However, this was not because of the chocolate, but because of the fig—the sweetness of the fruit offset the bitterness of the champagne.
Alexandre then poured a Robert Desbrosse 2006. I found it to be only mildly bitter, which to my mind gave it a better chance at harmonizing with chocolate. I thought that it went well with a peach-flavored ganache called Péché by Fabrice Gillotte, again because the chocolate was flavored with fruit. But it also went well with a bitter-sweet praline chocolate called Muscovado by the same producer. Together in the mouth, the Desbrosse and the Muscovado tasted like sweet, liquid chocolate.
The third champagne was a Drappier Brut Nature, produced from 100% Pinot Noir grape. Its label indicated that it was zéro dosage, meaning that it did not receive a liqueur de dosage (a small quantity of cane sugar mixed with champagne) during its production. Dry and refreshing, it went well with Amandes “turbinées” (milk-chocolate coated almonds) by Fabrice Gillotte. I attributed this harmony to the flavor of the almonds, not to the flavor of the chocolate in which they were enrobed.
By the end of the event, although I had enjoyed some fine champagne and chocolate, I remained unconvinced that they actually complemented each other. The production of champagne and chocolate is a complex process and, in my mind, they emerge as finished products that should be enjoyed on their own merits. However, if one feels compelled to drink wine with chocolate, I recommend Banyuls, a fortified red wine from the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France.
Marie Pours Ronseaux-Wanner Grand Cru 2005
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Marie hosts numerous events of this type in her shop, introducing new chocolate producers or paring chocolate with other beverages. Join her Facebook page to keep abreast of her activities!
Mococha
89, Rue Mouffetard
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.47.07.13.66
La Fontaine aux Vins
107, Rue Mouffetard
75005 Paris
Tel.: 01.43.31.41.03
Tom Photographing La Femme à la harpe
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
This month’s bodacious bronze bottom belongs to a bas-relief sculpture located in the Pompidou Center. Follow the link below for a close-up view!
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/411586853417089057/
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Looking for an inexpensive way to share holiday cheer? Our book, Paris Insights – An Anthology was created with the Francophile reader in mind. Written in a lively, personal style that is both revealing and inspiring, this collection of informative newsletters explores various aspects of history, culture, and contemporary life in the City of Light.
Published by Discover Paris!, Paris Insights – An Anthology contains 33 articles that are grouped into chapters by theme: La Vie Parisienne (Life in Paris), Americans in Paris, Tasty Treats, and Paris, Past and Present. Our article entitled “A Very Merry Paris Christmas” is the perfect way to learn about how this holiday is celebrated in the City of Light.
Just in time for Christmas—the Kindle edition can be purchased and downloaded immediately!
The Kindle edition of Paris Insights – An Anthology is available to give as a gift with free wireless delivery via Amazon Whispernet! At $9.95, this version of the book is a fraction of the cost of our Premium edition, and you can receive it instantly thanks to Amazon’s Whispernet technology. It is “Read-to-Me” enabled for those who like to listen to books while driving, or those who are visually impaired.
When you give your friends the Kindle edition, be sure to tell them that a Kindle device is not required to enjoy Paris Insights – An Anthology. Amazon.com provides free Kindle reader apps that allow anyone to read Paris Insights – An Anthology and other Kindle books on any major computer, smartphone, or tablet.
To purchase, click on the image below.
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La Cave Mavrammotis
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
On the evening of November 29, Monique and I attended a wine tasting organized by Mavrommatis at its wine shop at 49, rue Censier in the 5th arrondissement. I arrived thinking that I would taste the resinated wine (wine flavored with pine resin) that I have heard is popular in Greece. To my surprise, I learned that the wine produced by the winemakers whom I met there, Marianna and Petros Markantonatos, is not flavored with resin. Rather, their goal is to produce wines that don’t use resin, which can hide imperfections. They want their wines to compete on the European and American markets with the best.
Marianna and Petros Markantonatos
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
Marianna and Petros’ estate, called Gentilini, is located on the island of Cephalonia. They say that the soil there, which is chalky and shallow and lies above a limestone bedrock, is the best type of terroir for fine wine production. Some of their vineyards are on gradients so steep that it requires the agility of a goat to harvest the grapes.
Presently, Marianna and Petro farm over ten hectares of vineyards that are planted with Sauvignon Blanc, Moschofilero (white grape of Greek origins with a pink/purple skin), Syrah, Muscat, and Mavrodaphne (black wine grape indigenous to the Achaea region). They also manage two vineyards planted with Robola and Tsaoussi, two grape varieties indigenous to the island.
Marianna’s father founded the Gentilini winery forty years ago. She and her husband took it over in 2002. Their vineyards are located around the winery, and all vinification and bottling is done there. The wine is aged in stainless-steel vats or oak barrels that come from the best cooperage houses of Europe.
Robola 2011
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
We tasted a number of white wines at Mavrommatis, including a 2011 vintage of Robola. Pale yellow with a hint of green, it had a fresh, light citrus aroma and flavor. It was dry, crisp, and slightly peppery at the finish.
Genitlini Eclipse 2011
Photograph by www.DiscoverParis.net
We also tasted the Gentilini Eclipse, made from the Mavrodaphine grape variety. With a clear, dark-purple color, it was medium-bodied with a fruity aroma, cherry flavor, and peppery aftertaste.
We were quite impressed with the quality of the wines that we sampled that evening. We found them to be as good as any French wines that we have tasted in their price range.
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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. |