Posts Tagged ‘Foire de Paris’

Journée de la Gastronomie Créole at the Foire de Paris

Tuesday, May 9th, 2017
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Last Thursday, I saw a fascinating demonstration of Creole cuisine at the annual Paris Fair. Sponsored by the Académie de l’Art Culinaire du Monde Créole, various local chefs participated in the all-day event.

Laura, Master of Ceremonies
Photograph by Tom Reeves

Laura, master of ceremonies of the event, provided lively commentary as the chefs demonstrated their cooking skills on stage.

Chefs Tristan Tharsis and Yanis Artigny
Photograph by Tom Reeves

Chef Tristan Tharsis Prepares Hot Chocolate
Photograph by Tom Reeves

Chef Yannis Artigny Prepares the Dough for His Pain au Beurre
Photograph by Tom Reeves

Samples of Bread
Photograph by Tom Reeves

To prepare Pain au beurre et Chocolat martiniquais, two chefs divided up the work. Chef Tristan Tharsis prepared the hot chocolate and Chef Yannis Artigny prepared the bread. I got a chance to taste both. The hot chocolate was thick and rich and the bread was soft and buttery. What a great combination for breakfast or for a mid-afternoon snack! In Martinique, they are served together for special occasions, such as weddings.

Chef Elis Bond Prepared Afro-Caribbean Cuisine
Photograph by Tom Reeves

Afro-Caribbean Fusion Cuisine by Chef Elis Bond
Photograph by Tom Reeves

Chef Elis Bond prepared fairly elaborate dishes of Afro-Caribbean fusion cuisine. In the photograph above, he is preparing to arrange the ingredients in small bowls, which volunteers will distribute to members of the audience.

Dr Marie-Antoinette Séjean Shows Her Book
Photograph by Tom Reeves

Nutritionist Dr. Marie-Antoinette Séjean demonstrated tips for light and healthy Creole cooking. In the photograph above, she holds the book that she wrote on the subject.

Chef Xavier Guillaume Sivager
Photograph by Tom Reeves

Chef Xavier Guillaume Sivager prepared a flaming banana dish called Croustillant de Banane au lard.

Chef Ayaba
Photograph by Tom Reeves

Gourmet Energy Ball by Ayaba
Photograph by Tom Reeves

Chef Ayaba prepared Boules d’énergie gourmandes Kâ, consisting of ground nuts, dates, and other ingredients rolled into balls and coated with shredded coconut. I got to taste several different kinds. Yum!

Chef Stéphane Sorbon Demonstrates the Art of Mixology
Photograph by Tom Reeves

And finally, Chef Stéphone Sorbon showed how to make exotic cocktails.

A good time was had by all!

Other chefs who participated in the culinary event (but whose photographs are not shown here) are Béatrice Fabignon, who prepared seafood dishes, and Vanessa Kichenin, who prepared lentil fritters.

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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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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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