Paris.......Cooking School

A day of French cooking, in a Parisian woman's home, after shopping in the market together, and dining on our sumptuous feast is a day of pure French immersion/heaven.

Especially when our hostess is the charming and engaging Madame Paule Caillat, of 'Promendes Gourmandes', located in the Marais district. Here is a peek at our day with numerous tips shared by Paule.

Visiting the renown La Fermette, known for the best cheese selection in Paris, on the cobbled Rue Montorgueil, we stroll down the rest of this famed market street for the finest in seafood, vegetables, fruit and meats

Arrayed in artistic displays, even rutabaga's became enticing

Our experience was roll up your sleeves and become involved....perfect!

Cleaning cepes with a peeler. Cepes is a wild foraged mushroom. Note the tri-colored carrots, the green tops remain for flavor, also cleaned with the peeler.

I think Paule is pleased!

This butter, cheese, flour souffle was so delicious, truly beyond words. Plated beautifully surrounded by cepes, chervil, and bechamel sauce. Cannot wait to try this at home

Paule's Tips

                                                                Butter  

   Always use unsalted butter, salt can be added at the table. 
   An article in the NY Times, 1/17/01 by renown cook and author, Dorie Greenspan; French butter has an unmistakable flavor, a distinctive tang of nuttiness, a combination of creme fraiche's slight sourness and fresh cream's sweet wholesomeness, a remarkable spreadability with a sensuous slow melt  
The reason? French butter has a higher butterfat content....I could do an entire post on what I learned, let's close with this; the closest we can find is Plugra at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's

                                                                 Salt

   For the table Paule recommends 'Grey Salt', aka 'Fleur de Sel', harvested off the coast of Brittany in France. Not, the Mederitannean provencal salt. This artisan salt is hand harvested from the top of the salt flats, the 'salt flower'

                                                              Garlic & Shallots

   When cutting remove ends and leave the last 'shirt' on, papery skin that is, it releases flavor.
   Can remove the whole clove after cooking, as the flavor has permeated the food, or left in for the diner to remove
   When chopping garlic, remove the small green sprout growing within, it is bitter
   The French prefer shallots to onions in many instances, just know they are fragile & burn easier

                                                                     Cheese

     This topic could become multiple blog posts, so here is the very short version
   In France, it is important to know what region the cheese came from and who the maker is
   There are over 4,000 varieties of French cheese, this is serious business!
   Never pasteurized. In the US that is illegal, and we are the lesser for this rule. There is no substitute for real local cheese, unpasteurized.
   Storage;  in Saran Wrap
   Serving:  bring to room temperature before use
   Always serve white wine with the cheese course (just before desert in France), it keeps the palette clean to accept the full taste of the cheese

Oil

Paule prefers Grapeseed Oil, has no taste and can cook at very high temperatures

before burning

Chocolate

OUI!

Only, real chocolate.

Not eating chocolate for cooking but the bean, ground. No shell, no nothing but the bean. This is the healthiest form of chocolate

 Those of you nearby, or via online, are fortunate to have Chef Roby and the All Chcolate Kitchen in Geneva, Il. Chef Roby only sources the real thing, typically from Venezuela. And Chef is from France!

Hoping you enjoyed and have learned some cooking tips for you to use at home, we had a blast!

  

Paris.........Shopping

Our tour is complete and we were blessed with a fun group of women who joined Sylvia and I, plus spectacular weather. Bit by bit I would love to share elements of our journey, the flea markets, our cooking course, and those gardens! 
But first........

Window shopping, Parisian style, from the phrase "faire du lèche-vitrines" 
(literally, "window-licking")
Parisian shop windows are an art form unto themselves. They take great care in presenting beautiful windows and packaging. Unfortunately most photo's are unclear from the glass glare

See the white chicken wire clouds? How charming in a child's room?

One of the ladies attending recommended this shop, Astier de Villatte, with the ambience of 

another era. 

 Delicate white ceramics hand-crafted in charming patterns from mini demitasse to massive soup terrines. Even exclusive patterns from John Derian on their pieces.

Buly's.  Walking into the 17thc, one marvels at the counters, the tile floors, the merchandise. Welcome to Buly's, established in 1803 as an apothecary for one's skin care and fragrance. A must

I prefer the small independents. Then there are the classics

Louis Vuitton, the flagship store in the 6th.

When this small hand clutch was spied in the window several of us stopped in our tracks, jaws agape, a mini trunk in purse form.
We were on our way back from the flea, I was fully aware of how un-Louis-like I appeared......no matter, this was killer!
Security Agents vastly out-numbered sales staff

As two of us tried, in vain to open the purses, a saleswoman put on a black glove to remove it from our hands. This is for a client to see, she explained. But we cannot find anyone to assist and I would like the price please. Non, there is a long queue for assistance, add your name Madame. Can you please tell me the price. $3,450.00 she whispered, piqued. Need I say we left?

There are three Hermes shops in the city, the grandest is in the 6th.

Heavy security, ample staff, etheral

In the mode for vintage? This sliver of a shop is chock full, floor to ceiling

 Ralph never disappoints indoors and out. This classic combination of boxwood and large leafed ivy.

 The on the street floral shops are jaw dropping masterful

One's eyes are massively stimulated looking up, in windows, and looking down. Anyone know what this is? A manhole cover, you guessed that right?!

 Spied in a window, I HAD TO HAVE THIS! Stay tuned, working on getting these and all the color variations in my shop

Headed to Paris? Here is a digital shopping app, Jouir!!

 Yes.......window licking indeed!

                  Debra

Fall containers and dry hands

It's that time again.....Fall containers! Summer plantings are tiring, time to enjoy a renewal and the rich colors of Autumn. Here are a few we planted for our clients

 Once again, it is all about the foliage. A good variety of shapes and colors add punch to any composition.
Plants; millet, rudbeckia, purple cabbage, orange celosia, cinnamon curls heuchera, yet to bloom mums, ornamental grass and faux red berries. The heuchera is a perennial. I love it for the foliage  impact and plant it in the ground before it freezes

 CABBAGE! Add Heuchera 'caramel' and angel vine. See the tufts of brown twiggy matter. This combination provides non-stop color while not dependent upon blooms, even staying fresh through November

 Giant Bor Kale.......Wowza!

 Mixed with more Heuchera 'caramel', ornamental grasses and pansies.

 A surround of small Heuchera 'Caramel' and every other plant, small purple cabbage, ringing yellow mums

Feathers, purple cabbage, celosia and pansies

 You will notice repetion in the plantings, it's what I ordered this year for color and texture. Some of the same with the addition of bittersweet vines and a few purple petunias

 That twisty brown twiggy bit is more angel vine. I chose this spot because I was seeing too much kale stem...stuck it in here and there for interest. A cardinal rule; never leave the stems showing, personally makes me crazy. Yep, does not take much!

 More of the same with artifical ornamental grass "feathers"

 All bittersweet, 20 bundles!

As the mini pumpkins arrive from the farmer they will be tucked in around the base of the cabbage

I did not do this but enjoyed it's creativity. A hydrangea paniculata, Black Pearl ornamental pepper and the yellow foliage of Dicentra (bleeding Heart)

Love blue in the garden? How about navy blue!? Took a couple of blue photographs in my garden. This is Carrion Berry vine. 

Blue Hydrangea and Black and Blue Salvia which in person is cobalt blue

Having a blog has it's perks and this one arrived in the mail after a day of planting containers. With bone dry hands, I cracked open the package to find this product. Amlactin Ultra  which claims to soften severe, dry, areas by exfoliation and boosting regeneration of new cells. Being a sucker for miracle products, I thought, well if this isn't the best test! After a day in the garden, my hands are toast for two days. The next morning, viola, baby soft hands.The manufacturer sent this product for my review and I gladly give it 5 stars!

Well, I am off to catch a plane.....outta here!

Debra

A garden surprise

Little 'gifts' arrive in the most unexpected way.

Today a potential client came into the shop, seeking interior help on the new home she just bought. When she pulled it up on Zillow, I was thrilled to say, "That is one of our landscapes!"

How rewarding to see a landscape not only at maturity but perfectly tended

Having chatted many times about the importance of matching the landscape to the architecture of your home, this image perfectly defines that thought process. My inspiration? The front door. See the Georgian styled scrolls? That was projected onto the ground with the sinuous boxwood lines

 Ahhhh, the rear garden is where her primary interest lied. The garden mirrored our clients personality; a touch formal and very feminine

 There are many details to absorb here....... awning, metal work on a blank wall, appropriately sized lanterns, and much more not discernable in this image. One of my favorite design elements is to mix hardscape materials, in this instance Old street bricks and limestone pavers, used as an area rug under the table and chairs.
Not visible were a pair of enormous, heavy, Victorian chandeliers stripped of their chains, sitting upright in a low bed of groundcover.

It's so important that your views are relevant from many vantage points, indoors and out.

Ever grateful for the opportunities, my soul is full.

Debra