Join the Sock-Less Brigade! Catch a Class at LCB! - Friday, 9 May

Lots of stuff happening at the same time!

One of the things I tell people is that if you “do” Paris with me, you MUST attend a class at Le Cordon Bleu.  It’s not in your typical tours and city guides, and the school itself does not heavily promote their classes, and their administrative staff is not terribly efficient (so the process of signing up can be just a tish frustrating), but for 45 euros you can attend a regular 3-hour lecture/demo (consisting of at least a first course, main course and dessert) along with the full-time students and sample the results.  They also have full-day hands-on workshops for the public, which are fabulous, but I recommend attending one of the lecture/demos to get exposed to the uniquely French approach to this artform.  Classes are in French but translated into English.  http://lcbparis.com/  And you get a free LCB ballpoint pen.  And just think of the snob appeal!

Happily, I convinced both Liz & Michal to join me for Friday afternoon’s class.  They weren’t too sure how much they’d like it, but I think they’ll tell you that they were won over by the insights, entertainment, instruction, complexity, inspiration, science & nutrition tips, and the tasty results!

Our chef today was Frédéric Lesourd, formerly sous-chef at l’hôtel Le Meurice and a member of the team at the Élysée Palace (among other significant posts).  As well as being a great instructor (I’ve had him for other classes in the past), Chef Lesourd is hilarious – there is always good-spirited hijinks and ribbing in his classes, and when he (rarely) makes mistakes, he is very adept at making fun of himself.  Today he burned some Belgian endive that he was cooking, and he made a "teachable moment" out of it, telling students that, when they had their own kitchens, even if an assistant was to be watching that kind of thing it was the chef's ultimate responsibility if something went wrong.  He also said that using a parchment "lid" on the pot (which is important for several reasons) can be dangerous because you won't notice if things are starting to burn, so you have to lift it frequently. And as the word spread through the other classrooms that he had burned his endive, his fellow Chef instructors poked their heads into our classroom to give him some good-natured ribbing.  What a hoot!

Today's first course was a lobster salad with cooked (Maine!) lobster claws, a very intensely flavored jellied lobster consommé (prepared with the lobster shells, trimmings, aromatics, herbs, etc.), a beautiful cucumber/herb faisselle (farmer cheese) sauce, lobster-oil-and-tomato “sauce Americain,” a wine/port/grape emulsion and Parmesan tuiles.  Wow!  What a way to wake up your tastebuds!

The main course was succulent, moist seabass marinated in salt and spices for an hour or so and then slow-roasted at a low temperature.  It was presented on a bed of blanched then roasted tiny leeks and topped with slices of bacon, and was accompanied by glazed shallots, fennel, endive and radishes, each prepared with techniques unique to their character.  Then an a-a-a-amazing herb coulis was made with parsley, tarragon, watercress, garlic, chicken stock and butter; the revelation to me was in his technique of gently cooking the herb stems and garlic in oil and blanching the leaves in salted water then puréeing them together – it added a spectacular depth to the sauce.  Wowzer!  My taste buds, awakened by the first course, really were ready for this course!

Dessert consisted of mini apple Tarte Tatins accompanied by apple compote, apple sorbet, Calvados, and glazed & dried thin apple slices.  Chef prepared multiple tatins using varying techniques, including one in which he shaved the apple into one incredibly thin ribbon on a lathe-type device, then rolled up several of these ribbons into tight cylinders, trimmed them, and stood them up on end in the tatin mold.  Clever!  In this preparation the crust was cut into rounds and pre-baked, then placed on top of the mold for just the last 1/3 of the baking time.

I always have fun at these classes and pick up new ideas and techniques. And folks who have not previously been exposed to the complexities and rewards of the deep French culinary tradition and craft have their socks knocked off! You know you want to be part of the sock-less brigade! Join me at a Cordon Bleu class sometime!

Tasting portions ready to be
distributed to the students

Chef's work area

Dinner as Entertainment - Thursday, 8 May

Tonight was the first of three “dinner evenings” this trip.  We have something either cultural or gastronomic scheduled for every evening – since dinners in restaurants are events in and of themselves, take at least a couple hours, and cost about the same as a decent ticket to a concert or play, we don’t try to do both on the same night.

We’re not hitting any Michelin 3-star restos this trip (!), but I did make reservations at three places that have been in the news – recently opened and/or favorably reviewed.

So tonight it was Terroir Parisien, the new restaurant by Yannick Alléno, a Michelin-starred chef, formerly of Hôtel Meurice et al.   http://www.yannick-alleno.com/restaurant/paris-le-terroir-parisien/   The restaurant has received mostly good reviews (but some mixed) and it’s in a nice little area near the Métro Maubert-Mutualité in the 5^th arronidissement. 

We each ordered their Kir Royale, but with a twist – rather than the traditional Crème de Cassis, they offered a poppy flower Liqueur de Coquelicot in the Champagne.  Yum yum yum!  Gotta pick me up a bottle of that to take home.  It had a beautiful floral essence and sweetness.

For my entrée (appetizer) I had the two soft- poached eggs in an herb gelée (yup, an herb-flavored jello!) sitting on a fabulous green veg/herb puree and topped with sweet sweet roasted langoustines.  Deeeeelicious!  Liz and Michel shared a wonderful duck terrine with cornichon.  Then Liz and I shared a lamb stew with spring vegetables while Michal had monkfish with carrots, turnips, onions, etc.  

For dessert Liz and I each had one of my faves, Ile Flottante (meringue floating in crème anglaise and drizzled with caramel) while Michal had a chocolate what-not (can you tell that I didn’t pay enough attention by that point?!?)  A very nice "Couronne de Chabot" Saint-Joseph (Rhône) red wine that is a cooperative venture of Mr. Alleno and Michel Chapoutier accompanied all of our dishes beautifully.

The restaurant was very pleasant and the service efficient and friendly.  I would rate the food as well-above-average but not brilliant.  I would definitely go back for the wonderful eggs in gelée and would stop by if I was in the ‘hood, but I probably wouldn’t go out of my way to dine there again.

(P.S. not ALL of the food was served in glasses/jars!)

SW Minneapolis Could Use Another Dining Room - Thursday, 8 May

Today Liz and Michal went to some Polish friends’ fabulous (so I hear) home in the 18^th arrondissement for lunch and an afternoon visit.  I was invited but I had “stuff” to do (don’t’cha know), so I stayed in my ‘hood. It was a drizzly day so I didn't feel like venturing too far from "home."

So I popped around the corner for a quick lunch at La Salle a Manger ("The Dining Room") on Boulevard Pasteur.  For 27 euro (about $38) I got a large slice of foie gras sandwiched between two halves of a puff pastry “bun” with warm apple & raisin compote, a perfectly cooked skate wing over a bed of carrots & green beans with some very tasty boiled potatoes and topped with salmon roe & herbs and sitting in a pool of wonderful fish stock enhanced with raspberry vinegar, a glass of a lovely Côtes du Rhône, and a terrific espresso with a cookie. 

The restaurant was warm & peaceful and the service was great.  Hmmm…wonder if I could talk them into opening an outpost in southwest Minneapolis.

My Pastry Idol - Wednesday, 7 May

One of the outposts of my favorite Chocolatier/Pâtissier Pierre Hermé is just around the corner from us on rue de Vaugirard.  If you’ve had my chocolate macarons (his recipe) you know what I’m talking about.  I am rendered pretty much helpless.  It's not my fault, it's Pierre's.  Really.

Here we are, back in the apartment, enjoying some late night après-theatre snacks from his shop!

Astonishment. Yup, that's the Right Word for It - Wednesday, 7 May

A shout out to my old pal
Jeff Miller, who introduced me
to Peter Brook's work
decades ago!

It would seem as if writer/director Peter Brook’s goal in life is to shake you up, to throw you off kilter, to alter your perspective, to astonish you.  From his deconstructions of Shakespeare and his original work (which I’ve seen) to his interpretations of classics and the avant garde to his adaptations of ancient literature to his film work to his opera directing (all of which I’ve only read about), he is a master at creating worlds for his audience to fully inhabit and of making them think.

His latest work, “The Valley of Astonishment,” is being premiered at his Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord.  This out-the-back-door-of-Gare-du-Nord theater has existed for almost 140 years; Brook took it over in 1974.  It’s the epitome of shabby-chic, reminding me a lot of the Southern Theater in Minneapolis, but with a more traditional horseshoe architecture and multiple balconies.  Gorgeous! http://www.bouffesdunord.com/en/season/518902192296d/the-valley-of-astonishment  

Brook is now 89 years old, and this new play reflects his ongoing fascination with the human mind, personhood, people living on the edge of sanity, and Islamic thought.  It is based to some degree on true stories and the work of various neurologists and Oliver Sacks.  The three actors give absolutely riveting performances playing multiple roles; the two musicians provide both a soundscape and musical interludes.  From the very first seconds of this 90-minute play, when Kathryn Hunter sits on a plain wood chair on an empty stage and describes gradually recognizing her mother’s face for the first time as an infant, you are drawn into the lives of people with synesthesia and other such neurological conditions.  It is at moments profound, insightful, clever, heartbreaking, hilarious and/or perplexing.  The characters don’t always know what to think of themselves, nor do their doctors and other people they encounter.  You are led to ponder how much we really know about ourselves, what science can teach us & what it can’t, the blessings and liabilities of genius.  The script, direction and technical aspects are unobtrusively brilliant.  And if our experience is the norm, this production will engender lively philosophical discussions all the way home (and beyond!).  Astonishment.  Yup, that’s the right word for it.

"The Valley of Astonishment" moves to London in June and to the U.S. later this year.  Watch for it and then do whatever is necessary to see it, even if you can’t catch it at the marvelous Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord!

 

Flexibility, that's the Ticket! - Wednesday, 7 May

We had optimistic plans for this morning – to get up early and go over to the Musée d’Orsay to see a fabulous new van Gogh exhibit.  We even bought tickets in advance so that we could go in the “fast” line right when the museum opened at 9:30.  We all awoke around 8:00 (oops!); I had been awake until long after midnight, so hadn’t had enough sleep for my legs to recover from the previous day (ouch!).  The good news: the museum let Liz & Michal in the fast line even though they got there a bit late.  The other good news: they tell me that the exhibit is outta sight, focusing on some of the work van Gogh did just prior to his suicide. I’m really looking forward to seeing it.  People here are very gracious towards the even-slightly handicapped, so I’m hoping that they will take pity when they see me and my cane approaching with a 2-day-old ticket on Friday!

Just a quick aside regarding the graciousness of the French.  At the long passport check line at the airport, they saw me coming with my cane and offered me the shortcut line – this usually happens.  But the nice airport employee also asked if Liz, Michal and I were an “ensemble” – I said yes, and she directed all three of us to the shortcut line.  Sweet!

Liz enjoying the gardens outside
Notre Dame

In the afternoon we had planned to go to the tiny Polish Library and Chopin Museum on Ile Saint-Louis.  Liz had even called a couple weeks ago to make sure that we knew their limited opening hours.  We got there, the door was locked, and there was a hand-lettered sign on the door saying it was closed May 7 and 8.  We learned later that this is a long holiday weekend in France, for WWII Victory Day.  Who knew?  Not us!  Oh, well, we were close to the Berthillon ice cream mother ship (yummers), a Laguiole knife shop (tempting), Notre Dame (awe-inspiring), the sparkling Seine with even a couple swans (gorgeous), and ancient Saint-Séverin (peaceful - one of my favorite little churches, right in the center of the Latin Quarter).  And it was a lovely afternoon to stroll through the just-now-flowering summer gardens along the way. 

Michal snapping Liz at the
Saint-Severin Cafe

And we could grab a bite at one of the many casual eateries in the Latin Quarter.  And the Saint-Michel Metro was on RER train line B for a quick trip up to Gare du Nord for our wonderful evening’s entertainment at Theatre des Bouffes du Nord (more about that in my next post).

How you'll often find me!

I’m kind of enjoying this middle ground – having a plan so I’m not totally winging it, but not stressing out (as if I ever do!) when things don’t quite work out.  In a place like Paris there are delights to be encountered around almost every corner.  And you don’t have to work very hard to find them!

Ya Snooze, Ya Lose - Maybe not Always! - Tuesday, 6 May

I have more things planned for this trip, more reservations made & tickets bought in advance, etc., than for any other one in recent (or distant) memory.  Normally I just get an apartment and then wing it at least 2/3 of the time, going where my whimsy leads me.  But maybe now that I’m retired I don’t have to focus so much on relaxing and can instead go back to the “accomplishing stuff” mode.  Or not.  You will be justified asking, “so how’s that workin’ for ya?” in a couple days!

I thought I’d avoid the “crash when you arrive and risk losing almost an entire day” syndrome this time by signing up for a class at Le Cordon Bleu for the afternoon of my arrival.  The class was good, but not as riveting as usual (Chef was a relatively recent addition to their faculty and not as demanding of the students’ attention – so there was a lot of chattering while he was doing his lecture/demo – and his teaching style wasn’t as smooth as some of the more seasoned chefs).  I’m embarrassed to admit that I drifted off a few times during the class, losing some of the important points, I’m sure.  Oopsiedoodle!

The first course was a warm “salad” of baby calamari with very finely julienned “batonnets” of fennel, carrots, celery, red onion, lemon peel, and confit tomatoes, lemon juice and herbs.  Very tasty, and one of the students was kind enough to give me a double serving of the tasting portion that each student consumes at the end of the lecture/demo! 

The main course was a non-typical take on bouillabaisse, and at least my tasting portion made me long for the typical version!  But the problem might have been that the class was very large (I’d guess almost 50 students) and Chef prepared a large portion for student tasting in a slightly different manner than he did the presentation portion.  Anyhoo, in his preparation a refined fish stock was made from a Conger Eel (all the students said “eewwww when he displayed it) plus aromatics and the heads, bones and trimmings of the John Dory (Saint-Pierre fish) and Rascasse (red scorpion fish) that were filleted for preparation on top of the soup.  A vegetable “marinade” was prepared by gently cooking julienned leeks, onion, fennel, garlic and tomatoes, saffron and herbs in olive oil.  Potatoes were cut into cylinders and then sliced very thinly for cooking on top of the vegetable marinade.  Once the vegetables were cooked through, the fish fillets were placed on top and the pan was covered with a disk of parchment and set aside (the fish thus cooked very gently in the heat/moisture from the vegetables).  A rouille sauce (basically a garlic aioli with cooked potatoes, some tomato paste and paprika) was made to accompany the dish.  I was surprised that the portion I sampled wasn’t nearly as tasty as I had expected given the ingredients and interesting method – again, maybe it was my portion, but I have not been converted to this chef’s interpretation of the dish.

The dessert really wowed me, though, and I wasn’t expecting it to do so!  It was a lemon tart wherein the lemon filling consisted of a lemon curd (prepared in a crème patisserie style, although Chef said that a sabayon style preparation would work well too) combined with a lemony Italian meringue – intense flavor but with a fluffy light texture – wow!  The basic shortbread crust was enhanced with some ground almonds and a little bit of dark rum – yum!  Chef decorated the tart with sugar syrup “tuilles” – a very thick syrup was drizzled onto a silpat mat and sprinkled with candied orange zest, then baked briefly until just crispy.  Gotta try this one when I get home!

So all in all, a successful class despite my snoozing!

Chef showing us the Congor Eel, eliciting "eewwws"

Students descending on
the presentation table
at the end of the lecture/demo

And You Thought the Traffic on 494 was Bad! - Tuesday, 6 May

Traffic approaching the
Arc de Triomphe

How do Parisian taxi drivers make a living?  Tuesday’s 9:00 am 15-mile trip from Aeroport Charles DeGaulle to our apartment in the 15^th arrondissement (I’m traveling with Liz and Michal Sobieski) took more than an hour and a half, thanks mostly to the congestion just outside of the city and that approaching and around the Arc de Triomphe.  And it cost only 75 euro (split among the three of us that’s not bad considering the alternatives of shuttles and buses).  How many of these can the driver do in a day?  Or does he just start his day in the taxi queue at the airport and then spend the rest of the day driving people from place to place inside the city?  I should have asked him!  

Imagine the craziness at the Arc – eight virtual lanes circling it (no stripes painted on the pavement); traffic entering and exiting from 12 radiating boulevards; cars, motorcycles, city buses, motor coaches, open-top tour buses, taxis, delivery vehicles and emergency vehicles all shifting from lane to lane and crossing at right angles to each other – sheer madness, I tell you, madness, especially at the busiest time of the day!  Later, I’ll post a photo that Liz took.  The only “triumphant” entity in this whole setup seems to be the Arc itself – it wins, the rest of us lose (although there is some entertainment value for us tourists!). 

My first visit to Paris was in 1988, as I recall, with Jan Lindquist, Robert Stauter and Marie Copenhaver.  Robert had rented a car for our trip through the French countryside (starting in Paris) and took us around the Arc de Triomphe a couple times just for fun!  I remember him saying that the Parisians were able to maintain their nonchalant attitude towards it because they popped liqueur-filled chocolates (he shared some as an object lesson) and smoked their Gauloises while driving.  Marie, who grew up in the French countryside, could hardly wait to get out of the city.  I, however, was entranced enough with the city that I resolved to come back again and again and again.  And I have.  Scores of times.

The apartment is comfortable and bright, and although the kitchen is really tiny, it is workable for light meal prep.  The ironic thing is that we have a large dining room with a table accommodating eight – I guess if we want to have a dinner party we’ll have to grab food from the local delis and restos, or just visit Pierre Hermé around the corner and go with a dessert dinner!   You can see apartment photos here:  http://www.vacationinparis.com/apts/id_269.htm

Good News, Bad News, Good News, Bad News - Sunday, 3 November

I have a very bad habit of failing to write my final blog post for a trip until I'm just about ready to leave for the next trip.  This time it's even worse - I'm a day into my next trip and I still haven't documented the very entertaining events of November 3, 2013.  I will eventually, and you will love it!  So come back at some future time for a little gentle humor (most of it at my expense) and stories about life in Paris.

For now, just one intriguing photo taken at the-bus-never-came bus stop!  http://twiztour.onbile.com/