Cath Kerry-Food
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Contact

Snapshots - Paris

5/9/2018

4 Comments

 
Snapshots from our journey - Paris, as usual is soooooo beautiful but...  I’ve always avoided July and I’m reminded why.  The heat is debilitating.  With its core of 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th century buildings, how could one possibly air-condition Paris? We are on rue de Verneuil, (where lived Serge Gainsbourg, his house graffitied by fans) in a miniscule ground floor apartment, minus the graffiti.

Picture
 Eclairs are the new macarons.  More satisfying then macarons, less etherial than macarons, more varied than macarons, they are everywhere, sporting different colours, different flavoured crème patissière, fruit and glazes. Watch it happen here.

Left: Salt crystals (proud, pure, natural, organic, macrobiotic) and from our own River Murray.  Salt is certainly the new collectable.  There were ridiculous raspberry-flavoured salts, ranging from pretty pink in colour to strident puce, mushroom-flavoured salts (a grubby beige), smoky salts (for when you're too lazy to fire up the barbie). The Oz salt was  delicate and in good taste, of course.

Right: Alluring displays of spices and dried herbs, arranged to make you want to cook.
Both from the Fine Food department of Galleries Lafayette.  (Don't pronounce the S.)
​
​I adore supermarkets. Monoprix is a great attraction and it’s FREE entertainment.  The yoghurt section is my particular favourite with many brands still coming in tiny glass or earthenware pots, all of which, when empty, I have to then cram into my suitcase to bring home.

These are two “must-eat” places every time -  the casual Comptoir du Relais (place de l’Odéon) and the very special Le Grand Véfour (le Palais Royal, my spiritual home - the apartment above, once the home of Colette).
Le Comptoir – No tablecloth and a table the size of a darts board, they bustled, we hustled.  I indulged in my personal weakness, the funny bits. Started with a grilled terrine of boudin noir, followed by crumbed, boned pigs’ trotters.  Promised myself I’ll do these at home on return.

Le Grand Véfour – Perfection. Sat down (this time in the seat reserved in the past for Colette) to a beautiful plate by Bernadaud, Limoges, in the centre of which was a folded napkin.  The quality of the napery made me tremble. No-one flicked  open the napkin to invade my space by flapping it on my lap.
And, as we were enjoying the relaxing atmosphere, we realised there was no music!  Absolute bliss. 
Half way through the meal, the immaculate maître d’ approached our table, raised one hand in a questioning gesture and asked simply, “Tout... ça va?” No-one asked me how my day had been. We were not asked at every bite whether we were enjoying our meal.
Why is this appalling Americanised (sorry, dear American friends) behavior seen as good service?

Left: Le Grand Véfour - Elegance and comfort - and note a choice of salted or unsalted butter. What more could you ask for?
Right: Le Comptoir du Relais - a bit squashy but...

Le Tour de France finished in Paris on the Sunday.  The city was packed with people and tour busses.  Roads were roped off, access everywhere was difficult.  We hid out in the gorgeous museum of decorative arts (le Musée des Arts Décoratifs), at the end wing of the Louvre - quiet, unhurried and safe - my second spiritual home - plates, cups and saucers, soupières everywhere.
Picture
I could fill this blog with images but let this one suffice - a cup in milk glass with ormolu mounts - late Napoleonic Empire.  If I had this for my SFTGFOP Darjeeling, (Super Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe), I swear I could give up alcohol.

Also did some damage at Laure Bassal (shoes, 3 rue de Grenelle, 75006) and at Issey Miyake (with a "onesie" that could make me look like a "teletubby" in black unless I lose the holiday kilos). ​

"Spap-shots - the cruise", coming up.

Comment /questions below...
4 Comments
Kym
13/9/2018 02:39:26 am

I need to show my nerdy science side of the discussion about salt.
Whilst I acknowledge there are different types: table, grey, pink, red, organic etc. etc. Basically their difference is in the minute amounts of trace elements such as iodine, iron, potassium, carbon and so on. To put it into perspective - if you sprinkle on some salt during or after cooking - it would be about 100 grains. About 5 of these grains would be other elements. Not that many really. And if someone thinks they need Persian Blue or Torrens River salt to get their daily mineral dose, then, by normal consumption of eggs or fish you get sufficient iodine in your diet for example.
Basically salt (95%sodium chloride) enhances the taste of food. I’m in favour of it for the flavour!
As you would realise, salt received a bad wrap in recent times for reducing life expectancy. When it boils down to it - some people are prone to increased blood pressure from a regular high salt intake.
PS still about salt. I ordered a duck leg at a restaurant in Arras, France last week. It was a lovely texture with the meat falling off the bone. However, it was very salty not only on the skin but throughout the meat. Was this normal? I mentioned this to the waiter but with my limited French - I just got a nod and a polite smile.

Reply
Cath Kerry link
4/10/2018 03:04:14 pm

I'm right with you Kym/Kim. (Come on, which is it?) I think the salt thing is just a con - people looking for something new. The flavoured ones are particularly annoying. I have another post coming up about salt following my first. I have irate scientist/nerdy types apoplectic about it, especially about cutting out the iodine.

Your duck was a preserved duck (confit) but nonetheless it should not have come over too salty. This was not good. When you're back, I'll do you one and I don't think you'll taste notice the salt at all.

Reply
Kym
4/10/2018 03:58:34 pm

Our week in Sarlat (SW France) is duck country. The several dishes of duck we had there were great - no traces of excess salt.
PS it is Kym

Stephanie
2/10/2018 06:20:38 am

Joy, vicariously. Thanks for this, Cath!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2021
    April 2021
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Asparagus
    Books & Films
    Cookware
    Getting Together
    People
    Recipe Ideas
    Recipes
    Restaurants
    Tableware
    What We Do
    Wine

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Contact