One of my favorite destinations is Paris. From the first time I traveled there at seventeen I knew that I would return again and again. And I have. Naturally, at first I hit all of the places that any tourist would seek out...the outstanding museums... the Eiffel Tower... the obligatory Bateau Mouche cruise on the Seine...the opera (I attended my first opera in Paris!)...walking along the Seine...Sacre Coeur...Notre Dame... but it was all so...well, touristy! Later, business trips brought me to Paris and it was in those later trips that I began to feel more at home and less like a tourist. The first time I truly felt immersed in a neighborhood was when we brought our three already-out-of-college children to Paris and London. I thought it might be more fun to rent an apartment rather than book hotel rooms, affording us the ability to have breakfast together in pj's, food shopping in the area and having a living room to gather in at days end to discuss our adventures, rather than hanging out on the beds in a hotel room. I found a lovely place on the Avenue Niel in the 17th arrondissment...in a beautiful Hausmann building with a tiny, ancient lift which took us up two at a time.
We entered into a formal foyer...
and then stepped into a huge lounge which also had a dining area.
(The formal dining room had been made into a bedroom. ) The whole ambience was very Old World and we quickly immersed ourselves in the atmosphere. Each morning my sons would go downstairs to the patisserie and buy croissants. I would brew coffee and we would have breakfast in the apartment. On the third day, when the boys went in for the croissants, the clerk had already prepared the package. "...Bonjour les voisins ... vos croissants sont prêts pour vous! " Neighbors!!! She called us neighbors!!! After breakfast we walked to the Arche de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, and around the neighborhood, stopping into shops and finally, finding a lovely little sidewalk cafe with umbrellas over the tables. My husband was in heaven with a bowl of onion soup and a basket of fresh, crusty bread, and the kids and I went for the croque monsieur...and of course, some lovely French wine. ( I wouldn't dream of wine with every lunch and dinner at home, but in Paris I could not dream of these meals without it!) After lunch my husband and the boys chose to do some more walking, and my daughter and I went SHOPPING!!!
We found a bus and took it to the chic-est shops. We bought sun-glasses at Dior, scarves at Hermes and a stop at Chanel, too!
We stepped into small boutiques and bought adorable accessories for my daughter and several beautiful blouses and skirts.
We purchased some things for "the guys" ... shirts, sweaters and ties far more fashion forward than what was available for them at home...although we knew they really wouldn't care about that one bit! We took another bus back to the apartment and found the equally weary guys just returning from an afternoon of sightseeing. We spent much of the week showing the kids the sights that we had grown to love. We walked through churches, went to the top of the Eiffel Tower and had dinner on a boat on the Seine with a friend who was also visiting Paris.
This trip really immersed us in a totally different Paris than the one we knew before. Indeed, we showed our children all the famous sights, but we were living in a neighborhood. We stopped into shops to buy food and we gloried in cooking in the apartment. We sat around our table and sipped wine and ate fresh food bought at local markets...we were greeted warmly in local shops and when we told the man in the photo store we were leaving, he gave my son 2 rolls of film as a gift!! When it was time to leave I knew that I could not experience this magical city any other way...
Walking under the ancient arches we came upon art galleries, museums and charming cafes with a movie-like Parisian ambiance. Victor Hugo lived here and wrote much of Les Miserables right in this very place!. Artists sell their paintings at little stalls under the arcade and we purchased a few from time to time...our lovely water-color memory of Place des Vosges that we can take home and look at always.
On one visit we just had two new grandbabies ...with these two we now had four grands and more than half way to the seven we so love today. We came upon a wonderful little children's boutique just outside the entrance to the park...and I spent some time (OK...lots of time!) shopping in this baby/children's clothes nirvana!
...while my husband sat outside on a chair provided by the proprietress and took care of his business... I went about mine in the shop!!
Staying in the Marais is a special adventure for me. This area has been home to the Jewish population and still has many restaurants and stores catering to Jewish tastes. In addition, there is a huge Gay presence there now, and a hip, moneyed population is evolving. Shopping is permitted in the Marais on Sundays, bringing fabulous shops with new and exciting merchandise into the area. Walking the narrow streets, stopping for a hot chocolate at a cafe, and moving on to shop for fresh foods in the markets, seeing the newest Paris fashions and sharing Paris life at it's most exciting is a Sunday ( or any day) in the Marais!
Window shopping for dreams...apartment in Paris for sale...I wish!
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Only in Paris would a Bridal Boutique have a window display like this!
While I enjoy the more elegant areas with the chic shops and world famous restaurants, The Marais offers me a more "homey" feeling. Perhaps, because we usually stay in this area, either at La Pavillion de la Reine or an apartment rental, we have a feeling of familiarity and belonging. On our very first stay there, we asked the concierge where a good place to eat was. He directed us across the park to a restaurant tucked under the arches. Sitting unobtrusivly behind a doorway flanked by two topiaries was L'Ambroisie. http://www.ambroisie-placedesvosges.com/
Little did we know then that this restaurant had 3 Michelin Stars and was harder to get into than Harvard! It was early (for Parisians!) ... we strolled across the park and into this most exquisite place. There were almost no diners at this hour. The Maitre'd approached us and asked if we had a reservation. Of course, we did not but we explained that the concierge suggested that since it was early they might seat us. And, indeed they did. The waiter was charming and most patient as I struggled with my French. He suggested a wine for us and then described the dishes in detail in flawless English. As each course arrived we were sent into new raptures...a salmon in a pastry crust so divine that just the memory of it sets my mouth watering...sea bass on a bed of caviar...a lamb dish was simple and perfectly prepared... sooo delicious, served with a vegetable side dish. The waiter paired our meals with appropriate wines and dessert was a symphony for the taste buds.
Sea bass on a bed of caviar
Service was gracious and swift and the whole experience was simply amazing. No one even looked down upon these two Americans who chose to eat dinnerat such an unrespectable hour. This was probably the best (and most expensive) meal we have ever eaten...but worth every penny. It was only later that we discovered that this was one of the most sought after tables in Paris and that people wait months for a reservation. We have recommened this to many friends who have had similar pleasant experiences, albeit with advance reservations!
From the hotel or the rental apartment, the Seine is a short walk away. Strolling along the banks, looking into the bookseller's stalls, window shopping, are all activities that bring us back again and again.
...and the simple, delicious fare of the bistro and cafe follow us home every time. Steak au Poivre, onion soup, or a salade nicoise bring a little Paris into my New York kitchen. Her are my favorite recipes that bring Paris home:
Onion Soup (with a nod to Alton Brown)
About 6 tbsp. butter
7 medium Vidalia onions sliced thin
2 shallots sliced thin
leaves stripped from 4 sprigs of thyme
1/2 cup sherry
4 cups beef stock
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper
1 loaf french bread sliced in 1" slices
2 cups grate Gruyere or swiss cheese
1-In a large sauce pan or Dutch oven melt butter on medium heat.
2- Add onions and shallots and lower flame to a little below medium. Add thyme and cook stirring frequently until onions are golden brown (not fried!) This should take 20-25 minutes.
3- When onions are golden brown, add sherry and continue cooking until sherry is almost evaporated and onions are brown. About 15 minutes
4- Add stocks and bring to a boil...then lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes Season w/ salt and pepper to taste
5- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
6- prepare 8 ovenproof soup bowls or crocks on a cookie sheet and ladle soup into each. Place a slice of the lightly toasted French bread to cover and top each bowl with 1/2 cup grated cheese. Bake about 10 minutes until cheese a golden brown and bubbly.
Nothing like this after a nice walk on a cold day...with a loaf of bread and a glass of wine.
Salade Nicoise
1 lb. small red new potatoes, boiled and halved
8 hardboiled eggs cooled, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
2/3 lb. haricots vert lightly steamed and trimmed
4 medium ripened tomatoes sliced in wedges
1 cup black olives (optional because I do not like them!!!)
12 anchovy fillets
1/2 bunch of chives snipped in half
2 large sizecans of tuna (packed in water) drained and flaked (you can use fresh tuna if you prefer)
1-Combine potatoes, haricots verts, tomatoes, olives, anchovies and chives
in a large mixing bowl
2- Sprinkle with some vinaigrette just to moisten and toss gently so as not to break up any of the ingredients.
3-Arrange on a large serving platter with the tuna in the center surrounded by the salad...arrange egg slices and olives and drizzle with remaining vinaigrette
Vinaigrette ( from Tyler Florence)
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tbsp. flat leaf parsley chopped
2 tbsp fresh minced tarragon
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Place all ingredients in a tightly covered jar...shake briskly to blend ingredients...shake again before applying to salad
Lovely for your "ladies who lunch" or your family...
Steak au Poivre
1 tbsp. whole black peppercorns crushed with mortar and pestle or meat pounder
1 tsp green peppercorns " " " " " " "
2 tsp fresh chopped thyme
Kosher salt
2 1 1/2 inch thick NY strip steaks cut in half crosswise
1 tbsp canola oil
1 large finely chopped shallot
2 tbsp plus 1 tbsp of butter
1/3 cup plus 1 tsp cognac or brandy
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. fresh chopped tarragon (optional)
1-Press steaks into the crushed peppercorns mixed with 1 tsp. chopped thyme creating a thin crust on both sides.
2- Heat a heavy (cast iron preferably) skillet on med heat for 2 minutes and add canola oil and 1 tbsp butter...when shimmering with heat add the steaks...4 min on each side for medium rare... When the steaks are cooked remove from skillet and tent with foil.
3- Pour off excess fat but save browned bits. Add 2 tbsp. butter and shallots. Cook shallots scraping the pan, until softened and transparent...Remove pan from heat and add 1/3 cup cognac. Return to heat and cook until a glazy consistency...about 2 min or less.
4- Add cream and tarragon and juices from resting steaks... bring just to a boil...lower heat and simmer 1-2 minutes. add the remaining 1 tsp. cognac, stir and spoon over steaks.
Serve with french fries and a nice, hearty red wine...OMG...sooooo good!
Bon appetite!!!
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