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Posts from the ‘Paris In July’ Category

15
Jul

#Paris In July Kir Royale

Medici Fountain, Jardin du Luxembourg

  1. If there is one cocktail that has a
  2. …special place in my heart….it is Kir Royale.
  3. It was my first cocktail.
  4. I was 18  and studying in  Paris for two months.
  5. One evening I went to  La Comédie française.
  6. It was Molière Le Misanthrope and
  7. …honestly…I didn’t understand much of it.
  8. But later I  went to a café with friends and met ‘Kir Royale’ !

Kir Royale:  sparkling wine (or champagne) + crème de cassis liqueur

  1. The Kir Royale—is named after Félix Kir.
  2. He was the mayor of Dijon who helped popularize the white-wine version of the drink.
  3. I’m using  Joseph Cartron Crème de Cassis de Bourgogne.
  4. Crème de Cassis was one of Hercule Poirot’s favorite drinks!

  1. I’m using sparkling wine:  Blanquette de Limoux instead of champagne.
  2. Blanquette de Limoux was first  made in a Benedictine Abbey in SW France.
  3. This wine  predates champagne and
  4. ….is in fact France’s oldest sparkling wine.
  5. Thomas Jefferson loved it, and served it to guests when he was president.
  6. Jefferson was America’s first oenophile.
  7. At his home at Monticello, his household consumed about 400 bottles of wine  per year.
  8. All came from Europe, because in the early 19th century
  9. …wine grapes couldn’t yet be grown in North America.

Blanquette de Limoux:

  1. Limoux is the birthplace of high-quality sparkling wine production in France.
  2. Grape: 100% Mauzac known as blanquette due to the white coating on its leaves.
  3. Taste: beautiful dryness matched up with a zing of apples.
  4. It is a  lovely glass of sparkling that’s much
  5. ….more interesting than any cava or prosecco.

Trivia:

  1. Jefferson insisted the wine be delivered in  bottles, not casks.
  2. In this way the bottles were at least secure and c
  3. …couldn’t be watered down or filched by unscrupulous merchants or
  4. …thirsty crew members.

 

N@ncy’s bar:

  • 2/3 c  sparkling wine (160 ml)
  • 1 TB crème de cassis  (15 ml)
  • There are also those that prefer…
  • 2 TB crème de cassis (30 ml)  to
  • 1/2 c sparkling wine (120 ml)
  • ...too rich for me…but you may like it.
  • Glass: champagne flute or champagne coupe
  • Garnish: optional….strawberry or black berry on the rim of glass!

 

France’s best kept secret…wines from Languedoc!

Conclusion:

  1. Elegant and easy….with just 2 ingredients.
  2. Taste: this Blanquette de Limoux tastes much more tart
  3. ..than my trusty Martini prosecco!
  4. It is also twice as expensive.
  5. The black current liqueur balances perfectly to
  6. …produce a  unforgettable  cocktail!
  7. I feel 18 again!
  8. If you have a bottle of sparkling wine in the fridge
  9. …you are always ready for a celebration!
  10. Excellent choice for a festive cocktail for
  11. …birthday, Christmas
  12. …or New Year!

 

 

 

 

8
Jul

#Paris in July Biscuits Breton

  • Biscuits Breton with Lemon Curd
  • …topped with whipped cream
  • ..meringue in photo but I prefer crème chantilly

 

  1. After dieting for 5 months
  2. ….it is time to bend over the saddle…and let go of the reins!
  3. This month during #ParisInJuly
  4. I’m using La Petite Cuisine à Paris by R. Khoo. (see Amazon).
  5. It is time to celebrate the summer and its fruit and fresh veggies
  6. …..before you know it it will be winter here!
  7. This is a delightful cake to enjoy
  8. …as a special treat for 14 juillet!
  9. I made the lemon curd ( see post July 3 2018)
  10. Now it is time to make the basic biscuits Breton.
  11. To assemble, place a generous tablespoon of the lemon curd
  12. on top of the biscuits, followed by the whipped cream.
  13. Oven: 170 C (330 F) – 12-15 min

 

Biscuits Breton

  • 3 egg yolks ( in photo 2 yolks…but you must use 3!)
  • 125 gr softened butter
  • 200 gr flour
  • 100 gr sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • pinch of salt

Preparation:

  1. WHISK  butter, sugar, salt and zest  until a pale yellow color
  2. … add yolks and continue to WHISK.
  3. CHANGE  to DOUGH utensil
  4. …add flour and baking powder into batter —> MIX
  5. Wrap dough in cling foil.
  6. Chill 4 hrs or overnight
  7. Roll dough out to a 1/2 inch thickness
  8. ….and use  culinary circle forms to make a perfect round biscuit!
  9. Don’t remove the biscuit out of the form.
  10. Bake the biscuit in the form on a cookie sheet
  11. 170 C (330 F)  12-15 min  until golden.
  12. Ready to roll…!

 

Notes:

  1. Conclusion: this recipe will make shortcakes.
  2. I used a biscuit cutter  to make the rounds
  3. I cooked the biscuit in the cutter.
  4. Later I used the cutter again to help me layer the cake with
  5. lemon curd….topped with whipped cream
  6. If you let the cake stand…(see photo) the curd will ooze
  7. and cover the cake giving it an elegant look!

Preparation:

 

Bon appétit!

 

Still  very hot in The Netherlands..

…enjoying a Crème de Cassis Spritzer!

 

6
Jul

#Paris In July French Wine

 

This wine is a real treat!

  1. Blanquette de Limoux is considered to be
  2. …the first sparkling white wine produced in France.
  3. It was created long before the Champagne region
  4. …became world-renowned for the sparkling wine Champagne.
  5. The first textual mention of “blanquette”,
  6. ….from the Occitan expression for “the small white”
  7. appeared in 1531 in papers written by
  8. …Benedictine monks at an abbey in Saint-Hilaire.
  9. No one can say it better than the French:
  10. “Cette blanquette or pâle libère des bulles fines et régulières,
  11. ainsi que (as well as) des parfums intenses de
  12. poire williams et de chèvrefeuille.” (honeysuckle)

 

  • I enjoyed this wine with Camembert cheese as aperitif and
  • …later with my gratin dauphinois. (La Petite Cuisine à Paris, R. Khoo, pg 34)
  • I’m trying to make as many recipes as I can from this cookbook during
  • #ParisInJuly.

 

Preparation:

 

Bon appétit!

3
Jul

#Paris In July Crème de citron

 

  1. This is the first step on my quest to make  tarte au citron.
  2. I found this recipe in La Petite Cuisine à Paris by R. Khoo.
  3. I was looking for the right tangy  taste.
  4. This recipe makes about 1 cup of  crème de citron.
  5. When I make the tart I will make dubble or triple this amount.
  6. You can make this and save it in the fridge for a few days.
  7. Crème de citron is an elegant touch for a any special desert!

 

Lemon Curd:

In three easy steps:

  1. Large bowl: mix zest and juice of one lemon,
  2. pinch of salt, 40gr sugar,  45 gr butter and
  3. 2 egg yolks.
  4. Optional:  adding 1/2 tsp cornstarch.
  5. I want the curd thick to use tarts.
  6. Warm slowly …keep stirring all the time!
  7. I warmed the mixture au bain maire.
  8. For velvety perfection: pour cooked  mixture through a sieve.
  9. Photo: I bought this fine mesh professional cooking sieve years ago
  10. I use it all the time to sift flour….and sauces
  11. Important!  use a culinary ring to keep the curd in one
  12. …place otherwise it will be a mess.
  13. Believe me, I know.
  14. Cover mixture with thin, clingy plastic wrap
  15. …and make sure wrap adheres to sauce.
  16. You want to avoid  the formation of a ‘skin’ on the lemon curd.
  17. Cool in fridge for a few hours or overnight
  18. Here are the photo’s of all the steps!

 

 

1
Jul

#Paris In July Food Journal

01.07.2018  Paris In July!

  1. I took this photo in front of a pâtisserie on L’ile St.Louis.
  2. This is my first stop whenever I visit Paris.

 

 

  1. Everything is so delicious but I always choose (lower right)
  2. …the mini tarte au citron!
  3. This month is all about Paris and anything French.
  4. My pâtisserie challenge this week: 
  5. ….bake these little pies and post my results!
  6. What is your cooking challenge this week?

 

Bloody hot today  in The Netherlands…time for refreshment!

Bénédictine Spritzer!

  • Bénédictine is an herbal liqueur beverage
  • developed by Alexandre Le Grand in the 19th century and produced in France.
  • The recipe is a closely guarded trade secret,
  • purportedly known to only three people at any given time. #ParisInJuly.

 

 

 

29
Jun

Paris in July 2018

  • Oh, is it July already?
  • Let’s have a glass of wine and
  • think of some things to do for…

 

2018  POSTS:

Paris in July Food Journal

Crème du Citron

French Wine

Biscuits Breton

Cocktail: Kir Royale

Madeleines

Biography: Berthe Morisot

Essays: Victor Hugo

Quiche Lorraine

 

List of French Books

 

 

Paris in July

  1. Paris in July is a French themed blogging
  2. …experience running from the 1st – 31st July this year.
  3. The aim of the month is to celebrate our French experiences through
  4. actual visits, or through reading, watching, listening,
  5. observing, cooking and eating all things French!
  6. For more instructions how to share your posts go to Thyme for Tea.

 

  1. There will be no rules or targets …just blog about anything French
  2. …and you can join in! Some ideas might include;
  3. reading a French themed book – fiction or non-fiction,
  4. watching a French movie,
  5. listening to French music,
  6. cooking French food,
  7. experiencing French, art, architecture and travel.
  8. #ParisInJuly2018

 

What are my plans?

  1. Book:  Et Soudain, La Liberté  by É. Laurent winner Prix Marguerite Duras 2017
  2. Book: Comment Baptiste est mort by A. Blottière  winner Prix Jean Giono 2016
  3. Cocktails: make, drink, review a  surprise French iconic cocktail
  4. …and on 19th July is National Daiquiri Day….try a French Daiquiri!
  5. Cooking: Gratin Dauphinois (pg 34)  La Petite Cuisine à Paris by R. Khoo.
  6. Movie:  Frantz won Best Actor Pierre Niney César Awards, France 2017.
  7. Netflix:  Dix Pour Cent  Season 1 series – nominee International Emmy Awards 2016.
  8. Art: Berthe Morisot by D. Bona winner Prix Goncourt de la biographie 2000.

 

31
Jan

Là-bas, août est un mois d’automne

 

 

Conclusion:

  1. It takes talent to write such a touching and subtle  debut novel.
  2. The book is inspired by  the life of
  3. …poet and photographer Gustave Roud. (1897-1976)
  4. He is one of Switzerland’s most accomplished poets.
  5. Pellegrino describes the ‘mouvement de va-et-vient’
  6. …the daily comings and goings
  7. …of two   60+’ers, brother and sister, Gustave and Madeleine.
  8. They have lived a solitary life on their family farm at Carrouge (canton Vaud).
  9. They both yearn to love and be loved each in their own way.
  10. Pellegrino has a keen eye for the micro cosmos of the garden.
  11. It is the world  that
  12. …reflects the changing seasons of  the character’s lives.
  13. Happy or sad, public or secret, healthy or weakening with age,
  14. …all is given the reader in an almost  poetic style.
  15. This style ‘la belle expression“
  16. is an adornment and shield
  17. …it is like the enamel on a tooth.
  18. Bravo, Bruno Pellegrino!

 

27
Oct

Soixante-quinze: French ’75’ Cocktail

  1. I have been looking for
  2. … reason to use my VSOP Calvados.
  3. This cocktail originated at the front during WWI in France.
  4. It was introduced to America by war correspondent Alex Powell.
  5. The French 75 Cocktail is a tribute to the
  6. 75mm artillery piece that the French fielded in World War I.
  7. The French air squadrons in WWI had their drinking rituals.
  8. The “75,” was inspired by these flyers returning from battle.
  9. Trivia:  The power and efficiency of the French 75mm guns made
  10. them well trusted among their crews, which earned them
  11. …a particular affection.
  12. They were dubbed Mademoiselle Soixante-Quinze (Miss Seventy-five)
  13. ….and appear on numerous French propaganda cards.
  14. #ParisInJuly

 

Ingredients:   Gin  – Calvados brandy –  grenadine or absinthe (or both)

  • 60 ml   VSOP Calvados
  • 30 ml   gin
  • 1/2 TB  (7.5 ml)  grenadine  (no absinthe in my bar…)
  • 1 tsp (5 ml) lemon juice
  • Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice
  • Shake, strain into chilled cocktail glass with lime wedge
  • Garnish: lemon twist
  • Glass:  elegant stemmed liquer glass (small)

 

Conclusion:

  1. Taste:
  2. I would NEVER  serve this cocktail as an aperitif….
  3. …it would probably be better as a ‘pousse café‘ (after dinner drink).
  4. This is my own personal advice
  5. ….because this cocktail can
  6. be as POWERFUL  as the gun it is named after!
  7. It is a drink  meant to be sipped.
  8. After one of these cocktails French soldiers
  9. felt  the courage to face down disaster  in WW I
  10. …and swear undying love to their sweetheart!
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