meat loves salt

It’s been a while since we talked about France here. And I actually still have so much more to share. I hope you are not sick of hearing about our France trip yet. :)

So what more could we possibly have eaten in Paris in between Le Bistrot Paul Bert, the wonderful markets, the great little food shops around our apartment in the Bastille, and all the lovely cheeses we tried?

Well, there’s crêpes at la Crêperie Josselin, for one (67 rue du Montparnasse). This little restaurant is decorated in traditional Breton style — dim, dark wood, and small booths. And the staff is so friendly! The restaurant serves beautiful traditional Breton crêpes de sarrasin (also known as galettes de sarrasin) made of buckwheat. We ordered a small pitcher of delicious hard cider that you drink out of little bowls. Then I got a sausage and cheese crêpe, and B got one filled with goatcheese and honey.

A French person once told me that it is impossible to make excellent crêpes at home because you just don’t have the equipment for it. So I’m always appreciative of the perfectly crispy yet spongey, thin, pancake-like texture of a good French crêpe, and the crêpes de sarrasin are my favorite for their more hearty taste.

No trip to Paris is complete without a falafel sandwich from L’As du Falafel (34 Rue des Rosiers). It was fun even just waiting in line for one! (There are two lines — one for dining in and one for takeout, and the takeout line actually goes pretty quickly, especially with someone taking your order while you wait.) I loved their sign that said “Toujours imité, jamais egalé” (Always imitated, never equalled). :) I don’t think I’ve ever even had a falafel sandwich before, so I don’t have much by way of comparison, but the falafels themselves were indeed fluffy, with a nice and crispy exterior. And they were perfect with all the toppings, like pickled red cabbage, hummus, and harissa. I think it would’ve been best to get a bit of everything in one bite, but I ended up mostly eating things separately with a fork. Will have to work on that next time — as well as try some of their other offerings!

After our falafel sandwich, we walked over to Mariage Frères nearby to check out their famous teas (35 Rue du Bourg Tibourg and other locations). They have a little café in the back, but since we had baby E with us we figured sitting down for a leisurely tea and snacks was not going to be very leisurely. :) So instead I picked up some French Blue Earl Gray to bring home. It is so aromatic! I would love to try cooking or baking with it, like infusing it into some whipped cream or using it to flavor pastries. I have since also found a few Mariage Frerès teas at Williams-Sonoma.

The next subject is a bit of a touchy one: macarons. Before we dive into this, let me start by saying that I am far from a macaron connoisseur. Because, well, to be a connoisseur I would first have to love them. So, yes, I confess that, as many times as I have tried to understand and embrace the macaron craze, I’m afraid I still don’t really get it. To me, they kind of taste like… those Asian wafer cookies from my childhood. (My deepest apologies if I have offended anyone). One of my hopes for Paris was to hit up the most popular macaron shops, thinking surely my deficit of taste here was only because I had not tried a real macaron…

First, we stopped by the famous Pierre Hermé. This place was not what I had anticipated! I was expecting a cute little pâtisserie, and had I not already heard of the Pierre Hermé macarons, I would’ve taken this place for a perfume or jewelry shop. That’s how seriously they take their pastries here. Just look at this store front with window displays of abstract art…

It was so intimidating being inside. And of course no pictures were allowed (but of course I snuck one anyway). There was this noticeable hush over the entire place, signaling that we were in the presence of greatness. It was as though pastry chefs were in the back, carefully piecing these artful pastries together, and if anyone did any more than tiptoe or speak above a whisper, everything would be ruined. (If you’ve ever seen the documentary Kings of Pastry, you’ll know what I mean!) Once I bit into one of their macarons, though, I started to understand what all the fuss was about. But I am getting ahead of myself here…

Before we tasted anything, we also stopped by Ladurée, the famous pastry shop and tea house that invented the modern Parisian macaron. This place was closer to what I had imagined a macaron shop being — opulent, frilly, fancy tea room of the kind that little and big girls alike would want to dress up and have tea at. Just the look of the pretty shop actually made us want to stay and do just that (well, except that I was the only girl :), but we decided it was perhaps best to head home to put E to bed. So we picked up some macarons and headed back to the apartment.

After E’s bedtime ritual and after we had dinner ourselves, it was time to break out the macarons.

I’m afraid I no longer remember all the flavors we tried. But I do remember what I thought.

Now, there is a lot of contention over who makes the better macaron, Pierre Hermé or Ladurée. So, just remember that I am no macaron connoisseur… but… I really thought Pierre Hermé’s were decidedly more complex and refined. The Ladurée macarons were delicious, and I think their shop is a lot more fun. When it comes down to taste, though, the Ladurée macarons may have filled my mouth with their lovely flavors, but the Pierre Hermé macarons held amazing aromas that slowly wafted up through my nose and filled my entire head. (This makes perfect sense when you consider that flavor is really connected to your olfactory sense. More on the science of taste here). And that was when I understood why the Pierre Hermé shop looked more like a perfume store. Have you ever read the book or seen the movie Perfume? I can just imagine the Pierre Hermé pastry chefs experimenting with the flavors and combinations in the back (though, of course, in less morbid fashion than the Perfume story). The other thing was that the Ladurée macarons were single flavored, while the Pierre Hermé ones had various combinations, so there were layers of flavors in your mouth, with the aromas slowly evolving as they lingered in your olfactory passages. They really have elevated the macaron to an art form.

I wouldn’t say that I am now a macaron convert. I would love to have the Pierre Hermé flavor effect applied to, say, crème brûlée, or ice cream, or cupcake, or some other dessert. But I do think I can better understand the obsession with these dainty delicacies now, and I still would love to go back to Paris and have tea and macarons (and other desserts) at the beautiful Ladurée.

Have you had Pierre Hermé or Ladurée macarons? What did you think? What’s your favorite macaron place Stateside? I am always in awe of the beautiful macarons made by Ravenous Couple and all the interesting Asian–inspired flavors they post on their Instagram. :) If I were in town I would request a custom order from them for a certain upcoming celebration (more on that when the time comes :).

Lastly, we had a lot of other foods in Paris that were not tied to a particular standout place.

Like moules et frites… :)

… crème brûlée… and a few cafe crèmes…

… escargots…

… duck confit…

… and lots of steak tartare.

Lest you think all we did in Paris was eat, I have one more post coming up for you on the City of Lights, as well as a few from Provence. Stay tuned!

For more posts on France, see…
The Bastille Quarter
Bistrot Paul Bert
Markets (Paris)
Oh, the Cheeses We Ate
Not Eating in Paris
Markets (Provence)
Aix-en-Provence
(La Vraie) Bouillabaisse in Marseille
Provençal Specialties in Nice

It was interesting to see the difference in market fare between Paris and Provence. There were a lot more Mediterranean goods in Provence, obviously, but also some North African things, like Moroccan leather and hammam towels. We were based mostly in Aix-en-Provence during our stay, and I tried to time our excursions elsewhere to coincide with local market days.

We got some of this roast chicken and potatoes in Aix — and, I have to say, I think the potatoes were tastier than the chicken after soaking up all the drippings!

Arles sure had an incredible market for such a small town. It seemed to go on forever, and there were even live chickens and rabbits!

I had originally wanted to go to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, which is known for its crazy Sunday antiques market, but due to a change of plans, we never made it. Instead, we spent a leisurely Sunday in Aix sipping coffee, which was a pretty welcome break that day.

While I’m talking about markets, I also have to give a shoutout to Monoprix, which we visited in almost every city. I like to think of it as a French Target… or Super Target would be more like it, since, in addition to all the clothing, pharmacy products, and household goods, there’s also a full grocery section, usually in the basement level. But the great thing is that there are Monoprix stores located right within the city. (My other love is Carrefour, which is like a humongous French Super Walmart, but these are usually located in the outskirts of the city.) We got things to supplement what we picked up at the outdoor markets and also picked up a good number of other non-food items, like pharmacy products, a few shirts for baby E, and I even found these cute little chalkboards in the stationery aisle.

I loved the different foods available in France that are usually harder to find fresh and affordable back home, like magret de canard (duck breast). We also found pre-packaged steak tartare that came with the seasoning mix as well as beef carpaccio. Ok, these were nothing fancy, but they were decent and easy. I kind of wanted to make a rabbit stew, but decided not to in the end ’cause it would’ve meant staying in much of the day.

We actually ate in most nights, which works out better when traveling with a baby, and it was nice to unwind in the evenings at the apartment. Here’s a glimpse of some of the meals we prepared in both Paris and Aix-en-Provence… Sometimes they were just simple meals with the fresh foods we got from the markets, and other times we did a bit more cooking.

My favorite part, though, was the daily cheese and charcuterie plate we always put together. I sure miss that!

I also made sure to sample some La Fermière yogurt I found at Monoprix. This stuff is amazing. It’s incredibly smooth and light. I could only find the vanilla flavor, and you can actually see the specks of real (Madagascar) vanilla bean in the yogurt. So good. What’s more, it comes in these beautiful painted terracotta pots! I tucked a few in my suitcase to bring back, and one of them is now holding my pens.

We brought back all kinds of gifts and goodies to try from the various markets we visited. I used this helpful guide on things to bring back from France by (who else?) David Lebovitz. As for what you can get through U.S. customs, I followed these guidelines from the U.S. customs site itself. I actually did not realize you can bring cheese (hard and semi-soft) into the U.S.! According to the list, though, foie gras, being a poultry product, is not allowed, although I’ve read that it all really just depends on your customs agent. Not wanting to take too many chances, I only brought back a few cheeses and cans/jars of foie gras and declared them on my form. We got through without any problems (I’m not sure our agent even read my form, so don’t take my word for it).

Here’s a peek at just some of the things we brought home… others have already been given away, and others still already consumed. :) Any suggestions on what I should make with the sundried tomatoes, vanilla beans, or lavender?

For more posts on France, see…
Eating in Paris
Not Eating in Paris
The Bastille Quarter
Bistrot Paul Bert
Markets (Paris)
Oh, the Cheeses We Ate
Aix-en-Provence
(La Vraie) Bouillabaisse in Marseille
Provençal Specialties in Nice

One of the things I was most excited for when we rented an apartment in Paris was having access to a kitchen and all the great markets in the city. I might have even been more excited about visiting the markets than I was about the museums or the Eiffel Tower… Marché Richard Lenoir Boulevard Richard Lenoir, starting at Place de la Bastille [Metro: Bastille, lines 5 & 9; or Bréguet Sabin, line 5] Thursdays and Sundays ~9am to ~1pm I already mentioned the Marché Aligre near the apartment we stayed at in the 11th. The other market we were close to is the Marché Richard Lenoir, sometimes also called the Marché Bastille. We visited on a Sunday morning, when the market was at its liveliest. There were flowers, produce, seafood, meat, prepared foods, and even clothing and furniture. We picked up some snacks here and there, and by the time we reached the end of the market, we had cobbled together the best Sunday brunch ever. :) This we ate while reading the Sunday paper (with a napping baby) on a bench at a little park at the market’s north end. Rue Montorgueil 1st arrondissement, just north of Les Halles and Saint-Eustache Church. Before the end of the shops in the north, rue Montorgueil turns into rue des Petits Carreaux. [Metro: Etienne Marcel, line 4; or Sentier, line 3] Check individual shops and restaurants for hours. Many of them close Sunday and some Monday. There are also these market streets throughout Paris — lanes filled with individual grocers selling their own specialty items. I had high hopes to hit rues Montorgueil, Cler (near the Eiffel Tower), and Mouffetard (south of the Latin Quarter), but ended up only making it to Montorgueil. No matter, though, there was much to take in here. Rue Montorgueil is situated in the area where the historic Parisian markets, Les Halles, used to be (the one and only David Liebovitz has more on the history, as well as a great guide to the shops and restaurants on the street). We actually ended up coming here twice because, silly me, most of the shops were closed on Sunday, and actually some still on Monday as well. It was rainy both days we came to rue Montorgueil, and on Monday, we decided we should take refuge somewhere and get some lunch. After eyeing a number of places, we decided to head into La Grappe d’Orgueil (5 rue des Petits Carreaux) because their special of the day was boeuf bourguignon. It turned out to be the right decision… Nothing hits the spot on a cold, rainy day like eating boeuf bourguignon while sitting next to the radiator… unless it’s molten chocolate cake and a café crème for dessert. :) Right next to La Grappe d’Orgueil was this Italian grocer called Delitaly (5 rue des Petits Carreaux), whose window displays were too enticing to pass up. We picked up some Italian salads and fresh burrata here for dinner that night. I also really wanted to check out two shops on David Liebovitz’s list: the specialty foods and baking supply shop G. Detou (58 rue Tiquetonne) and the restaurant supply house E. Dehillerin (18 rue Coquillière), both close to rue Montorgueil. E. Dehillerin was closed by the time I arrived at the end of the day, but I did make it to G. Detou and got all kinds of goodies there: salted caramels, some good-quality foie gras as gifts, Edmond Faillot mustard, vanilla beans from Madagascar, sel de Géurande, and some beautiful Persian blue salt. (Also thanks to D. Lebovitz, I delighted much over the pun on the name G. Detou [j’ai de tout or I have everything].) La Grande Épicerie 38 rue de Sèvres [Metro: Vaneau or Sèvres-Babylone, line 10]Mon-Sat 8:30 am – 9 pm Finally, who could go to Paris without stopping at La Grande Épicerie? I think we spent over an hour here. Everything was just so beautiful. Seriously — the produce was gleaming, and some of it was displayed on glass pedestals! They don’t really like you taking photos in there, but I snuck a few anyway. It was too unreal. See what I mean? We got a jar of the Christine Ferber jam pictured above, thinking it was pretty and would make a good gift. We ended up keeping it and opening it up to try on Mother’s Day when my sister and her husband were in town. The guys tried it first and declared it to be amazing jam (just picture them taking off that ribbon and polka-dotted cover, if you can). The guys then proceeded to analyze why it was amazing and decided it was because the jam was concentrated and struck the perfect balance between tart and sweet. So there you have it — Christine Ferber jam, recommended now by David Lebovitz and my husband and brother-in-law. Others There are tons of other markets in Paris, many of which aren’t even food-related, that we didn’t have the chance to check out, like the Marché les Enfants Rouges (the oldest covered market in Paris) and the Marché Saint-Pierre, which sells textiles. We did make it to the Marché aux Puces St-Ouen de Clignancourt, the big flea market north of the city (you can find helpful directions here). We didn’t get anything, though there was a lot of nice furniture that was fun to look at. I’d heard that the Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves is much more of a real flea market, but it seemed more out of the way, whereas Clignancourt was at least close to Montmartre. Next time, I’d like to look for some brocantes and vide-greniers as well. We also went to a lot of Provençal markets during the week we spent in the south of France, which I’ll share about tomorrow, along with some of the meals we put together with the market fare we brought home.

For more posts on France, see…
Eating in Paris
Not Eating in Paris
The Bastille Quarter
Bistrot Paul Bert
Oh, the Cheeses We Ate
Markets (Provence)
Aix-en-Provence
(La Vraie) Bouillabaisse in Marseille
Provençal Specialties in Nice