Chocdoc Goes to France!

[Kerry Beal]

Why do you do this to us?

Because I can!

[Kerry Beal]

Thought you might enjoy a peak outside my hotel window.

 

 

 

 

 

The packaging at this chocolatier was very impressive I thought.  Like postcards really.

 

 

Next we were off to La Grande Epicerie de Paris.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitchen aid has two new competitors - the first similar to a thermomix - but without a built in scale.

 

The other can actually go on the kitchen aid mixer and give you a bain marie while you mix that will heat between 40 C and 140 C I believe.  

 

 

A random candy shop - reminded me of the candy shops in Provence.

 

 

This a a cheese monger - the owner is a MOF - many very lovely cheeses.  Asked how much I wanted - I asked for a couple of hundred grams - wrong answer apparently from the distain on the face of the clerk.  That's ok - I have my wafer thin piece of cheese.  Foolishly I thought he might cut it across instead.  Ah well - live and learn.  

 

 

Obligatory shot of that big tower in the middle of the city.  

Edited April 18, 2015 by Kerry Beal (log)

[Kerry Beal]

Walking home from the big tower in the middle of the city - we decided to stop for a bit of lunch before Jess caught her train to Burgundy.  

 

 

Half bottle of nice Provencal rose.  

 

 

Can't help picturing all those frogs in wheelchairs now.  

 

 

Can't eat without bread!

 

 

Steak frite.

[Kerry Beal]

Found a little spot called Cafe Mucha a little way up the street.  

 

 

A negroni

 

 

Lamb chops with green beans

 

 

Creme Brûlée

 

 

[Tri2Cook]

Kitchen aid has two new competitors - the first similar to a thermomix - but without a built in scale.

 

The other can actually go on the kitchen aid mixer and give you a bain marie while you mix that will heat between 40 C and 140 C I believe. 

Interesting... I think I'll go dig around on google and see if I can learn a little more about them.

[Darienne]

How did your anti-jet lag preparations work for you?  Were they successful?

[Kerry Beal]

How did your anti-jet lag preparations work for you?  Were they successful?

Yup - I've done it about 3 times now - gone are the days of barfing in the bidet at 3am with a nasty headache.  I was fine the day of arrival and woke up the next morning still fine.  

 

I'm going to endeavour to do it again for the return flight - I've had problems sticking to that before - but I suspect the short term pain will result in long term gain in the westerly direction as well.  

[Darienne]

If you have trouble sticking to it, what is the sticking point?  Lack of coffee?

[Kerry Beal]

Ah - well it's feasting days and fasting days (not totally fasting) - it's hard to do the fasting days in France!  I'm not a coffee drinker - but I do drink gallons of tea in a day.  So it's challenging to change from my orange pekoe to something like Rooibus.  You are allowed caffeine between 3 and 5 pm - but invariably I'm not near my tea pot at that time and feel deprived.  

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Interesting... I think I'll go dig around on google and see if I can learn a little more about them.

 

I had the same thought myself!

[Anna N]

A negroni AND lamb chops? Now that is just cruel.

[Anna N]

So Kerry is running into difficulties posting to eG. We seem to be a little too risqué for the French!

I will attempt to post the information she sent me via email.

So breakfast this morning at Un Dimanche à Paris - which is owned by Pierre Cluziel - son of Michael Cluziel. We had a talk about Paris Chocolatiers from Chloe Doutre-Roussel. This was followed by a nice lunch of salad, some sort of fish and assorted desserts.

Then we boarded the train to Tain L'Hermitage in the Cote de Rhone area where Valrhona is located.

A nice dinner out at la Quai - http://www.le-quai.com/

Edited to add I suspect this last image is out of order.

Edited April 19, 2015 by Anna N (log)

[David Ross]

What a wonderful report.

[rotuts]

it is indeed   

 

thanks 

[Anna N]

Posting for Kerry!

Breakfast at the hotel.

[Kim Shook]

This is all so lovely and so wonderful of Kerry (and Anna!) to take the time to share her marvelous trip with us.  Already I've seen so many places that I missed on our short trip in 2011!

[Anna N]

Lunch at the school.

[Shelby]

Are those meatballs up there?  Stuffed cabbages?  

[gfweb]

Road apples?

[Smithy]

This all looks so delicious! Thanks, Anna and Kerry! I too would like to know more about those round things. It looks like they were served alongside pickles and olives.

[Anna N]

This all looks so delicious! Thanks, Anna and Kerry! I too would like to know more about those round things. It looks like they were served alongside pickles and olives.

Kerry says:

Sort of a spinach filled meat ball with I think caul fat wrapped around it.

[Anna N]

Dinner was had in the dining room of a little hotel across the Rhone. A 20 minute walk or so.

Foie with vanilla cereal toasts.

A smoked salmon crouton salad for one of the students with me.

Sweetbreads.

Creme brulee cassis

The walk back across the river.

I can hear the 10 PM church bells ringing now.

[Alleguede]

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Lunch at the school.

I have a feeling you might be looking at a paupiette or a variation of one

[LindaK]

Kerry says:

Sort of a spinach filled meat ball with I think caul fat wrapped around it.

 

They look like caillettes, a pork and liver sausage with greens that's traditionally made with chard and wrapped in caul fat.

 

I learned of them from David Lebovitz's book "My Paris Kitchen" and had mixed success making them--posted here and here.  They;re easy and very good when made well. In the absence of caul fat, David uses bacon, but I've mostly stopped bothering. I've since tweaked the recipe to my liking based on one in Julia Child's MTAFC2 and it's easy to find recipes online if you're interested.

 

Thanks for taking us along, Kerry.

[Anna N]

More photos from Kerry. I believe this is lunch at Valrhona.

Salade Nicoise

Ratatouille

Veal

Cheese course

Dessert. Passion fruit with likely Dulcey