Chocdoc Goes to France!

[Smithy]

Do you mean you won't be happy with the baguettes you get (or make) home after this?

 

The photos are so wonderful!  I had no idea there was so much going on in the world of cake toppings. 

[Kerry Beal]

 

 

 

 

A more 'old fashioned' appearing store - but had a lovely pink peppercorn ganache that I was quite taken with. We have been invited back for a tour of the manufacturing area on Tuesday.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More things seen in our wanderings this morning.

 

 

What happens to all those poor legless frogs. 

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

Do you mean you won't be happy with the baguettes you get (or make) home after this?

 

The photos are so wonderful!  I had no idea there was so much going on in the world of cake toppings. 

Yeah - won't be happy with the ones at home.

 

Cake toppings have progressed indeed!

[Kerry Beal]

It was our great pleasure to have lunch with jmacnaughtan and his wife today at Les Climates - a burgundian restaurant. I had presumed upon James to take delivery for me of a large order of IBC Power Flowers which are concentrated colouring for chocolate. 

 

The food was fabulous, the wines excellent and the company stellar.

 

 

Gougères and palmier as amuse bouche

 

 

 A nice Crémant 

 

 

The burgundy to accompany the main course

 

 

Snails 

 

 

Dressed with their sauce

 

 

Lamb, gnocchi with veg

 

 

Sole for one diner

 

 

 

After's were cheese plate or Rhubarb 

 

 

Couple of different Chartreuse - yellow and the VEP

 

 

 

Mignardise

 

 

 

 

 

[Kerry Beal]

So tonight we are in Barcelona. We had thought to pop down to Aix en Provence after I discharged my students to explore a callison producer however that would have cost somewhere in the region of €1000 so we thought perhaps heading to Spain to check out torrone production might be more sensible. 

 

Vivanda.

 

 

 

House made vermouth

 

 

Pan con coca y tomate

 

 

Crawfish for me

 

 

Tuna tartar for Jess

 

 

Tarte tatin 

 

 

Pannacotta with bitter orange marmalade 

[gfweb]

It's so much easier to eat well over there. Love your posts.

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Kerry,

 

I know you're reporting your real experiences, but they seem like a fairy princess fantasy world to me. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your European odyssey with us.

 

It looks like they sure do understand how to make good bread over there. Wow!

 

One question: Vivanda seems like a fairly upscale restaurant, and while I believe shellfish has much more flavor cooked in its shells, I don't think I'd be exactly comfortable picking up and peeling saucy shellfish in a white tablecloth environment. Those are lovely-looking crawdads, and I couldn't leave them on the plate. What did you do?

[Kerry Beal]

What looks like a white tablecloth is actually a piece of white leather so it cleans up well after.  

 

I picked the crawfish with my fingers, sucked every little bit of goodness out of them and completely covered my fingers with the onion and sherry sauce that they came buried in (which I also sucked off my fingers).  Cleaning my hands meant that I completely fouled their white cloth napkin - so much so that I didn't want it back on my lap for dessert.  

[Deryn]

Oh, oh, oh. IBC Power Flowers you say!

 

What an amazing trip you have been on, Kerry. I am so jealous - mainly because if I were to go I am sure I would have missed most of what you seem to have found because I would not have a clue where to find them. Did you plan all the shop visits yourself or do you have a guide?

 

Thank you SO very much for chronicling your adventures in Europe for us. I am living vicariously through you right now and enjoying every bite!

Edited April 26, 2015 by Deryn (log)

[Smithy]

What Deryn said!

Did workshop attendants get to keep those snazzy aprons?

[Tri2Cook]

I picked the crawfish with my fingers, sucked every little bit of goodness out of them and completely covered my fingers with the onion and sherry sauce that they came buried in (which I also sucked off my fingers).  Cleaning my hands meant that I completely fouled their white cloth napkin - so much so that I didn't want it back on my lap for dessert.  

As should be. I enjoy watching people try to figure out a way to eat something obviously meant to be finger food without touching it. Makes me glad I'm an uncouth slob who can just enjoy food without caring what people I don't even know think about how I choose to go about it.

 

[Anna N]

As should be. I enjoy watching people try to figure out a way to eat something obviously meant to be finger food without touching it. Makes me glad I'm an uncouth slob who can just enjoy food without caring what people I don't even know think about how I choose to go about it.

Exactly!

[Darienne]

Oooooooooh  Myyy

 

I guess i should have been a Student of Chocolat a long time ago !!!

 

Ill just watch the Movie  'Chocolat'

 

its the France I remember from the mid '50's

 

Watch the movie, if you like.  There's not a lot to be learned from it.  However, much better is read the book.  Much richer than the movie and a different slant. 

[rotuts]

correct

 

""   is read the book ""

 

lucky for me I read it first.

[jmacnaughtan]

As should be. I enjoy watching people try to figure out a way to eat something obviously meant to be finger food without touching it. Makes me glad I'm an uncouth slob who can just enjoy food without caring what people I don't even know think about how I choose to go about it.

 

 

I don't know about that.  It takes real skill to eat prawns with both cutlery and elegance

[Tri2Cook]

I don't know about that.  It takes real skill to eat prawns with both cutlery and elegance

That's true. And there was a period of time when I concerned myself with it. Then I decided that it was entirely possible for fancy and fun to live in harmony and I quit worrying about it. You look around the room in a fancy restaurant where everybody is being proper and polite and then the chef sends out a course that practically forces the diners to lower their guard and have a little fun with the food and suddenly the place lights up. I respect other's right to prefer to keep things completely formal, it's just no longer my preference.

 

[Kerry Beal]

Oh, oh, oh. IBC Power Flowers you say!

 

What an amazing trip you have been on, Kerry. I am so jealous - mainly because if I were to go I am sure I would have missed most of what you seem to have found because I would not have a clue where to find them. Did you plan all the shop visits yourself or do you have a guide?

 

Thank you SO very much for chronicling your adventures in Europe for us. I am living vicariously through you right now and enjoying every bite!

 

I have Alleguede's wife Jess with me - she speaks both french and spanish (not so much Catalan - but that's not causing a huge issue). She was raised in the south of France near the Spanish border and spent a lot of time in this area over the years. She has been the only reason I can get to all these places successfully - I would be totally lost here without her. In fact she is the one who determined all the places we needed to see - with input from her hubby who keeps sending along new suggestions.  

What Deryn said!

Did workshop attendants get to keep those snazzy aprons?

Well I'm not sure if they were supposed to - but I kept mine!

[Kerry Beal]

 

At the market this morning we saw some interesting things - this is a copper candy pan inside a chamber that keeps it hot for making praline nuts.  

 

 

If you look carefully you can see an alembic still on the left side of her display table.  She sells essential oils and such.

 

 

Cheesecakes.

 

 

Tarts made with puff pastry.

 

 

Chicherron.

 

 

Orange rind covered in a nice dark chocolate - enjoying a piece right now.  He also makes 'truffles' with chocolate, sugar and olive oil rolled in cocoa powder.  

 

 

Spreadable sausage. 

 

 

Paella will be happening later in the day. 

 

 

One of Jess's favourites, almond paste around dried fruit and rolled in roasted pine nuts. 

 

 

Hofman bakery - Jess got a flavoured croissant and I tried the Kouign aman.  

 

 

Nougat joint - the story of our lives today was to show up to shops that were closed, justing closing or not open yet.  The lady in this one was not yet ready to receive customers and made no bones about it. So she returned later.  

 

 

Wookie Cookies.  

 

 

These little delights - no name for them but they are a nice crispy biscuit with almonds attached, dipped in dark chocolate.  

 

 

Kronuts! There was even a bit of a lineup just like the real thing.  

 

 

 

 

On the way to lunch we passed this Iberico ham seller.  Managed to get a little taste of a nice soft, 2 year aged leg.  

 

 

A bar that sells some candy - to differentiate from a lot of other shops that sell pastry, chocolate and also sell liquor.  

 

 

 

Had to drop around to Oriol Balanguer's shop that sells chocolate - was quite facinated by his payment system.  If you are paying cash - then you put the bills and coins in and it returns change to you. Guess it keeps the staff honest. 

 

Tried two chocolates - a sweet corn which tasted like peanut and might just have been but was rather nice - and an orange that didn't have much orange flavour and had an extremely thick bottom. 

[Kerry Beal]

Lunch at Suculent

 

 

 

Wonderful olives. 

 

 

Brandade.

 

 

Shrimp ceviche - absolutely perfect.  

 

 

Bread with tomato.

 

 

Grilled octopus with chickpeas.

 

 

Steak tartare with roasted bone marrow.  

 

 

Two of these great sinks in the bathroom.  

 

 

On our travels we saw parrots eating the bread people throw for them and oranges that are windfalls.  

 

 

I've seen lots of gargoyles - but this was my first cowgoyle.  

 

 

[ElsieD]

Love the cowgoyle.

[Kerry Beal]

 

 

24,158 steps today according to my fitbit - hence our collapse after drinks and tapas.  We had planned to head to the beach for paella however we are exhausted and we see that is it pouring rain outside - so all is well as we relax in our room.  

 

Tapas and a glass of rioja at Tapas 24.

 

 

Olives.

 

 

 

Scale set up beside the Berkel to control the Iberico Ham.

 

 

Iberico ham and bread with tomato.

 

 

Papas bravas

 

 

Croquettes

 

 

Potatoes with chorizo and egg - thought we were getting something more like a frittata - but this deluxe version of eggs and chips was great. 

 

 

Meats with pasta.

 

 

Here is what we picked up at the Turrón place.  

[Darienne]

Talk about wonderful.  Nougat in Turron.

[Anna N]

That is the one meal I wish I could have shared with you! That ham, those potatoes and you know that tapas rate high on the things I love. Small plates of tasty bites are my idea of good eating.

[rotuts]

Well, just for me, except for the LunchLadies  squid   I hope you don't get home any time soon.

 

eventually, of corse, 

 

healthy, wiser, etc, but just not quite yet.

 

I understand, that Morocco is not that far away   

 

down south.

 

some of the cities are old Spanish

 

Id think of Tangiers.  

 

just saying.   

Edited April 26, 2015 by rotuts (log)

[Tri2Cook]

Wookie Cookies and Cowgoyles!  

And, of course, all of that incredible looking food...