Day 6 Le Cordon Bleu Paris

Today was the "Market Day" for my practical group of 8. We walked form the school "field trip style" with Chef Lesourd and our translator Ute. Paris has many markets, and I as I learned each carries a rating of the quality of its products. Today, we visited the Market "convention" which is named after the street where it convenes. This was really a fun event looking at all the goods without the pressure of having to take notes or being serious. It was nice to have a few hours of casual fun with the chef and my classmates. The Chef pointed out many types of produce, cheeses, meats, and fish...some of which were new to some of us. The chef also bought any item that we were curious about.

There were some interesting fowl and game displays. The chicken heads were displayed with the body as proof that you are in fact getting a chicken. There was also a rabbit and game bird (I think it was a pheasant) hanging at the same counter. I'll spare you those pictures.

We also came across a meat counter which exclusively sold horse meat (Le Chevalirie). I was curious about the taste, so the Chef bought some and made me carry it back to school. We also picked up some cheeses, bread, tangerines, and some "rillette du lapin" which is a spread of rabbit confit.

 Flavia from Brazil going for the oysters

Sardines

 Romanesco (a cross between

Cauliflower and broccoli)

Sea Urchins

Learning about mushrooms from Ute

When we returned to school we created a little feast for ourselves with our goodies in an informal setting. Once again this was just a very informal event for our group of 8 with the crazy chef and Ute. The chef had me make a taretar with my ground horse meat along with some salt, pepper and tabasco. After the initial opposition, everyone relented and tried it for the sake of their culinary experience. It tasted very similar to lean ground meat. The

resistance was stronger with the tasting of the "rillete du lapin" as most of the females cited Bugs Bunny, or furry bunny references to avoid eating it, but once again most relented and tried it. It was delicious.  After our market, the school provided a tasting of the newly released Nouveau Beaujolais for the entire school in the Jardin d'hiver (winter Garden) with more cheeses and spreads. This was a good time to mingle and meet people from the other classes and do a bit of socializing. So far, this morning had been wonderful after the hectic pace of the previous three.


BUT, once again it was time to get serious with a 3 hour demo on soups followed with a 3 hour practical. The demo covered a cream of Cauliflower soup, a mushroom velouté, a beef consommé, and a crab bisque. The chef worked the counter as he multi-tasked his way though the simultaneous assimilation and reduction of all of the above soups and consommé. At one point the expertise of Chef Thivet "the history Chef" was sought regarding the convention the French use to name their soups. Lots of good trivia!

Chef's Beautiful Crab Bisque....was delicious!

After the demo, it was off to our kitchen to create.

Tasks:

1. Kills some crabs

2. Use the crabs, veggies, stock, and lots of other stuff to make the juice for the bisque

3. reduce, strain, cream, reduce, strain

4. make some croutons

5. make a puff pastry and do 4 turns on it for a dish that we will do tomorrow

Up to now, I have been happy with all of my dishes. I don't know what happened today, but my bisque was a disaster. This was really an easy dish. I have made bisques at home...oh well. I think I did not reduce enough in between the additions of all the ingredients. My soup came out too thin and too light in color. I was so distracted making the puff pastry in between the soup step that I just neglected the fact that I was producing a thin soup. By the time I realized it was too late. I tried one last bit of CPR before the chef noticed my impending disaster by cutting the quantity in half, cranking up the heat, and adding some more liaison (cream and rice flour). Alas, my patient flat lined____________________. Bummer!

Tomorrow, we have 4 three hour sessions.

Bonsoir!

Day 5 Le Cordon Bleu Paris

Puff pastry! The demo was mostly about puff pastry and it's use to make a "Feuilleté de poireaux et œufs pochés, sauce albufera" ...yesssss! The chef also made a seasonal fruit tart to show how to make a sweet short pastry; however, we will not be responsible for making the tart. Back to the puff pastry. This was a laborious, and multi tasked dish which required a veal stock, chicken stock, poached eggs, and some garnish for the filling. The chef was running and jumping behind the counter trying to get it all done within the allotted time. I won't get into the demo details but along with the lesson we also received some instruction on driving a car, how to swing a perfect tennis backhand, and a little about Buddhist temples. I looked down and noticed that I had over 2 pages of fine print notes for this dish! I looked up and by the looks on the faces of my classmates, I could tell that this would be a tough practical. I have to say that the chef delivered a beautiful product with his Puff pastry dish and the 2 tarts that he made. Above is a picture of the raspberry tart.

We finished the demo and headed for the kitchen a bit early to get organized. We found that the kitchen was locked. The tension was mounting slowly as the clock ticked away. Finally the chef unlocked the door and we all raced in to get everything set up for the practical. Poor Julia and Yuka, who are this week's assistants responsible for getting the ingredients for the class ahead of time, were really stretched today to get the show on the road. They did a nice job. So we began the practical. At one point I had all 4 burners going, and something in the oven....I could have used an espresso. The group was pretty quiet today with minimum chatter and lots of intensity.

Yolanda from Madrid adding the finishing

 touches to her plate for the Chef's inspection.

Tasks:
Turn yesterday's puff pastry two more times, and let it rest
reduce veal sauce to demi-glace
make a beurre manié for the sauce
create an albufera sauce from chicken stock
prepare leek filing
prepare red pepper garnish
prepare poached eggs
roll out puff pastry and create shapes, egg them, and bake
put it all together on a hot plate!!!

I was challenged today. Lots going on. I looked around at the end and saw that everyone seemed to have survived with nice looking plates. phheeewwww!

Damn I forgot to take a pic of my plate. Below is a second plate that I put together for this picture since the Chef went through my original presentation plate which looked a LOT better. I was pretty happy with my results today. My back aches though!

We're almost done with doughs. Tomorrow we will begin with a 3 hour Market tour and then come back to the school and begin a series on soups. We also have to make the puff pastry one more time.

Day 4 Le Cordon Bleu Paris

So far so good. My head is still above the water and I don't think I am sinking. Today seemed like an easy day only because we had a demo and a practical. Our second in the dough serious, we learned short pastry and puff pastry. Once taught the dough preparation, we were shown how to employ the short pastry to make a Quiche Lorraine, and Quiche Aux Champignons. The demo chef was the crazy chef Lesourd pictured here with the finished products. Next the chef demonstrated puff pastry which is a dough folded multiple time with layers of a dry butter (85% fat content and little moisture content) over a period of time to create fluffiness. It's a game of math progressions with the counting of the layers. Folding it over 4 times to begin, then 3 times=84 layers. Then we folded it 3 time again and the layers increase geometrically. Below Le Chef is rolling out the puff pastry.

Next came the practical. Assignment was to:
1. Make a short pastry, filling of ham, guryere, cream and egges , and Create the quiche Lorraine.
2. Prepare a puff pastry dough and fold it several times and store it for a dish taught tomorrow.

The kitchen was mayhem because rather than each student having his/her own oven for the quiche, the chef wanted ALL of us to use a single convection oven. Everyone works at a different pace, so you can imagine the oven door was a revolving door with all of us inserting, extracting, and eyeing our precious quiches like a grizzly bear protecting her young. It all worked out in the end and we all seemed to enjoy this session. Here is a picture of my final product after having a slice....yum.

Let me begin this paragraph by asking you to read this with the utmost innocence in your perspective. The locker room at LCB is tiny and very cramped! Like it was designed for kindergarten kids. As any other school, the lockers are a point of convergence for the entire school as classes begin and end. Therefore, it becomes VERY crowded and you have no choice but to become very chummy with your locker neighbors. Utmost courtesy and decorum are required to maintain civility. However there are benefits to every bad situation. The guy to my left in the locker room is Grant who is in his 50's, speaks with a British accent, and is a professional chef in Vancouver. He is taking the pastry course. It has always been polite "hellos" and "how's it going mate" and today he was nice enough to give me extras from his practical as pictured below! A pound cake and some other goodies. Now where else can 2 straight dudes exchange a pound cake in a locker room?Only at LCB.

My food stockpile is growing in my fridge. I have 2 lbs of chicken and rice, a quiche, and some desserts. I can't make it disappear fast enough!

Anatomy of a Demonstration at Le Cordon Bleu

The demos are unique and unlike any form of instruction I have ever received. A demo is 3 hours in length with no breaks. The Chef has an assistant who helps him with prep, cleaning, and organization. The assistant is usually a student in a higher course or a graduate who receives a break in tuition be assisting (I am not totally clear on this). Also, a translator is present to translate the Chef's French into English. Each demo is used to introduce a particular style or technique conveyed through one or more recipes. For example, 3 lessons are devoted to doughs (simple dough, pasta, shory pastry, puff pastry, etc..) and within each lesson specific recipes exemplify each type of pastry. Thus far, none of the recipes are exceptional or even something I would want to cook for a guest, but the big picture here is that each of these simple recipes serve as a spine from which more complicated and exotic recipes could be developed in the future. These recipes are the foundations.

With that said, LCB uses an interesting technique. They do not give the students recipes!  What? That's right, no recipes. Nor is any literature or text provided for the recipes. All lessons are provided to us with an ingredient list and their respective quantities. An example would be a list of vegetable for a particular recipe and their associated quantity (i.e, 50 g of carrots). The demonstration chef prepares the dishes in his own style using the ingredient list and it is up to the students to translate his actions into their own words. Since the chef is usually demonstrating 2 or 3 dishes, he may jump around from one to another during the demo. It can be quite confusing to follow and determine which one he is working on. Some chefs are better than others with communicating their actions in an organized fashion. Additionally some of the translators are more capable than others in keeping us better informed with this organization. I have to say that it is CRITICAL not to miss a SINGLE word. Throughout the demo the chef asks us if we understand, or is everything OK to which he expects a boot camp style collective "OUI CHEF" from the class. A 30 second day dream during a demo can be disastrous. Looking down at your notes for more than 10 seconds could be disastrous. It is all paced rapidly and many things can happen in that 30 seconds. The omission of a step could be a deal breaker in the kitchen. A demo can be quite exhausting because it is 3 hours of intense focus.

The demo always concludes with the chef presenting his finished product to the class for pictures and tasting. It is important to use all of one's senses....see, smell, taste, and even touch (for texture and firmness) the dish to know how it should be prepared.

With all of that said, if one finds cooking fun, then the demos can also be fun. I am lucky that I have some experience cooking and reading recipe even though it has only been as a hobby. It has all helped with this process of interpreting the demos and visualizing my words into actions. This is basic cuisine, so theoretically someone with zero experience could take this course. However, I would think that it would be REALLY difficult to keep up with the pace and really absorb everything if one has never cooked.  although I have met at least one person who has never cooked. She seems to be getting along just fine.

It's time to get ready to begin day 5. Today is the final day of doughs with a dish that will incorporate the puff pastry from yesterday.  Gotta run!

Day 3 Le Cordon Bleu Paris

LONG day today.

We began the first 3 hours at 0830 with a practical based on Friday's Demo: Truss and poach a chicken, make a chicken stock from the poaching. Use the stock to make a Sauce Supreme which is the chicken stock, plus a roux, plus cream and butter. Finally, make a rice using the chicken stock. Serve on hot plate. It all went pretty well. I have never trussed a chicken before, so that was not too bad. I am enjoying making the stocks and the derivative sauces...no canned products! How cool. I learned some finer points with the sauce making as the chef (a different chef than the first couple of days) came around and gave pointers. Finesse is the name of the game. They are BIG on plating...no finger prints on the plate, no smudges of food, etc..I finished about an hour early so I managed to go for a little walk to clear my head and downed 2 espressos. After all, who ever made a chicken at 8:30 in the morning. Below is a picture of Wen Bo from China enjoying a light snack after our practical(this was his chicken and rice dish)

The second session began at 1230.  The session was a demo and our first of 3 which deal with doughs. We were shown how to make a savory yeast dough which was then used to make a Pissaladère. The chef explained that this is a Southern France dish and is considered a "French" pizza. Next he demo'ed how to make pasta dough, he rolled it out, made tomato sauce, a bechamel sauce and used it all along with a few other items to create a cannelloni dish. I had to ask why we were being taught an Italian dish. The chef said that we are taught this because making pasta is a "dough making" process and thus presented to complement all of the doughs that are taught in the curriculum. We will not be responsible for making this dish. I may try it when I return to the states. Here is a picture of the chef's Pissaladère.

Then I had a 3 1/2 break, which is now. I came home because frankly I could not stand to smell myself and needed a shower and a little down time. I can't imagine the heat in the kitchens during the summer. I will be going back in an hour for a 3 hour practical to make the dough and the Pissaladiere. I just had a coffee and 2 chocolate croissants and I feel GREAT! So, I need to study a little before I head back.

A' Demain

1st Weekend Off

I have only had class for 2 days but I was happy for the weekend to arrive. Laundry was top priority. This is something I'll be doing a lot since I only have 3 uniform tops, 3 aprons, and 3 dish towels. They need to be kept clean because appearance and uniform cleanliness are part of the grading. The washer in this apartment is unlike any I have ever seen before. The knobs and dials on it were a complete mystery. Luckily the instructions are here in the apartment. Unluckily, they are in French. Thanks to cartoon drawings and about 30 minutes of translating, I was able to figure out how to use it for the first time a week ago. The wash cycle takes 2 to 3 hours depending on your temperature selection! Another peculiar aspect of many French apartments is their lack of a dryer! Don't ask me why. If I come back for the next course, I'll make sure to get a place with a dryer. So, my place resembles a shack in the barrios with clothes hanging all over the place.

Unrelated side note:  When I moved in here 2 weeks ago, I heard the sound of Opera from the apartment above. It was a mixture of Opera played on a stereo and the apartment resident actually singing along. I am no expert and opera is not my cup of tea, but they guy sounded pretty good... like a professional. At first I thought..this could be charming...European...a taste of Italy in France...Now, 2 weeks later, I want to KILL him! Luckily for me, I think he is employed, because I only seem to get the opera on a limited schedule. Now that I have vented.....

Sjoerd and Jayne invited me over for dinner last night (Saturday) along with Sjoerd's Intermediate Cuisine classmate Cristina from Spain. The dinner was focussed around Vacherin cheese. I researched the cheese before dinner so that I could match a nice wine with it and discovered a fascinating story on this cheese.  What makes the cheese special is that it's only available in the winter months. Additionally, since we are all intrigued by the forbidden, a tantalizing fact about Vacherin is that it was banned in the USA. Here is the history of the cheese if you're interested Gourmet Cheese of the Month Club - Cheese Club. Jayne placed the cheese in the oven to soften it and served it along with an array of veggies and fruits. We just drizzled it on the food. It was very tasty. The wine I brought was a White Burgundy which was recommended by my local wine shop as a match for the cheese. Cristina brought a delicious mixed berry tart to finish off the meal. Yum. Thanks for a nice dinner guys.  By the way, if you're interested in following Sjoerd's Intermediate Cuisine adventures you can visit his blog at Sjoerd's adventures @ Le Cordon Bleu Intermediate Cuisine Paris 2009 . He also has a link for his blog from his time in the Basic course last year which has a great assessment and summation of LCB.

Today I took a walk to the Sunday Bastille Market famed for being the largest street market in Paris. The market is located at Place de la Bastille where it runs along one of the streets that spoke out of the circle. As I neared the Bastille, I could see many people with their personal shopping carts in tow,  walking from all different directions toward the center of the  circle as if we were all being drawn by some magnet to the same spot. This was the place to be! It was enormous (think Seattle's Pike Street market times 10 or 20) with a dizzying selection of produce, fish, meats, herbs, etc...It was fun walking around and seeing the displays. I walked for about an hour and I am not sure that I actually saw the entire thing. I managed to load up on some goods for the week. I liked the look of this mushroom stand. Very cool! Below is a cheese vendor. I tasted some cheese from him, but did not buy any.

Day 2 Le Cordon Bleu Paris

Today was triple!

We began with a 3 hour demo which focussed on making Veal and fish stocks and the demo meal was Filets de limande Bercy (Lemon sole fillets in white wine sauce). The chef was very professional and serious about the history of the stock making and the traditions of french cooking. A traditionalist, he cited Escoffier (the GOD of all modern french cuisine) at least 2 or 3 times. Since stock is the engine of all kitchens, the demo was really instructive and goes to the heart of one of the things I had hoped to learn more about. I want to learn more about sauces and stocks. Since stocks are the the foundation of all sauces, this was a great start. The dish itself seemed quite simple to make but really taught some nice techniques on stock making, making sauce, and also filleting the fish itself.

The second 3 hours was the practical of the above demo where we had to:

1. Fillet 2 soles
2. Use fish parts of the sole and other fish parts to make a stock (Fumet de poisson)
3. Use the stock to make a white wine sauce (Bercy)
4. Cook the fish
5. Present on hot plate

Above is me hamming it up with the girls in my practical group before we began the session. You can see the ingredients in trays at every student's station. Each student takes turns getting the ingredients for the practical session from the basement. To the right is a picture of our entire practical group with the craziest chef on the staff. He keeps it light and entertaining. If I didn't make it clear before, our entire class is about 26 people and for the demos we are all together, but for the practicals we break into 3 groups and do our cooking in 3 different kitchens. This is my group. All very nice people from all walks of life, age groups and backgrounds. It's quite amazing that yesterday we arrived and today we have begun to exhibit team work and kitchen routine. The chefs really desire that the kitchen work as a team. We have all begun to help each other.."Who has the herbs"? "Does anyone know where the cold butter is?" sharing stuff when someone else is short of that ingredient...etc…Its really not about competition, but more about learning.

 Above is my finished product. I was pretty happy with it but more important, I wolfed it down because I was STARVING. There are no real breaks in this course nor is there a routine. You drink water if you can get a chance, use the bathroom if you can fit it in between classes, and have no real opportunities to eat unless a class ends early. I ate this whole plate in less than 5 minutes!

The final 3 hours today was another demonstration. We learned how to clean and truss a chicken, use it to make a stock. Make a roux. Use the stock and roux to make a béchamel sauce, and also use the stock to make rice. We were also taught how to make a cheese soufflé. On Monday we will do all of what we were taught except the soufflé. That comes later.

An odd observation so far has been that we have yet to use any form of scales or measuring devices for any of the dishes. We were issued scales and all of our ingredient lists are in grams, but it has all been one carrot here, or 2 shallots here, add some water, some butter...it's really teaching me how to think independently instead of being tethered to a recipe. The chefs have been extraordinarily patient and knowledgeable. I am tired, dehydrated, have a headache but very motivated. I am so happy to have the weekend to get some sleep, get organized for what is shaping up to be hell week, and maybe see a few sights.

First Day Le Cordon Bleu Paris

It's Christmas.....or at least that's how we felt as everyone eyed their new chef kits like kids ogling their gifts under the tree. I am WAY too tired to make an entry other than that it was a great but long day. School consisted of a 3 hour "show and tell" orientation, 3 hour demonstration (soup, knives, terms, techniques), 3 hour practical making a "rustic vegetable" soup which demonstrated proper knife skills and cuts, followed by a 2 hour lecture. The big picture items that were hammered all day were concepts of organization, planning, and sanitation. Was not a hard day, just long. Finally someone who appreciates my OCD...the chef was going nuts over my nicely brunoised onion and carrots as well as my organized work space. I may have found a place where being anal could be a good thing:)

Quick class break down:

people   26

Male   15

Female   11

USA   6

UK   1

France   1

Brazil    2

Spain   1

Peru  1

Chile  1

Italy  1

Greece   1

Netherlands   1

Costa Rica   1

Dominican Republic   1

Russia   1

China   1

Taiwan   2

Singapore   2

Japan   1

Tomorrow I will start at 8:30 am   3 hour demo, 3 hour practical, 3 hour demo!!!!

Goodnight

Musée d'Orsay

We had a fun day yesterday exploring a new section of Paris. We decided to roam the area of St-Germain-Des-Prés also known as the 6th Arrondissement. Beth had a craving for a museum so we decided to go to Musée d'Orsay which displays art between the periods of 1848-1914. Specifically we were interested in the impressionists which included Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, etc...The highlight of the museum was seeing the famous Van Gogh self-portrait seen on the right through Beth's camera.

We left the museum, and unknown to us, we were about to have our worst dining experience in Paris. We decided to eat at an Indian restaurant that we had seen on the way to the museum. We have had such great Indian food lately both in Montclair and during our visit to the UK, that we had high expectations for more. This place had a posh interior full of very authentic Indian art and decorations...it all hinted toward great food. WRONG! The waiter was coughing, wheezing, snorting, and wiping his nose. All the while he was handling our drinks, silverware, and food. I was squirming in my seat and wanted to run. Our food didn't resemble any Indian dish we have ever had, and my chicken was pink (raw). I saw myself contracting some grotesque mutation of Salmonella H1N1. The waiter saw my distress with the chicken and he took it away and brought the dish that I had actually ordered. Any way.. $75, later we left. Oh well!

We found a cafe and sat outside with drinks and took in some people watching at the base of Pont Royal. Feeling like Parisian veterans, Beth reminded me of our cafe experience on the first day....We were at a cafe and had finished our drinks. When the waiter brought our check, in my best and most confident French, I asked him for a pen. He looked at me confused..so I repeated "Avez vous La plume?" as I motioned writing with a pen to get my point across. Irritated he said "Le Stylo"!!!  and walked away. I quickly pulled out my dictionary to discover that I had asked for a "feather" instead of a "pen"! Ouch!....  Back to the present. After the cafe, we walked along the Seine under 9 bridges from St-Germain all the way to Ile St-Louis, across the small Ile St-Louis and then took the metro back home.

After some down time we went out to meet Sjoerd and Jayne back in the 6th Arr. The place was transformed at night into a lively and hip area full of cafes and restaurants. If felt as if it was Saturday night. We went to a great restaurant "La Jacobine". It was great fun meeting Sjoerd and Jayne. Sjoerd's stories about his LCB experiences last year had us laughing. The food, drinks, and company were all excellent.

The School

I decided to take a ride to the school instead of the Louvre since the forecast was for a sunny day. I wanted to see the best route for my daily commute. As I had read in other references, the school is located on a very nondescript street, with a humble curbside presence. Here is the glassed front. I ventured inside and asked if a tour was possible. I was lucky because today was a staff day since the school was in between terms. The only people there were part of a 3 day workshop. So, one of the staff members was kind enough to take me for a tour. It is an amazingly small and humble school given the magnitude of its reputation. Below are pictures of one of the kitchens. I discovered that there will be 30 people in my class when I begin on Tuesday.

Demonstration Room

For the astute observer, you'll notice that the stoves are electric!!! Yes, electric. I had read this in Kathleen Flinn's book and in some blogs about the school. The reason are mostly for safety. There are 4 kitchens. I believe 3 of them hold 10 students and the other holds 20. Each has a two sided counter in the middle with individual stove/oven behind each station. It was exciting getting a glimpse of the school.

Petit Déjeuner en français (Breakfast in French)

It's no secret that the French have a love affair with their pastries....and so do I. I have a boulangerie downstairs from the apartment that I have visited almost daily. It is run by a woman who is there every day diligently stocking her shelves with fresh goodies. She greets every person who enters her store with a "bonjour". She is neither cordial nor is she cold...she is just professional and serious about her pastries. "bonjour Madam, trois pain du chocolat et un baguette, s'il vous plaît" was my order this morning. It's quite possible that I will return home a tad heavier than when I left.

Le Marais

Sunday, a day to let my feet and body heal from all of the walking the last few days. That was the plan, but you can go a little stir crazy in such a small apartment. So, an hour before dusk I decided on a short walk to explore what is nearby my apartment. I am located in the northern tip of the 3rd Arrondisement or Le Marais on Rue De Temple. I decided on Place Des Vosges as my destination which is famed for its perfectly symmetrical four sided square of buildings which encloses a park as well as the location of Victor Hugo's house. I was surprised to find it a lively place with cafes and galleries on all four sides. This is a picture of one of the corners as viewed from the center of the park.

I decided to walk back along Rue des Francs Bourgeois

which turned out to be THE street to walk on a Sunday with all of its trendy shops and boutiques. It was a street to see and be seen. LOTS of people were on this narrow street...so much so that cars could not access the street. All of this was a 15 minute walk from my apartment. Below is a picture of this street (click on the picture for a blown up view to get the full effect of the mob scene).  An easy walk for an easy day. I hope to hit the Louvre tomorrow.

Bois De Boulogne

Today I spent the afternoon in Bois De Boulogne which is a park 2.5 times the size of NY's Central Park and is located on the western edge of Paris. I discovered this park by chance while I was viewing the entire city from atop the Eiffel tower yesterday. The green expanse was immediately noticeable amongst the sprawl of Paris. My guide books had not really mentioned this park as a destination, so it was a nice accidental discovery.  Every reference I did find on this park mentioned that the park transforms into a haven for prostitutes at night!

So off I went for a hike. It was a day of changing light and mood as the clouds and sun traded places. The park has many hiking routes, but I chose a short hike around one of its lakes "lac Inferior . In the middle of the lake is an island with a restaurant called "Chalet Des Iles" reachable by a small ferry that shuttles back and forth (the ride is only one minute long). I took the ferry and explored the trails on the small island. All in all it was a nice hike with the changing fall colors and was refreshing to have a nature experience right in the midst of bustling Paris. As the light faded, so did I in fear of being caught in the shift change from a peaceful park to a seedy brothel.

Not the Eiffel Tower!

Quick entry and picture before we head to bed. LOTS of walking and waiting today as we toured the Invalides and Eiffel areas. Despite the cliches and being a tourist mecca, there is something awe-inspiring and majestic about the Eiffel tower. It always brings forth a "wow" every time I get my first close-up glance. Today was no different as we approached it from the South. We managed to time our ascent of the tower perfectly with dusk. It was dark by the time we descended and the tower was all lit up. (no we did not go there on Harleys...reference the leather).

We also took in the military museum and the Dome Church where Napoleon's tomb is located. We wanted to see musee Rodin, but just did not have the time to fit it in today. We're both completely wiped out after today. Planning on a light day tomorrow.

Montmartre

Another fun day exploring. I spent the day in the Montmartre which sits at the highest point in Paris providing spectacular views of the entire city. It was also the bohemian hangout for many artists in the day. Although quite touristy, it's a quaint and charming area to stroll. I managed to take in a museum, toured Sacre'-Coeur, and watched the artists paint at PLace du Tetre. It started raining early afternoon, so I cut the day short and came back to the pad for the rest of the day. Here are a couple of pictures for the day.

The Show must go on, even in the rain at Place du Tetre

The only vineyard in Montmartre and maybe all of Paris

Paris!

I’m in Paris! After a bit of airline misfortune, I finally arrived to a foggy and drizzly Paris on Tuesday 3rd. I was met by the landlord’s nephew who was kind enough to greet me with some badly needed pastries and juice. I spent the first day just getting settled and sleeping. My first “ real" day is today and was spent exploring Ile De La Cite' and its noteworthy sights (Notre-Dame, Conciergeire, and Saint-Chapelle). I also managed a nice walk through Tulileries and Place De La Concorde since it was a rare sunny day. 

Can you find me?

I ended the day with a grocery shopping spree at the Monoprix. It was an experience since all of the products are so different from what we have at home. The French labels, unfamiliar products, store layout.....all of it will become my new normal but will take some time to acclimate. It took me a while to find all of the things I needed. I am trying my best to use my French without being embarrassed.

Off to Le Cordon Bleu

I'm leaving today for Paris!  I am very excited about the upcoming adventures..and even excited to tackle the many frustrations that will invariably come my way the next two months. But, I leave with mixed feelings. This happens to be a beautiful time of the year in the wine country as the leaves slowly change, the smell of crushed grapes permeates the town, and the weather is beautiful with skies that defy the onset of winter. I will miss it all. I want to thank all of my friends and my mom for being so supportive and sending me off with lots of positive energy. I have received lots of emails and last minute phone calls from many of my friends wishing me luck. 

Last night I was given an informal sendoff by Beth, Ray & Kimberly, and Tommy & Irene at the Carneros Lodge Restaurant. (I was honored by the rare Tommy sighting). We had great food, and wine. With their collective life and professional wisdom, I received lots of great tips and pointers ranging from tidbits about Paris, school, and cooking,  to access to Tommy's Secret Service network in Paris in case I find myself in the middle of some international crisis.

Anyway...THANKS everyone. I am lucky to have such great family and friends. I'll do my best to keep the blog updated as time permits. Wish me luck.

Corn & Potato Soup with Halibut

We had the first real taste of fall in Sonoma yesterday. One of those days where the overcast did not break, and a slight chill was in the air. One of those days where you don't feel guilty not going out. One of those days where you feel completely content and cozy at home. I lit the fireplace for the first time this year. What was missing was the aroma of something cooking on the stove....It was the perfect day to create something in the kitchen. It seems that lately I look for every opportunity to cook as my Paris departure draws near. Maybe I think that dicing a few more onions will somehow better prepare me for what lies ahead. In any event, I had a real appetite for a hot soup or stew, so I dug into my old recipes and came up with this great recipe from a 2005 issue of Cooking Light. It was the perfect recipe for such a fall day . Here it is with a few minor alterations that I felt would improve it.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cups corn (either thawed frozen corn, or canned corn)

8 bacon slices, chopped

3 Cups chopped onions

1 1/2 Cups finely chopped celery

1 1/2 Cups finely chopped carrots

1 Cup finely chopped shallots

4 garlic cloves , minced

1/4 Cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

1 TB chopped fresh thyme

1 TB paprika

3 TB butter

1/4 Cup all-purpose flour

3 Cups whole milk

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 (8oz) bottle clam juice

2 bay leaves

1 1/2 Lb yukon gold potatoes cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 4 Cups)

2 Lbs. Halibut or you can substitute an firm white fish fillet, cut into bite sized pieces

*If you like a spicy kick also add 1 tsp red pepper flakes, or 2 serrano chiles finely chopped.

1. Place 1 cup of corn in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Set aside.

2. Cook bacon in a dutch oven over med-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon, reserving about 1 1/2 TBS of the bacon dripping in the pan. Set bacon aside on a paper towel to absorb the oil. Add onions and next 4 ingredients (through garlic) to drippings in the pan. (*if you choose to add spice, include the serrano or red pepper flakes at this point) .Saute' 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in parsley, thyme, and paprika. Remove vegetable mixture from the pan and set aside.

3. Using the same pan, melt butter over medium heat. Gradually whisk in the flour. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes or until browned. Gradually add the milk while stirring with the whisk. Add vegetable mixture, salt, and the next 4 ingredients (through potatoes), bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until the potatoes are almost tender. Stir in the fish, pureed corn, and remaining 1 1/2 Cups of corn kernels, cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily. Discard bay leaves. Top with the crispy bacon. This will yield 10 servings.

Bon Appetit