COOKING, GETTING LOST AND JAZZ

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I apologize that I am now about three day’s behind in blogging. My intention is to blog about the day at the end before bed, but we are so exhausted from the day, I usually just crash. I will try to get three days posted today.



Saturday turn out to be a great day, even though and a few frustrating moments. It was one of the few days on any vacation that we would go our separate ways to do things. I was taking a 6 hour cooking course and Jerry was going to the flea market and some sight seeing in and around Montmartre at least that was his plan.



The day began like all others, casually getting ready, croissants and café ou lait, then off to the Metro for the day’s adventure. Our journey’s began in the same direction so we took the same metro until I got off at Joules Joffrin, in the hear of Montmartre (it is on the other side of the butte, with Sacre-Coeur on top, so we were looking at the back side of the cathedral. Jerry continued on for several more stops to the flea market.



Cooking Class



I met the chef/instructor at the top of the Metro stop her name is Constance, I could be her father (in fact her father is also an attorney). We waited for 20 minutes for the other students to arrive, they apparently got lost. After they arrived quick introductions were made, of all the places they could be from, they were from Seattle. You travel 5,000 miles to take a French cooking class and your fellow students live three hours from you.



We began with Constance describing the menu, she had several food restrictions from the group to work around, I am allergic to clams, the other group didn’t heat red meat (dear god your in France an you don’t eat red meat, you might as well go home). Constance decided on fish. Which for me was a great choice since it is the food I really have the least experience with.



The Markets



After our introduction and menu overview, we were off to shop for the ingredients. Shopping in Paris is an experience, it isn’t that they don’t have supermarkets, because they do, but the vast majority of Parisians shop the traditional way, by going to each specialty store for their items. We started at the Fromagerie where we had a 10 minute cheese class learning about the 5 cheese families, the regions various cheeses are from and the strict rules for production. For example camembert is only from Normandy made with cow’s milk (some times sheep) and is always in a wooden box. And of course Roquefort is only from the area in and around the village of Roquefort. It alas, unfortunately for you AJ is also not gluten free.



The next stop was the produce market; its all organic, no special place in the store, just everything you touch is fresh, organic and beautiful. I am very serious the vegetables looked fresher and better than any I have seen in Portland, including Whole Foods or New Seasons.



From the produce market we were off to the poissionere. Constance explained that Saturday was the best day to buy fish as it would be the freshest. There was everything from snails, to Turbot. She picked out a whole flat fish, in the Turbot family, called barbu (my spelling is a little off) for which she could not translate, but it is very similar to a cod or sole.



Our last stop before we began cooking was the bakery, OMG, the smells were out of this world, a fresh brioche had just been taken out of the oven and was be cut for a customer, I just wanted to rub my entire face it in it.



Cooking



Done with the shopping we headed to the school to begin preparation of our lunch. We all gathered around the prep/dinning table put on our aprons and were ready to learn.



The Full Menu



Cauliflower puree (the garnish to be described below)

Seared Fish, with roasted potatoes, and ricotta cheese wrapped in lettuce

Cheese Platter

Sautéed Apples, with vanilla bean cookie and caramel sauce.



The Lesson



We started with dessert. A very simple dough, sugar, flower, one vanilla bean (scraped) half an egg. Mixed until you had a sticky dough, then wrapped air tight and set in the refrigerator to set. The caramel sauce, sugar cooked on high until melted and the color you desire, from as light to as dark as you want. This is then deglazed with butter, finally cream is added. You do not stir until the cream has been added. It smelled wonderful and the taste o la la. One secret, see salt was added at the end.



The final part of the dessert was the apples. They were sliced then sautéed in what else but butter. Cooked until slight brown but still crisp. Just before removing from the heat, a bit of the caramel sauce was added and mixed in thoroughly. They were then set aside to cool to room temperature.



The dough was then rolled out and cut in to circles. These were baked and also set aside.



Dessert accomplished we moved on to the entrée (which in France means starter). When Constance first described the dish, I was skeptical, I am not a big cauliflower fan, but what we did to it changed my mind. The first step was to trim the green portion off the cauliflower and remove the heart, then chop in to smaller pieces. Shallots were sliced and sweated in butter until tender but no color change, the cauliflower was then added with some garlic and sautéed. White wine was added and the cooking allowed to continue, finally half mile and half water enough to cover was added. Then set to cook until the cauliflower was tender. When done it was run through a food processor, then through a sieve to insure no grit was in the puree.



The Garnish



What made this dish was everything that went on it, from the parmesan cheese cookie to the egg yolk cooked in vinegar (not on the stove, just in the vinegar slowly), the poppy seed croutons sautéed in salted butter tossed with chives, the beat greens (yes I said beat greens) and finally the truffle oil. It was truly delicious.



The main course started with ricotta cheese (we actually used brocciu from Corsica) mixed with chives, shallots, Kalamata olives, salt, pepper, olive oil). This was mixed together, the wrap was lettuce blanched in very very salted water. It was a beautiful green bib lettuce to begin, but the blanching turned in a brilliant green. The leaves were spread out to dry then stuffed with the cheese mixture and wrapped.



The potatoes were whole fingerlings roasted on the stove top in butter and show small shallots.



We also made a parsley puree for plating, a lot of work but nice touch.



The fish was simple, well the cooking was simple, but getting it ready, truly a technique. Constance showed as the correct way to filet a whole flat fish. (Master Chef look out, now I know how) The real trick is a long flexible sharp knife and using your free hand to stay in contact with the bones. Every flat fish will have for filet’s two on each side. This fish was big enough to feed 6. After filleting we simply or I simply seasoned with pepper and a special French ground chili. The fish was then baked in the oven. No sauce was added or needed it was drizzled with olive oil before placed in the oven.



Our labor done, we finally sat down to ate, but not until the wine began to flow, a crisp white, followed by three different red’s and some port to go with the blue cheese.



It is at this point that Jerry’s and my day intersected. The plan was for him to go to the flea market, described later, and then join me for lunch at the cooking class. He did manage to make it but was a little late because he got very lost in Montmartre. It is easy to get turned around and turned around he did, he was everywhere but where he wanted to be. He did arrive, with great birthday gifts and story to tell.



We all sat down to enjoy our labors, it was a great meal, and as good as any we have had in France so far.



Flea Market



This section can only be told by me based upon what I learned from Jerry. Since I was not there I have no first hand knowledge of the market.



While I was shopping and cooking away, Jerry continued on the subway to the next stop and transferred to the 4 line. He took this to the end Porte de Clignancourt. From the stop he walked three blocks through what he said reminded him of East Oakland, drug selling under the bridge, etc. Another 4 blocks brought him to the outside of the flea market or “tent city” This is not the market, but where the hawker’s set up shop. So he says to keep walking and then you come to the flea market. This not Saturday Market, this is permanent, in actual buildings.



The market is in fact several complex or even areas that are all dedicated to different items. It has a lot of French antique furniture from fine to country; there are kitchen shops, etc. In contrast to the approach to the market once in the market, the people there were no selling drugs, but dressed in their Furs with little dogs in their arms. There were also several restaurants in the area.



Jerry spent most of his time in a shop dedicated to antique tools, from woodworking to kitchen. The name of this shop was Presents Passes. Here he purchased three antique kitchen tools for my French Restaurant to be.



It was evidently a very overwhelming place and quite large.



From here Jerry set off to the two remaining windmills of Paris “Moulin’s”, the only working wine cellar in the City and the taverns the likes of Picasso frequented. However, instead he was lost for two hours. He got turned around in all of the winding streets of Montmartre. By the time he found the cooking class, he was ready for more than lunch.



(Aside on little dogs)



I think then L. Frank Baum was writing the Wizard of Oz, he must have recently returned from Paris. Because I think he based the character of Toto on the thousands of little dogs in Paris and the Wicked Witch of the West on an old Parisian woman who hated the little dogs, hence why she was going to get Dorothy and her “little dog too”.



Jazz & Artist Tour



After lunch we headed towards Pigalle and the start of our Jazz club walk. The old haunts of Degas, Hemmingway, Manet, Josephine Baker, Django Reinhardt, Cole Porter etc. Most of the actual clubs are no longer around; in fact none of them were still there. One had even been torn down and replaced by a new structure.



After this brief walk (I say brief only because it was only about a mile and not the normal 5) we headed to a club that is still around, the Follies Bergeres. This is the club that Josephine first danced the Banana Dance in 1926. It was getting dark, cold and a mist was beginning to collect in the air. There was a bar across the street from the Follies so we stopped in for wine-thirty. We had a carafe of wine and rested our weary feet.



Dinner



From there we headed back to the hotel to change and get ready for dinner. We were going to go to a place called the Constant Café. It is one of four restaurants that the same chef owns. Chef Christian Constant started as a chocolatier and has since spread out to own four restaurants on the same street. Now here is where I will strongly disagree with Fodor’s. Do not go there. They are all crowded over priced. You can get much better food and a better price anywhere in Paris. If you need to go to be part of the scene or eat at this allegedly famous chef’s place, then wait the 30 minutes to get a table at the Constant Café to heat sweetbreads and marrow. Or you can go a round the corner and eat at FL Restaurant.



The food was reasonable priced, the wine was great and they were very nice. A young chef who pretty much does everything himself but wait on the tables. It is small and cozy but the food was excellent and the wine reasonably priced. We started with the house made Foie Gras, o la la, melts in your mouth. The Plats, Jerry had Duck and I had Beef in a demi glaze. The desserts looked good but we passed.



Thus ended our second full day in Paris.



Until next time Bon appetite

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Photos

The Flea Market
Isabelle at Marche de Puces.

Metro Stop
Hector Guimard Art Nouveau

Casion De Paris
Josephine Bake prefromed here in 1930.

Follies Bergere
Debut of Josephine Baker's Banana Dance