Yesterday I went to butter class L’atelier de beurre s’il vous plaît with Caroline Mignot. I got lucky 🍀 and won 🏆 a place. Caroline is a delightful instructor. She is an expert at sharing the complexity of French flavors. She is, after all from Nantes, a vrai Nantais.
It was not what I was expecting. We did not taste mountains ⛰️ of butter 🧈 First we introduced ourselves & told of our relationship with butter. Several mentioned pain grillée/grilled toast. I said,”In New York, I kept butter in the freezer for months. Occasionally I sliced off a bit 🙄
Things changed since I moved to Paris” 😊
We started first tasting pure unadulterated lait cru crème. Why? Because butter comes from cream as Caroline’s grand-mère told her. The 🧈 evolution commences. As a palate chaser we had Ogato Japanese Sencha thé ☕️ vert. There were 6 of us going yum, yum for 1 1/2 hours. The experience was so intense I forgot to share my tastings with Bear 🐻 or take pictures 📸 It tasted so good 😊 I remembered Terroirs has a shop nearby. I ran 🏃♀️ out to get brioche for breakfast 🍳 My skin-tight jeans 👖 have become baggy since November. I lost 35 pounds. Not anymore if this continues… After stopping for brioche, I went up to Marché Bastille Inspecting buckets 🪣 of pure cream. One must continue to educate the taste buds. Caroline offers ongoing series of sensory classes. They are in French, but not so hard to understand with a caramel in your mouth. Other students helped out. I’m addicted. Caroline has a delicious Paris patisserie book, My Sweet Paris in English I wrote about it earlier. My Paris fromager map 🗺️ on etsy will help you find butter, cream, lait cru in Paris! ❤️ 🧈 ❤️
We tasted gâteau Breton.
Hi Carol! I, too, have just lost 35 pounds (since the end of December)! But seeing your glorious food pictures is pushing my resolve! I love your writing, the photos, the feeling that I am actually in Paris. It has been about 12 years since the last time I was there. I wanted to go to the Olympics but hubby told me I was crazy hahaha. So, until the next time I can make my way over to visit I will enjoy your blog. Have a wonderful weekend! PS: I have a number of your original watercolors and I am looking forward to adding to my collection! Thank you! Gail in NJ
ReplyDeleteThank you GAIL IN NJ ❤️
DeleteOf course you went to a butter class! That sounds like so much fun and super tasty too. But it makes me smile. 35! Very good -- all that swimming and walking makes caramel and butter a little less dangerous!
ReplyDeleteJeanie, I 🛑 stopped ALL WHITE STUFF - pasta, potate, pizza, pain & sucre. Relatively easy after 3 weeks. Wish it happened a long time ago 🙄
DeleteYum, butter! I would love to take one of Caroline’s classes. She looks like a model for the adage ‘everything in moderation’. I will check out her book.
ReplyDeleteWe definitely favor brioche in the morning over croissants, With a good butter and confiture it is heavenly! Mulot used to be my favorite until I tried the brioche at Des Gâteaux et du PaIn on rue du Bac. Must try Terroirs d’Avenir.
Your schedule exhausts me. You are always on the go! Bravo on the weight loss!
It exhausts me too but sometimes I ‘m a slug pushing a ✏️ pencil staying indoors on beautiful days 🌞
DeleteLove your adventures. Thank you.
ReplyDeletePlease share how you lost 35 lbs. it must have been quite difficult living in Paris.
In fact it was not difficult for the 1st time ever.
DeleteI caught the ‘Coughing Virus’ in November - a 3-week thing going around. When yr coughing, yr not eating. Just soup & compote Pomme for dessert. 3 weeks abstaining sugar & white foods is what it takes to stop the cravings. I only got on the scale recently. Clothes were falling down 😳
I do sometimes eat popcorn(white) for dinner no butter 🧈
DeleteFun! You must have loved it..If you're happy re weight loss..I'm happy:)
ReplyDeleteOh! A butter class! What a great idea! Sure wish they had something like that where I live in the states. Bravo on the weight loss I’m sure it must be very difficult living where you do with so many delightfully tasty things right around the corner.
ReplyDeleteI’ve always been a big browser. It comes in handy sometimes 😊
DeleteHow wonderful to have such a great experience - and win a prize to do it! Looked fabulous, and happy that you enjoyed it so much you didn't take many photos, living the moment. Now you've got me thinking of caramel... love it! Hm a crème caramel, YUM! Lovely paintings of different buttery shades, Carol !
ReplyDeleteThank you Jill,
DeleteI figured you were booked so didn’t tell you…wish I had.
You would have enjoyed it 👍
I used to get these delicious butters at Oakville grocery, CA from the wine country and they came down to the City and at Stanford shopping center. I ate my way through them all. Lynne
ReplyDeleteHilarious about cutting the caramel into 8 slices…I wouldn’t have the skill or patience to do that!
ReplyDeleteWe were given sharp knives 🔪 👏
DeleteSuper, j’adoooooore ! Je suis trop fière, merci ! Je vais partager. Caroline Mignot
ReplyDeleteI would love a butter class as it's one thing I always bring home from Paris (I have 1 pound left until next trip in September). I loved My Sweet Paris.
ReplyDeleteI’m impressed Suki! What kind do you usually buy?
DeleteThe butter I use/love ❤️ here is Irish Kerry Gold…. Xoxoxoxo Alaina
ReplyDeleteI adore butter! Sometimes i wander into the kitchen and just eat butter from a knife. My favourite butter is Isigny Sainte Mère Demi Sel - oh, my gosh! Enough to make me swoon. Here in Maine i buy local Kate's Butter, which is delicious, but not, alas, ISM. / Can you tell the title of the watercolour mixing book you show in one of you photos above? Wirebound and categorised by single colours. Thank you so much for that info. / I'm sorry you were sick enough to lose so much weight, but the no sugar - no white food idea seems like a good outcome. Glad you're well and not so attached to food rules that you resist butter and caramels 100% of the time. Life would hardly be worth living. Best, -karen.
ReplyDelete