Material de Cuisine Letter

 

My mad pursuit of robins has switched to ducks 🦆 Especially since I was told there are NO actual robins in Paris.

I’ve always been nutz ❤️ about the jaunty duck, with the red checkered torchon/dish towel in E.Dehillerin’s kitchen supply shop window. 

Ducks in Paris

I was missing one of my ducks in a row for my visa appointment Tuesday. Also I used paperclips to hold together my 3 passport photos (a big no-no) thereby creating a ding that would make them useless. Another re-do.

But when you weigh things up Paris is worth all the fuss and bother isn't it?

In New York I never saw a pair of ducks while enroute to the pool at 7:45 am.

I never crossed bridges daily many times over and such beautiful bridges at that.

There are 36 public pools in Paris and I've dipped into at least 12 of them.

In New York I couldn't read about the best lemon tart at 5:30 in the morning..

Then rush over post-pool to taste MOF Arnaud Larher's winning tartelette at 93, rue de Seine 75007

For breakfast! Miam/YUM!!

At Larher they didn't know why there'd been such a run on their lemon tarts recently till I showed them the story. Aren't these fun and witty? Easter Sunday (chocolate) eggs with faux toast points or is it soldiers..?

I've been passing this hairdresser on the way to the pool most days meaning to get a much-needed haircut.
 

Admiring this Frenchie cut. Post-depressing visa appointment I waltzed  in and Monsieur Claude
 

Did his best to make me look like the 20-something in the window/vitrine. Please note I've slept on it here.
 

Only in Paris can you grab a shot of a red ballerina shoe at a stop light. And later notice she's got stars tattooed on her foot.
 

Yesterday Jeff (who draws everyday when he's in Paris) came by to draw the view out my window. He said I should be drawing it too.

This morning I gave it a whirl, the first of many future efforts I hope.

Why not go the 'full monty' and do a watercolor?

I've yet to draw/paint the Eiffel Tower.

Maybe a future sketch letter to-be?

The Monthly Sketch letters make it possible for me to stay in Paris (along with the visa office...ahem :)
 

Marches des Producteurs

Back to French farmers marches in the streets. This time Marches des Producteurs on Bd de Reuilly12th arron.

 

Saucisse sautéed on the spot - the aromas put you in the right frame of mind.

Crowds form when there's cooking going on.
 

Onion beignets frying up.

But I saved my euros...

For this gorgeous bottle of vinagre a la framboise from la Comtesse de Chateau Merle. The look was so enticing, jam-packed with berries.

I bought a bunch of Laurel/Bay leaves too. I better get a French cookbook soon.

I did make apple compote and tossed in a vanilla pod today. Perfection.

Vin chaud. Tis is the season. It will be everywhere but I'll end up on the floor out cold if I down half a cup.

The Raspberry lady from Pari Fermier was here too. These farmers make the rounds on the weekends and produce like crazy during the week on their farms.They come up with endless variations on a theme whether the product is honey, walnuts or raspberries.

Sheep yogurt in a wide variety of flavors including chestnut. I meant to go back...

A sheep from the Alps-Pyrenees at Salon Saveurs, another food fair.

Salon Saveurs was at Porte de Versailles this weekend.  There are farmers but more distributers, so more polished and less hay. Still very fun.

I almost got vanilla pods from Tahiti (2 gousses for 10 euros). They were so much more delicate and fragrant than the Bourbon beans. regret not diving in.

Duck/canard at both food fairs in every form under the sun including almost life size chocolate.

At both marches the tastes are endless. The French are discerning from an early age.

Shopping is much more fun than the high-end department stores at the marches too. And the interchange is informing and friendly.

You won't find these big home-made nut tartes at l'Epicerie or at these prices.

I got my snails last night.
 

They were delicious. A PBer from Australia said, there's an awful lot of food at Parisbreakfast these days. Heading into the holidays, which begin much earlier in France, it will be difficult to avoid. I'll try for balance but preparation for holidays/fetes commences here with passion.

The next Marches des Producteurs will be on Square des Batignolles in the 17th arrondissement December 7 - 8. Don't miss it if you want to sample fresh foods straight from the farm in the city.

The Christmas windows on PB tomorrow.