Mr. Propre

 

1. 

I'm posting at the Apple store ' cause my wifi is acting wonky but yesterday was CLEAN UP DAY at the old apartment!

Ta Da!

Of course I know zip about French cleaning products ahem...

And my landlady had like a million foams and sprays and powders but what do you use where? No instructions were left for me ;(

I resorted to my old fav, white vinegar. When her son came to inspect I was severely chastised. He ran his finger around the sink. It came up white! "This is NOT clean". At least it didn't come up black...what do I know about cleaning? I'm lucky I wasn't arrested on the spot and sent off in the pannier de salade or paddy wagon. I could be posting from a French jail today. I bet they have wifi. Oh well c'est la vie.

Yesterday morning I had to stop in Galeries Lafayette before plunging into cleaning fluids etc.

Natch I ran up to the fabulous gourmet department for a quick browse...

I'm starved for visual pastry inspiration with the August hols.

Fortunately I just looked and didn't touch. I'm on a sans sucre/sans chips regime for the month.

I also had to pass by Notre Dame...

People lined up like eclairs...

But not as pretty.

This morning I went to my new pool in the 19th. Isn't it stupendous? A good way to wash away all the scolding too...do you believe this French woman on the Metro in her high suede boots? That's Paris.

joel thiebaut - Marché President Wilson

You may have heard of mariacher/market gardener Joel Thiebaut, known as the king of vegetables and supplier to Paris' top chefs.

 

Yesterday I went looking at the marché President Wilson held on Wednesday and Saturday mornings. I wasn't sure how I would find his stand in such a big market. I wasn't even sure if he was closed for the summer holidays with all the patisseries.

 

No problem. Big signs announce his long stand.

 

As do the long, long line of patient customers.

 

While I was deciding to get on line for the long wait, directly across the aromas from a free-range chicken rotisserier beckoned.

 

Something to snack on while waiting on line perhaps.

 

Are these wings or knuckles? Whatever they were (long gone) do get some before or after your wait on Joel's line - heavenly!

 

Thiebault's family have been market gardening since 1873 in the Ile-de-France on 54 acres in Carrieres-sur-Seine just 7 kilometers from the Eiffel Tower so freshness is guaranteed.

 

The atmosphere is quite relaxed. You grab a basket or bag and start picking out what you want yourself while waiting online.

 

The displays are not artfully arranged. They don't last very long.

 

There's no doubt these tomatoes are the real thing and not from Rungis market.

 

Beautiful colored peppers

 

And the much-sought after zucchini flowers.

 

You can get a box of fresh vegetables delivered to your door in Paris without waiting online. Simply place an order online at Le Haut du Panier.

 

My take-away from the marche including some Nyons olives and a box of seasoning I couldn't resist. These are the same vegetables top chef chef William Ledeuil uses at Ze Kitchen Galerie...OK not exactly the same exotic varieties Thiebaut is growing for him. But its nice to know all you have to do is get on line and wait a bit and then DIY at home.

 

Tomate watercolor 

Tomate Red watercolor

Dog of the day at Marché President Wilson
 

Angelina - Un cadeau

Angelina Chocolat Chaud
 

I was thinking yesterday in the heat, maybe I'd find an iced Chocolat chaud at Angelina.

Instead I looked for a pastry to paint.
 

I've always wondered about this Religieuse Fraise/strawberry.
 

I asked the server if he could put my non-slip paper under the pastry since the last time the tarte fruits rouge kind of exploded all over the place slip-sliding around the box. The server handed me my box and said,

"Un cadeau for you! Since you 'lost' the last pastry. What?
 

I went outside

And got a fraise ice cream just like last year feeling as if I was walking on air.
 

Across the street in the Tuileries jardins the shoot-de-shoots was turning somersaults crazily. I carried my prized pastry home on tip-toe. No wonder French girls wear ballerinas.
 

Back home the moment of truth. Did the pastry survive the trip?
 

Ta Da! Thanks to Frederic Cassel's non-slip lining paper dear Religiese Fraise arrived in one piece!
 

But the heat was too much for a proper cross-section view of the delights inside - a surprisingly light dessert of chou pastry, strawberry cream, strawberry confit and strawberry icing. None of it overly sweet. Et voila!
 

Angelina Religieuse Fraise 1
 

Angelina Religieuse Fraise2
 

Angelina Religieuse Fraise3
Doesn't this confisier/candy man look like a Religieuse Fraise?
 

Moving

My new work space is right by a window which is always good when you're painting..

Versailles pastry box watercolor on Etsy

Moving all your worldly goods two times in one year is not a bowl of cherries...

Bowl of French cherries watercolor on Etsy

Some of you have asked, "what's Bear up to?"

He's taken up residence in the new place already and loving it.

Bear is thrilled to have some bookcases at last!

Lots of them...

We're both thrilled to bits the subletor (or is it subletee?) kindly left us all these French grammar books to immerse ourselves in.

We can hang things on the walls with Blue Tack at the new place.

For some strange reason we've yet to figure out, we're now collecting berry boxes? go figure...

Yesterday while out buying new shipping envelopes (the La Poste envelopes do not offer tracking sadly) I spotted this collection of snow globes sitting on a travel agents desk. Moving does make you feel like everything is turned upside down, but things will settle nicely into place very soon hopefully.