La Galerie Vivienne Paris map

Yesterday I painted a Bordeaux tea tin (or it could be Burgundy...I asked and they could not tell me) from famed epicerie LEGRAND FILLES ET FILS inside GALERIE VIVIENNE, January's Paris map.

Am I the only customer who goes to Legrand for tea, though they have a wonderful epicerie full of classic French regional food specialties.

Customers have been going since 1880 for their superb collection of French wines.

Legrand has not yet lost the Christmas spirit

And neither has the Galerie Vivienne. Hurry up. I don't know when they will take down the lovely lights.

Another wonderous shop and there for at least 30 years is Wolff and Descourtis. Stunning chalis & cashmere stoles all fabricated in Lake Como with a decidedly Oriental flare. Fabulous. A must-see.

Of course my fav shop is 5-year olds, Si Tu Veux. I've been dropping in for years.

This time I met the owner, madeleine Deny. She has been there 30 years! I bought the little picnic tea set to paint last night I've been admiring it for weeks..

Do take note of the wonderful decor in the passage throughout, designed by architect François-Jean Delannoy in 1826.

The famous mosaic tiled floors were designed by G.Faccina.

They lead you right out to rue Vivienne.

Where you'll find Le Grand Colbert at No. 2, rue Vivienne. No more Noel here...triste

I went inside thinking they might sell me their signature coffee cup but they only had mugs. Still, I was delighted to see the same tile floors as in the main galerie.

Then back out into the night. Pouring rain. Do not say 'cats and dogs'. I've been corrected. 

It’s 'ropes'. Il pleut des hallebardes/cordes.

Thank you for reading Paris breakfast. If you like this newsletter, forward to a friend. 

Gift yourself & your friends Paris letters, maps, watercolors. 

Keep warm and dry, Carolg and Bear 🐻 

Enfin the January's Paris map 🗺️ 

The Winter Blahs at Petit Palais

Yesterday I asked Jane,“So when is Noel finished in Paris??

Jane giggled and said,"Ah...La fête continue!"

If you're having the Winter Blahs as M. mentioned in an email, plus sub-zero temps & the flu

Hop on a plane for some Springtime relief like we had yesterday. Toute Paris was out and about.

True, we're having nightly rains causing la Seine to rise up precipitously. Its raining again today.

But Sunday was glorious.

No problem when Jane asked me to join Urban Sketchers Paris draw at the Petit Palais.

Jane's watercolor of the rotunda.

My doodle.

Jane's sketch of la Belle Epoch stairway, one of many in the Petit Palais

We sketched outside too. That's Invalides across from Pont Alexandre III

There's a lovely tropical garden inside the Petit Palais just in front of their cafe.

I pulled up a chair to draw and was surrounded by fat French sparrows.

I ran inside and grabbed a mini croissant for them to nibble on. They were rather blasé...they must get Lenotre croissants daily. 

Today, though the rain has returned I'm trying to capture them in watercolor. How'd I do? A fun way to get rid of the Winter Blahs.

Thank you for reading Paris breakfast. 

If you like this newsletter, forward to a friend. 

Gift yourself and your friends Paris letters, maps and watercolors. 

Cheers, Carolg 

Knife skills class - La Cuisine Paris

A new year = new resolutions. Mine? Get over my fear of knives 🔪 (aichmophobia) and acquire some knife skills.

No better place to go then La Cuisine Paris is a short walk from my house at 80, quai de l'Hotel de Ville. 

The course included: 

How to choose the correct knife for the right task. How to correctly hold, clean and maintain the knife with a honing steel. How to create classic French knife cuts: 

Batonnet, Chop, Julienne, Dice, Brunoise, Mince and Chiffonnade. How to use specific techniques to make it easier to cut different items from herbs to tough rinds. How to peel produce using a knife. How to combine knife cuts in delicious recipes.

Our instructor Justin, formerly from Texas has lived in Paris 14 years. He is a terrifically experienced teacher. He also teaches at Ecole Ferandi and bakes at Boulangerie au Petit Versailles du Marais.

My calligraphy class with Eleanor Winters gave me the upper hand when it came time to sign our aprons.

First things first. How to hold your knife.

We start out practicing with the easiest veg to cut: champignons.

Move on to cucs, also easy for beginners. I was the only one scribbling copious notes. I was also the only one munching leftover scraps..hmm

We move on to more difficult veg: radis, choux, celeriac, herbs

Les carottes cut 5 ways: batonnet, julienne, dice, brunoise, mince, chiffonade. I need to practice. A lot.

Supreming an orange, chopping herbs the right way. Even garlic did not escape our nimble knives.

The fruits of our labor: salade des fruits en sirop.

More battonets in our Salade Provençal. We made 4 recipes.

Our Potage Cultivateur avec des croutons. You wanna be a French girl? Purée your soup! No one tells you this top secret.

Les croutons. Yes, we cut baguettes 🥖 

Toute ensemble. Our well-deserved lunch after 3 hours of learning to cut, chop and mince.

You say you don't like veg?

Did you know you can get the legume collection at Macarons Gourmand, 62, rue de Seine.

Learning knife 🔪 skills is a great way to start off the new year. I've become addicted to batonnets. More fun to eat than carotte rapé. I'm off to get a soup puree stick. Thanks for reading Paris breakfast. If you like this newsletter, forward to a friend. Gift yourself & others Paris letters, maps and watercolors in your mailbox.

Happy New Year PBers!