Advice: La Fourchette

This weekend was the best weekend of 2012- starting with a crêpe dinner and ending with a crispy chicken in a park next door.

However, I realized, talking to several close friends, many people don't even know what "La Fourchette" is, especially not tourists or newcomers to Paris.

La Fourchette (http://www.lafourchette.com) is a website that basically offers the function to reserve a table online, look at their menu/pricing and the best part- get a huge discount on a normally overpriced meal.  From either the website or the iPhone application, reserving a table is super simple and the service is really quite unique.  I've used the service about 5 times now in Paris.. and they were pretty fantastic restaurants.

This weekend I used it twice, once on Friday evening at a crêperie, basically a 15€ menu with aperitif, salty crêpe, sweet crêpe and the typically French 'cidre'.

Afterwards, Saturday night was the best deal- we decided to eat at a much fancier restaurant, just to have a little break from the cheap stuff, and so I was in charge of hunting around la Fourchette.

What I stumbled across was "La Millésimes" near the Montparnasse tower, an amazingly chic restaurant bustling with foreign and local individuals.

Normal menu averaged about 30€, we got the full entrée-plat-dessert deal for only 24€ and was the meal amazing.  Starting with a delicately wrapped goat cheese with garden salad,

My polenta and fish..

a polenta base with sautéed rougets filets,

and ending with the best lava cake I've ever eaten in my life... topped with a pistachio ice cream fait maison.


La Fourchette not only facilitates booking restaurants, it allows you to cancel, review the restaurant, search by type of food, read previous reviews, look at photos- an amazing service that didn't, unfortunately, exist in Lyon.  Paris has hundreds if not thousands of restaurants that are signed up for La Fourchette, and unlike Groupon, the patrons and servers respect the clients from La Fourchette.  I've never had a side look or a hesitation when I've booked through them, always treated with patience and care.

If you plan to move to Paris, already live in Paris, want to visit Paris- try La Fourchette to book your dinners and I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

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Midnight in Lyon..

It's been one year and a half that I've lived in Lyon, and I realized recently that I've never discovered or lived in Lyon alone!

Bri is in Paris starting his new job and apartment hunting, I'm stuck in Lyon for my Master's program until the beginning of February... and so yesterday I decided to go and venture around my city.

I'd never been to the Musée Gadagne since I moved to Lyon, but I mean a free entrance to a museum for a Lyon Gastronomie display?  I couldn't resist.  I packed a compote and a bottle of water, my journal and my walking boots; off I was on my very own to a Lyonnais museum!

Les Toques Blanches de Lyon (in my garden!)

It was lovely to walk through the city at my own pace, in silence, listening to the people around me.  It was in the actual exhibit that I was enamoured, posters of food, photos of the famous Cuisiniers and Cuisinières, I looked at every single detailed menu, watched every black and white video.  The exhibit is not that impressive, in regards to actual 'gastronomy', but there were a few things I picked up on and tucked away in my journal:

When visiting the musée Gadagne, I can almost imagine myself with the famous Gourmands of Lyon.  A sort of "Midnight in Lyon", instead of the 'high time' with artists and painters in Paris, it is a Golden Age of eating and gourmandises.  Lyon was for foodies what Paris was for artists... while artists and writers were indulging in social abnormalities, the foodies were just doing what they do best... eating!

Even though Julia Child mentions that Paris was an amazing culinary hot-spot, even the great Curnosky wrote, Lyon est la capitale mondiale de gastronomie.  Can't argue with the Prince of Gourmand!

La Mère Brazier

I was amazed at the culinary freedom of the 1920's and 1930's and longed to jetset back in time to sit at a table with Mère Brazier, Mère Fillioux and Curnosky...

What's more incredible is the feminism so prevalent in this era- why do I say this?  Because women truly were the creators of the Lyon Gastronomy!  I stared at the photos, imagining the times... there was respect to these women because they could cook.  These women, the lost generation of the culinary world in Lyon were the epitomy of feminism.  Enormous amounts of respect were doted upon their culinary confections, and they remain important and engrained in Lyon history!

So potentially in France... if you can cook you can earn respect?

But what is up with this whole Lyon cuisine?  What was amazing was the distinctive contrast between the Bourgeois dishes (Brasserie Georges, etc) and the typical Bouchon (la Mère Jean) also known as La Cuisine Guignolesque which was for the hard workers.  One of the videos in the museum shows a report wandering around and asking locals:

Reporter:  Pensez-vous d'être un gourmand?

Man 1: Tout à fait que oui, nous sommes des plus grandes gourmands ici à Lyon... on adore les choses bonnes à manger, les cochonnailles, la viande... du vin.. du fromage...

Report: (Same question)

Older Woman: Mais oui!  Je suis une gourmande.. j'adore à manger!

I am not a personal fan of Bocuse... who has taken the idea of being a Foodie and capitalised it until it's just a bunch of carbon-copy restaurants with little or no creativity.  I love the simple, local, bouchons... with a pot du vins and a tender quenelle.

Les Toques Blanches.. les mères de Lyon.. Oh la la!

This move is going to be tough.

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What-What: Le Jardin des Dombes

Hidden in a non-descript alley in la Croix Rousse in Lyon is a restaurant that I have fallen head over heels for.  How could one not be in love when there is a menu for 25 euros for a dish of unlimited frog legs?

Of course, today being my big 24th birthday I decided the best way to celebrate was to haul my Mom and Bri to an all-you-can-eat frog leg palace and make it worth it.  I mean, all you can eat buffets are one thing, but an endless supply of frog legs are a rarity in France... plus seeing Bri's eyes go wide with joy only makes the experience even better.

Le Jardin des Dombes was the first restaurant I searched in France when I had a huge craving for frog around our anniversary in February.  I was even more excited to drag my American mother into the local restaurant and share the experience of sucking tiny little frog bones and waddling home with a stomach coated in butter and parsley.  Plus what better way to enjoy her last Sunday in France, and my goal to truly profit and get as round as possible before I end up having to study all the time.

We crawled up to the restaurant, only taking slight detours to purchase some pastries for my birthday, and sitting down I looked at the young waiter and simply stated, on va prendre trois de votre menu grenouille à volonté. He smiled, nodded and collected our menus.

Quickly we smelt the frying of the legs and a giant dish was placed in front of our faces.  Brian dished out the frogs and gave a short presentation on our frog eating skills, pull apart this leg, take of this meat, suck on that part. Soon enough we were in a feeding frenzy of frog dipping our bread into the sauce and eating the tiny sticks of meat.

Amazingly, as a Sunday, it was packed and full of families sucking down frog.  I leaned over the edge of the upstairs seating area to watch the older couples eating together.  I looked at Bri, I want to be like that, and after the 3rd plate of frogs we were filled.

Toss in a couple of pots du vin and mix in a serving of home made ice cream and we were stuffed.  The best part of the restaurant however, was the conversation afterwards.  I smiled at the young waiter and the chef who had wandered upstairs (we were the last); Est-ce que c'est bien un restaurant familial ici? The chef nodded, warmly and pointed to the young waiter, Il est mon fils et ma soeur, elle travaille ici des fois aussi donc, ouais, c'est familial ici.  I nodded and added, j'adore ça, j'adore les entreprises qui sont familials, etc.  As the chef wandered downstairs, I sparked a conversation with the waiter and he asked, vous venez d'où exactement? I replied, les états-unis, je suis une américaine, I mentioned my Master, he joked about the difference between Lyon 2 and Lyon 3.

The joys of the Jardin des Dombes were over as quickly as they started and I waved as I left.

Experiences in life are as quickly as they start, c'est la vie, and so I realized in the little family restaurant up in the Croix Rousse that typical French family environment...

Also, word to the wise, the menu isn't translated.  That way we know it's good.

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Recipe: Roasted Ratatouille

I don't often put recipes up, because hey, everyone is entitled to eat how they wish and my blog is by far one of those super-foodie blogs rampant with food photos.

But this ratatouille rocked.  It also rocked because it used cheap in season vegetables from the marché.  It rocked because it took like no time... and then we had an awesome meal.

As always, it's for two people..

What you need:
-1 aubergine, medium sized, cut into 1" or so pieces
-2 courgettes, chopped
-2 tomatoes, cut into quarters
-2 cloves of garlic
-1/2 green pepper chunky cut
-1 onion cut into large chunky slices
-Drizzle of olive oil
-Drizzle of red wine vinegar
-herbes de Provence seasoning
-Salt/pepper

I just tossed all the above into a metal bowl and stuck it into the fridge until I needed to put it in the oven.







Take a nap.

Vaccuum the house.

Do some dishes.

But remember to stick it into a baking dish and bake for 1 hour or so on 200°C.  Gets all gooey and melty, fabulous.

Serve with some protein, my our case I did a black bean purée, sliced pork roast and the ratatouille.

bon appetit!

Advice: Le Pain (bread)

Summer time in Lyon, it's almost like a beautiful... magical.. swealtering hot time in which we can abandon all worries and take a weekend off to have a summer picnic.

Everyone has their own preference as to what makes a *perfect picnic*, but I have my own special picnic that I find.. well frankly amazing.  A few months back I talked about my favorite food shops, so you'll need to know the addresses for these in order to make up a Sasha Picnic.  The Sunday post I do will be on my own special picnic- but first thing's first; the bread.

It starts with a baguette.

Baguettes are the staple food in France, every French person has a baguette on their table during a meal, pieces torn off and put directly on the table (not on a plate).

Little know the history of bread in France, and I'm not about to give a detailed account... just a basic summary.

Every few steps in Lyon, one can find a Boulangerie- not every boulangerie holds a high quality baguette, but every boulangerie definitely has a baguette.  Sold unwrapped and set about the shop, the baguette is an experience in it's own.  Nothing compares to a French baguette in the states; from the crisp of the crust, to the dense bubbly interior- ready as a staple to sauce your plate, or simply to cut open and smother with a thick camembert cheese.

Bread has been a staple in the French meal since the middle ages, but has taken changes over time.  Upon introduction of white flour in the 16th century by the Italian nobility the Medicis, and the idea of using bread as a leavening agent, bread began to take on the whiter hue we see in modern day Baguettes.  Crisis in the 19th century turned Bonaparte to create laws to protect the prices of bread, and as always, bread has remained an essential.  The one stereotype that rings true, most French people to have a baguette in their hand when returning home.

Made an average of three times a day, a majority of boulangeries in France make it fresh from the start- from this flour is considered a state commodity and the government actually provides subsidies so flour retains a moderately low price in market.  One can buy 1 kilo of farine for only 2€, that's about 1€ a pound!

But- there are more than baguettes.  Allow me to explain (source: observatoire du pain):

Le Pain Tradition Français

A bread created from bread flour, water, salt and a rising ingredient.  Due to simplicity it is a very 'bubbly' bread, meaning there are many holes in the dough.  Great for picnics as it retains wells, and works great with creamy cheeses.








Under this category:

• La Banette (more triangular shaped than a baguette, tends to be fluffier, specialty recipe)
• La Baguette (typical slim round baguette)
• Pain au Levain (Sour Dough bread)

Le Pain Complet

Complet, meaning whole wheat.  This bread tends to be a much toothier bread , whole grain.  I usually eat sliced with melted butter/honey for breakfast.  Tends to over ride the flavor of dishes and doesn't mesh well with cheeses.  Better as a breakfast item.

Other 'complet'

• Pain au Siegle (rye bread)
• Pain aux 5 céréales
• Pain aux Noix (nut bread, very delicious)

Le Pain de Compagne

Campagne, the countryside, this bread is even more toothy than the pain complet. It's fabulous a little on the dry side served in the winter with a nice potage de boeuf or a soup.

Pain de Mie

Pain de Mie, is the sliced bread we are used to in the states.  I have rarely eaten this in France; but it is used for French Toast (which is a dessert; not breakfast in France).  Even sadnwiches are not made with it; usually we use baguettes sliced open.  The French love their crusts.

Le Pain Brioché

Pain Brioché, or just simply Brioche, is a dense, fluffy and rich sweet bread that is often served toasted for breakfast.  Tends to be full of butter, so be aware!  Definitely not for a dinner bread, but fabulous for breakfast with some butter and jam.

So.  In the states we think *bread*, we think sliced white packaged from last week.  In France, bread is an art and a sustenance for the daily meal.

Now, you gotta try all the types of bread and find your favorite- personally I'm a Banette type of gal.

P.S.  My favorite boulangerie:  Les Garçons Boulangers.  Miam.

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What-What: The French Breakfast

When I first moved to France we would spend the weekends with Bri's family and they would bring us a typical French breakfast.

In the States we usually have our eggs, toast, bacon and a cup of coffee, sometimes we opt for pancakes or french toast.  In France a typical breakfast is much less food, much more carb and very heavy in fat.

The croissant, the flaky and buttery pastry that is sold all over France and at explosive prices in the States.  The croissant is the most common breakfast pastry in France and is usually eaten simply with a cup of café au lait.

These pastries are exceptionally heavy and often made by layering pastry over pastry smeared with butter.

A famous and delicious variation is called the croissant aux amandes and it is AMAZING.

The pain au chocolat is a variation on the croissant, made with the same ingredients except folded over a few sticks of chocolate.  A fresh pain au chocolat will be melty and seemingly fall apart.

Typically breakfast is light and eaten leisurely, a glass of orange juice can accompagny the breakfast.  If it's not the weekend, it is more common to have some biscottes smeared with butter and jam or some petits madeleines.  As everywhere in the world, one can also eat cereal or toast.. but eggs are always reserved for lunch or dinner.

Pancakes and french toast are considered a dessert and eaten after dinner.. but in my experience the French are open minded and having pancakes for breakfast can be perfectly appropriate (but not typical).  

I often will serve pancakes to Bri on the weekend, usually for brunch.. with some fresh sliced fruit and a nice crème fermière... delicious.

Ugly Dinner + Recipe

Is this not the ugliest dinner you have ever seen?  I don't think there is a way to make pink sausages any more attractive.. and the risotto looks like chunk.  Bri likes to post everything we eat, and I was very upset to find this monster posted on Facebook this morning. This is the ugliest dinner I have ever made in my life.. but you know what?  It was damn good risotto!  If only we could taste pictures..

Recipe:  Curried Risotto aux Endives (ingredients in French, for easy shopping, instructions in English)

Servings: 4

Ingrédients:
185g OR 1 cup du riz (thai)
2 cups fond de boeuf preparé (beef stock prepared)
1/2 cup du vin blanc
2 tablespoons crème fraîche ou crème fermière
2 endives blancs, cut in rounds
1 echalot, diced up
1 tbsp de l'huile d'olive vierge
1 tbsp de curry en poudre
salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Wash up the endives and cut into rounds.
2. Heat up a large pan, style wok or like this one to the right:
3. Toss in the olive oil, and the echalot into the oil for about 1 minute.
4. Toss in the endives, stir around on medium-low heat until they are more cooked down (around 5 minutes)
5. Toss in the cup of rice, stir around briskly, and add in about 2 luches (great french word, means ladlefuls) of the stock/wine mixture
6. Stir for about 5 minutes on medium-high heat; ensuring not to burn.  Turn heat low, cover for another 2-3 minutes until liquid is absorbed.  Add in the curry powder/salt/pepper.
7. Add another 2 luches of stock; medium-high heat, stir and stir and stir.. low heat and cover.
8. Repeat steps 6-7 until the liquid is fully absorbed... add more liquid if still crunchy.
9. Finally, add the crème fraîche and season to taste; stir around and cover leaving on a nice low heat... I topped with some parmesan cheese.

Ugly but good.  Here's the video I found that makes the process a bit more simple:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akvS38cR4b4

I didn't use 'curcurma' just curry powder, I also added salt/pepper and parmesan.  Voila.  Enjoy your ugly dinner tonight.. with some 'chipolata' saucisses.

What-What: les Producteurs Fermiers

In America we have this big outcry for biological and organic products and yet here, just in the outlines of the city, lie hundreds of farms that sell locally created products.  If you are an American living in France or even just an American in general... watch the documentary:  Food, Inc.  I recently watched it on my French television and was absolutely disgusted by the amount of artificial perservatives Americans eat.  Worse, we have a major 'corn addiction' and genetically modified foods are a typical part of our diet.


It's for this reason I was ecstatic to discover a marché in Lyon called the "Producteurs Marché".  This marché is a direct from farm marché- this means there is no middleman.  Farmers from around the Rhone-Alpes comes to the center of Lyon to sell their own products.  Because of the cost incurred from the travel to Lyon, prices tend to be a bit more expensive in comparison to the normal market; but the quality is perfect.  Another huge difference is the respect one must have towards the market-people... because they are farmers it's important to understand that they know the product better than you.  Here's some information about etiquette at the marché:  Etiquette at the Marché.


Now these farmers head to Place Carnot every Wednesday between 4:00pm and 7:30pm.  I like the farmer's market but I can't afford to go every week.. however to purchase some of my basics (butter, eggs) it's definitely do-able and I am rewarded with a wonderful tasting product.. and a pretty damn good omelette!

If you feel the need to go on a little adventure one day.. I'd recommend heading out to a co-op marché outside of the city, it's a landing base for all the local farmers that can't make it to Place Carnot.  A bus goes directly to the area and surrounding the marché are plenty of parks and forests.  Take a little basket, shop for your lunch at the co-op and then find a nice spot in the woods to have a post-marché picnic lunch.  

A crusty baguette, bottle of wine, fresh charcuteries, some fruit and a nice fresh pressed cheese and butter will make it unforgettable; plus it will be more like ancient France and less 'prepackaged super markets'.

Information:
La Ferme Lyonnaise (big co-op outside of Lyon)
26 b avenue Edouard Millaud
69290 CRAPONNE


Weekly Farmer's Market in Lyon:  Wednesdays between 4:00pm to 7:30pm on Place Carnot near Perrache.


Link to Farmers of Lyon

Found: Cap Epices

I was out spreading the word about BabySpeaking when I wandered across this little gem of a marché.  Everywhere I have been looking for a specialist in spices; not the glass jar type you see in the grocery store- or even the kind I had to trapse over to Guillotière for.  Something nearby that carried all the spices that my heart desired.  I wanted equally the ability to purchase in bulk grams, but to know it comes from a local provider who hand selects the product.

I stared into the window of Cap Epices and saw multitudes of glass and metal containers holding beautiful spices.  The front window is whimsical, showing sacs of herbs and typical spices we use on a daily basis.  50g of peppercorns were 1.50€; and for those who don't know much about food or spices.. that's cheap.  At Carrefour a 48g glass container of peppercorns is 3.20€; that means you get 50% off of store prices from a specialist in spices!  The sacs remind me of an open marché, but the prices resemble those of a discount store.

It's a little shop that opened up in 1997 on Rue de la Charité; ensuring their quality is high they pay attention to distributors and special attention to clients.  They offer basics (from ground ginger to piment) to mixtures that they create (for pot-au-feu, or special dishes).  What's even better is they offer teas and infusions as well!  Plus, just walking into the shop is like walking into spice heaven.. additionally if you live far away you can purchase and have it shipped (although pricy).

I plan to go there.. definitely.. mostly because I love spices (which is very opposite from French cooking) and I love different regional cuisines.  Trying new recipes with all these beautiful spices will be an experience; plus I have a ball every time a French person comes into my kitchen and exclaims, "Mais, t'as beaucoup des epices!" (but, you have so many spices!).

Information:  CAP EPICES 39, rue de la Charité 69002 LYON

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What-What: Christmas in France

It seems as I get older the year seems to slip through my fingers- and now I find myself, once again, in France on Christmas Eve.

Christmas has many connotations for many people; if you are religious, then you know the whole nativity story; you may also know the story of King Harod and his whole fit to kill all the babies- those stories are not so much my cup of tea.. so I tend to see Christmas as a gathering time; a time where we all can get together and eat until we explode, drink until we can't see straight and wake up to pillage whatever is under the tree.

In France, there is so much more; traditions of course are around- the typical sapin de Noël and the Christmas buche.  However, I find, here we tend to enjoy just a little more.

Tonight will start with an enormous supper...

Course 1:  Oysters and champagne
Course 2:  Smoked salmon, buttered toast and Foie Gras (if you're a vegetarian.. you are missing out) w/ a nice sweet white wine.
Course 3:  Some main dish of meat/a side of vegetables
Course 4:  Fruits
Course 5:  Assortment of delicious cheeses
Course 6:  Bûche de Noël, or a 'yule log' a rolled up cake... with buttercream frosting.
Course 7:  Digestif and Papillotte

At the end we will all roll around the house and digest while plotting when we will deliver our gifts downstairs.  The goal is to not be seen by anyone, a sort of pseudo-Santa.

To describe what it's like to experience a Christmas in France would be like trying to describe the delicacies in a Foie Gras; it's 10x better than any Christmas in America because it incorporates this sentiment with food.  Eating is always an integral piece to our culture here, but Christmas ups the ante and makes it a holiday where you can't leave your seat because you are so full.  Yes, the moral apprehensions with Foie Gras remain- but it's simply a part of a culture.  If you're going to drink the Champagne from France, you have to try the Foie Gras.

Tomorrow I'll be getting pictures up, so the enticement of the meal will be before your eyes.  I hope anyone out in the States will be eating heartily as well, and if not, I 'chine' to you and will eat a piece of Foie Gras and some oysters on your behalf!

Merry Christmas and Joyeaux Noël!

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Advice: Marché-Etiquette & Rules.

About two months ago I wrote a truly tragic post regarding my bad experience with a peach vendor in the marché.  I wondered, was the marché atmosphere in France changing and so inevitable to be put in bad form with the vendors?  Was it now a passé, as supermarchés became the norm?

I refused to believe it so I set forth to do a little research on my own.  A friend of mine who visits France every summer, spends this vacation in a small French town.  He was visiting one weekend and we got onto the discussion of marchés- and he pointed out something I didn't even consider...

Market Etiquette
 The fact that there is a certain way to behave, to show respect, it all relies on you.  I have spent the last few months trying to figure this out and I think I finally got it down.

• Respect the Product:  When shopping in the marché, don't just go and grab all the fruits testing for their ripeness.  Look at them, wait, if a sign says self service- then be free to do so.
• Ask the Vendor:  It shows an enormous amount of respect to ask the vendors questions about their product, when was it picked; when would it be best used by; which is your favorite?
• Respect the Vendor:  This is the MOST important, when buying a product from the marché, ask the vendor directly... don't go grabbing for yourself.  Asking is simple and actually saves you time.  What do I mean by asking?  I mean tell the vendor you would like 500 grams of tomatoes.  They will pick the ripest for you, and always get exactly the grams/kilograms you asked for.  It also builds a relationship- and often they'll give you a deal on the product.
• Say Thank You:  I know it seems minimal, but this simple little phrase and a 'bon journée' represents the fact that you are respecting the French culture.
• Don't Be Offended:  If the vendor is abrupt or even quick with talking to you- it's their livelihood to sell the products and quickly.. they aren't mean people, they just are nice farmers who may not be that sociable.

Some marchés that I find very successful in the vendors and the products being sold and remember, Marchés are not open on Mondays...

You really can get a good deal; I bought all the veggies in the photo below for only €8 and the lemons were only €1!!

My Favorite Marchés:

Quai Victor Augagneur:  51 commerçants at it's maximum, sells a variety of products from cheeses to vegetables/fruits.  Has one of my favorite vegetable merchants, last time sold me some tomatoes and lettuce, very 'gently', picked out the perfect one.  Got lemons for €1.

Marché de la Croix-Russe:   On the Boulevard de la Croix-Russe, incredibly huge with 109 commerçants.  Sundays or Saturdays are the best day to go, very lively.

Advice: Top 5 Lyon Restaurants So Far...

I went to dinner on Saturday night and it got me thinking about my favorite Bouchons and Restaurants around Lyon... here's a little list of some places that have stolen my heart and my stomach.. the five best I can remember... these are not in particular order because they are all special for different reasons.

Les Fines Geules (16 rue Lainerie)
Great little bouchon located in the 5ème that we came across by chance.  I had the gazpacho soup, the fish.. and it was really quite delicious.  Menus range from €19 to €27... but a definite favorite and one you should try.

Le Kys (18 Quai General Sarrali)
Has the best grenouilles that I have had in Lyon so far.  It's fairly expensive, you need a reservation for dinner here- but it's nice for a special occasion or a birthday!


Dans la 'Rue des Marronniers'

Chabert et Fils AND les Trois Cochons (11 rue des Marronniers)
Located on that legendary street, both of these restaurants are very typical Lyonnais with very inexpensive prices on their menus (€20 maximum).  It has some dishes that are not for the faint of heart (pig feet, cow intestine sausage) but it's a definite reflection of Lyon classics.

La Mère Jean (5 rue des Marronniers)
This little gold mine is incredibly small in size, almost one that someone would walk by with the fear of smothering- but it's just that.. Grandma's kitchen.  The food is incredibly filling and great quality, I had steak.. with a cheese sauce.  The entire menu is only €22.. and worth every penny.  You leave there waddling home.

Le Caveau (5 Place Antonin Poncet)
Hey, with a menu for only €15; you can't go wrong.  It's not the best bouchon, but for the price of the food it's incredibly well done- we ate there and were incredibly full at the end.  Really delicious and well done... and hey- great for a HANGOVER.  :)

Happy restauranting!

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What-What: La Cuisine de Lyon

Since I lived on 'Rue des Marronniers', I was inspired to write a post about 'La Cuisine Lyonnaise'.  Remember, my street, has about 12 different 'bouchons'; renowned and.. well.. frankly CHEAP.

Shall we?

Lyon cuisine is a regional specialty much like most regions of France claim- the difference is the homey atmosphere that comes along with the meal, as well as the multitude of animal by-products used in several of the well-known dishes.

Several famous chefs started or succeeded in this region, two off the top of my head are of course; 'Paul Bocuse', which is a name that cannot be missed if you live in Lyon, and 'Jacques Pepin', equally as known- except he started here and then moved on to success in America.

Starting from the aperitif to the desserts- this regions has lists of specialties that I will try to explain and detail briefly.

A Typical Lyonnaise Meal...

Kir, unmixed.

The Aperitif
This begins with a drink called, 'kir'.  Kir is made with a blending of a sparkling wine or white wine and the 'crème de cassis bourgouignenne'.  It's very sweet and resembled a blackberry syrup- although the actually English name is 'black currants'.

For a snack, it is typical to eat fried pig fat which resembles fried pork skins in America.  It's crispy, and Lyonnaise cuisine introduces it in the beginning because they are known for their 'pork products'.



Entrée
After everyone is done crunching on pork grisle and drinking the Kir; in Lyon we move onto entrance.  There are several choices for this course.. so I'll be listing.

• Saucisson:  Different varieties of dried sausages, often pork, served sliced with bread and mini pickles
• Gateaus:  It's fairly common in Lyon to eat 'salty cakes' for entrance, these are often like the way Banana bread is made, but made salty with livers or tuna.
• Salade Lyonnaise:  Super specialty made with lettuce and bacon.. plus a poached egg.  It's like a breakfast salad.
• Fried Tripe (innards):  We start here with the entrails of cows.  Breaded and fried... keep an open mind!

 Plats Principaux

Quenelles

• Black Sausage:  A cooked sausage made of blood...
• Andouillette:  Not to be confused with 'andouille' from the Creole cuisine in Louisiana.  Don't be invited by the description in french of 'fraise' because it doesn't resembled strawberries- it's intestines cooked into sausage form.. and I've tried this.  It.. well.. an 'acquired taste'. 
• Le Sabodet:  Pork head sausage.
• Poulet a la fricassee:  Chicken cooked in a creamy garlicky sauce, very delicious.
• Gratin Dauphinois:  Potatoes cooked simply with garlic and cream.
• Les Quenelles:  This is a forcemeat of seafood, often served in a creamy 'languistine' sauce, very delectable and super rich.
• (Noel) Cardon:  A type of plant vegetable cooked in a cream sauce, often for Christmas.
• Tartiflette:  A GREAT hangover food, basically like a hot potato salad with bacon, reblochon and cream.  Super dense.

Les Fromages
Lyon has several cheeses that are specialties to the region:  St. Marcellin (soft and subtle, goat);  St. Felician (also soft, creamy) and the Reblochon (melty and works well in sauces or melted dishes, not often served as a 'cheese platter' item.

Les Desserts

Marzipan in Lyon

 Things that are 'praliné' are kind of resemblant of the candy coating in 'boston baked beans'.  Crunchy and red.  Les bugnes come out for Mardi Gras, and are fluffy donuts, often referred to as 'beignets' in Louisiana.  A real cultural speciality is the 'cuisson de Lyon' which is like little almond paste pillows, often these are made into speciality shapes... 'Marzipan' in English.





Wine in Lyon
Is often tied to the 'Beaujolais' region of France, common in red wines.  Learn more here about these types of wines.

Monday Week's Menu

A few weeks back I wrote about the concept of planning meals ahead... I wanted to share my 'Sunday Plan' with ya'll as an example... and make it a habit to post on Mondays what I plan to make/eat during the week.

Every Sunday I sit down with a piece of paper, internet, my cookbooks and my mind.. I determine what we're gonna eat for the week.. mostly dinners.

I usually eat a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, a snack at lunch and dinner is the big meal.

Here's this weeks, I attached recipes if I found one.. as a note I often deviate from a recipe and make it my own.. however it helps to get an idea of how to make something.. oh and you might notice... I'm a HUGE fan of Food Network and it breaks my heart it doesn't exist in France:

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Monday October 4
Skillet Rosemary Chicken
+Eggplant & Zucchini sautée


Tuesday October 5
Pork & Fennel Ragout


Wednesday October 6
Marinated Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Grilled Veal Chops


Thursday October 7
Roasted Tomato Basil Soup
+Buttery Croutons & Romano Melty Cheese Topping


Friday October 8
Chopped Salad Niçoise


Saturday October 9
Eat @ Chez Parents  (every two weeks or so we go visit his parents in Genas)

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Then I create a grocery list and where I will buy the product... I often buy everything that's meat related from Marché-U down the street from me because the prices aren't too high for meats.

Vegetables are bought from the marché on Tuesday.

Other necessities, like baking paper or sponges, I can feel not guilty and buy from Lidl.

Bread, ALWAYS, at a boulangerie.

Happy eating!

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Advice: In Season Vegetables

I recently went to the library in the 2ème and checked out a beautiful book (in French) about all these vegetables.. and so I listed and translated everything that's in season, since, well, it's October now!

There's a new marché also I was told by Bri, along le 'Quai Claude Bernard'... near Lyon 2 in front of la rhône... It's apparently a marché open from 3-6pm!  An evening marché for those of us who can't get up at 6am.

So here goes la liste!

Carrots (carottes)
Celery (celerie)
Chestnuts (châtaine)
Cauliflower (chou-fleurs)
Brocoli (brocoli)
Cabbages...
    green, new (vert nouveau)
    milan
Brussel Sprouts (chou de Bruxelles)
Squash (corge)
Shallots (échalote)
Spinach (épinard)
Fenouil (same)
Navet
Yellow Onions (oignons jaunes)
Parsnip (panais)
Green Pepper (poivron vert)
Leeks (poireaux)
Potatoes
    Belle de Fontenay (sautéeing)
    Charlotte (sautéeing, purée)
    Red potatoes
    Grenaille
Tomatoes
Rutabega
Betterave

Allrecipes.com offers some awesome veggie recipes.. so I'd recommend giving them a look.  Vegetables are cheap and healthy... and hey, take advantage- because in the United States the food is always terribly expensive.. here's it's cheap cheap!

Good luck!

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What-What: Sunday Lunch Time

I didn't write anything yesterday because I was too busy gorging myself on fabulous French food in the countryside of Lyon in Vienne.  Then I got to thinking, I bet someone out there in the big internet world would like to see, and understand, the whole BIG FRENCH MEAL.

So here goes.

Families in France used to have the big family meal every Sunday... it was a big event where everyone in the family was invited to come over to 'one family members' house and eat a huge meal.

This meal is/was taken in the middle of the day, often around 1pm.. it is conisdered an all day event, often running until 8 or 9 at night.  Our lasted around 6 hours.. and during that time I played 'Japanese Tourist' and photographed the eating phenomenon.  Follow along with me.

The Sunday Meal startes with...

Apero/Aperitif:  Beginning of the meal, often includes small snacks and a glass of champagne or other sweet drink.  Lasts about 30-40 minutes depending on the conversation.. when the host/hostess says, 'à table', it means the apero is officially over and the next part of the meal begins.





In the picture:  paté en croute, small toastades with mushroom paté and roquefort/fig jam.
 
Once we move to the table, the host/ess picks your seat.  The table is often magnificiently decorated..

Brian in Contemplation for the next meal..

And then we start eating again..

Entrée: Literally translated as entrance.  The meal is often a quiche accomagnied by a salad, a salad itself with livers, something light yet delicious to introduce the rest of the meal. Usually takes around 40 minutes.


In the picture:  A cake of liver, actually kind of like a crustless liver quiche, and a wonderful butter leaf salad with 3-oil vinaigrette.  I was told the liver recipe was 100 years old.

Next comes the main dish, in French, Plat Principal, which the host/ess makes in the kitchen and serves.  During this time, wine is flowing, conversation is deep.. and everyone is beginning to feel the effects of 2 hours of drinking.

The wine is often changed depending on the meat served, if it's a salad, etc.

In the picture:  A very well made veal cut, zucchini gratin and a tomate a la provençal.

At this point we're all beginning to get full... but it's not done yet!  Next comes the cheese... often a selection of artisanal cheeses ranging in strength and taste.  Most often it's a selection of cow's milk cheese, but in the winter time 'Roquefort' which is a sheeps milk cheese is very common.

In the picture:  Starting from the closest and going clockwise:  roquefort, little dried goat cheeses, salty cows milk cheese, cows milk, tomme and st. felician, an incredibly creamy cheese.


The cheese takes a while to finish, so often at this point we're all so full we don't even want dessert... so we wait.  The cheese can take about 45 minutes depending on the fullness of the group.

Finally... dessert arrives. 

The dessert is not often accompanied by coffee, but in our case everyone thought it would go well.  Dessert can either have a sweet wine or a coffee to accompany, and sometimes even a little whiskey.


In the picture:  a chocolate fluffy cake with a crusty almond bottom, almond cookie, vanilla ice cream and raspberries w/ sauce.  Incredibly decadent.

Finally to top it off, everyone hobbles back into the living room to take digestif, which is an after dinner liqueur, usually like a strong alcoholic beverage to be sipped for about 1 hour until everyone is talked out and totally full.

These are the two hosts today..

These are the two hosts in 1969... adorable.

And finally we all depart, hours later.  Here are some extra photos from our visit in Vienne:

Old Castle on the Hill

And finally our host(s) home.. beautiful.

Enjoy, and good luck.. remember to take your time and say thank you... ALOT!

Bon Appetit, as Julia Child loved to say.

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Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Just a quick little post to remind people that indeed, in France, one can make delicious chocolate chip cookies without the brown sugar and without the baking soda.

Yesterday I made.. well.. I was lazy so I made a 'chocolate chip pie' which is just cookie dough, shoved into a glass quiche pan and baked.  Like a giant cookie.

Here's the recipe I used that actually turned out quite nice:

Chocolate Chip Cookies in France


Ingredients:
1 & 1/4 cup flour (specifically 'farine patisserie')
150 grams of butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder (aka poudre levure chimique, available in all stores)
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring OR 1 packet vanilla sugar (little packets in the store called, 'sucre de vanille', sold next to the levure chimique)
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cassonade (which is like natural sugar)
*1 bar baking chocolate (sold next to normal chocolate) chopped into small chunks
pinch of salt

It makes about 24 cookies..

Directions:
-Preheat the oven to 190, if it's a convention microwave do 220.
-Blend the butter (soften it first), the egg, the sugar products, the salt and the vanilla in a bowl until creamy
-Add in the flour/baking powder (ensure it's been combined first without liquid, then add, about 1/4 cup at a time)
-Once combined, if looks to wet, add 1/4 cup flour or so to even out the texture
-Add in the chopped chocolate, stir around

NOW, either...
-Put in fridge with plastic wrap for one hour
OR
-Take tablespoon size portions in mounds, onto a greased baking plate

Bake 10-12 minutes, checking every few minutes..

Yum.


*Note:  France does not have chocolate chips.  You'll have to use the baking chocolate because it melts easier, and ensure you chop it.  Doesn't have to be perfect, big chunks made delicious surprises

Advice: Party Etiquette in France

Bri & I had the opportunity to host a 'cremaillère' combo birthday party yesterday and I learned quite a bit about proper etiquette both for going to a party, having a party and the different types of parties.

Types of Parties
Cremaillère:  A cremaillère is a house-warming party.  It's typical for invitees to bring something useful such as spice jars, a crepe maker or a recipe book.  Usually snack food/drinks are provided to guests, but it is still polite to bring a bottle of wine.

Apero-Manger: Apero-manger is when everyone invited brings a certain finger-food dish.  For example one might bring a couple bags of chips, a set up of crudité, mini desserts.  Remember to ask the host(s) what you should bring, as they usually dictate who brings what.

Raclette: Raclette parties are absolutely one of my favorites.  It's basically a 'melty cheese party' but not fondue style. 

As you see in the left picture, this is a 'raclette' machine.  What it is is a simple hot plate with a grill on the underside.  You cut cheese (usuall emmenthal or reblochon)  and put it in the small little pans, under the grill for 2-3 minutes.. and then pour over whatever you'd like.

Normal accompagniments with raclette are potatoes, charcuteries and some vegetables.  My recommendation is to use smaller potatoes, grilled veggies and ham/turkey.

(More information on throwing a Raclette Party)

Crêpe Party:  Crêpe parties are a lot like raclette parties (using the same machine usually, but the top part not the bottom part).  It's a big bowl of batter, everyone makes their own crêpe and stuffs it themselves.  It's usually a savory/sucré type thing so it's best to have both options prepared.

Special Parties: By special I mean events during the year.  Here's a great link that describes the holidays... here  and another website to explain the holidays and methods. Birthdays/anniversaries are the same around the word (i believe) EXCEPT, one opens the gift during aperitif, not at the end, and never announce to the birthday person that you are 'bringing a gift'.  I notice in America it's habitual to say, 'I bought you a gift' before seeing the person.. it's a phenomena French people don't understand.

Going to a Party
In France, when invited, always bring a small gift.  It could be some lovely flowers, a simple bottle of wine or even some chocolate.  It's a way of telling your host(s) that you feel very welcome and a thank you. 

Remember when you arrive to always 'fait le bis' at every person. 

If you don't know someone, introduce yourself!  It's very rude to ignore others at a party.

Practice small talk; meaning learn some simple phrases of things to discuss.  NEVER ask the typical questions Americans usually ask:  'what are your hobbies', etc, instead focus on asking what career they'd like to do, what school they went to- where they have been on vacation.

When you leave, ensure you thank the host(s) once more and again, 'fait le bis' at everyone.

Having your Own Party
Doing it at your own home can be a risky business- but it can also be very amusing.  Here's how we did ours...

First I prepared a lot of little snacks.  Picard sells many 'amuses-geules' or little hot snacks that you simply reheat for about €4 for 30 pieces.  I recommend also buying 'pâte-feuillité' and making some yourselfs.

Food
-Lots of amuses-geules such as picard treats, or hot dogs wrapped in pate-feuillité and baked at 220 until golden
-Selection of seasonal vegetables cut into finger foods
-Simple dip (mix 1 container crême fraîche, yogurt, 1/2 cup ciboullette, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, pinch of nutmeg and a small amount of crême liquide.. stir and refridgerate)
-Mayonnaise (the French love dipping veggies in Mayo)
-Lots of chips
-Alcohol (beers, wine)
-Mini bread snacks, (I toast the bread for about 5 minutes, add toppings such as tomatoes or onions or cheese... delicious and it was eaten quickly)
to save some cash, the alcohol can be purchased at Lidl.. it wasn't too bad.

Me putting some 'amuse-geules' on a plate

Later in the Night.. all of us stuffed on the couch

Everyone Digging into the food..

Remember to make the rounds, greet everyone, offer a drink when they first arrive.  Show where the snacks are, explain you might be distracted... constantly make the rounds and talk to people.

Some advice?

Keep lots of toilet paper and paper towels around.  Spills will happen.  People will use the bathroom, all night, and nothing is worse than running out of toilet paper.

Use plastic cups and cocktail napkins if it's a big party (over 15 people) and glassware/plastic plates if it's smaller.  For groups of 3-6 you can use dishware.

Here's some helpful links:
How to Word Invitations in French
How to Host a Raclette Party
How to Host a Crêpe Party
Ideas for Themed Parties
Icebreakers

I also want to mention the concept of 'YouTube' playlists and computers.  If you can attach your computer into the television, or if your computer has a large screen, you can make YouTube playlists so the music has a video attached.  It is really fun for people to interact and add videos, watch the music.. it helps.

Happy parties and good times!

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23 with a Messed Up Knee

Yesterday was one of those days I wish would have been different.  It was a beautiful Friday, we had Bri's parents coming for dinner (which inviting French in-laws enough is stressing), and we had to get all the shopping done for our crémaillère and my birthday party tonight.

It started with a morning trip to the marché down the street.  The marché on 'quai saint antoine' is open every day, and actually, suprisingly, the prices were not too expensive.  I bought a bunch of veggies... no problem.  We then went to Picard to get our 'amuse-gueules' which are the little snacks eaten with booze in the beginning.  Finally off to the marché-u to get the last pieces... hauled all of this home, up the 4 flights (40 stairs total) of stairs.

We had to leave again to go to my school to see what they decided to put me in.  As we were biking, as usual, we got to this area near the school that's made with gravel/dirt.  My front tire was out, apparently, and as I turned and put on my break to turn/stop- the tire floated out, I slid out... and the bike crashed on me as I slipped under it.  I had a moment of just shock...

Bri came running from his bike and I started balling in the middle of the street.. it was a combination of embarrassment and complete pain.  We still had to get to my school, so I hobbled to school.. we hobbled to Lidl to buy things for tonight and slowly very slowly biked home.

Here's the results, today, of my accident yesterday, it hurts like something awful, today it's stiff and swollen and feels as though I can't bend it without pain.  I am a total 'type A' personality so it is driving me nuts.

In all though, Bri made it better.  He's truly a wonderful piece of my life- and even if sometimes I bitch and moan about not understanding the marché man or maybe I get frustrated... he's fabulous.  Here's what he did for my birthday dinner with the parents:

He made me a CHEESCAKE... and not just ANY cheesecake..



He made me a raspberry cheesecake, based with crispy petit-beurre cookies, rich ricotta and.. it.. was awesome.







Just to exaggerate... I MUST show photos of his hard work...

Putting Decorations on my Cheesecake

In our kitchen.. adding more raspberries

There wasn't a lot of room for the whole word:  "HAPPY"... good enough

My kitchen, preparation for a dinner of 5.. yikes

Yea... we decorated a little.. this is our new Ikea table.. only 100 bux!

My 'French Mom'.. very impressed with her son's work.

We drank it all.. ohhh yeaaa..

All I can hope is that my knee will stop aching too much and that I can try to get through tonight with a smile.  I think a nap is in order... people are supposed to start arriving here around 7pm.. holy moly.

We have about 25 invitees, a bunch of beer, snacks and ... well, it's gonna be a busy night.  We invited a huge mix of his French friends, my Exchange friends.. a true mix of English/French speakers.  Some of the students don't speak very well, and some of the French don't speak English at all.. but we are happy to bring our worlds together.

Wish me luck.. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes..

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