Yesterday, I tried channeling my inner french chef and decided to try my hand at making a chocolate souffle. There is something about being in France that makes me want to cook - and not just scrabbled eggs, but dishes that tantalize the gourmand in us. I think this is because markets with fresh and colorful ingredients are close by, and I often walk pass pastry and chocolate shops run by not just shop keepers but by artists who take great pride in their work. With fresh and artful food everywhere, how can I not be inspired? My sparse kitchen skills will put a limit on what I can do. Thankfully, there are surprisingly many dishes that seem fancy, but take only minutes to prepare. The chocolate soufflé is one of them.
This recipe from epicurious involves only 3 ingredients - (good quality) chocolate, eggs, and sugar. The only special tool you need is the soufflé pan. After 40 minutes of melting, whipping, folding, and baking we had a delicious, airy, and deep dark chocolaty after dinner treat. I hope all french desserts are this easy. Next time, I might try my hand at chocolate eclairs!
Thomas and I also decided that we need to explore our area, which is quite easy given the fact that in France you are always a day trip away from some Chateau of a famous French, historical figure. This weekend's trip took us to the neighboring town of Port-Marly to visit Alexandre Dumas' house. Alexandre Dumas, if you recall from AP English class, wrote high adventure fiction such as The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. His "country" house, which was converted into a museum, included a chateau, formal gardens, and what Thomas called a "man cave" (a separate house on the estate where he worked on his novels). The small museum showcased his heritage, his life, and his life's work.
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| Chateau Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas' country home. |
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| The house across from the Chateau where Dumas wrote - what Thomas has dubbed as the "man cave" |
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| Dumas' desk in the man cave. |
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| Beautiful architectural detail. |
The trip to the museum was also our first outing with our new, old car. What should have been a 20 minute drive, became 40 minutes even with the Tom Tom GPS. The routes are marked clearly, but we could not figured out how to determine direction. The French clearly do not designate routes like they do in the states (pairing route names with cardinal directions. Route 51 South for example). The GPS told us to take route A13, but we would inevitable take the A13 going the opposite direction. We think that it's like taking the metro. Direction is indicated by the end of the line, so you have to know that A13 Paris is heading SE, while Rouen is heading NW. And just like the bus line, if you miss your stop/exit, it is miles (or kilometers) before you can turn around and head back in the other direction.
At least we figured out which gas to use for the car (thank goodness for a working smartphone with internet connection!). Gazole is french for diesel, sans plomb is unleaded, and then they give you a choice of octane amount. We were just glad we didn't put diesel in the Nissan!