So We are Moving to Paris: Cultural Immersion

Saturday afternoon, Thomas and I went on a historical walking tour of Paris. The two hour tour was spent around the Palais Royal and focused on the French Revolution. History was never my strong suit - too many names and dates to retain in my head. I struggled through AP American history in high school. Nevertheless walking through Paris you get a strong sense of the history that has taken place in this city, and you quickly realize how important their past is to the French. But with France on it's fifth republic since being ruled by monarchs, the idea that I could even begin to understand the players and events that has shaped France today is a near impossible task. Understanding the history of France is integral to understanding the French. As difficult and complex their history is, I will nonetheless endeavor to try to learn as much of it as I can while I am here. These walking tours are a good (and fun) way to do that.

Overall a good experience especially since many of the locations of historical events are still around. As I said earlier, we spent most of the tour in the Palais Royal and its gallery. The guide spun tales of Revolutionist, Royalists, Louis XVI. He told us stories of Jean Marat, who among other things started a news paper where he condemned the powerful and the elite. He was assassinated by a Girondist sympathizer. The Girondist also supported of the idea of ending the monarchy but did not like the current practice of mob rule that had taken hold at the start of the revolution. The guide showed us the location of where the old Tuileries Palace once stood (at one end of the Louvre). The palace was destroyed during the fourth French revolution. The tour ended at the Place de la Concorde where the obelisk now stands at the spot where Marie Antoinette was guillotined. The tour guide did a good job of bringing history to life in the setting where many of the events took place. He also threw in some surprising (at least to me) bits of facts - like how much support the French gave to the US during our revolutionary war and the location of the Republic of Texas (1842-1843) Embassy in the 2nd arrondissement.

Not the Palais Royal, but very indicative of French Architecture

Place de la Concorde. Obelisk marks the spot where Marie Antoinette was executed.

The cultural immersion continued into dinner with a French inspired menu.

Entrée

Savory roquefort crême brulée

Plat

Shrimp and asparagus crêpes

Dessert

Pot au Chocolat with Olive Oil and Sea Salt

While we love to cook, fancy shmancy dishes with long lists of ingredients are not our forté (at least not yet). The three dishes we prepared yesterday required only a few ingredients and kitchen time. Lucky for us the quality of the ingredients goes along way in making a dish taste great.

Roquefort Crême Brulée

Before moving to France, the creme brulées we sampled where sweet and creamy desserts. A simple substitution of strong flavored cheese for sugar makes this dish a perfect way to start a meal. Three ingredients: three egg yolks, 3/4 cups of cream, and 1/4 cups of roquefort cheese. Mix together in a blender, pour into two small ramekins, and bake in a water bath for 45 minutes at 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, broil long enough to brown, and voila a light and savory starter. We first made this dish during our French cooking lesson in Versailles using muenster cheese.

Shrimp and asparagus crêpes

The main dish was super easy too. I made a basic crepe batter which I popped in the fridge while preparing the dessert which had to cool and set before serving. I read somewhere that putting the batter in the fridge to rest makes a better crepes. It seems to help, so I've been doing this too. The filing was simple: shrimp with blanched asparagus. I made a cream sauce, which went inside with the filling and on top, with scallions, cream, and Parmesan. After assembling the crepes, I put them in the oven to heat up. Note for next time: one each would be plenty-- especially for a three course meal.

Pot au chocolat with huile d'olive et sel (olive oil and salt)

I had this dessert on Friday at Frenchie and could not wait to make it for Thomas. Chocolate, olive oil, and sea salt - all great ingredients themselves, but together the dish is mind blowing. The salt enhances the dark chocolate and the velvety olive oil. Definitely use quality ingredients (especially the chocolate and olive oil). I used this recipe for the chocolate part. This is also very simple. Melt the chocolate, add the sugar and cream, carefully combine the egg yolks (read the recipe instruction on how to do this), finish with the vanilla and pinch of salt. Cool in the frig. Right before serving, sprinkle with coarse sea salt, and then add a thin layer of good quality olive oil. The pot au chocolat is not as fluffy as chocolate mousse, but decant, delicious, and sinfully rich. One dish was enough for the two of us. In fact, we probably could have shared it with another couple. You don't need much to get your fill - just two or three spoonfuls. If you like chocolate and olive oil, I recommend trying this dish.

Below are more photos from our day walking around Paris.