Paris, France

It’s no secret that the French are first class in the world of Gatsronomy. As they should be. It’s where Escoffier originated (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auguste_Escoffier) .

I would hardly think we could expect anything but the best. I did not get to spend a lot of time in France. Paris was as limited experience as any. But I took in what I saw. I had little more than 24 hours to see and eat what I could. In the morning I was happy to eat the croissants at my hostel that were huge and soft and flaky and buttery…scrumptious!

Dinner was cheese from a shop just around the corner, bread from the bakery across the street, cherry tomatoes from a beautiful vegetable market. Salamis from around the world that I purchased 3 for 10 euro at the Christmas market, Champs Elysee. I still cannot figure out for that price how she wasn’t out of sausages. Everything was fresh and not served on a sesame seed bun.

The shops with pastries and sandwiches and "Take Away" dinners rival that of even the most fancy restaurant with a price tag to match!

It was a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach. Unfortunately for me it was also a feast for the wallet! Someday I'll get back there;)

L'Opera Cafe - Avignon, France

My new friends Bea and Julie took me to L’Opera Café for dinner my only night in Avignon. It was such an enjoyable evening! The food was wonderful! The service left something to be desired and above me was a light that flickered all evening. Not usually one to be high maintenance, the light really annoyed me…

So for appetizers, I had delicious pumpkin soup with caramelized nuts. It was a very dense soup full of flavor and served HOT. Which is how soup should be served, you’d be surprised how many times I have had it cold…or maybe you wouldn’t. My dinner companions had a wonderful shrimp dish with a slaw salad. The salad was delicious and both of them enjoyed it (I only had a taste). I think it was too much slaw though, especially for a starter.

For an entrée Julie and I had “Guineafowl” [Never heard of it? Neither have I. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guineafowl] with a sweet potato mash and cheesy fried polenta. The Guineafowl was delicious although the skin inedible (which is very often the best part when it comes to poultry). The polenta was crispy and full of flavor. Sweet potato mash, delicious! My friend Bea had a beautiful pan fried fish with roasted vegetables, and sweet potato gratin. She enjoyed the whole dish very much!

Dessert was molten chocolate cake, with vanilla crème anglais and house chocolate ice cream – everybody’s favorite…an extremely predictable and passe dessert item but a patron favorite for sure. It was, I have to admit delicious…as was the wine…MY DESSERT J

Skalli Winery - Chateauneuf-du-Pape, France

I have had the ABSOLUTE PLEASURE of meeting my new friend “Bea” who resides in Chateanuef-du-Pape. Along with taking me in for the night and being an amazing tour guide she has also given me a tour of Skalli Vineyard. I really enjoyed all of the information from the tour! You really must visit and take the tour for yourself!

We made a movie during my private tour. I filmed the video holding the camera vertically, so you have to turn your computer on its side to see it, or tilt your head. I hope I can fix it somehow:( I recommend checking it out…Once I get it posted. Until then, I really had to share some pictures!

Galette ala Bea of Brittany...And now Chateauneuf-du Pape

Breton Galette is an amazing dish and also has a great trick. I’m all about great tricksJ We’ll start with the Galette and then move on with to the “trick”. Also, check out the Google link in case you don't believe me! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galette

So this is a Galette. Not a crepe. Yes friends, there is a difference J Galette is a very thin pancake made with buckwheat flour. They can have many fillings. Mine was ham and cheese and egg. Crispy on the outside soft and gooey on the inside.

The trick?? The trick is, she separated the egg, lays the galette in the pan and drops in the egg white. Spreads the egg white all around the galette cooking the white thoroughly. Then adds ham and cheese to allow them to warm and the cheese to melt. Right before she folds in half she adds the yolk. Voila! It’s a perfectly runny egg yolk with cooked whites. BRILLIANT!!! I love a runny egg yolk but it can be very tricky to get the white to cook properly while keeping the yolk that rich and buttery yellow that has the most amazing mouth feel and flavor that doesn’t surpass much.

Another brilliant trick? They sell organic gazpacho in the same containers we sell pints of milk in. Bea served it in glasses along with the meal. Tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, lemon juice, salt and pepper. That's all the ingredients there were! So delicious and even good for you, what’s better than that???

Try it yourself! Thanks Bea!

Chateauneuf-du-Pape - Thoughts on drinks…

Wine…Wine….Wine… Oh how I adore wine!!!! I find that very often, I am a beer snob. Why shouldn’t I be? Beer is my heritage, it’s in my blood. I know about beer, I know good beer and I know that I would rather have a glass of water than a “Bud Light” …no harm no foul to those who waste their time with that. I always say, “You get one life, don’t mess it up”. To me bad beer is one of life’s bad decisions. But that’s me and not you….I digress….

So, we’re here to talk about wine NOT BEER. I bring up the beer because while I am a beer snob I am not a wine snob. I am very much in favor of the “If you like it then drink it, philosophy, when it comes to wine…” And if you like red and are having fish for dinner then drink the damn red. There is no wine police coming to get you! Or they haven’t caught me yet anyway J

Chateauneuf-du-Pape is the home of great wine. It’s the air, the sun, the rain and the soil. People here drink wine as though it is liquid art. Everyone you see knows great wine. They celebrate with wine and mourn with wine and chat with wine. Nobody here ever says, “I’ve never met a 3^rd glass I didn’t like”. I’ve said that more than once! There is a rich history in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. The entire town sits in a village the size of a really large building. If you blink you might drive right through. When traveling through Provence, it is not to be missed. I also have a fun video from the Chateau...It's, well, not the best cinematography you'll ever come across...I'm getting better:)

Google Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C3%A2teauneuf-du-Pape

Les Halles - Avignon France

A wise man gave me some great advice before I ventured into the Provence Region of France. “You must read the book, “A Year in Provence” by Peter Mayle”. Having just about a month until I left for my journey I got the book. It took less than 4 days to read the entire book. “A Year in Provence” is filled with invaluable information on the French culture and way of life. I found myself more than once in the whole of France grinning and saying to myself that it was exactly as the book had described it. The recommendation from the aforementioned book for “Les Halles” is to arrive early. I didn’t have many other options given that my train arrived in Avignon at 5am and I wasn’t due to be picked up by my friend until the afternoon. So through the streets of Avignon I strolled. With each corner I was taken by the most amazing sights and smells. It’s the kind of town that makes you feel like you have stepped back in time.

Les Halles is a giant marketplace for many different vendors, each one with a stall featuring his or her specialty. It was thrilling to see the many rows of fresh seafood. Through the window is a man making a terrine throwing all kinds of products into the grinder. The spice vendor filled the air with amazing scents from several stalls away. Miles of cheeses, charcuterie, olives and produce lined the inside. Mushrooms, my friends, the most amazing mushrooms. Since finding the Chanterelle mushrooms in the forest, I have seen them in countless stores. But what about fresh Black trumpet mushrooms, I have seen them before, but only dried. Fresh Morrels, I have seen these too, even cooked with them in my first cooking job, but still breathtaking to see the abundance. It’s a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach this market, I enjoyed it every step of the way! Although I am sure it has changed since Peter Mayle wrote about it so many years ago it is still a sight to see. This is also the first video I have for you! You can see my first videos all on my channel on You Tube! [Wanderingchef1] Let me know if you have difficulty viewing them!

La Table D’Emilie

La Table D’Emilie

One restaurant that I did make it to was La Table D’Emilie. It was a prix fixe menu showcasing the specialties of the region. Lucky for me it had 2 things that I had been instructed to “make sure and try” while I was in Strasbourg.

First up – Tarte Flambe. Frankly I could have just ordered this and been extremely satisfied. It reminded me of pizza but it was not pizza. Check it this link for more information! It was delicious! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarte_flamb%C3%A9e

Main course –Baekeoffe, also a regional dish is served in a large ceramic oval shaped pot. The pot is filled with carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic and beef, lamb and pork. I mean really, what’s the point of one kind of meat when you can have all three? I can’t even begin to imagine how long the cooking process is for this amazing dish, I’m sure no less than several hours and easily could be longer than that. The result is bubbling, hot, tender meats and vegetables aromatic with herbs and spices. The only thing I would suggest is sharing it with someone else, I hate it when I’m defeated! There are many recipes for this online and it is certainly not out of anyone's reach. Make the time to do it properly;)

Dessert – Tarte de Saison – Loosely translated, seasonal pies. This time of year it was a delicious creamy apple tart. Flaky crust, rich creamy filling, tart apples and gelatin on top. The perfect finish.

Beverage – I don’t think I have spoken about French Beer yet. I have to say it is thoroughly enjoyable and VERY refreshing. Although light, it has a great beer flavor and has as many bubbles as champagne. It is so carbonated that you can feel it going down. With a meal like this, it was the perfect accompaniment and digestive J

A stroll through Strasbourg France

So on my second day in Strasbourg, this time without my friendly tour guides I did my best to navigate the streets and see what else I could find. I had been given a looooong list of things I must try prior to my departure, I can’t say I did everything. There are only so many hours in the day! I thoroughly enjoyed strolling through the streets however. I spent plenty of time going in circles also. It’s not easy explaining the layout of the streets and they are equally “not easy” in navigating, no matter how small the town is. So despite my going in circles I was able to make some progress and tried to get in as much as possible.

Strasbourg is known for a most amazing Cathedral. It is absolutely MASSIVE. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strasbourg_Cathedral I am not sure if my pictures do it any justice. You can see from the link that at one time, although a very long time ago, it was the tallest building in the world. Part of me wonders if it just seems massive because the town that bustles around it is relatively small. Either way, it is certainly a sight to see. I really enjoyed it!

I stopped for tea in the most adorable little shop. The pastries are really something to admire. There are great pastries all over the world, it is safe to say the French bug has bitten me though. Everything is delicate and ornate and has a taste that is purely sublime.

It is also so fun to see actual chestnut vendors in the streets. They smell so good and immediately bring thoughts of Christmas and the holiday season! The town bustled with preparations for the upcoming holidays, lights being strung, small cottages built up for the Christmas markets, decorations everywhere, truly a special sight to see!

Mireille Oster - Pain D'Epices - Strasbourg, France

Right in the heart of La Petit France, a small neighborhood in Strasbourg, sits a small shop that is absolutely 100% to die for! I don't have a particularly large sweet tooth. Which is fine with me, I do have those sweets that I love but I'm pretty sure I don't need a t-shirt warning what will happen if I don't get my chocolate.

Mireille Oster - Pain D'Epices is a wonderland of sweets! The kind like in the Nutcracker, really! When you walk in you are bombarded with a scent that consumes you, fresh baked gingerbread, chocolates and other kinds of confectioner treats! The woman at the front of the store is quick to come have you try some fresh baked gingerbread. It tastes so good it makes you think of Christmas and Sugar Plum Fairies and everything in between. The best part about this place? The kitchen is just beyond the store front. I couldn't believe when I was brought to the back I saw actual trays of gingerbread about to go into the oven, giant jars of cardamom pods which they hand seed themselves. This place is real, the stuff doesn't come from some factory 20 miles away, it comes from right there!! The staff is so pleasant they make you feel as though you are one of the family, I am pretty sure they are all family or at least as close as. I passed by the following day and the entire staff was sitting down to lunch...complete with a glass of wine!!

I saw in one of the packages many small cream colored chocolate eggs. In fact they were not chocolate eggs...again the woman running the shop went to the kitchen to gather some so I could taste. They were creme brulee eggs. There is no finer flavor than these!! It simply is like eating a small creme brulee! It was crunchy and creamy and rich and delicious!!

If you make it to Strasbourg, this location is NOT to be missed...they also have a website, soooo maybe you don't have to miss it at all! Check it out, you won't be disappointed!!

www.mireille-oster.com

P.S. The picture of the caption on the wall may be difficult to read but they are words to live by for sure... "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself." Oscar Wilde