Can it really be February already? I'm in Paris visiting S and I'm happy to spend Chinese New Year here - happy Year of the Tiger everyone!
Just a couple of things from Australia...
A sourdough matcha scroll I made during my self imposed isolation - for 2 weeks I did not go out at all except to work, because I didn't want to test positive before my flight.
Australia feels about a million miles away right now (well, it is approximately 17,000km from Paris to Sydney). I can barely remember what life is like back home - what's happened to my plants? will I still remember how to see patients? Here is a bitter melon and a cucumber - melon brothers that I brought to Paris.
And now the baked goods...
Poilane has to be one of my favourite bakeries in Paris - it is a tiny little sourdough shop that is also famous for these apple tarts (also available in the apple turnover form). I adore how they use sourdough in the tart crust which gives it a real rich and steady flavour. The ladies in this shop are sooooo nice, it is absolutely the opposite of what people imagine the French stereotype is
Look at the layers in this croissant, just amazing. This one was from Pascal & Anthony, an ordinary neighbourhood boulangerie-patisserie.
I absolutely adore the Pain aux raisins here in France because it is absolutely the best textural contrast between the crispy layers, luscious vanilla patisserie cream and the plump & juicy raisins.
My favourite boulangerie in Paris is near Raspail, called Boulangerie M'Seddi- it is run by a Tunisian father & son combo and they became famous after the son won the best baguette in Paris competition in 2018. This is the best bread from there, a dark sourdough that has just the most extraordinary flavour. If I could eat this everyday, I would..
We have baguettes most days. Though there are a million and one boulangeries, most French people buy it from somewhere near their house. We have a few good boulangeries nearby, but one of my favourite baguettes is actually this multi-grain one from Eric Kayser. Though Eric Kayser is one of the most ubiquitous chains (it even has international branches), the quality of the stuff there is quite good. This baguette has a perfect crust, aromatic with toasty seeds, and the inside is just lusciously soft.
The pièce de resistance this month has to be this pistachio and chocolate scroll from Du pain et des idées - this boulangerie is in a really old building with the most beautiful ceilings and decor. The queues were crazy, but well worth the wait. The crispiness and lamination on this scroll was just incredible.
Other things in the kitchen...
We did eat some things other than baked goods!
The poissonerie (fish shop) near S is excellent, and we got this line caught bar fish to roast one day, stuffed with lemon, ginger and parsley. It was the first time I've ever roasted a fish since I'm a home vegetarian since age 20 and I very very rarely cook non-veg dishes at home.
When S' mother came to visit from Italy we had this wonderful calamari which was extra-ordinarily tender. The fish shop man cleans it and it's a cinch to cook. She made it with a splash of red wine, some eschallots and a sprinkling of parsley. Absolutely delicious!
We also continued our indulgence in forest mushrooms. They are extremely pricy but the quality is excellent, especially from the local market.
And here are a couple of cheeses from the fromagier at our local market, on the left is a stinky oozing l'époisses from the Bourgogne region and on the left the strongest gorgonzola they had - the fridge stinks, needly to say!
Finally for Chinese New Year we made our own dumplings (beef, chinese cabbage and capsicum), a whole fish and the Chinese style Yee Sang salad which I tried to make into a tiger shape.
And for the curveball, our local Monoprix supermarket had these crazy decorations of pandas and tigers for the Chinese New Year - but most of the products were not Chinese! For example there was Japanese soy sauce, sushi kits, coconut milk, instant noodles, curry pastes.. none of them traditional Chinese food, and it was hilarious to see!
I'm sending this to Sherry of Sherry's Pickings who hosts the monthly In My Kitchen series - thanks Sherry!
