In My Kitchen: December 2024

Oh dear friends of IMK, how is it that 2024 is coming to a close? It has been the most special year of my life, I think! 

The last days of study life... 

We start November with a week of the last days of preparing for my specialist requalification exam (actually a competition)... 

We were out walking the weekend before the exam, and chanced by an Asian snack shop that we didn't know existed. Oh the joy of finding something new right under your nose in your neighbourhood! I was ecstatic to find my favourite glutinous rice balls stuffed with black sesame. 

My MIL came to Paris to help for the week of the exam, her favourite pasta course is these Rana tortellini with prosciutto  

This is from one of the boulangeries near the library where I was studying most days. I could have turned into the size of a house if I went there everyday but I limited myself to one special treat a week, here a croissant swirled with raspberry jam!

My snacks for the exam, a cross between all my cultures - a Cherry Ripe from back home, a mochi and a Carrefour mini panettone which was surprisingly delicious! Not pictured were also some gummi bears, nuts and an egg (I had to snack a lot to keep the brain alive during the all day marathon competition) 

This chapter concludes with a special sparking crémant that we had to celebrate the end of the exams. We now wait for the result of the competition in January to see what the next steps are...

Long weekend in St Malo 

Did I mention that we have all been sick basically since September? I don't remember G being "healthy" for more than 1 or 2 days in a row since he started at daycare. It's been a never ending round of illnesses, and unfortunately my MIL brought over a different virus from Italy the week of the exam as well. We headed out to St Malo for a long weekend but all 3 of us were sick, oh boy we were miserable for the first couple of days of our long weekend...  Nevertheless, here are some delicious things we ate in St Malo.

A buckwheat galette with pickled seaweed and brown butter, what a crazy umami combination! The cider was also excellent 

The sweet crêpe was also outstanding, house made dark chocolate sauce with a filling of pear and house made frangipane 

I loved fake crab sticks when I was little, and these were the best I've ever had - they are actually made of fish! None of those rubbery ones (though the rubberiness has its own charms), these were light and flaky, coming apart just like crab

Delightfully fresh oysters - we had a plate every day!

A special seafood lunch we had at Le Sillon, a seafood brasserie. We ordered these langoustines before we realised we needed both hands to eat them, luckily G slept in the pram till we finished them!

An incredible choucroute with trio of fish - the freshness of the fish and prawns was next level.  

We ended up at the neighbourhood boulangerie everyday for breakfast and on the last day brought back these special treats. The artisanal chocolate from Balthazar was super smooth with a hint of coconut, I don't usually go for the 85% but this was not bitter at all, just dark with a creamy mouth feel. Sadly they don't have any stockists in Paris so I guess we'll have to make another trip back to St Malo...

Back in Paris... 

I've been practising different scoring patterns leading up to Christmas

We started a new project called Fancy Fridays where I make a 3 course dinner on Fridays. I'm trying to embrace my new trad wife role! Here was a blueberry clafoutis we made for our French themed Fancy Friday - the other courses were velouté of butternut and a mushroom bourgignon

I have a deal with myself to eat fancy icecream every year when I finish doing my taxes. This year it was so cold that I had to buy this to eat at home next to the heater. I don't normally go for Haagen-Dazs (too multinational for me) but can't go past a limited edition. Incredibly, it has actual macaron pieces in it!

I made my annual sourdough pumpkin for thanksgiving, though this one came out a bit cracked like a snowflake 

We had an enormous spread for Friendsgiving, this was just half the table! I also made the pumpkin pie at the back. It was my mum's group with all the dads and all the kids - 34 people in total, I haven't been to such a big party for ages!

My dad was here visiting us for 2.5 months and helped a lot with the childcare while I was preparing for the exam, it was finally time to say à bientôt with some wontons as he headed back to Sydney 

And to finish, my dad's favourite invisible apple cake

Onto the curveball...

One day, I'd love to make a post of all the photos that I took in the BIU Santé library where I was studying from September to November, it's an insanely beautiful library that dates back to the middle ages. Wikipedia tells me that the Faculty of Medicine had its first records of a borrowing facility at this site in 1391, and by 1395 the library had 13 offerings. At the beginning of the 18th century it had only 32 volumes! Then two doctors François Picote de Belestre et Philippe Hecquet grew the collection enormously during the 18th century and it became a grand collection. The building itself is ancient and beautiful with a grand staircase replete with chandeliers leading up to the library on the 2nd floor. It was an atmospheric place to prepare for the competition with a grand sense of those who walked here before me and those who will come after me.

And that's it folks for 2024! Thanks to Sherry for hosting the monthly IMK series, have a wonderful holiday season and see you all next year!