Salami, butter and cheese sandwich, Paris/Verseille, France
We made these simple but delicious salami sandwiches for our picnic in the beautiful gardens of the Palais de Verseille. The bread was a nice baguette from the little corner bakery by Jessie’s apartment. Baked fresh daily, these baguettes are simply amazing. The salami, butter and emmental were nothing special, but on the baguette it made for a great sandwich. Not pictured, but also consumed were lots of salty green olives and a few bags of Lays Nature flavor potato chips. It was a nice little picnic in a beautiful garden.
Toad in a hole with a fried egg on the side, Jessie's apartment, Paris, France
I proudly created this amazing American breakfast for Charity and I to enjoy, Cyrille wouldn’t go near it. In France, unlike America, the French only eat a small breakfast consisting of sweets only. They eat sweet cakes or sweet breads covered in Nutella, very sugary cereals, cookies, candies, and anything else that has a high sugar content. They refuse to eat anything savory in the morning, it litterally disgusts them. But, since we are American, Charity and I love savory breakfast. The toad in a holes I made were awesome. I used nice crusty bread from the corner bakery, nice French butter, and eggs that were fresh and hormone free. A great way to start the day in Paris!
Puff pastry filled with chicken stew and peas, Jessie's appartment, Paris, France
This was the first meal Charity prepared since leaving DeKalb. Cyrille suggested we make it because it’s easy and delicious. He was mostly right. While this dish was nothing spectacular, it was very easy to make and very tasty. The pastry dough and filling come seperately. The dough was refridgerated and ready to bake with pre-cut holes. The filling was from a jar, (not the same as jarred/canned foods in America, much better). Charity doctored it up a little, with a little of this, a little of that, whatever spices and herbs Jessie had in the apartment. We had steamed peas on the side, which I chose to spoon into my little potpies as I ate. Tasty tasty tasty. Much to Cyrille’s surprise, I managed to eat five of these, he had only one.
Just as it began to rain, Charity and Cyrille and I ducked into a small creperie for a quick snack to enjoy while waiting out the weather. This was a delicious crepe filled with strawberries in a sweet syrupy sauce. After only about 30 minutes, the rain had subsided, and we continued on with lifted spirits and a sweet taste in our mouths.
This was the first course in my “menu”, (multiple course meal for one set price). This was a great first course, as it was kind of light and cold. The pate was excellent, very soft and flavorful. The salad was crisp with a nice emulsified vinaigrette. The tiny pickles were very sour, with a huge crunch, just the way I like them.
Baked fish and potatoes with salad, Paris, France
For my second course I chose this lovely baked fish and potato dish. I really could have eaten this one all day. Under the baked-brown herb crusted top there was a smoothly blended fish and potato creamy filling. It was nothing but delicious. The salad was the same as the first, still delicious though.
Pouched peach wedges in a raspberry sauce, Paris, France
For the third and final course of my menu I chose the poached peaches with raspberry sauce. A truly simple but delicious dish. The peaches were tender and so soft and sweet. The raspberry sauce was a bit tart so as to cut the sweetness of the peaches just perfectly. A great ending to a great menu.
Roquefort salad, Paris, France
This was the first dish Charity chose for her menu.
Oven roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and salad, Paris, France
This was what Charity chose as the second course of her menu.
Fromage with salad, Paris, France
This is what Charity chose for her dessert course.
Crepes with fromage and nectarines and chips and wine, Jessie's apartment, Paris, France
Our amazingly kind host Cyrille made us savory crepes for dinner. He used his mother’s recipe, the very same crepes recipe that he used to make us crepes two years ago in our very own DeKalb kitchen! They were delicious. We filled them with grated emmental cheese, which tastes a lot like a mild cheddar. We had potato chips and nectarines on the side, and we finished the meal with chunks of delicious Roquefort.
Italian salad with prosciutto and tomatoes and mozzarella, Paris, France
This was a delicious second lunch at a cute little brasserie near Le Tour Eiffel. The greens were fresh and crisp. The prosciutto was tender and salty, complemented perfectly by the soft basil and olive oil drizzled mozzarella. The vinaigrette was emulsified, giving it a creamy texture that tasted excellent.
Ham and hard-boiled egg sandwich with lettuce and tomato, Paris, France
This was our first lunch in Paris. We popped into a small sandwich shop for a quick lunch. My sandwich was on nice bread that was chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside but sweeter than a baguette. The ham was nice, and I liked the sliced hard-boiled eggs. The vegetables were not the best, but overall, it was a decent sandwich for a quick lunch.
Prosciutto with goat cheese and arugula and olive oil, Paris, FranceA somewhat disappointing sandwich. All the ingredients sound delicious, but the bread was so big, it completely overwhelmed the delicate flavors.
Fish and cream in a little pot with salad and bread, Bruuge, Belgium
This was not the best dinner ever. The fish and cream sauce was okay on flavor, but the fish was very overcooked. The bread was just some white sandwich bread, not so great. But the salad was very nice with tender lettuce and sweet corn, sprouts and tomato, carrots and endive. It was not a terrible meal, but I hope to never have to eat it again.
Ham and cheese in a little pot with tomatoes and wheat bread, Bruuge, Belgium
This was a very strange but tasty dish. The hot gratinèed ham was delicious spread on the chewy bread.
This salad jumped right out of the menu at me. Who wouldn’t want to eat a mushroom and bacon salad? The salad was made up of a buttery lettuce somewhat like Boston, tomato wedges, cucumber slices and crunchy croutons with a creamy dressing. The salad itself was a good salad, but then they decided to make it an awesome salad so they topped it with a heaping pile of warm mushrooms and bacon. The bacon was awesome, like it always is when it’s actual bacon, from the belly. And the mushrooms were heavy and earthy. It was an incredible salad, one of the best salads I’ve ever had!
Shrimp croquette with salad and bread, Bruuge, Belgium
Charity’s first course was a shrimp croquette with salad. The croquette was hot and creamy on the inside, with a really crispy exterior, and very delicate flavors, which pared very nicely with the salad and simple vinaigrette.
Flemish beef stew with apple compote and frites, Bruuge, Belgium
I had no idea what to expect when I ordered Flemish stew. I was pleasantly surprised. The tender chunks of beef were in a really great silky ale and beef gravy. I would have appreciated some carrots, onions, and peas in the stew. The frites were crispy and salty. The apple compote was a nice sweet relief from the very salty stew and frites. Overall, a very strange lunch combination, however, very pleasing and I will definitely try to make this at home.
Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. 