Paris Fridays: Au Levain D' Antan

Every year there is a baking competition across France for the top baguette in the country. The bakery that wins this distinction is able to provide their baguettes to the French government for a year! We trekked out to Au Levain D' Antan in Montemartre to try the 2011 winner and boy was it worth the trip. 

The baguette was perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy in the center. We were so delighted with our first baguette that we returned to purchase another to take back to our place for a midday snack with cheese. If you can imagine the little mouse from the movie, Ratatouille, holding the baguette and listening for the delicate crackle of the crust, that was us outside of the adorable little bakery. 

Have a fun-filled weekend! 

Paris Fridays: La Pistacherie

If you ever find yourself in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, this would be a great location to purchase gifts for loved ones at home. La Pistacherie is a beautiful little shop offers a delectable assortment of roasted and flavored nuts. The flavors range from cheese and chocolate covered to curry and spicy seasonings. They allow you to sample all of the nuts so you can have a little fun tasting everything.

What actually drew our taste buds was the case of beautiful ice cream filled mochi in a wide range of flavors such as mango, pistachio, lychee, raspberry, chocolate, etc. They also allowed us to sample these delicious flavors and we walked away with several to eat along our walk around the neighborhood. 

What are your favorite gifts to purchase for friends and family while traveling? 

Happy weekend everyone! 

Paris Fridays: L' Auberge du Louvre

escargot

pâté

beef bourguignon

sorry, i don't remember what this was

In our week in Paris, we found that many of the bistros or brasseries offered affordable and delicious Prix Fixe menus. We spent a long day walking around the Louvre and stumbled upon L' Auberge du Louvre on our walk home. The location was packed with both locals and tourists in addition to offering some warmth from the evening chill. The menu was hearty and filling, perfect for warming the toes and the taste buds. 

The pâté was delicious and so was the beef bourguignon. The Husband's entree was something very creamy and cheesy with vegetables and meat inside. It was good, but somewhat too heavy for the type of meal we were having. All in all a decent experience for an "off guidebook" meal and good value for the price. 

Hope you have an adventurous weekend! 

Paris Fridays: Huitrerie Regis

Sweet. Briny. Oceanic. There are few food items in life that can mimic the taste of fresh raw oysters. France is one of the top producers of oysters and the French certainly do enjoy these bivalve treats. 

Huitrerie Regis was definitely one of the highlights of our French culinary journey. The restaurant itself is tiny but beautifully decorated with blue spheres hanging from the ceilings and everything is clean, white, and beautiful. Hands down these oysters were the best I've ever had (sorry Seattle!) and if we ever return to Paris we will definitely be here to try the ultra-coveted Belon oysters! 

For approximately 29-30 euros, you receive a dozen oysters, 1 glass of white wine, and an espresso to end the meal. A perfectly paired meal. It is required that all individuals who enter the restaurant must order at least a dozen per person so definitely only bring your raw food inclined friends. 

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful (seafood-filled) weekend! 

Paris Fridays: A meal of a lifetime

Hello everyone! Spoonraider has been on a blogging hiatus, but hopefully this post is the beginning of more consistent blogging again. It's been far too long and I have missed cooking!

To kick off my return to blogging, I figured I would share about our meal of a lifetime in Paris this past winter. We had planned to have one "splurge meal" and received many recommendations for L' Atelier de Joël Robuchon. He is easily one of the most celebrated chefs in the world with the highest number of restaurants with Michelin Stars. Well of course we could not pass up eating at his restaurant in his home country. The kitchen was right in front of the guests so we could watch the plates being made before our eyes - quite a show!

I went with the tasting menu and The Husband ordered 3 entrees and a dessert. The entrees are designed to be similar to tapas (2-3 orders per person). I have to be honest I don't remember the exact details of each dish and what was in them. They were so artfully crafted that we couldn't place where some of the flavors were coming from. I've included the French names and descriptions (sans some accenting, which I couldn't get to show in this font).

Here was The Husband's meal:

thinly sliced scallop with sea urchin and lime infused olive oil

(special item of the day)

L' Aubergine

confite en mille - feuille a la mozzarella et au basilic

(eggplant, squash, mozzarella, and sun-dried tomato)

L' Langoustine

en ravioli truffee a l' etuvee de chou vert

(langoustine ravioli)

dessert

Coffee ice cream with a gorgeous brittle flame design

My tasting menu had over 7 courses!

 L' Amuse-Bouche

little chicken lollipop lightly battered and fried over sweet and tangy sauce

Le Caviar

et sa creme aigre, sur une pomme de terre mixee a l' huile d' olive des Baux

(not your average potato soup)

La Saint-Jacques

en coquille, chou vert etuve aux truffles d' hivet

(seared scallop with black truffle shavings)

La Chataigne

en fin bouillon au fumet de celeri

(celery soup)

Le Foie Gras

de canard chaud, coing poche dans son jus acidule a l' hibiscus

L' Oeuf

cocotte a la creme legere d' ecrevisse et truffe noire

(gently cooked egg)

Le Saumon Sauvage

laque sur une vierge condimentee au sesame dore

(salmon)

L' Agneau de Lait

en cotelettes a la fleur de thym

(veal chop)

Le Parfum des Iles

cremeaux aux fruits exotiques, granite au rhum ambre, legerete a la noix de coco

(one of the best desserts I've ever had)

Le Mont-Blanc

a ma facon, sur un biscuit aux marrons, perles croquante croustillantes
(chestnut ice cream)

tiny madeleines and homemade caramels

Every bite was met with "mmmmm" and "ooooohhhhh." The flavors were exquisite and so unique. It was amazing how they used such pure and simple ingredients to create such exotic and yet flavorful dishes. The service was naturally impeccable and the server was nice enough to translate all the dishes to English with each new plate served.

We definitely broke the bank with this meal, but in Paris you can easily find cheaper eats to supplement, which I will post about in the future! Thanks for reading. :)

Have a beautiful (holiday) weekend and Bon Appétit!

Paris Fridays: Au Petite Fer A Cheval

Someone lent us a book about eating your way through Paris and this restaurant was from this list. It was hidden on some unassuming street in Paris and had the must unremarkable front entrance, but it was packed for lunch. This is always a good sign.

This is likely one of our best meals (note that I said one). The meals were hearty, but not overwhelming and well-seasoned, but not too salty. I had the fish special of the day. The skin is seared to a perfect crisp, while the meat was moist, tender, and ultra flakey. It was served with juliennes zucchini and carrots and a delicious side of sauce made of tomato, herbs, and some other liquid goodness I couldn't identify.

The Husband had the duck confit (we're in Paris!) which was moist, super flavorful, and with a sinfully crispy skin. Of course we had to complete the meal with some coffee and since I can't stomach espresso like a truly Parisian, I had a cafe creme.

dorade royale

confit de canard

cafe creme

Thanks for reading and have a tasty weekend! 

Paris Fridays: Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF)

Our first exposure to the acronym MOF was after watching Kings of Pastry on Netflix. Without going into too much detail, the Meilleur Ouvrier de France is a title bestowed upon chefs and pastry chefs who participate in a strenuous culinary competition with other expert chefs. I would recommend watching the movie if you are interested.

My favorite part of these chocolate and pastry shops is the presentation. Everything is clean, sleek, and beautifully arranged. People working behind the counter use gloves to handle all of the sweet treats. The French truly have an appreciation for elevating food to an art.

le macarons

bins of chocolate, nuts, and dried fruits

chocolate sculptures on display

I could honestly roam around these shops for hours smelling, tasting, and taking pictures of the delicate confections. 

Thanks for reading and have a beautiful weekend! 

Soupe Poireaux Pommes de Terre

Since Hurricane Irene decided to wreck the East Coast, we stayed in all day Saturday to hide from the rain and strong winds. Luckily, we were spared the severe wreckage that some other states received. An earthquake and hurricane in one week is just too much weather drama for my temperate-inclined nature.

While hiding out at home in the dreary weather, I remembered that we had some leeks and potatoes sitting around waiting to be next week's trash. Jacque Pepin made this recipe on his "Fast Food My Way" show on PBS, which is where the inspiration came from. The specific recipe came from here.

Soupe Poireaux Pommes de Terre
Potato and Leek Soup

Ingredients
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
2 leeks, sliced in quarters length-wise to clean and then chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons of sour cream (optional)
Salt and pepper
2 strips of bacon (optional)
5-7 mushrooms (optional)

Directions
1. (Optional) Slice your bacon into 1 inch pieces and cook over medium heat until crispy. Remove bacon and reserve on side. When cooled, crush to crumbles. Leave the bacon fat in the pan – this will give your soup a deeper level of flavor.

2. Saute leeks and garlic in the rendered bacon fat, if you used bacon, or some olive oil until soft. (Optional: Reserve some leeks for garnish).

3. Add potatoes to the sauteed leeks and pour in the chicken or vegetable stock.

4. Bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are falling apart. If preferred, reserve some pieces of potato if you want some texture and return to soup after blending.

5. Optional: Add your two tablespoons of sour cream if you prefer a thicker, creamier soup (you can choose to blend first, see what the soup looks like and then add the sour cream and blend again). Add some salt, if necessary, and pepper.

6. Using an emulsion blender or traditional blender, puree the soup. Add in mushrooms and simmer until mushrooms are cooked.

7. Serve in bowls and top with some crumbled bacon and sauteed leeks. We added some thin parmesan shavings (just because).

This will now be added to my arsenal of warming winter soups. Super creamy (with no cream or sour cream added) and flavored with crisp bacon garnish that rounds out the indulgent and comforting flavors of this soup.

Hope your Monday is focused and productive!