An afternoon in Versailles

Today is the first day of the end of Paris. Last night I celebrated the end of my internship at Sébastien Gaudard's Patisserie des Martyrs. I can't believe it's over.

Naturally, this has got me reminiscing about the past year and everything I have done and experienced. The incredible people I have met and grown to call friends. I feel SO lucky to have gained this experience and these beautiful memories that I will have the rest of my life.

Of course there are things I might have done a little differently. Especially, I would have learned French BEFORE coming here! But I wouldn't change my experience. Paris will always be mine. It will stay with me forever. Just as Hemingway said...

While looking back on the year I found these photos that made my heart smile. The beautiful weather of Spring in Paris and a great afternoon with friends making a fun meal in Versailles.

As you (may or may not) know, our pastry group comes from all around the world. We made an international lunch and it was delicious! We had French, Brazilian, Vietnamese, American..all kinds of delicious things! 

I will miss times like this and I hope to keep in touch with these wonderful people I have met here and grown to consider my "Paris Family". Unfortunately, the time has come to go our separate ways but I will cherish these memories. C'est la vie. 

Paris Wine Bar: Avant Comptoir

Avant Comptoir is a gem of Paris. It is one extremely small place but is huge on atmosphere and deliciousness! There is a big mix of locals (Frenchies and expats) and tourists in the know (like you!) who cozy up next to the bar and each other for a glass of wine and some really great appetizers and crepes.

With standing room only it gets pretty crowded so try to go early. A lot of people stop in here before having dinner at their restaurant next door. I recommend the foie gras and making sure you get in on their communal bread basket and Bordier butter. On my last visit I discovered how great cheese and JAM are together. Who knew??

 If you are there for food make sure to look up! The menu is on the ceiling.

Location:
3 Carrefour de l’Odéon, 75006
Metro: Odeon
Open every day

Please excuse my exhausted looking eyes in this photo. This was the end of three weeks of visitors! I barely made it! (but always worth the lack of sleep!)

Best of Paris: Rose Bakery

As you already know, Paris is full of food. Cusine is oozing out of this city like nobody's business. People think that every restaurant in Paris is going to be a revelation to your taste buds but to be honest, that is definitely not the case. Most cafes and brasseries have similar menus and if you are just looking for a croque monsieur or boeuf tartare then you are usually safe just popping into the corner cafe but if you are looking for something special then you need to do some research.

One of my favorite places is a little cafe called Rose Bakery. It was opened by a Franco-British couple and everyone - Parisians and tourists - have developed a huge love for it. They offer a cool, relaxing atmosphere and really great, healthy food. They always have different quiches, cakes and salads to choose from. Not leafy green salads but things like risotto with roasted squash, peppers and cheese or a salad of perfectly roasted vegetables. I have never had anything that I didn't love which is good because it can be a little bit pricey.

Lucky me, I have Rose Bakery at my disposal every single day because their 1st shop is located on the same street that I work on and their 2nd shop is located directly across from my apartment. I can see it from my window! I haven't made it over there for weekend brunch yet but I am thinking its a good spot to put on the list when my friends come to visit in a few weeks.

Next time you are in Paris, pop into Rose Bakery - you won't regret it!

France: Avignon

Provence is a magical part of France. I wish that we had more time to spend here and explore more of the little towns around Provence. This is the area of France that is known for its beautiful lavender fields in July. I wish we had gotten to see them but we were just behind the season.

Avignon is a perfectly lovely town. It has a small town, countryside town feel and has some of the best food that I've had this year! We loved this one restaurant so much that we went there twice in two days.     Avignon is also the home of the Palais de Papes. I had no idea about this (raised Catholic...oops!) but it was extremely interesting. When a French pope was elected he didn't think that Rome was an appropriate place to house the Catholic church so he began building the Palais de Papes in Avignon. It took 30 years to build and housed 9 popes.

One of the best things of Avignon was the shopping. There are so many adorable stores a lot of them selling things for your home, kitchen or bath products. I bought lavender lotion made with real lavender from the fields in Provence and it is definitely the best lotion I've had to date. My favorite store was full of different food products like house made speculoos, nutella, caramels, and honey. You can also bottle your own oils and vinegars. Best idea ever. The weather was perfect and we spoiled ourselves by getting massages one morning at the hotel. It was a perfect end to our vacation traveling. 

 Zucchini and parmesan crumble, quinoa and salad. Baked mango tart.

last day of school

This happened a while ago (like two months ago) which shows you how far behind I am on blogging. Oh goodness.

Looking back now, I miss our crazy and silly class. We had so much fun and I miss seeing my friends every day. I'm definitely happy in my internship too so I can't really complain. On our last day of class we all got to make whatever we wanted and then we had a little feast together. It was a fun day of us just goofing around, singing, cooking and baking and having a good old time. I made peanut butter cookies because the rest of the world does not eat enough peanut butter and raspberry truffle brownies. My friend Alvin made his famous, delicious and too-spicy-for-me-but-i-eat-it-anyway curry. Its an amazing dish! Patricia made some amazing Polish dumplings and bread. It was all delicious!

I am lucky to have met some pretty great people here in Paris and wish we still got to play around like this every week. Have you had any fun cooking or baking parties with friend lately? What is your latest recipe?

peanut butter cookies
Oven: 350F/177C

3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter room temperature

1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup (185 grams) peanut butter(smooth or crunchy, I use smooth)

2 cups (260 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Beat the butter, brown and white sugars until light and airy. About 3-5 minutes. 

While that is beating, combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.

Beat in peanut butter to the butter/sugar mixture.

Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Add the flour mixture to the peanut butter mixture and combine. Add nuts, optional.

Let sit in refrigerator for 20-30 minutes.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll 1'' balls of dough and place on baking sheet.

Using the end of a fork dipped in granulated sugar, press the fork across the ball to flatten and make indented lines in the dough. Repeat at a perpendicular angle to make the criss-cross pattern.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until the edges are browned.

When in Rome...

I fell in absolute love with Rome. It was just astonishing and such a wonderful weekend with my family! We were so spoiled in our rooms at the Eden Hotel right by the Spanish Steps where we would end every night. In three days, we saw so many things and more history than I could wrap my mind around. All the ruins are unbelievable. Obviously, all of Europe has a rich history and beautiful old buildings but no other country can compare their history with the Roman history.

Rome is literally a city built on top of an ancient city. It is an archeologist's dream! We traveled to the lovely city of Tivoli one day and saw a beautiful mansion with the most eye catching fountains that are completely powered by gravity and the force of the water - no electricity! We stood in a room where half the floor was changed into a glass floor so you could see the ancient ruins they have found right underneath the floor of this mansion. It is crazy!

We enjoyed our family time together eating pizza, bruschetta, cafe and of course gelato! It felt so great to be in a HOT city..I could rock my usual Cali clothes: shorts and a tank! I felt at home. I would love to go back to Rome again and if you have not been there yet, please do me a favor and put it on your list! You could never regret a trip to Rome!

Tivoli:

Saint Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

Roma!!