Those Brittany boys….

“White and purple !!” I exclaimed, truly shocked. “Where do these sea urchins from?” “Brittany.” Replied Colette “I’ve never seen anything like these !” “Neither have I.” She admitted, almost as shocked as I was by her own remark. If Colette has never seen these, they must be REALLY rare. We order 2, one white and one…

Colette and the sea urchins

No one picks out sea urchins like Colette. She’s got it down to an art. Picking them up delicately and with the slightest shake of the wrist, she weighs each one in her knowing hand. Oui, là, ils sont bien pleins (yes, these are nice and full). She says it with a sparkle in her…

Saturday morning breakfast @ Batignolles Organic Market

On cold blustery days (the kind we’ve had a lot recently) the tarps covering the market stalls look like they’ve been pulled extra-tight together, huddling up close in solidarity. On the nicer, sunnier days, there is a little jazz trio playing notes that dance with the patches of sunshine through the alleys of the market….

Tang, Coquilles and St Julien

I’ve mentioned Resturant Tang before as one of my absolute favorite places in Paris. I know a lot of his dishes, but on my last visit, he surprised me with this scallop and spicy soy sauce recipe. Scallops (Coquilles St Jacques, in French) are in season now here in France. It is rare to find a…

The Pyrenees, Petit Manseng, and Cauhapé

Pyrenees watch over Petit Manseng It’s a five-hour ride from Paris to Pau on the TGV. The train flies down as far as Tours, then medium speed to Bordeaux, before slowing even more until Pau. It is as if someone wants you to watch, watch the progression of this flat land until they appear: the…

Picnic in the train

Sunday. Train ride to Montpellier. The TGV will take us there in a little over 3 hours. As soon as we are out of Paris, and the window is divided horizontally between blue sky and green fields of summer, we pull out the picnic. We start by opening the wine: a 2003 Meursault Les Tillets…