Bonjour to Breakfast and More in France

Hello Foodies,

If you’ve been to France, you know that in French culture, eating is not just about sustenance, it’s about total pleasure of the palate. That’s part of a joie de vivre and l'art de vivre that we Americans (most of us anyway) envy. You know, too, about Julia Child’s impact in the 60’s and 70’s on the American view of French food and style. And, unless you’ve been hiding in a cave, the re-impact she has on us today, thanks to Julie Powell, Nora Ephron, and Meryl Streep.

Like Julia, I had been singing the praises of “all things French” for years - the language, the culture, the people, and the food. But it wasn’t until a few years ago that I had my French lifestyle epiphany. Unlike Julia Child’s, my awakening didn’t occur in France, it was at home in the U.S.A with my colleague from France, Patricia, who was staying with me for a week. The mornings were rushed and I ate my breakfast (coffee and a granola bar) in the car while we were driving to work.

On the fourth day of her visit she said, “Kathy this is so wrong, what you’re doing each morning. You must take the time to enjoy your breakfast. I don’t understand this American way of eating breakfast in the car. This is not healthy. Each day is a new beginning – don’t you want to begin it with contemplation and enjoyment of your food?”

Her words made me realize all the more what I love about the French. It’s their ability to slow down their pace of life– at least much more than Americans – for the enjoyment and pleasure of food. I felt like I’d discovered the true soul of France through Patricia’s words.

As the success of the book and movie, "Julie and Julia" continues to draw attention to French food and France, we foodies at Tour de Forks are dishing about travel to “fork-friendly” France – Julia’s spiritual homeland. We’ve designed an epicurean tour of her Paris and Provence. From the city life of Paris to the peace and quiet of Provence, you can shift gears and open your senses to life in “la belle France.” In Paris, stay where Julia and her husband stayed, at the luxurious Pont Royal Hotel.

In Provence, visit her farmhouse home of La Pitchoune, now a cooking school run by Kathie Alex, “Cooking in France with Friends.” This kind of séjour inspires the pleasure of the palate, even when you’re back in the U.S. – because no matter where you are in the world, you can enjoy the infinite pleasures of the table. I’m trying to do just that, thanks to Patricia’s words of wisdom.

Merci mille fois to my friend Patricia for sending me the book, Petite philosophie du matin –pensées positives, which I translate as Positive Little Thoughts for Each Morning. Yes, I do read it every morning as I sit with my tasse de café. Still, I need many more trips to France to re-enforce my “positive thoughts.” See you in France and bon appétit!

Enjoy!

Kathy

P.S. Thank you to the Pont Royal and Kathie Alex for the photos.

Julia Child and the Miller's Wife

Hello Foodies,

We have jumped on Julia¹s bandwagon this week and are eagerly anticipating the new movie, Julie & Julia appearing in a theatre near you (and me) on August 7th. The reviews, especially of Ms. Streep's portrayal of Julia Child have been favorable. Interviews with the stars covering everything from food to marriage have kept us entertained and piqued everyone¹s interest in Julia Child and her life in France. Restaurants in Chicago are paying homage to her by featuring recipes from her book from steak au poivre to a classic clafoutis. I can¹t help but feel a frisson of excitement for the renewed interest in French food and France.

For Julia her love affair with France started with a simple meal, actually a meal of sole meunière at La Couronne in Rouen (pictured here and still in business). I call this the ultimate in French "fast food". Why? Because the recipe is quick, requires simple ingredients that you usually have on hand and yet delivers a mouthful of flavor. A la meunière means "in the miller's wife's style", which means there will be flour in the recipe. Et voilà, the recipe, adapted from one of Julia¹s heros, Auguste Escoffier:

According to Escoffier this excellent mode of procedure will work with any small fish or slices of larger ones:

Sole (if you can afford it, or find it!) or any other white fish

Butter

Lemon, salt, pepper, parsley

Season the fish with a few drops of lemon juice, salt and pepper. While doing that, start heating your pan. Dip the fish in some flour, shaking to remove the excess. Melt some butter in the pan and when it starts to foam, place fish in the pan. Cook until browned on one side. Turn and brown the other side. Remove from pan, place on the serving dish. Wipe out the frying pan. Sprinkle the fish with a few drops of lemon juice and chopped parsley. Right before serving the fish, place some butter in the hot pan and heat it until it starts to brown SLIGHTLY. Pour the butter over the fish and serve immediately.

Celebrate with Julia this week before or after the movie and try your own version of Sole meunière, the first dish Julia enjoyed in France and according to her changed her life. In fact, she loved it so much she ate it 3 more times the first week she lived in Paris. . . et comme Julia a dit toujours, Bon Appétit!

Enjoy,

Debra

Tea Time in Avignon

Hello Foodies,

Tour de Forks is in France this week searching out new ways to explore Provence and the Cote d'Azur. Some think that Provence is passé but the region is so rich that it would take a lifetime to discover all of its charms. We'll be staying in Avignon for our explorations of the area and right now we are having high tea at the Hotel d'Europe, a deluxe property since 1799!''

A la prochaine, mes amis!

Enjoy,

the Forks