Paris, 6.30, etc.. etc...

I apologize in advance for not posting this weekend but I haven't done anything interesting - in the culinary sense of the word until today.

As for last friday, our group baked based on dough, and we made quiche lorraine and tarte a l'oignons. Unfortunately due to lack of humidity, the dough was very crumbly but we all managed to finish the tarts in the end by baking them in the oven and both were very yummy indeed! Ps. a good piece of drunken food

Quiche lorraine: with bacon bits, gruyere cheese, eggs, cream and milk

Today, we had to be in school at 6.30 am to do a Boulangerie (Bread making) class. Free coffee and croissants helped and the class was pleasantly fun and less hectic as in the kitchen but a lot of work (as we stayed until 12.30pm). Chef was extremely nice and patient and showed us how to make (from scratch) and knead (with our own hands) baguettes - which we ended up serving to the school cafeteria for lunch. 

We definitely took a moment to enjoy the free coffee and croissants :) 

It was an awesome experience and we got to try some of our own breads - crispy and warm with butter of course - and cannot wait for the next time to make viennoiserie (croissants, pains au chocolat, etc...)

Flour and water, in which salt and yeast will be added later on

We then knead with our own hands and shaped the dough. It was definitely a work out...

Making the lines on the bread so that they open up in volume and take that fancy decor...

End result...tada!

We obviously ate some!

As a treat, some of us strolled to ETC...(acronym for Epicurean Traditional Cuisine) led by Chef Christian LeSquer (from LeDoyen) and Executive Chef Bernard Pinaud who likes to play with words (especially on the menu). The decor was modern and minimalist, ranging towards darker colors. I really liked the wine coolers they had in the back and the kitchen was hid by a sliding door. It's a rather small restaurant of about 15 tables, but very comfy and not too tight was some French restaurants might do.

A first look at the menu, you can tell the Chef uses many Asian inspired ingredients and dishes. Some of the dishes were original though from growing up in Hong Kong and traveling around Asia, many flavors I've tasted before. We leaned towards ordering meat and the meal was accompanied by a nice bottle of red wine, not too dry and not too sweet either.

The service was nice, the Maitre D', spoke to us a lot and got to know that we were in Ferrandi (which he says "Ferrandi, It IZ ZE Best in France" and recommended other restaurants to try out which was nice of him.  I only saw 1 waitress in the entire establishment but it wasn't very busy for lunch so quite manageable.

Appetizers:

Cepes galore

                                         

                          

Fantaisie Terre et Mer, Haddock roll with beef

Croustillants de Gambas (Fried gambas) in fluffy pastry with sweet chili sauce

Main dishes:

Noix d'entrecôte Hereford laquée de soja et ciboulette (Entrecôte with soya sauce and chive) accompanied by baby potatoes and herbs

Cailled (quail) with grape and mashed pumpkin 

House blood pudding with jus of passion fruit

Dessert:

Chocolate ice-cream with Piment D'Espelette and Gold chocolate rice krispies

Caramel au gout de Carambar glace (nest of Caramel)

ETC...

2, rue Lapérouse

75016

Telephone: 01 49 52 10 10

Métro: Kléber

A taste of home

As a change of lunch scenery, venturing outside school ended up as a good idea with a visit to a little shop called Bagels and Brownies. The small shop had a queue of students outside...No wonder, they served an array of bagels of your choice (plain, sesame, onion, cheese, blueberry among many others) and a multitude of toppings including smoked salmon, roast beef, ham, cheeses - cream, emmental, cheddar. The bagel is then wrapped in parchment paper and handed over to you so you could enjoy it on the run; unfortunately no seating is given inside.

Menu on the chalkboard

But they don't stop there, they also have lots of sweets from chocolate chip cookies, brownies, donuts both with chocolate or sugar coated and pecan pie! Made me miss New York so much!

 

This spot is must be visited especially from a break of shopping on the Rue de Rennes!

Bagels and Brownies
12 Rue Notre Dame des Champs
75006 
Métro: St. Placide (Ligne 4)
Tel: 01 42 22 44 15


In the afternoon, it was back to the kitchen to cook up Oeufs pochés Bourguignon which is poached eggs (2-3 minutes) in red wine which is then reduced and  then topped with caramelized onions, lardons (thinly sliced bacon), and mushrooms. The eggs came out purple due to the wine, but you really have to have good red wine so that it doesn't taste too bitter. It's actually a cool concept especially when the eggs yolks give a contrast of color to the red wine.

Then it was Oeufs Brouillés

 à la Portugaise - scrambled eggs (no milk, just cubes of butter) slowly cooked up but served creamy and not fully cooked, topped with slowly cooked tomatoes with shallots, garlic, and chopped parsley. I liked the eggs as they were creamy and nice and soft but I'm sure in the States or Hong Kong, if these eggs were served, they would probably be seen as undercooked. 

We also did a quick demo of

Oeufs toqués. Basically we used a spring to crack the bottom of the egg, reserved the inside in a cup, added some sort of garnish (diced tomatoes, parsley, etc...), poured back the egg 3/4 full and in boiling water, boil it until you see the white of the egg. But how does the egg not sink? It's Magic! It actually floats, and does not sink!

Season it with salt and pepper and it can then be served as an amuse-bouche or even an entrée. 

It's just eggs rights?

Before I get in on today's antics, yesterday we made 3 great salads based on grains.
The first was quinoa (seed-like grain) related to beets and spinach. It is mostly found in the Andean region in South America and it has great nutrients in it and can act as a protein on its own. The second was blé (wheat) with Chef's signature Caesar dressing. The third was couscous which was marinated (and not steamed) in tomato and grapefruit juice then laid to rest until serving with different ingredients.


All salads added many vegetables including spring onions, tomatoes, avocado, red bell peppers and lots of different herbs including parsley, coriander and mint but also the juices of pomelo/grapefruit and lemon. 

Making the dressing

Final presentation: (from left to right): Quinoa salad with grapefruit, Wheat salad with pomelo and Taboule of Couscous

Unfortunately, that was the end of cold hors d'oeuvres and today we moved onto eggs. Specifically, today was about cooking eggs in their shells. We did 2 recipes today. The first was Oeufs Farcis Chimay using hard-boiled eggs where the yolks are taken out and replaced with a mixture of mushrooms, parsley and sifted yolks, topped with Sauce Mornay (creamy Bechamel with milk and egg yolks) before going under the salamander to be reheated.

I already knew when I served it that it was not good. The eggs had been undercooked (I left the eggs for 10 mins as what is prescribed but the eggs were not in room temperature so still cold inside and needed longer time in the boiling water). I was even tempted to not serve it because to be honest, I never would, but a task is a task and I'll do what I'm told. Obviously the feedback hit me hard and for a minute, Chef was not happy and I wasn't even happy with myself, I was pissed at myself to *ck up such a thing because it's simple, it's just eggs, but you never know in the kitchen, something so simple is in fact complicated (especially with timing as it can screw everything that comes after it, any duties or tasks that might follow) but you live and you learn and in this kind of industry, you have to remain confident, don't put yourself down and worry, and basically chin up and move on to the next dish/task.

I even mashed it I was angry:

The second dish was Oeufs Mollets Florentine which is soft-boiled eggs dressed with spinach, sauce Mornay and covered with gruyere cheese before going through the salamander as well. As I told myself to get myself together, I put in even more effort (and more time) into the second dish. In the end, presentation was good and I was proud enough to present it to Chef who even gave me positive feedback. I tried one egg before tossing it and it tasted good. Thank god, I thought to myself, I can do something right today! 

So there is light at the end of the tunnel. It's really all about being confident in yourself, not dwelling on the past and just doing your best the next time. It wasn't the greatest day but it was one where I learned from my mistakes and move on. Tomorrow is another task, another challenge and guess what...I'm up for it, so bring it on! Cooking is what I love to do and despite the mistakes, the burns, the cuts and all that - it's all worth it in the end :)

Coco & Co

Sunday brunch in Paris is not a national pastime on Sunday mornings but there has recently been a surge in restaurants specializing in Brunch. Coco & Co, concept by Former fashion stylist Céline Parrenin and ex-music publicist Franklin Reinhard lies in the heart of the 6eme arrondissement, by St. Germain Des Prés station, devoted entirely to egg dishes. 

Coco & Co

A small restaurant on a tiny street, it houses about a dozen tables, surrounded by very rustic decor. There are 30 + dishes made with eggs any style including quiches, omelettes, etc... but for 20 euros, you can get the brunch menu consisting of: tea/coffee, orange juice, any kind of eggs (scrambled, fried, cocotte, poached, omelette) served with salmon, ham, bacon, herbs, eggplant, wild mushrooms and/or cheese accompanied by a salad and potatoes, pancakes and fruit salad. The Cocotte Burger is another specialty of the house. A must try for next time!

Scrambled eggs with herbs accompanied by roasted potatoes and a vinaigrette salad

Don't forget the sweet ending: pancake and fruit salad

Omelette Agnes: Saumon, Courgettes et Basilic

Quiche du Jour: Poivrons et Lardons

Coco & Co
11 rue Bernard-Palissy 

Metro: St. Germain des Prés 

01 45 44 02 52