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Tuesday, October 15, 2013





While on vacation I try to take one or two baking classes.
Camera Guy does his thing and I do mine.  Usually I am right behind him admiring the view...no not what you think!  Yes he is the love of my life, but I meant the scenery!

This summer, in Paris, I enrolled in a  Croissant and Baguette class at La Cuisine  Paris.  The school  is located in the Marais, just across from Notre Dame and the classes are actually taught in English.

I was like a schoolgirl...again... and so nervous about being on time and finding the right place, I had Camera Guy escort me the day before to check it out.
There were seven students  in my class and we made Baguettes Parisiennes (miniature versions of the Baguette) and Fougasses - artisanal breads filled with a variety of ingredients such as cheeses, spices, bacon (or lardons as they call it in France). 
We went through the entire process- From pétrissage à la main (kneading and working your bread by hand) to scarification du pain (scarification of bread).

The second class was  Croissants, as well as two other famous morning pastries: Pain au Chocolat and Le Croissant aux Amandes (croissant filled with almond cream). Pain au Chocolat is one of my favourites!  We  had a little Boulangerie going! And of course waiting for the delivery of the goods was my taster...Camera Guy!

He ate a lot of them...I guess they tasted goooooood!

A la prochain....
Penny

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Markets in Provence

To market, to market, to buy a penny bun,
Home again, home again, market is done.

That was the first recorded version of this rhyme,  Then they added a pig, a hog etc...

When we plan our trips to France, one of the first things we do, is check out the market days in the villages. There is a lot of activity on market day, great food and of course, people watching!



Valensole market

I have never seen so many lavender products in my life!  Paintings that smelled of lavender, bath products, honey, soaps and even vendors with lavender hair.  By the end of the day, the lavender scent was a little overwhelming...I needed to smell some coffee beans! The last time I was smelling a variety of fragrances, they gave me coffee beans to smell.  It is like sorbet between courses and helps you distinguish between scents!



Introducing the lavender girls of Valensole!


Forcalquier Market - our home on this trip




Sisteron market





Aix-en-Provence Market
There are many market days in Aix...It is a  larger city than the villages we have been visiting.  Many stores, bars, restaurants and opera!  


Some markets are better than others and one of my favourites is the Lourmarin market.  It has a mixture of crafts, food and other local products.  Maybe it is our favourite because Lourmarin is the village where we stayed on our first trip to France.  I love it!






Isle Sur-la-Sorgue Market


He is sooo cute!




Market days are such an important part of daily life in France...you can also pick up some vintage pieces of jewellery!

A la prochain....
Penny

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