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Garden of the Queens – Part 1
On first blush, Jardin du Luxembourg – Luxembourg Gardens – may seem like any other royal Parisian garden – a beautiful green space surrounding a royal palais – palace. However, Luxembourg is so much more than that. During a recent visit to Paris, I had the great fortune to spend a month in a lovely rental apartment in the heart of the Saint-Germain-des-Prés quarter of the city – less than a 10 minute walk from Jardin du Luxembourg. (Another bonus: it was also right next door to the legendary Le Procope, the oldest café in Paris, having been founded in 1686.) My proximity to the gardens for this extended visit…
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A Sancerre Vineyard Tour – Part 2
As I write this, a warm, sunny, breeze wafts through my open window and I am immediately transported back to a similar day in the Sancerre region of the Loire Valley. The vineyard tour I was on had just finished a delicious lunch at the bistro of La Côte des Monts Damnés in Chavignol. And now we were now strolling down a lane to visit a local fromagerie – cheese maker, Dubois Boulay. Crottin de Chavignol In addition to producing wonderful Sancerre wine, Chavignol is also known for making the most famous goat cheese in the Loire Valley – Crottin de Chavignol. Some believe that the name comes from the…
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Lily of the Valley for Luck
I have always been charmed by the lovely Lily of the Valley, that tiny, fragrant flower of May. So, as I patiently wait for the muguet des bois – Lily of the Valley – to appear in my garden, I am reminded of the profusion of these sweet-scented flowers that I saw in Paris this time last year. As I stepped out onto the street that May 1st, it seemed that every street corner had at least one, if not several, vendeurs muguet – Lily of the Valley vendors – selling little posies of them. Fête du Muguet I was aware that it was Fête du Travail – Labour Day…
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A Sancerre Vineyard Tour – Part 1
I love it when serendipity shows its wondrous face. The act of finding something valuable or delightful when you are not looking for it always brings me joy. So I was thrilled while visiting Paris to receive an email from Le Cordon Bleu offering a Sancerre vineyard tour. The first bit of serendipity was that Sancerre, a dry Sauvignon blanc, has become my favourite French white wine. The second was that this world-renowned culinary arts school was offering this tour during my current visit. Naturally I jumped at the opportunity to visit this beautiful corner of the Loire Valley and registered for the tour immediately. I arrived bright and early…
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Discovering the Secrets of Macarons
While planning a recent visit to Paris I was looking for a more unique way to experience an authentic piece of that wonderful city – one that would help satisfy my interest in French cuisine. That got me wondering if Le Cordon Bleu, the world-renowned culinary arts school founded in 1895 by journalist and culinary magazine publisher Marthe Distel, offered classes to amateurs. A quick search of their website confirmed that indeed they do. Delving a little deeper, I discovered that one of the courses offered is called ‘Les secrets des Macarons‘ – The Secrets of Macarons. It seemed to me that one could not get much more Parisian than to bake macarons,…
