Starting now through the end of June, we’re going to explore the French culture and the amazing things the French have had to offer to the world.
I started this mission yesterday when I picked up a dozen macarons from La Maison du Chocolat in Rockefeller Center. I was greeted by a French woman who paused before saying “Hello” rather than “Bonjour.” Truthfully, I walked in and started thinking in French, so I had to take a step back and remind myself I was still in New York City. She was very friendly and helpful as she described each macaron to me before I told her to give me one of each.
I took the box back to the office where I shared the delectable little macarons with a couple of coworkers who had never had a macaron. Honestly, we were all newbies. We were all in for a treat.
With a crisp cookie-like outer shell, you bite in to a surprise of the ganache (meringue-like filling or chocolate filling). It’s not even a cookie per se. It’s just an experience.
For a limited time, La Maison du Chocolat has a raspberry/basil macaron. I never thought basil would make a good dessert, but this mixture of flavors was so delicious.
I had the lemon macaron filled with chocolate ganache this morning and was on Cloud 9. All breakfasts should be this delectable.
So why French food this month? After trying out several Pinterest recipes these past few weeks, I came across this feeling like there was no recipe I was trying that was soothing my palate. I was not satiated. What I was looking for was qualitative food and many of these recipes from bloggers I was trying were from basically…amateurs.
I needed better sustenance. This made me realize that for the first time since my surgery last October, my palate for exquisite food has returned. I am no longer craving basic children’s food. I want real food.
As I was going through my calendar, entering in all of the upcoming events I have planned, I noticed that for June 1st I wrote down “Try Something New Challenge.” I must have gotten that from another blogger and decided it was a good idea. In fact, it is…and what perfect timing. As we go through this month of June, I’ll be trying something new every single day. Although, I’m starting the challenge off a little earlier.
Today’s something new is a couple of new French restaurants. For lunch, I stopped into Financier Patisserie. I picked up a hot pressed Le Parisien sandwich (ham/brie/dijon) and a Fraise Meringue (because really, you can’t eat French food without a proper dessert to finish off the meal).
When I bit into Le Parisien, my taste buds starting singing. It was so delicious! Ironically, it was much better than the one I had in Paris! The flavors just melded together harmoniously with that little extra bite from the dijon mustard. Just a great sandwich when you’re on the go.
I took the Fraise Meringue around the office and shared it with my colleagues…all I’m going to say is everybody around me is loving the ‘research’ I’m doing right now. The ingredients were all fresh and the fraise (strawberries) were perfect.
That’s the thing about amazing food…when it’s fresh, the flavors are more intense and satiating.
As for pricing, the food was adequately priced. The sandwich was $7.50 and the meringue was $3.95.
They also sell macarons. I plan on picking up half a dozen after I finish the ones from La Maison du Chocolat. The macarons are cheaper at Financier, but are they just as good? That is the question.
Tonight, I have reservations for Pigalle, a French restaurant in Midtown on 48th and 8th Avenue. Next week, I’ll be hitting up my favorite haunt in Manhattan: Todd English’s Ça Va Brasserie, trying out a new item I haven’t tried before at their restaurant.
This weekend, I’ll be heading into the kitchen to create a few signature French dishes. While I’m not keen on repeating Julia Child’s recipes she made famous like everyone else has done, one person said to me to just go ahead and make it, because she knows I’ll end up putting my own spin to it to make it even better.
So for this site, the weekly post schedule is as follows:
Mondays: Food Recipes [What recipes did I cook up over the weekend? Detailed Posts including recipes.]
Tuesdays: Shopping Posts [From Fashion, Home, to the best of…this will give you a look at the items you may want to incorporate into your life.]
Wednesdays: Cultural Wednesdays [Art? Cinematic wonders? Theatrical productions? We’ll be looking at all of them to enrich your soul.]
Thursdays: Restaurant/Food Reviews [We’ll take a look at restaurants that please the palate, ingredients you need to own, and foods you have to try.]
Fridays: Reading Material [From around the web to your library, we’ll take a look at the things you should be reading, especially if you enjoyed the week’s selections of posts. Fridays will serve as an additional reading guide to further your knowledge on the week’s topics.]
Saturdays: Picture This [I’m a world traveler and a photographer. I’ll be sharing my collection of photos.]
Sundays: Did You Know? [There are always other stories that circle around the main topic of choice. On Sundays, we’ll dive into a hodge podge of other stories that will enrich your life…maybe even give you a new hobby, like how to choose the right wine.]
So for June, the topic is FRANCE and all things FRENCH. So bring your thirst for a more enriching life to the screen. By the time we’re done with June, you’ll be wondering what’s next to drool over. 🙂
xxoo,
Michelle
