June 13th, 2012
When it is raining in Paris there is no better way to spend the day than taking a cooking class from a trained professional chef and restaurant owner. Catherine Reed, owner of Reed (a small bistro near Rue Cler), has been delighting patrons for over a year now with her classically inspired menu. She recently began offering cooking classes two mornings a week.
Seven of us joined her in her kitchen to cook a menu of White Asparagus with Mousseline Sauce, Roasted Chicken with Morel Mushrooms and Potatoes, and Profiteroles.
Catherine demonstrated her techniques for making cream puff pastry. She did this for all of the dishes that we prepared. But it was a “hands on” kind of class. Everyone participated.
Everyone took a turn with the pastry bag.
She kept us busy chopping and dicing. One of the best things I learned was how to bone a chicken leg and thigh for stuffing. To roast a whole chicken Catherine removes the thigh and leg sections of a chicken, bones and stuffs them, and then roasts them with the whole breast portion. This ensures that the white and dark meat cook properly at the same time. It also makes a nice presentation when plated.
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| The beautiful free range chickens ready for roasting. |
She had a unique way of making hollandaise sauce. I ruined one batch by letting the eggs scramble; not one of my better moments. But we ended up with two big beautiful bowls of lemony sauce. Whipped cream was added to make it a mousseline sauce.
The meal was completed a few hours after we arrived and everyone had fun in the process. Here are the results.
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| White Asparagus with Mousseline Sauce |
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| Roast chicken 2 ways with potatoes and Morel Sauce |
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| Profiteroles with ice cream and chocolate sauce |
It was a wonderful meal and a worthwhile experience. I would rank it up at the top of things that should not be missed in Paris. Catherine Reed is indeed a hidden gem.
June 11th, 2012
After getting settled in the apartment, buying supplies from the local grocery store, and resting, we were ready for our night out on the town. Our reservation at Reed was a good idea. It was an easy walk, just a block away.
With an open kitchen and just 20 seats, it was an inviting space. Catherine Reed’s Laconche stove with its copper pots of simmering sauces made us feel like we had been invited into her personal kitchen.
Because of a staffing issue, this particular Saturday night, found Catherine the only person available to greet guests, serve and cook. She jokingly said that it would be a “slow” food night; not necessarily in the timing, but in the dishes that were on the menu. They were slow comfort foods that were simmering away on their own. The smells of heady wine braised meats and poultry greeted us at the door.
The menu was short, offering a first course, entree and dessert. The strawberry compote and carrot cake were displayed under glass on the buffet table near our table.
We started our meal with a Sicillian tomato tart with a crust that was thin and crisp. The tomatoes were dressed with olive oil and shavings of Parmesan.
Choosing an entree was a difficult decision. I had the Osso Buco which was tender veal shanks with a tomato sauce and a gremolata of orange, garlic and parsley. It was served with tender egg noodles.
David had the Cornish game hen with spring vegetables and gratineed potatoes.
Catherine Reed was gracious and her restaurant is a special oasis of calm in this vibrant city. I look forward to my cooking class with her on Tuesday.
We ended our first evening in Paris with a walk to the Eiffel Tower. We have left all of the chaos of our initial journey behind us.
June 9th, 2012
You are looking at one tired and bedraggled gal right now. Our trip did not get off to a good start. After boarding our direct flight to Paris in Charlotte we sat on the plane for awhile after our planned departure time. The captain came on the PA system and said there was a problem with a smoke sensor in the cargo hold and we could not take off until it was fixed or replaced. We sat on the ground with updates for three hours. The problem was never resolved and the entire group of passengers had to disembark and walk to another terminal on the other side of the airport and wait 30 minutes to board a substitute plane. We spent over 4 hours on the ground and another 8 hours in flight.
But we are here and I am in love with the city of light. Because of the delay in arriving, the person who was supposed to meet us and let us into the apartment could not do so for two hours. That is why I am sitting at a sidewalk cafe sipping wine with all of our luggage. The cafe owner was kind enough to store our luggage for us so that we could do a little exploring on rue Cler. Who says the French are unfriendly?
Before we browsed the shops on the street we fortified ourselves with omelets and salad. The omelets were absolutely delicious.
The market street has everything from flowers to cheese. We bought two individual quiches, croissants and fresh strawberries.
In spite of the rocky start, everything is beautiful. We are resting before our dinner tonight at Reed. Will continue with my postcard from Paris soon.
