One of the well known open-market streets to local Parisians, rue Cler, also happens to be just a walk away from the University, and a stone's throw from the apartment Jonathan lived in last year. If you are a Rick Steve's fan and love Paris, there's also a chance you have heard of this small pedestrian cobblestone street boasting with deliciously ripe vegetable and fruit markets, and flower markets that look like they were perfectly placed right off an artist's paint palette.
Each morning, fresh produce is trucked in from farmers' fields to Paris.
Just a few steps down the road you have a Fromagerie, where you can walk inside and see over 400 types of French cheese! Yes, the expert behind the counter wears a white lab coat (similar to a butcher), but they are very nice! I went in in bought us buffalo mozzerla & it was quite tasty on Jonathan's bruschetta! Supposedly, the French call these stores "BOF" for beurre, oeuf, and fromage — where people shop for butter, eggs, and cheese. Word to the wise and faint hearted, if you have never walked by or into a fromagerie, either hold your nose or do not inhale. No, the fumes aren't toxic, but you would think they might be.
This street is full of specialized épiceries!
Somewhere close by you'll spot the poissonnerie, the fish market. Fresh fish from ports on the English Channel is brought to Paris daily.
Squid anyone?
I've only admired the the charcuterie from afar. It looks delicious! A charcuterie sells beautifully preparred gourmet side dishes and deli food to go. It's like a French version of the to-go counters at Central Market & Whole Foods.
Also on Rue Cler you'll find a chocolatier who has been on the street for 30 years(Le Mère de Famille Gourmand Chocolats Confiseries)
A honey shop that has every flavor of honey you can think of...Lavendar Honey from Provence, Pine Honey, Orange Honey...I'm sure you are getting the idea. :)
They also have an Oliviers & Co. Olive Oils which sells French gourmet goodies and Olive Oils from the Mediterranean. They have many of these around Paris.
The street wouldn't be complete without a Boulangerie! This was the first place Jonathan took me when I came to visit him last semester! The smell of fresh baked breads, rolls and baguettes....the desserts & macaroons artfully placed in the display window.....delicious sandwiches and soups reasonably priced make this hard to pass up!
Now that you are familiar with rue Cler, aren't you getting hungry?
Crepe Maker, Crepe Maker make me a crepe....
We get excited about market day, just being on this street makes us want to go home and cook! Luckily both of us love to cook, and go shopping on rue Cler, which provides all the inspiration we need! Cooking here has been an adventure of its own! Here are a few of the things we have made here so far. The funny part is that we don't have a baking oven, but instead a small toaster oven, and our fridge is the size of mini fridge, or bar fridge. It could actually fit under a counter or table! We don't have normal sized casserole dishes, or a mixer. So, it's a bit primitive and mostly improvised, but we have fun!
I mentioned in a previous entry that there is an American épicerie, The Real McCoy, it has all the American food you would need for a hefty price. Anything from Campbell's soups for 5 euros to cinnamon for 7 euros, and Tabasco for 8 euros...I'm sure you get the idea. We only go there if we absolutely have to! ;)
So far, we have made:
Vegetable Stew & Hot Water cornbread...Jonathan just discovered this and LOVES to make it! :)
Mexican Rice & Blackberry Cobbler (Mexican food, special request for Cowboys Game!)
Jonathan's infamous stir fry
Jonathan's Bruschetta
Homemade corn tortillas and Mexican casserole
(Our friend Elizabeth gave us the BEST Mexican cookbook before we left & we love finding recipes we can make here!)
Pear and chevre salad with baked pears for dessert. I'll have to elaborate on the pears a bit, because we have never had anything like them. They are like eating candy! They are so sweet and soft. The actual fruit is almost as soft as the pears you get out of the cans...
We discovered a delicious crepe recipe from recipezaar.com and have gotten creative with those as well: wild blueberry jam crepes topped with whip cream, cheese and tomato crepes, pear and cheese crepes, and just plain pear crepes.
While wondering around the streets of Paris we have also found what Jonathan claims is the best strawberry flavored soft serve on the planet, and I am going to have to agree.
We decided this pidgeon likes to live on the edge!...This is just over the "Pauls" awning! He must know something we don't...
It's from a boulangerie called Paul. Lucky for us they have two within a quarter of a mile of where we live. Coincidentally, I guess God knew what he was doing when He placed us in an apartment where we would have to climb five flights of stairs 3-4 times daily. I'll have to blog about desserts another day, but just know that Berthillon glace (ice cream) and Lauduree are about the best! And impossible to turn down!
We don't spend all of our time cooking, or eating. It's just that the food is really good here! We're heading to Versailles tomorrow, so I'll have pictures to post of non-food related items soon! In the mean time, I hope this entry didn't make you too hungry!
