I write this from Stockholm, where I am spending the fall break with my family. I have developed a serious crush on the city and can’t wait to tell you all about it. In the meantime, I come to you with Parisian highlights from the month of October! Please chime in with your own MMM’s (most memorable moments), I’d love to hear about them!
Best Eats Last Month
• I so enjoyed the last of the season’s green figs (aka white figs). The skin is bright green, the flesh is ivory white and pale pink. They are the purple fig’s less flashy cousin but they are honey sweet and tender, and you should buy as many as you can eat next time you spot them.
I like them in salads with smoked duck magret or in a sandwich with basil and buratta, but mostly I just split them open with my fingers and pop them into my mouth, seed side down (that’s important), one half after the other. You?
• Taking your kids to the carousel is its own reward (obv.), but getting a big steaming waffle from the snack counter is certainly a bonus. You can get it with chocolate or whipping cream and I applaud the parents who feel up for that. I stick to confectioner’s sugar, which also lets the crispness and flavor of the waffle come through the best.
My light and crisp waffles are a close approximation, if you want to recreate the bliss in your own waffle maker.
• These delicate and delectable little sablé sandwiches from Bontemps, an adorable pastry shop on rue de Bretagne.
My son made the selection: clockwise from top left we have raspberry, gianduja, passion fruit, lemon, hazelnut, and pear. Which one would you like to reach through the screen and snatch first?
• An amazing vegan burger from Hank in the Marais. Pictured here is Le Petit Nerveux, with cilantro sauce and tortilla chips inside. I tried the gluten-free bun, and have found it to be indistinguishable from a regular. Add coleslaw and potato wedges, and you’re in business!
I can’t resist noting that this location sits directly opposite the Musée de la Chasse, Paris’ hunting museum, which is full of dead animals. Ironic in an Alanis Morissette kind of way.
Find my top Paris spots on this map of favorites, and follow me on Instagram to see many more food shots and Paris recommendations throughout the month!
Things I’m loving right now
- This knife skills class for children from Katie Kimball, free if you sign up before November 2!
- Using Betty Edward’s classic book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain to teach myself how to draw. So impressed with my own progress!
- The Josh Radnor episode of Katie Dalebout’s Let It Out podcast.
- Challenging myself to visit (at least) one museum each month. Such a pity to live in Paris and not make time for more art! I went to see the Miquel Barcelò exhibition at the Picasso Museum last month, and took my kids to the Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature this month. Want to join me in the Monthly Museum Challenge?
- This origami crane necklace that my friend Laurence got for me at Paris shop L’Épicerie Fille. So pretty!
5 Cool Links
- This French law forces supermarkets to donate leftover produce to food banks.
- Ever wondered why different cheeses melt differently? Ridiculously happy to learn about this.
- The best cafés in Paris to set up your laptop.
- Can raw chocolate truly be raw? Love Sharon Terenzi’s coverage of all things chocolate.
- I need a shirt like this one. Story of my life.
Follow me on Twitter and like the C&Z Page on Facebook for many more links throughout the month.
