Paris By Mouth Food Tours
Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining Paris By Mouth Food Tours to Montmartre. A little word to the wise - take the bus, do not take the Metro to Abbesses unless you love climbing tons of stairs.
Paris By Mouth is a terrific up to date website for Foodies on Paris. A not-to be missed daily read! Meg Zimbeck was our very astute guide from PBM.
First stop bien sur was this year's best baguette winner.
Meg explains in detail what constitutes the best baguette. A hunk of bread will never taste the same after this.
We're joined by Barbara Austen, formerly a pastry chef, for more details on texture, construction, flavours, ingredients. I was scribbling madly notes. If only I could read my own hand-writing...
Meg shows the difference between a plain baguette and abaguette traditional (the prize winner now adorning the President's table). The price difference between la creme de la creme and l'ordinaire is a mere 15 centimes! The French government decides these things tu sait...
On to the next course - charcuterie and another winner of many prizes especially for his boudin noir/blood sausage (which we do not sample Dieu merci!).
Red meat is not on my menu these days but sometimes you have to be flexible when traveling.
Meg and Barbara set up a mini picnic dans la rue for tasting samples. That baguette came in handy.
La fromagerie is next!
Chevre/goat cheese is my favorite. These are quite aged. We taste frais/fresh and unpasturized chevre.
The cheese seller is a beau mec/cute guy...miam
We go to the park nearby to sample and discuss at length. I have to admit I've always bought French cheese at thesuper marche, never a fromagerie - shame on me. That evening I felt brave and bought chevre frais with figue inside from a cheese shop - delish!
On to dessert! And rue des Martyr's newest most fashionablepatisserie - reknown Sebastien Gaudard.
You can tell from his website this is going to be an elegant experience. he came out when we invaded his shop and chastised one of us not to touch anything, ahem. I did not have the nerve (for once) to steal a photo..
Les patisseries were lush. Meg picked 3 and I picked out another 3. Can you ever have too much dessert?
Meg, always well-equipped, divies up in the street the 1st taste - an Alsacian mini kugel - very light and delicate, the outer crust crunchie and caramelized.
On to the puit d'amour, the Paris Brest and something I don't remember the name of but meringue-esque and exceptional and a rhum baba.
I shot chef Sebastien Gaudard's adorable Jack Russell, 'Hot Dog' at a Selby/Colette opening. Wouldn't he look handsomepainted in front of Gaudard's new shop 22, rue des Martrys?
Don't miss out on Paris By Mouth's Food tours.
You won't need lunch after this tour and your tastebuds will be educated indepth.
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