Paris in Summertime

Sometimes you have to live a fantasy to enjoy what is real.  Spending seven days in Paris, alone, was my version of "Eat, Pray, Love".

Upon arrival I made my way to the 12th for a special tasting lunch prepared by Miss Lunch.  Nine of us gathered in her loft and enjoyed the 5 course menu.  Miss Lunch prepares a "Lunch in the Loft" and I highly recommend this unique experience in Paris, especially if you are a foodie.

Marche Aligre

The first course was a white gazpacho that was comprised of white grapes, almonds, and pine nuts. We enjoyed this cold soup surrounded by beautiful contemporary art with a glass of Prosecco.  The second course was a trout gelee that had finely diced cucumber, tomato coulis, and caviar.  The home-made gelee was veal-based, and its clarity was superb.

We ventured to the third course of home-made duck breast prosciutto (thinly-sliced and air dried duck breast) with white beans cooked with a bit of orange zest and onions.  The warm soft beans paired with the duck breast went perfectly.

Course number four was a ravioli stuffed with goat cheese and a melange of mushrooms.  It sat on top of a fresh tomato sauce that was both light and summer-perfect.

Finally, we concluded our lunch with a Belgian waffle in a perfect star shape, hand whipped fresh cream, but the absolute delight was homemade mint ice cream in a vanilla base with fresh mint leaves and a dusting of Szechuan peppercorns.  Your tongue would be numbed by the peppercorns and then cooled by the ice cream.

The meal was followed by a thorough discussion of each plate and she shared favorite products like Premiere Pression Provence a first pressing of olive oil that is divine.

A walk around the 12th to the Bastille followed lunch and it was a truly exceptional start to a wonderful week.

More Paris highlights to come, but the fantasy did not disappoint.