Postcards from Paris: Part Une!

Paris's Hôtel de Crillon

Before embarking on a two week exploration of some of France's renowned wine regions, Steve and I spent a few fabulous days in Paris. From food to wine and art to fashion this city definitely has it all! So what to do in this veritable cultural wonderland with only a few short days and so many options? Here's a few of our postcards from Paris.

This visit we stayed at the historic Hôtel de Crillon, one of Paris's six Palace Hotels, located on Place de la Concorde. Constructed in 1758 this hotel is located right in the center of Paris and is a great location from which to explore this fabulous city. After arriving from the airport on a Sunday morning, we took a moment to enjoy the gorgeously appointed lobby, a quick glass of Champagne and some delicious pastries then headed straight for the Boulevard Raspail Market located in Paris's 6th arrondissement. The market is open three days a week and on Sunday becomes one of the city's marché biologiques, or organic markets, which extends from the Rue de Cherche-Midi to Rue de Rennes. The market featured beautiful stalls of fresh produce, delicious meats, fragrant cheeses and brilliantly colored flowers - it was a feast for the senses!

Beautiful Produce at the Boulevard Raspail Street Market

After the market we meandered through Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the charming neighborhood that lines the Left Bank of the Seine and is home to many storied cafés and brasseries such as Cafe de Flore (a personal favorite!), Les Deux Magots and Brasserie Lipp. You'll also find an array of specialty food stores including Poilâne, arguably the best bread in Paris, as well as Pierre Hermé, home to mouth-wateringly beautiful confections including a delightful mille feuille and a rainbow of macarons and decadent chocolates.

When planning the itinerary for this trip, I was very inspired by the delightful movie Midnight in Paris, written and directed by Woody Allen and starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams. If you haven't seen it and you are a Francophile or lover of Art History, Literature or Music, it is an absolute MUST! I just loved the scene at Polidor where Owen Wilson's character first meets Ernest Hemingway. It is located on Rue Monsieur-le-Prince and actually looks alot like it does in the movie, very Old World quaint. 

We continued to wander and appreciated having some beautiful weather in which to do our exploring. In fact, it wasn't much cooler than it was back in Florida, but luckily after a few days the temperatures dropped to a more comfortable level. After strolling around most of the afternoon it was time for a mid afternoon nap to try and counter the jet lag. 

One of my favorite things about the beautiful Hôtel de Crillon were the gorgeous bouquets of pink roses everywhere. The lobby smelled positively divine! 

Later that evening we decided to do a little more exploring and luckily, we didn't have to go far to find another great location from Midnight in Paris. As it turns out, Maxim's was right around the corner from our hotel. Maxim's is an historic Paris eatery established in 1893 and known for its Art Nouveau decor. It had quite the storied reputation due to its world class cuisine and famous clientele. It attracted a slew of celebrities over the years including Jean Cocteau, Aristotle Onassis, Edward VIII and his wife Wallis Simpson as well as Brigitte Bardot, who caused a scandal in the 1970's when she entered the restaurant in her bare feet. In Midnight in Paris, Marion Cotillard's character Adriana is smitten with the idea of La Belle Epoque Paris. Maxim's is one of the places she desperately wants to visit in order to escape the mundane 1920's.

Directly in front of our hotel was the Place de la Concorde one of the largest squares in Paris. Conveniently situated between the Tuileries and the Champs Elysseés to the west, the square is home to the majestic Luxor Obelisk which was originally located at the entrance to the Luxor Temple in Egypt. The structure was gifted to the French in the 19th century and in 1836 King Louis Philippe had it placed where the guillotine once stood during the Revolution. It is flanked by two beautiful, ornate fountains, the Fontaines de la Concorde. The square also provides a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower at night.

To be continued...

Cheers,

From Bordeaux to Christie's: an Interview with Wine Industry Pro Robin Kelley O'Connor - Part 1!

Robin Kelley O'Connor & Me

“How do you get into the wine industry?”

Many people including myself have asked this question at some point and I think it's fair to say, there's definitely more than one way to skin a cat. During a recent trip to New York City, I reached out to some noteworthy individuals in the wine industry who agreed to share their experiences and shed some light on the subject.

At the top of my list was Robin Kelley O’Connor, a man who has left few facets of the wine world unexplored. Not many individuals have gotten their start in the wine industry working for Steven Spurrier at Caves de la Madeleine in Paris, learning winemaking under the tutelage of Christian Moueix in Bordeaux, and collaborating on wine education programs around the globe with Kevin Zraly - and that’s just scratching the surface! With professional incarnations including twenty years with the Bordeaux Wine Bureau, two years at Sherry-Lehmann, and a recent appointment as Head of Wine, Americas at Christie’s Auction House, I thought O’Connor would definitely be able to provide some insight into the fascinating world of wine.

On a rainy December evening in Manhattan we had the chance to sit down at Oceana Restaurant at Rockefeller Center:

How did you first become interested in wine?

I didn’t come from a wine family but when I was at University [of Maryland] I took a wine appreciation course and, at that time, we were drinking Grand Cru Burgundy, First, Second, Third Growth Bordeaux de rigueur, that was just normal, what that professor would serve. He grew up partially in France and his family brought back hordes of wine and he shared it with us in this wine class. This is when these wines were all affordable and I was nineteen years old and I thought ‘Oh my God, this is an elixir! I have no idea what I’m drinking, but I love it,’ and a light bulb went off.

What was your first job in the wine industry and how did that come about?

I was studying Political Science and History and when I left University I went to Europe on a two-month Eurail pass with a two-month [plane ticket]. Well, my Eurail pass terminated, I ran out of money and my flight expired…and I was stuck in Paris and ended up working at Caves de la Madeleine for one of the great wine writers in the world named Steven Spurrier. He gave me a stockist job at Caves de la Madeleine…and he had a wine school, I didn’t get paid but I took wine courses at night. I eventually ended up in London taking classes at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and I happened to work for John Armit, the managing director of Corney & Barrow, one of London’s oldest wine merchants. I told John I’d love to work a harvest and he sent me to Bordeaux to work for the Moueix family. I ended up spending two years at [Chateau] Pétrus. After the first year at Pétrus I went to Champagne and spent a year at the House of Krug working and studying the art of Champagne making with the brothers Henri and Rémi Krug. The following year I returned to Bordeaux at Pétrus for another harvest. Following the Bordeaux/Champagne winemaking experience, I spent a year in Navarra in Northern Spain and Roussillon area in Southern France and I actually did a harvest in Switzerland in Vevey on Lake Geneva.

How did you find your way back to the States? 

I came back here because I got involved in a crazy sport called ‘Running of the Bulls’ in Spain. I got badly gored and almost lost my life and spent two months in the hospital in Pamplona in Northern Spain. At the same time my father was very sick, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer which I didn’t know and I came back to the States because I got word that my father was literally on his death bed. I was recovering from a life-threatening injury so I went back to Baltimore, where I grew up, and got medical attention. When I came back I decided I’d go to New York and find my way into the import/export business but I decided not to be a winemaker. I knew after five years of studying winemaking I didn’t want to be a winemaker; I wanted to deal with the finished product.

How did you make the transition to becoming a wine educator?

It came very naturally I think, I was very lucky. I believe I was the second American to pass the Diploma course at the WSET and I did that in London….after that there was this long spell before the diploma and all the ancillary WSET classes came to the US so when I got into New York and involved in the wine business, I joined the Society of Wine Educators (SWE). Simultaneously, that year I’d started working for Bordeaux [Bordeaux Wine Bureau] and I was the trade liaison/spokesperson for the Bordeaux region in the Americas for twenty years. My very first year a gentleman named Peter Sichel who owned Château Fourcas-Hosten in Bordeaux that’s now owned by the family that owns Hermès, said, “you must come to Portland, Oregon and do a Bordeaux seminar with me,” so I did! That was in 1990 so I’ve been a member ever since and I was on the board for many, many years and President of the SWE for four years.

How important are credentials in the wine industry? Is it more important now than in the past?

Credentialing I think is exceedingly important. Curiously enough I had the diploma from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) for at least 10-12 years and it meant nothing in the US at all and now it’s very prestigious. I think it all gives validity; I think it’s very, very important. There really aren’t that many of us in this business so I really believe in credentials, I think it’s important. If someone’s serious they should have some sort of credential, I’m not one to say what they should have because there are many different opportunities but it really is important for an individual to grow professionally in the wine world, so to speak.

Who would you say had the biggest influence on your career as a mentor and how did they help you develop in your career?

There’s no question that Christian Moueix from Bordeaux has had the greatest single influence on preparing my life in the world of wine. I certainly would like to start with John Armit of Corney & Barrow because he gave me the opportunity and arranged for me to work for Christian Moueix. I would certainly like to thank Steven Spurrier for that wonderful August in Paris when my finances on a student budget wouldn’t allow me to purchase a new plane ticket and fly back home to the United States. But guess what, it was the best summer of my life! If you’re going to be stuck somewhere, Paris is not a bad place to be stuck at twenty-three or twenty-four years old.

Another mentor was the gentleman who was Christian Moueix’ winemaker at Pétrus and all his ancillary properties including Dominus in Napa Valley, his name is Jean-Claude Berrouet. He was the head enologist for the Moueix family and at the time I was there, they either owned outright or had the winemaking rights for fifteen Chateaux in Pomerol, St. Emilion, and Fronsac. Jean-Claude was the one I worked with every single day – he’s my hero as Christian Moueix is my hero.

What did Christian Moueix’s influence mean to you?

Christian took me under his wing, I am so indebted to the man as a mentor and in numerical terms I can never repay him but what I think I’ve been able to do in a way of a gesture is to pass it on and pass on the knowledge. This is why I’m so happily involved in volunteering my time for mentorship and endlessly giving time in lecturing around the world…and in organizations like the Society of Wine Educators and Sommelier groups. I also have had the privilege to teach at Cornell University School of Hospitality Management. I’ve been a guest lecturer at Cornell for 20-some years and the Culinary Institute of America, lovingly known in the world of food and wine as the real CIA in Hyde Park, NY and Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Hospitality Management…so every time I do something like that I think, Christian, this is for you, because how can I ever repay you but this is my way of giving back and he knows that. He’s delighted that he knows that his mentorship means something because again, the way I’ve been able to live my adult life to this point is to pass on that knowledge and do it happily…it’s been very, very gratifying.

What types of people have you mentored?

I’ve mentored a lot of different people, those students right out of college and culinary schools. I’ve mentored those that have literally given up Law, Wall Street and other professions to get them involved in their passion, so whenever I can do that it’s certainly a great, great pleasure.

Stay tuned for 'Part 2' of my three-part interview with Robin Kelley O'Connor wherein he discusses his most meaningful career accomplishments; his collaborations with Kevin Zraly and Clive Coates, MW; and gives valuable advice to aspiring wine educators.

Cheers,

Dine on Paris' Left Bank Tonight with Patricia Wells' Bar de la Croix Rouge Assiette Saint-Germain!

Recently, I posted a recipe for Cilantro-Flecked Heirloom Tomato Soup from James Beard award-winning author and Francophile, Patricia Wells' latest cookbook, Salad as a Meal: Healthy Main Dish Salads for Every Season. I really loved the simple, yet amazingly flavorful soup and thought I'd try a few more recipes from her latest project.

The title of the second recipe is a bit of a mouthful, but don't let it scare you! The Bar de la Croix Rouge Assiette Saint-Germain is as casual as it is mouth-wateringly delicious! The dish is named after one of Wells' favorite haunts on the Left Bank of Paris, Bar de la Croix Rouge, and it's most famous tartine, Assiette Saint-Germain. Assiette, or "assortment" in French, describes this dish very accurately; it is essentially a playground for the palate, consisting of an open faced roast beef sandwich, sliced cornichons, ripe tomatoes and a soft bed of fresh salad greens. The beauty of this dish is in the details, Wells provides recipes for homemade bread, mayonnaise, roast beef, cornichons and salad dressing which really elevates this essentially common dish to the next level. 

Let me start by saying, I did not make everything from scratch. Instead of making the bread, I bought it from my local store (Publix, not Poilane!), likewise with the cornichons and roast beef. I did however, make the mayonnaise and salad dressing myself. I followed the recipes for both and was very impressed with the results! I love to make my own salad dressings and the Creamy Lemon-Mustard dressing was really delicious. Making the homemade mayonnaise was also pretty easy and so much more flavorful than what you find at the grocery store. Wells also recommends using imported French mustard which was well worth it, it had exceptional flavor and complemented the flavors of the other ingredients beautifully. Once the homemade portions of the recipe are completed (whichever ones you choose to make), the assemblage is a snap.

Per Wells' suggestion, I served the assiette with a Beaujolais, the 2009 Georges Duboeuf Belles Grives Morgon. Beaujolais is a wine producing region located just south of Burgundy proper featuring wines made from the Gamay grape. They are made using carbonic maceration, a method that extracts very little tannin from the grapes making the wines very light and easy to drink. Beaujolais are reasonably priced with Cru Beaujolais, the highest classification of the wines of this region, generally retailing for under $20. The top ten villages included in the "Cru" classification are Brouilly, Cote de Brouilly, Regnie, Morgon, Chiroubles, Fleurie, Moulin-a-Vent, Chenas, Julienas and Saint-Amour. The 2009 Morgon was a delicious pairing with the assiette with its juicy tart notes of violets, plum and cassis.

The next time you feel like dining on the Left Bank of Paris without leaving the comfort of your own kitchen, give this delicious recipe a try. Whether you make one or all of the homemade ingredients, I think you will really enjoy it. I'd love to hear what you think!

Cheers,



Bar De La Croix Rouge Assiette Saint-Germain
4 thin slices Multigrain Sourdough Bread, toasted**
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 tablespoon Homemade Mayonnaise**
24 ultra-thin slices rare roast beef**
2 handfuls of soft salad greens
Creamy Lemon-Mustard Dressing**
4 ripe red tomatoes, cored and slices crosswise
16 Cornichons, cut into thin slices, for garnish**
Imported French Mustard, for garnish


Spread the warm toast with the butter and mayonnaise. Top with the slices of beef. Cut each slice of toast crosswise into 6 slices. Arrange on each of 4 large dinner plates.
In a large bowl, combine the greens and the dressing,  coating with just enough dressing to coat the greens lightly and evenly. Arrange the salad alongside the tartines. Arrange the tomatoes alongside, and drizzle with a bit of dressing. Garnish with the cornichons and serve with a jar of imported French mustard. Serves 4


**The recipes for these items are also included in the cookbook!

How to Own Chanel for Under a Euro: Chanel Valentine's Stamps!

Since my culinary adventures have been curtailed to some degree due to surgery, I thought I would share this fashionable and timely, but not necessarily food-related, post! 

Each year the French Postal Service commissions a fabulous, world renowned fashion designer to create heart shaped stamps to commemorate Valentine's Day. The first of these "designer hearts" postage stamps were issued in 2000 and, in 2004, the French Postal service commissioned the one and only Karl Lagerfeld to design a sheet of Chanel heart-shaped stamps. GASP - how beautiful are they?!

I thought they were way too pretty to waste on actual postage so I purchased a set on eBay and had them framed! Just a little Chanel eye candy to brighten a girl's day. I hope your Valentine's Day is filled with beautiful things that make you smile!
Cheers,

Share "Savor the Moment" with Friends this Holiday Season!

I don't know about you, but I love getting homemade, baked treats around the holidays from our friends and neighbors. That's probably because we are fortunate enough to know some pretty good cooks! We look forward to delicious sticky buns from the Langfords, tasty bread from the Plamanns, we even got a stollen from Bill & Peg Emes last year that was pretty darn good! I usually make Ina Garten’s Rosemary Cashews from her “Barefoot in Paris” cookbook (one of my favorites), package them in a glass jar and tie it with a decorative, holiday ribbon. This year, however, my lucky friends and neighbors are in for a different treat: they will be receiving the famed “Savor the Moment” Magical Toffee.

Now, you may have actually had this particular confection or something similar before. Upon sampling “The Toffee” I’ve heard many people comment, “Oh, I had that at so and so’s party, luncheon, etc.” It's a mouth-watering mixture of brown sugar, chocolate, nuts and saltines (the secret ingredient), that come together in a deliciously, decadent way. In addition, it only has 5 ingredients, takes about 10 minutes to make and is pretty much foolproof. A word of caution though, this recipe has the same addictive quality as crack OR the The Real Housewives of Atlanta depending on how you roll. Be sure you have a plan to move it out of your house in a timely fashion or you will find yourself eating the whole batch! It was always the most popular sample item we served at any Savor the Moment promotional event, people would come back for thirds. I once had a lady try to copy the recipe down right in front of me – without buying the book! Thankfully, that was an isolated incident and I have included the recipe below because it is just that good.

I usually make “The Toffee” and stick it in the freezer overnight to let it set up really well. I use light brown sugar, milk chocolate chips and chopped pecans but cashews would be really nice too. In addition to the Magical Toffee, there are a few other recipes from “Savor the Moment” that would be fabulous for holiday gift giving as well:
1. Spiced Boca Nuts (pg. 66) – the coconut, curry and cayenne will have you craving these.
2. Celestial Sugar Cookies with Royal Frosting (pg. 48) – yummy and you can omit the frosting & sprinkle with sugar crystals if you prefer.
3. Poppy Seed Bread (pg. 89 ) – pour the delicious, festive almond orange glaze over the freshly baked bread.

Present your favorite hostess, friend, relative or other lucky recipient with their very own copy of “Savor the Moment” along with a sample of any of the abovementioned treats and they are sure to have a very happy holiday. I hope you enjoy making these recipes and have a very happy & healthy holiday season as well. Cheers!

To purchase copies of "Savor the Moment" please visit www.jlbr.org.

Magical Toffee
Arrange 40 saltine crackers on a foil-lined 11x17-inch baking pan. Bring 1 cup butter or margarine and 1 cup packed brown sugar to a boil in a saucepan and boil for 3 minutes. Pour over the crackers. Bake at 400 degrees for 6 minutes. Sprinkle with 12 ounces chocolate chips and let stand until softened. Spread over the top and sprinkle with 1/2 cup nuts. Place in the freezer to cool. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container.