It was a crowded afternoon at Wegmans. Whew! We were done.
Richard guided my mom, navigating a walker these days, outside to our handicapped parking space, while I steered the shopping cart down the narrow checkout lane. I can almost hear my mother as she reads the sign above the car in her best deep Katherine Hepburn voice: “Reeeeserrrved Paaahhking”
“My God, this lane couldn’t get any narrower,” I mumbled to no one.
I removed a few packages from the upper basket and put them on the belt. Then I had to push through the entire lane, past the cashier, to get to the front of the cart, and try to squeeze it back in reverse. The woman with the next shopping cart helped me, while I put the divider between our purchases and unloaded the rest of my groceries.
The checkout clerk held up a plastic bag containing two pounds of white Belgian endive with pale yellow tips.
“What are these?”
“Endive. E-n-d-i-v-e,” I spelled out. “It’s Belgian.”
She scrolled through the register’s list of produce Eggplant Black, Eggplant Green, but no Endive. She kept going.
“There it is,” I said. It was listed as “Let French End”. “That’s it,” I told her.
“I’ve never seen …” the clerk said as she punched in the weight.
“Yes, and we took most of them.”
The woman with the cart behind me said, “I was just thinking, I’ve never seen such a variety of items.”
I laughed. “I got a new cookbook. Tasting Paris.”
There was:
Onion Red—for Quick Red Onion Pickle Oignon rouge en algre-doux, Page 19.
Marathon Bread—our weekly staple (a blend of oats, wheat, rye, fruits, vegetables, and every seed known to man) but three slices were destined for a bowl on the counter … to get stale … Making Your Own Bread Crumbs, Page 18.
Mussels Org 2lb and Herb Corriander (misspelled and actually flat-leaved parsley)—for Gratinéed Mussels with Garlic and Parsley Moules gratinées à l’ail et au persil, Pages 168-169.
Let French End—for French Endive Casserole Gratin d’endives, Pages 226-227. Oh, I miss Marina. I remember her Au Pair Grandmother making this dish for us at Christmas.
Weg Org Turkey Bac–Variations, Page 227, Endives au jambon. Turkey bacon is our go-to substitute for ham while Richard is in the household
Lemons—for Lemon Spatchcocked Chicken Poulet en crapaudine au citron, Pages 196-197.
O Mas Yung Chng Nd, WB 3-PK Cuke, WB Org Spring Mix, WB 6PK Red Pepper, Org Bl Brst Fp—Chinese noodles, cucumbers, greens, red peppers, and chicken for Richard’s favorite birthday meal, Peanut Butter Chinese Chicken. Fooled you, not from Tasting Paris
Clotilde Dusoulier, author of Tasting Paris, writes a blog named Chocolate & Zucchini, which arrives in my Inbox each month. Through her writing, I consider her a friend even though I don’t have a clue how to pronounce her name and I’ve never met her.
Her first cookbook, Chocolate & Zucchini, spent hours propped up on the windowsill next to the old iMac computer in the living room of our farmhouse at 440 Hottenstein. There, I had a view of the henhouse and the Fleur-de-Lys Farm shop entrance while I typed my first newsletters. Chocolate & Zucchini was an inspiration and gift from daughter Marina soon after she went to Belgium as an au pair in 2008 and never really returned.
Today Clotilde lives an exciting, food-filled life in Paris, with husband Maxence and sons Milan and Mika. And I’m about to begin a cooking adventure week, tasting Paris in State College, PA. Laurie Lynch
True Confessions: When I placed the order for Tasting Paris on Amazon, I intended to buy it for Marina. The book came out March 20. I bought it a week earlier, sight unseen, First-Day Ship Out. It was due to arrive in the State College post office on Wednesday. The impending fourth nor’easter of March gave me worries, but, alas, no delay.
I opened the box, took the book out of its plastic wrapper and put it under my bed. Thursday, I opened it and carefully looked at a few pages. Thursday night, well, why would Marina want Tasting Paris, I asked myself. She is tasting Ghent … and busy remodeling a townhouse. I might as well read it, then stick it in my suitcase and give it to her next time I visit. Yesterday, I decided maybe I should buy a second copy.
Grocery Goof: With all of my Tasting Paris shopping I forgot the cream cheese, or “Philadelphia” as they say in Paris, for Richard’s Italian Cream birthday cake. Today is the eve of his birthday and I have to make a quick run to the store. But when will I have the time?
Fleur-de-Blog 