My heart is heavy as one of my favorite cities Paris, France has been shutdown due to the pandemic. I'm feeling a bit nostalgic so this week we're gonna take a walk down memory lane.
PARIS....THE CITY OF LIGHTS
WE'RE CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF
Le Volant Basque, one of my favorite restaurants, sits snugly on rue Beatrix Dussane, a little side street near the Metro stop La Motte Picquet, which runs directly to the Eiffel Tower. I have walked that train rail path many times from my crew hotel to the Monoprix, a major retail supermarket in Paris.
The last time I had dinner at Le Volant was a cold night in October 2019; since it's frequented by the locals, I made my reservation earlier that day. The restaurant was originally owned by a famous race car driver, Brilliant Bob ( le Volant is steering wheel in English), so the walls are covered with race car memorabilia.
A Kir Royale, the traditional pre-dinner aperitif, was delivered immediately along with a fresh baguette basket. I couldn't decide between the escargot (small snails served in garlic butter) and the cherve chaud salade (warm goat cheese salad) for my entree'. (the appetizer is referred to as the entree' in french). As you can see I settled for the salade; the creamy goat cheese was grilled perfectly.
I absolutely had to have the
BOEUF BOURGUIGNON
(boef boor-gee nyawn) as my main plate. Also known as Beef Burgundy, slow cooked beef in a rich wine sauce with braised mushrooms and pearl onions. Definitely a comfort food eaten on a chilly day, which is why Le Volant only serves it during the winter months.
Sounds fairly easy right....well I found out otherwise when I chose to cook it during my Graduate Program Housing Internship. The total cooking time with prep is 4 hours 30 minutes with at least 30 ingredients!
Yes, that's a frown face on the picture, although it was delicious, the large pieces of fat placed on top was a turnoff.
The entire time I was eating, I was thinking about dessert...crème brule😁
Also known as burnt cream, you know it's right when you can easily break through the top of the caramelized sugar to the rich vanilla cream, yummy.
All I was good for after that meal was a walk back to the hotel with the Eiffel Tower as my guide, to rest up for my flight home the next day.
To continue my salute to Paris, I made my favorite salad, French Salade Aux Lardons. .
Let's get started with the ingredients....
The French term lardons is small strips or squares of pork fat, sautéed until a little crunchy but not hard. Slab bacon, without the rind, is the best substitute, but any thick cut bacon can be substituted. I fried thick cut bacon crunchy leaving just a little fat... cooked, but not too crispy.
Next, you need to poach an egg to your taste....the egg on the right is a 4 minute egg with a soft yolk.....the egg on the left is a 5 minute egg with a firm yolk. The slotted spoon is included in Rock's Signature Teak Wood Spoon Collection
Let's poach that egg......
Now, let's make our French Salade Aux Lardons.......
I hope you enjoy your FRENCH SALADE AUX LARDONS as much as I did. By the way, you will find the recipe in Rock's International Delicacies section of my cookbook Rock's Soul Food Sunday available on Amazon in eBook and paperback.https://www.rockssoulfood.com/
DRUMROLL🥁......"THE CAT HOUSE" DOES PARIS!!!
This is how it all began,.... four young ladies developed what would become a lifetime bond, their very first day in the WRC Dormitory at Tennessee State University... in 1970! Dora and Evelyn went to high school together in Jackson, Tennessee, but were only casual acquaintances. Debra hailed from LaGrange, Georgia and Myra was the big city girl from Buffalo, New York.
During their Sophomore year they outgrew the dormitory life; Dora, Rock, and Myra moved down the block to a small house, later to be labeled "THE CAT HOUSE" by close friends. Debra, the baby of the group, joined them a few months later. The Cat House was the place to be, especially on Sunday's when Rock cooked her famous soul food dinner, the house was full.
The ladies of The CAT HOUSE soon formed another bond when they all became members of the fabulous sorority DELTA SIGMA THETA, INC. They all currently reside in Houston, Texas and still tight as ever.
DORA DEBRA MYRA EVELYN (ROCK)
The ladies of the CAT HOUSE took a trip to Paris, France in 2000 to celebrate their 30th anniversary; they plan to celebrate their 50th anniversary when it is safe to travel again. Check out a few highlights from their trip to THE CITY OF LIGHTS.
A RECENT SOCIALLY DISTANCED GATHERING AT DEBRA'S
SOME MORE FLICS THROUGH THE YEARS WITH OUR SORORS OF.......
ABSOLUTELY ALPHA CHI
NATIONAL DELTA SIGMA THETA CONVENTION HOUSTON
DORA AND LINDA
DELTAS HANGING OUT AT TENNESSEE STATE HOMECOMING 1994
HAVING A LITTLE FUN IN GALVESTON
DAVETTA, DEBRA, AND GAYLA
