Eating in Paris

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Balanced Modern Mom

My Husband and I went to Paris for 2 days, it’s only a 2 hour plane ride from Bologna, Italy and so we decided that this would be our Christmas gift to each other. I was so excited because I have always wanted to go to Paris and see all the beauty, the shops, the streets, the sites, the gothic architecture and of course taste the cuisine. Although you really can’t experience a lot in 2 days I was determined to try some of my favorites. From croissants to baguette, from french onion soup to crème brûlée.

The first day we got in at about 6 pm, we took the train to the Hotel and decided to venture off. We could see the Eiffel Tour from our hotel and decided to take some pictures and then find a place to eat. It was raining and a Monday night, which meant that many restaurants would be closed so we ended up at a place called Bosque. A real cute and eloquent restaurant and very Parisian, we order the French onion soup (Soupe à l’oignon), it was delicious and perfect because it warmed me instantly, it had a little more salt than I would have expected but all in all delicious. For dessert we shared a crème brûlée, which was cooked to perfection, the cream was perfectly cooked and the sugar on top was perfectly melted.

The next morning we got up and went for a stroll and decided to have a french breakfast or atleast a Croissant and Coffee. I wasn’t expecting the croissants to taste any different than the ones you find here in Italy at any coffee shop, but to my surprise they actually tasted slightly different, you can sense that they are more buttery but soft and fluffy, it was delicious. I didn’t care too much for the cappuccino as here they like to make the milk foamy where as in Italy they are all about the Crema, and so am I. The place we had breakfast at was called La Coupe D’or, on a beautiful shopping street called Rue Saint-H’onoré.

From here we decided to check out most of the sites, we walked up the Avenue Des Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame, Jardin Du Luxenburg, Sorbonne, The Latin Quarter, St. Germain, Pont Neufe, Etc… The sites were gorgeous and breathtaking. After all of that walking we got hungry and decided to go to the first place we saw, the restaurant we walked into was called Au Chai De L’Abbaye, it turned out to be quite cozy, I really wanted a baguette with some cheese but that wasn’t on the menu so I ended up ordering a french salad with french shredded potato patties. My husband ordered a grilled bread with goat cheese and tomatoes on top. The salad had a mustard dressing which was very subtle and nice, they did put a lot of cheese on top, which I thought complimented the salad I had ordered but I wasn’t expecting french salads to have that many ingredients, I like my simple Olive oil, lemon and salt dressing. But I was pleased with this lunch and starving so happy to finally eat.

After lunch we strolled the streets, we bought some fresh baguette and artisianal chocolates. We made our way back to the hotel and took a nap. We got up around 6pm and went to the Eiffel Tour, it was illuminated and it felt so surreal being in front of it. From there we went to have dinner at Mariette’s a cozy little family owned restaurant, we went inside and were greeted by the wife of the chef, I ordered homemade potato gnocchi with bell peppers and prosciutto, for my entree I ordered poached salmon. My husband ordered escargot ravioli’s and lamb for his entree, we were truly satisfied with this dinner, and the restaurant was eloquent and beautifully decorated.

We ended up with dessert a crepe with nutella on the Avenue Des Champs-Elysees.

I hope that you have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

My Favorite Lime Pie

Posted on December 3, 2011 by Balanced Modern Mom

This is one of my favorite American desserts ‘Key Lime Pie’. I call this an indulgence, I wouldn’t necessarily say that it’s healthy but it is a great indulgence because you don’t feel guilty after you have a slice and generally a slice will always suffice. It does have Vitamin C, Calcium and Protein though so you know that it is not all a waste. However, I loved this pie it’s fresh and always tastes amazing!!

I made it here in Italy and seeing that we don’t have Key Limes or Graham crackers I made it with regular limes and biscotto secco. The turn out was great.

Ingredients:

For Crust:

1 ½ cups crushed biscotto secco crumbs

2 tbsp. sugar

5 tbsp. butter, melted

For the Filling:

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

4 large egg yolks

½ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).

Mix together crushed biscotto crumbs with the sugar and melted butter, until combined well. Pour mixture in a 9-inch pie pan, and press cookie mixture evenly and firmly onto the bottom and sides.

Bake the crust for 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown and then let cool. Leave the oven on and begin your filling.

Whisk together condensed milk and yolks, once this is well combined you may add the lime juice, whisk all ingredients until completely combined.

Pour your filling into the cooled crust and bake for 15 minutes. Cool your pie completely, then chill carefully covered for at least 8 hours, pie will set as it cools.

In the USA they serve it with whipped cream, but I much prefer it alone.

Enjoy!

Blueberry and Honey Yogurt Pie

Posted on November 10, 2011 by Balanced Modern Mom

This is a delicious recipe that I actually found in an addition of a food and wine magazine. I tweaked it a little, but the outcome is amazing and I feel was delicious. Perfect as a snack or dessert. Exceptionally great with a spiced themed dinner, Greek, Indian or Middle-Eastern, it’s the cooling sensation that the yogurt along with the ginger leave.

Ingredients:

12 whole graham crackers

5 pieces crystallized ginger (finely chopped)

4 tablespoons butter (melted)

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

smidgen of salt

1 egg white

2 cups of non-fat greek yogurt (drained overnight)

2 tablespoons of honey

1 1/2 – 2 cups of fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a circle pie pan 9 x 9 and set aside. In the food processor, pulse the graham crackers with the sugar, salt and crystallized ginger until finely ground. Add egg white and butter and pulse until mixed well. Pour the crumbs into your prepared pan and press evenly over the bottom and the sides of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes, until the crust is lightly brown. Let the crust cool.

In a bowl mix the drained yogurt and honey. Pour the yogurt evenly over the crust and arrange the blueberries evenly over the top of the yogurt. Now you can slice and serve.