Le Marron

When autumn comes around each year, I bake my morning muffins, put cinnamon in everything, light candles, drink more tea and love the feeling of cozy. - cozy sweaters, cozy socks, cozy blankets in front of all the new shows that are on French TV. I also celebrate the end of swamp ass.

The French do all these things too, I'm sure, but one thing they have that's new to me is le marron. 

I've always known that My Very Parisian Friend collected them because her mother used to give her one at the beginning of l'automne. She still collects them now in memory of her. What I didn't know was that lots of Frenchies pick up the first marron of the season and keep it in their pockets as a porte bonheur - a good luck charm. 

So far, I have been the recipient of two marrons - one from my essential-oil-loving colleague who had picked one up on her way back from lunch, and one from Copain as we walked through the Bois de Vincennes yesterday.  

I haven't picked up my own marron yet, but I love the ones I've been given. It's a simple reminder that the seasons are changing; a lovely little tradition that I'm going to add to my autumn list of things to look forward to.  

Dans les Rues de Paris - Fall in the City

Word.

Cuisine de Cannes Cannes - Pumpkin Muffins

I've been in love with baking muffins ever since it started getting cold in Paris. Basically, I make a muffin batter base, and then I add whatever sounds good in the moment (or whatever I have in the cupboard!): apples, figs, raisins, cranberries, bananas. One thing never changes: cinnamon is always included in my recipes; it's my absolute favorite spice.

My newest creation - pumpkin muffins!  I take one to work with me every morning for breakfast and enjoy it with a cup of steaming hot coffee.  It's my morning happiness and is delicious after my Velib adventure. 

My solution to American pumpkin in a can - Merci Picard!

Ingredients:

1/2 box of frozen purée de potiron from Picard (if you double the recipe, you will use the entire box)

2 cups flour 

1/2 tsp  salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder (if you use self-rising flour (farine pour des gateaux), then you can leave this ingredient out)

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more if you are like me and LOVE cinnamon!)

1 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp allspice

4 tbsp softened unsalted butter

3-4 tbsp granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 large egg

1/ cup milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

raisins, walnuts or dried oats are optional - I think this would also taste amazing with apples or dried cranberries!

My cookbook (and pumpkin in a bag :-)

Directions: (I've simplified here :-)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Cream together butter and sugars, then add the egg, pumpkin, vanilla and milk.  Mix well.  Add dry ingredients, saving the flour for last.  Don't over-mix the batter.  If you are using a silicon cupcake mold or cupcake paper cups, then there is no need to grease the pan.  However, if you are using a regular cupcake tin, use butter to grease before putting batter into the tin.  Bake 20-25 minutes.  Yields 6 huge muffins (FCC style!) or 8 to 10 smaller muffins. 

After 7 years in France, I still can't cook using the metric measurements! I have cups! If you'd like to switch to metric just go to this conversion chart.

All ready for the oven...

Bon Appétit!

Dans les Rues de Paris - I Looked Down and There it Was...

Gaufres, Chocolat Chaud et.... MARSHMALLOWS!

It was cold and cloudy yesterday, so when my good friends in Vincennes, AKA: Babyland, invited me  over to make and then eat, gaufres (waffles), I was like, YES PLEASE!

I arrived just in time for the gouter at around 4pm and was greeted in the petit bois (the little woods), by 2-year-old M on his trotinette (scooter). We scooted over to the apartment where my friends' other little boy (only 5 months!) had just gone down for a nap.  We got the waffle machine heated up and then on to waffle making!

I wasn't quite sure what to bring to a Gaufre-Making Extravaganza in France - whipped cream? speculoos spread? Nutella? So I went in another direction and decided to impart my American culture on them, whether they liked it or not.  What's the best part about a cold day? Hot chocolate! What's the best part about hot chocolate when you're a kid? MARSHMALLOWS!!! Also, adding sugar to your friends' kid's diet is always greatly appreciated, especially when they are in the throws of potty training! Good times!

My Vincennes Friends humored me by giving me the extra-large American mug, just so that I could have extra marshmallows :-)

Our semi-sweet hot chocolate, made just right with pure-sugar marshmallows - or chamallows if you are of the French persuasion.

Home made gaufres with melted dark chocolate on top - oh the wonderfulness...

I highly recommend hopping up on sugar and then going into a food coma and/or playing with monster trucks and toy trains and then jumping on the trotinette and zipping around the living room until it's time to ahhhh run to the potty because, wow, this potty training stuff is hard and then, Maman, can I have another gaufre???!!!

Dans les Rues de Paris - Beauty

Les Vendanges de Montmartre

Copain and I took a tour of Les Vendanges de Montmartre on Saturday for some village-y fun in the heart of Paris' 18th arrondissement...vin chaud, street performers, parades...!

A tap dancing juggler with a fish bowl on his head!

A tiny spectator in the window...

In Honor of Fall - Partie II

I just can't kick the cooking bug when the weather gets cool...

Since I'm still fighting La Crève and since Copain is probably going to be next, we decided to stay in on Saturday night and warm ourselves up with hot soup and cookies.

My strange soup creation - fèves (fava beans), carrots and onion with parmesan on top

Snickerdoodles with with a twist - apples inside! (A great way to use the apples I hate to eat!)

And of course, Sunday morning I thoroughly enjoyed my banana bread and coffee - le bonheur total :-)

In Honor of Fall

I know we all thought that Fall had arrived a few weeks ago - you remember - right before the temperature started hitting 28°C and all the Parisiennes busted out the maxi dresses again? Well, mes amis, I think that Fall is back and is here to stay!

In honor of scarves, beige trench coats and the season of adding cinnamon to everything, I decided to make my first banana bread de l'automne:

I used my Momma's recipe but halved the sugar for French taste buds and instead of chocolate chips (which I didn't have) added cut up dried figs to the batter.  I already ate two pieces (shhhh) but what I'm really looking forward to is my morning cup of coffee, a thick slice warmed up with a thick pad of butter on top! Trop bon...

Les Pommes

I love love love love love l'automne!  It's by far my favorite season - boots, trench coats, butternut squash, baking, cosy pjs, scarves, movies, homemade soups, my hot tapioca banana dessert, thé au lait, school supplies, new haircuts, dark nail polish and cinnamon-scented candles...ah j'adore!


There's just one thing about autumn that I hate: les pommes (apples)

I can tell that l'automne has arrived when the marché starts to fill with apples.  Green apples, red apples, pink lady apples, red delicious apples, blah blah blah. Don't get me wrong, sometimes a nice, crisp apple is the best - but not an entire season of nothing. but. apples.


Copain went to the marché last Sunday and I asked him to get figs, bananas and lots and lots of veggies. Instead, he got pears, bananas (yeah!) leeks, pineapple, zucchini and....des pommes. Lots and lots of pommes.


So far I've made leek and zucchini soup and leak and zucchini quiche, eaten three pears, 2 bananas (in the tapioca dessert!), and...1 pomme.  errrrgggggg. J'en ai déjà marre des pommes! 


How will I get through autumn without wanting to throw an apple out the window? I can just see it coming - apple sauce, apple slices, apple and cheese, apples and cinnamon...oh merde.


Why can't nectarines just be a year-round fruit?


What fruits do you eat in the winter? Any great apple recipes out there?