An Uneducated Palate

You might be a foodie if every single treasure you bought to bring home from your recent trip to Paris is edible (except for one very lovely little locket). Here is a list of the goodies I purchased, packed carefully into my suitcase, and disclosed fully to Canada customs (Really. I did.)

From the fabulous Fauchon

• One box of decadent chocolates for my sister
• One jar of pretty pink peppercorns. When in Fauchon, you really can’t help but think pink.

And just down the block at Hediard:

• Bourbon Vanilla Powder and Guérande Fleur de Sel, both key ingredients in an unforgettable dessert I had learned to make earlier in the week at Le Cordon Bleu – a Puff Pastry Apple Tart with Caramel and Sea Salt Ice Cream. (Watch for the full review of cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu coming soon.)

By the way, Hediard also has an amazing display of exotic fruits and vegetables, too expensive for the average shopper, but always free to admire.

From the Bon Marché Grand Epicerie’s mind-blowing choice of gourmet delights:

• One tiny can of Mousse de Canard au Sauternes. I wanted to introduce my palate to paté while I was in Paris but somehow it never happened. I’m not entirely convinced I will like it since I am not a fan of organ meat, but now that I’m in the privacy of my home, I promise I will try to taste it with an open mind.
• One jar of Crema di Pistacchi imported from Sicily – another key ingredient I needed to recreate Le Cordon Bleu’s Roasted Fig Tart at home.

And finally, from The Louvre Gift Shop (edible souvenirs at the Louvre?)

• Okay it’s not actually edible but it is food-related. I bought a reproduction of Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s oil on canvas, Spring, 1573. Of all the masterpieces hanging in the Louvre, I chose to bring home a bizarre portrait made entirely of vegetables and flowers. When I bought the print I wasn’t thinking about it as a foodie souvenir. It just turned out that this was the one piece of art that really spoke to me (maybe because it looked like a character right out of a J.R.R Tolkien novel). It hangs in my kitchen now where it reminds me of everything I loved most about Paris.