To be translated –  Il y a 2 semaines, j’ai eu l’occasion de tester le nouveau service de livraison de plats gastronomiques à domicile : Chaud, Chaud Chaud en compagnie de 2 foodistas de talent Maïa et Linda !

Derrière Chaud Chaud Chaud se cachent Charles Compagnon, propriétaire de 3 restaurants à Paris (L’Office, Richer et 52 Faubourg Saint Denis) ainsi que Adrien Bouchaud, son chef de cuisine et associé. Le principe ? Une livraison en 20 minutes de plats dignes de restos gastronomiques version take-away et à prix bistrot. La feignante et gourmande que je suis dis tout de suite : « Chaud, Chaud, Chaud devant » !

Vous pouvez consulter le menu en ligne sur leur site sachant qu’il change régulièrement car il est élaboré à partir de produits frais et de saison. Voici un aperçu de ce qu’on a eu l’occasion de déguster.

Sans oublier le jambon de parme de 16 mois de la Maison DOK DALL’AVA à San Daniele (4,50€); la burrata au lait cru de vache de Sanza, Italie – 125g (6,50€) et de la tome du Jura ainsi que du chèvre (désolée ils ne sont plus à la carte du coup je n’ai plus les infos) arrosés d’une merveilleuse bouteille de vin rouge Dolcetta d’Alba Sottimano 2014 (19€) choisie par le Rital bien sûr !

On continue avec les plats !

Je n’ai plus tous les détails mais en gros on a aussi goûté : du lieu poêlé, des oeufs butternut, des poireaux ravigote etc… Et ne vous inquiétez pas, il y en a aussi pour les becs sucrés !

Et comme in on n’avait pas déjà assez mangé comme ça, Linda nous a ramené son monkey bread fait maison aux pralines roses, un régale ! Donc non seulement on s’est régalé en très bonne compagnie, mais en plus on a eu la chance de passer ce bon moment dans le magnifique appartement de Charles Compagnon superbement décoré par sa femme Gesa Hansen, designer. Nous qui cherchons actuellement à acheter un appartement, on rêve exactement d’un appartement comme celui-là ! On emménage quand ? :)

Non mais regardez-moi cette verrière en bois !!!

Certains meubles comme cette magnifique commode ont été faits par Gesa Hansen.

Incroyable cet appartement n’est-ce pas ? En tout cas je suis ravie de ce moment passé entre amis à déguster de bons petits plats et j’attends avec impatience que Chaud, Chaud, Chaud livre chez moi pour pouvoir organiser des dîner sans lever le petit doigt. :) Car oui, malheureusement, Chaud, Chaud, Chaud ne livre pour l’instant que  Paris et que 5 arrondissements : 1er, 2e, 3e 9e et 10e. Alors qui est chaud pour tester Chaud, Chaud, Chaud ? :)

A few weeks ago I received the last Kitchen Trotter box. their latest partnership is with Florida grapefruit. Let’s go to the Sunshine State to fill you up with vitamins to fight against the cold! 

Unfortnately we are not actually flying to Florida but we can pretend we are by bringing the sun in our plates.

This is what’s inside the Florida Box:

– 2 Florida grapefruits

– 5 dry products : arils of dry pomegranates,  golden sesame, black rice, olive oil scented with basil and vanilla extract

– a recipe booklet

– a Florida booklet

A zest of history : in the booklet we learn that the grapefruit was introduced in Florida by a French man, that France is the 2nd largest importer in Europe and that French people are the 2nd biggest grapefruit consumer in the world after Japanese people!

Florida grapefruits are known to have several benefits: antioxidant, diuretic, draining, ernegizing and poor in calories.

I must confess that I’m not a huge grapefruit fan, I always thought it tasted too bitter. I decided to accept to receive this box because I thought that maybe it was about time to learn to like grapefruits and to complete my « Bon appétit! » category. Here are some suggestions to savor grapefruits at any time of the day and brighten up your winter.

Breakfast:

If you like grapefruits, you can eat Florida grapefruit on its own without adding any sugar because it’s the more sweetened grapefruit. Like I told you I’m not a big fan of grapefruits but it’s true that this one is far more sweet that what I could remember. However I personnaly still can’t eat grapefruit on its own (I know I’m a liar).

If like me you prefer to drink it, you can mix 2 oranges, 1/4 of lemon and a piece of ginger to make it the perfect anti-cellulitis drink! It was exactly what I needed before going to Mauritius because I wasn’t ready for the bikini test since I’ve been eating raclettes all winter long.

Lunch:

However if there’s one thing I particulary love is to eat sour/sweet. I even took the bad habbit of adding dried grapes everywhere. We prepared a sour/sweet salad with grapefruit, salad, feta cheese, avocado, shrimps, carrots, pomegranate, seeds, dried grapes, the whole sprinkled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. It might be the recipe that reconciled me with grapefruits!

Here is a 2d presentation, thank you to the Boyfriend and Mum-in-law for it!

Snack:

For snack it’s easy, you just need yoghurt or cottage cheese, some pomegranate seeds and few slices of grapefruit and voilà! I also added one drop of vanilla extract. Simple but very good!

Dinner:

Finally, to end the day let’s prepare a salad with chicken, black rice, pomegranate, peas, carotts, feta cheese, coriander, seeds and arills of dried pomegranates.

I’m sure that with this type of diet you will be in good shape for the rest of winter! You can find Florida grapefruits from November to April in almost every food shops. What about you? How do you like to eat your grapefruits? I wouldn’t say no to some new recipe ideas.  Let’s say that warmer weather is not that far away anymore…

Post sponsored by Florida grapefruit

Last weekend I was invited by The Parisian Kitchen for a cooking class.

You may not know this but I almost never cook, the Boyfriend is such a good cook that I prefer to let him to do it. My talent is not in the kitchen but at the table because I’m a really good eater (I’m a “stomach on legs” remember).  

In a few words, a cooking class is always a good idea for me and I like it even more when you can eat what you cook in a nice apartment with a good bottle of red wine (ok I admit, that’s what made me want to do it at first).

The concept of The Parisian Kitchen is very nice. You just have to go on the website to choose the menu you want to cook. You have the choice between the poultry menu, the fish menu and the red meat menu and then book the date. On D day you will go buy the ingredients at the lovely Lévis market with Bénédicte and then she will bring you into her kitchen in her wonderful Haussman-style apartment for a 2h cooking class. And the best thing is that at the end you will have a nice lunch all together. Look at this flat, isn’t it dreamy?!

I asked 2 stove pros to come with me: the Boyfriend and Maïa from the blog Petits Beguins. Before moving on to some serious stuff we had a nice cup of tea/coffee to gain strength.

It was then time to work! We peeled, kneeded, mixed, cut, grinded… in a relaxing and joyful atmosphere!

While everything was cooking, we had time to share a nice bottle of champagne (Ruinart is one of the best).  

And then came finally the time to say: « à table »! The table was beautifully set by Bénédicte and she put a gift on every plate: a homemade candle, how sweet!

You can now have a look at what we cooked and then devoured.

A traditional cheese soufflé as a starter

We continued with a beef sirloin steak, red wine dressing and caramelized vegetables with some purée.

Some cheese, because in France a meal without cheese is not a proper meal.

To finish,  a delicious tarte tatin!

It was so good! I think I chose cooking enthusiasts so they can counterbalance my lack of culinary skills and it was so nice to get to know better Maïa and to spend some time with The Boyfriend who had a lot of fun. Plus Bénédicte is such a sweet woman, very patient and ready to listen. This was a real success!

If you come to visit Paris, The Parisian Kitchen is the best way to discover the French cuisine in a classy and convivial way and live an authentic Parisian experience!

After this filling lunch washed down with champagne and wine, a digestive stroll in the area was necessary. Bénédicte’s apartment is in the 17th arrondissement, close to parc Monceau (you can read again my post about this area here). I love this neighborhood so much!

Thanks again to Bénédicte (The Parisian Kitchen) for such a lovely experience and I hope you will come visit her for your next French trip.

Picard is celebrating its 40th birthday ! (If you live outside of France you probably don’t know it. It’s a French frozen food company. They have stores in France of course but also in Belgium, Italy and since recently in Sweden). To celebrate it they decided to spoil us by creating a birthday box you may also have the chance to win. 

I always had Picard in my fridge because I’m a lazy bum and not a good cook but also because it’s so good ! I really don’t know how we managed 40 years ago when Picard didn’t exist yet. :)

Picard is like my best friend, always there when I’m in a hurry or tired, he’s been serving me my Christmas dinner with my friends for years, he is comforting me with his delicious moelleux au chocolat when I’m sad, refreshing me with ice creams when it’s hot… In a few words, he is faithful, generous and always attentive, all the qualities of a good friend !

As a big fan of Picard I posted some pictures of its products on Instagram.

As a result, I got contacted by Picard’s communication agency, Vianova, to receive a birthday box. I obviously accepted, curious of knowing what was inside and I can tell you I wasn’t disappointed. Here is what the courier brought me.  

Yes you see correctly, a big box with these 2 huge helium balloons, a real eye-catcher ! But what could possibly be inside that mysterious box ?

Tadaaa ! Paper decorations for a festive atmosphere, wooden cutleries,  cute dishes from My Sweet Boutique (paper towels, cardboard plates and paper straws, a 40 candle and a bottle of champagne, nice isn’t it ? And that’s not all, there was as well a coupon for 6 Picard’s products (3 salted and 3 sweet).  

(#picpic4ever » my hashtag for Picard on instagram :p)

Thanks to these coupons I had everything I needed for my housewarming last weekend, is that perfect timing or what ?!

The 3 salted products : 20 canapés apéritifs, 40 mini bouchées apéritives (created specially to celebrate the 40th birthday) and 12 mini-bagels.

the sweet products : 20 mini macarons (also created for the occasion), 9 choux craquelins, and at last but not least 9 petits cannelés.

Mon boyfriend always told me when we moved in together that there was absolutely no way we have frozen food in our fridge. I was therefore forbidden to buy any unless it was Picard, « true story » !

It was the first time I had the cannelés but I’ll change my habits because they were delicious, my boyfriend even said that they were the best of his life (with a bit of exagération of course)

Anyway, taking these pictures made me want to take some photography lessons and more precisely food photography lessons.

On Sunday, the weather was so amazing that I took my balloons for some air. My friends were so happy to see me carrying them the whole day especially when there was some wind, they always had the balloons in their face. I thank them for their patience and for not being ashamed of me (or at least not too much). :p

To match Picard’s colors I was dressed in blue  : my new skirt from Zara (that you saw it here), my Karl Marc John top and my Bobbies (that you saw here).

Would you like to receive as well this birthday box ?

To participate :

- live in Metropolitan France (sorry again for my foreign friends)

- like the Facebook’s page of Picard Surgelés and the one of Les Flâneries d’Aurélie 

- leave a comment here telling me your story with Picard (why do you love Picard, what’s your favorite product…).

I’ll do a random draw among the best stories so try to be original.  :)

You have until Saturday 30th of March, midnight to participate. The winner will be announced the next day.

Good luck !

Pic Pic hourra ! I wish you an amazing birthday my friend !

I couldn’t resist talking to you about the girly tea party I had last weekend. Most of you have probably already read Daphné’s article about this event. This sweet moment of conviviality combining decoration and bakery was totally in line with this blog spirit.

As you know I’m a big Instagram addict. I’ve always taking pictures of everything so this app was made for me.Like I told you in my last post, I would have never guessed that I would have met people thanks to IG. However I keep meeting new people thanks to it, which impresses me because I’m a shy person usually.

Last Sunday we had a big instameet with Angéline, Anne, Morgane, Alice and Daphné at Amélia’s and Paul‘s. We had a tea party (worthy of Alice in Wonderland) to meet in person after writing to each other on IG for a long time.

You’re not dreaming, this place is real and decorated entirely by Amélia and Paul.
Let’s not forget the famous ceiling made of paper flowers.

On the menu :

No need to tell you how delicious everything was and it was the 1st time I had the opportunity to try handmade calissons !

In short, decoration, baking and a welcome that reflect well the generosity and creativity of Amélia and Paul (if you organize an event, you can contact them, they are wedding planners, caterers…).

A great afternoon spent with lovely people, setting the world to rights a cup of coffee in one hand, a piece of cake in the other.

Who said internet couldn’t bring people together ? :)

In a bowl, mix the butter and the egg yolk with a wooden spoon. Add the flour, the sugar, the cinnamon and the salt.

Knead gently the mixture until dough makes a ball  (you can add some water if needed but it shouldn’t be necessary).

Cover the bowl with transparent plastic film and put the dough in a cool place for 1h. Preheat the oven to 180°c.

Roll the dough and cut it with cookie cutters. Most of my cookie cutters come from Ikea, when my Eiffel Tower one comes from the American grocery store Thanksgiving (20 rue Saint-Paul 75004 Paris).

Lay the biscuits on a baking tray covered with greaseproof paper. Cook for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the icing : put some icing sugar in a bowl and add some drops of water (be careful, you really need a few drops). Mix it with a tea spoon, the icing sugar should be just “wet” and smooth.  I must admit it was the first time that I was trying the icing (as you can see) which was a complete failure ! Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll do better than me.

When they come out of the oven, put the icing on and let them dry and cool. Voilà, now you just have to savor them with a nice tea !

Greeting card made by Laura from the blog Pink et Cetera, “Dutch house” candle from  Monoprix, “Here comes the snow” card from Sézane.

I wish you a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s celebrations to you all, full of laugh, love and good food. :)

Indian summer is finally over, colder temperatures start to set in so what’s the best option to warm up ? Having a nice slice of a warm apple pie of course ! ? (what a poor excuse I know… :p)

Do you remember that in a previous post I went to the farmer’s market to pick apples to make an apple pie ? Here it is ! (I don’t think that it’s necessary to explain to you the benefits of having an Italian/American boyfriend that loves to cook !).

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled, cut into small pieces
• 3 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, chilled, cut into small pieces (can be replaced by butter)
• 4 tablespoons (or more) ice water

• 6 cooking apples, pared and sliced                
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup sugar                                                  
• cinnamon                                                        
• 1/2 cup butter, softened                                   

Directions :

Preheat oven to 356. Butter a pie plate. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter and shortening; pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle 4 tablespoons ice water over the mixture. Process just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic. Chill 1 hour.

In the meantime, peel apples and sprinkle with sugar, butter and cinnamon (I added a bit of lemon juice too).

Remove the refrigerated dough, divide in half. Roll out the first half of the dough on a lightly floured work surface into a 14-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch diameter glass pie dish. Fold the overhang under. Crimp the edges decoratively. Pierce the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Freeze the crust for 15 minutes. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep frozen.) Next, place the bottom crust in the pie plate and fill it with the apple mixture.

Cut the second half of dough into strips with a pastry wheel (or a pizza wheel if you have one). Lay out the strips of the pie dough on top of the filling to form a crisscross pattern. I’ll recommend you add egg wash on the strips to give extra shine to the dough (I should have done it because mine is a bit pale even though it looks even paler in the pictures). I didn’t have a lot of dough left so I wasn’t able to make a lot of strips, which explains why some of them broke during the cooking. I would recommend you then to increase a bit the quantities (or if you buy the crust it’s even easier !)

Put small pieces of butter over the crust.

Bake at 356F for 45 minutes. Can be served garnished with whipped cream or with some vanilla ice cream or even better with both if you think it’s not heavy enough (yes fat helps to get warm).

Now you just have to enjoy it : bon appétit !

“Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness” (Jane Austen)