Dead of Winter Inspiration and a Celery Gratinée

February is a dismal month in Paris.  The weather is bitter cold, even when skies are deceptively blue.  Outdoor markets can be empty of trusted vendors (leaving produce merchants with stands looking far too much like summer to even be considered) or crowded with people (such as myself) looking over farmer stands well stocked with root vegetables for which inspiration has begun to lag. The promise of Valentine's day fills store windows... but I know it's a sweet ruse, something to help us through till Spring.

Wednesdays and Saturdays with President Wilson

There are some markets I visit but rarely shop from, some markets I go to because they're convenient (just up - or down - the street from where we live) and then there are those I'm willing to get on the metro for (with my cart no less).  The Marché President Wilson is just  one of those markets.

Into the New Year

The Tuilleries on January 9, 2012 - notice the lack of heavy coats... or snow

Winter.  It's here. Well, it's supposed to be though I've not seem much sign of it in Paris. The temperature has steadily remained in the high 40's low 50's, and based upon the produce available most everywhere, you'd think we were in a summer cold snap.

Marché Maubert and a Turducken Tale

The holidays for an ex-pat are a confusing time of year.  Not only do you miss family and friends who are miles and several time zones away, you also long for some familiar element or essential ingredient that's simply not available where you happen to be celebrating.  It's doubly so if one also happens to be Franco-American (or Italian/Dutch/Asian/Hindi/whatever - American) with one foot in each country.

Abundant Fall Chantrelles make for Great Omelettes

The brilliant, golden Girolles are unmistakable in the market place

Fall back in California is marked by the arrival of pumpkins at the local farmers markets. One of the first clues that fall has indeed arrived in Paris is the appearance of Girolles (what we English speakers call Chantrelles) in the marchées.  Oh sure, there have been plenty of Lithuanian, Russian and Polish Girolles up till now, but it is the arrival of the FRENCH, brilliant orange, Girolle that marks the change of season.

A golden brown exterior with a soft, gooey interior is exactly what makes a great omlette

Which brings me to Omelettes. There is really nothing that highlights the subtle, meaty, earthy, nutty flavor of Girolles like an omelette.  Simple!  You say... not so fast.  There is a world of difference between an old school French omelette and what passes for an omelette these days. I should know, my mother was "Janine the Omelette Queen"!