Tag Archives: goat cheese

A Parisian Market……

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Today was market day! Youppie! I grabbed my chocolate brown-colored market caddie and camera and headed out. A mere 50 paces from the apartment on rue Longchamp and I was at one of my absolute favorite open markets in Paris!

It takes place every Wednesday and Saturday morning, from about 7am to 1:30 pm. The selection ranges from produce to meats, fish, flowers, pasta, breads, sweets and even housewares. Customers have been coming here for years and frequent their favorite vendors. One of my favorites sells delicious country breads and claims that it is the biggest open market in Paris. The other is the flower merchant at the top near Place d’Iéna. I always buy a bunch of roses for the coffee table and an elegant orchid for the telephone table. The selection of food is tremendous and I never seem to get to the end of the market near Pont d’Alma.  I noticed more foreigners than usual today; after all it is tourist season! The merchants are lively and lovely; they never mind all the photos I take and respond well to smiles.

Today’s purchases were a selection of goat cheeses……my daughter and I LOVE goat cheese and something I miss in Atlanta. Perfect for breakfast or late night snack on toasted pain, over 100 different varieties, one must try so many!

Seasonal fruits are exceptional right now, fraises des bois and cerises, so they delicately entered my caddie. Green almonds are only available for a brief period from late May to June, depending on weather, which is one of the reasons they have always been considered such a delicacy. Another reason, and perhaps the most important, is their distinct taste. Inside the peach-like fuzzy hull lies a skinless, white almond with a gelatinous texture, similar to a firm grape. These luscious pleasures encompass a subtle flavor that has been described as grassy, fruity, and even simply as “green.”

Haricots verts…..French green beans! Perfectly arranged in crates, how can one resist! When preparing  be sure to blanch them in boiling water and shock them right away in an ice water bath to preserve the chlorophyll and beautiful green color. No one likes army green beans!

Flowers are always a must and the choice is extrodinaire! Roses, peonies, Freesia, hydrangeas, lilies….select the bunches of flowers that romance you and the merchant will arrange them in a neat bouquet, à la française, so all you have to do is bring them home and set them in a vase! Voila!

How to Get There:

If you are coming from the left bank, walk across the Alma bridge and turn slightly left up Ave. du President Wilson – you can’t miss the white trucks which have brought wines, cheeses, oils, spices, breads, meats and flowers from the country. Remember that, as with most open markets, plastic sheets are pulled across the stands to protect you in case it rains. The market slowly climbs this beautiful avenue, to end behind the Trocadéro, where you can sit and enjoy the view back towards the Eiffel Tower. Or arrive via metro, the closest one is M°9 Iéna.

I’m already looking forward to Saturday when I once again reach for the market caddie and stroll down to the Marché !