Dish of the Day

PLAT DU JOUR

It was the first live Après-Midi at the Café de la Mairie, upstairs, that was held in a year. Until now, our only way of holding the monthly coffee gathering, that we’ve held since 2003, was on Zoom—and that worked amazingly well, given the situation struggling with Covid-19 restrictions. We didn’t know what to expect in terms of turn-out, but almost 30 people attended—an equal combination of regulars and newcomers. It was heartwarming to see everyone again after so much time having lapsed.

Chef and author, Susan Herrmann Loomis, presented her newest and 14th book, Plat du Jour. These are classic French recipes, perfected by Loomis, and shared along with beautiful photos of the dishes and stories that surround each dish, with helpful tips and intriguing details about French culinary history…Boeuf Bourguignon, Poule au Pot, Bouillabaisse, and much more. French bistrots are famous for them, but with Susan’s recipes one can bring them all into your own home.

I may never cook them myself, but I certainly do enjoy them. Just about every day, I head to Café Charlot that intelligently offers a Plat du Jour every day. That’s one of the reasons for my regular patronage. I know I can order up something new and different every day that will be well prepared and taste great. I once heard from “a little birdie” that because of my daily order, the waitstaff have nicknamed me “Madame Plat du Jour.” So, seeing Susan’s book with the title Plat du Jour made me think it “had my name on it.”

Susan imparted her words of wisdom about her culinary art and craft. We learned a lot, including that Lyon is the dividing line between cream and olive oil—they cook with cream in the north and olive oil in the south. We learned that the Dordogne has a low count of heart disease thanks to all the red wine they drink there. It was interesting also to learn that the concept of a restaurant began just after the French Revolution when the aristocrats were beheaded or fled the country leaving their chefs to seek employment elsewhere…and before you knew it, nearly 50 elegant restaurants had popped up in Paris. These chefs ingeniously developed the art of cooking meat within certain essences…or sauces…still prepared in much the same way today.

Susan has a new venture born out of Covid-19 called Dancing Tomatoes. It is a “cooking, culture, and entertainment platform dreamed up because we love to cook, we love to teach, we love to share, and we love to eat,” as the website suggests. From the platform, Susan is giving online courses twice a month where you’ll get recipes, ingredients lists and specially prepared videos so that when it’s class day, you’re ready to go! You can cook along or just watch; you can ask questions through the chat function, and you’ll have the best, most delicious time together with Susan, in her Parisian kitchen!

I urge you to explore it all and by all means, order up your copy of Plat du Jour!

To learn more and for the complete report with photos from the session, visit our APRES-MIDI page.

HERITAGE DAYS

Reminder: Don’t forget to take in Les Journées des Patrimoines this coming weekend.

After the long period of closure, particularly of cultural places that we know and love, the European Heritage Days this coming weekend offers everyone the opportunity to gather around the richness of French heritage with its unifying theme: “Heritage for all, together, let’s live the heritage.”

In metropolitan France as well as in the overseas territories, public and private owners of historic monuments, associations for the preservation and enhancement of heritage, restorers and curators of heritage properties, tour guides and architects will mobilize to welcome the public in a multitude of places.

The complete program of the European Heritage Days 2021 is available on the website.

TOWN HALL MEETING

Monday, September 20th, at 6 p.m. (France time) Americans Abroad Congressional Caucus Chair, Carolyn B. Maloney, will hold an online “Town Hall” for Americans living abroad. The event will be moderated by journalist Jim Bittermann, and is a rare opportunity to interact directly with a member of the U.S. Congress. We encourage members who attend to state their concerns and express their desire that Congress not only pay attention to our issues but take them into account when drafting legislation as well as acting more broadly to address our principal concerns.

Be there! Register online by clicking here.

LATEST TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS

You’re going to love this site…for all of you traveling anywhere, especially to Europe or France, here’s the fastest way to find the latest travel and health restrictions for your trip. But things change rapidly, so be sure to check back just prior to flying.

Hope you can get here! There’s way more to do in Paris these days then we have time for…so, don’t delay!

A la prochaine…