As part of an early graduation present, I was given the opportunity to travel to Paris, France in early January! Usually I report on healthy food monthly but for this month, I thought I’d switch it up a little and write about the foods I ate in Paris and possible recipes that could be used to emulate these delicious treats!

Upon my arrival, my family and I ate lunch at the well known, Laduree Restaurant which was founded in 1862! Laduree is famous for their pastries, macaroons, and delicious sandwiches! I ordered a Croque-madame, which is basically an extravagant grilled cheese!  Its crisp grilled ham and cheese sandwich usually moistened by a touch of Béchamel sauce and topped with an oozy  fried egg on top!

It was extremely filling, so I suggest only eating half not only to avoid a stomach ache but also to cut down on the calorie intake! Perhaps only having half the sandwich and substitute the rest for a green salad or a cup of fruit!

If you’re interested in recreating this delicious parisian recipe, here is an amazing recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2011!

Ingredients

• 2 thin slices ham
• 50g Monterey Jack or cheddar grated
• 2 chunky slices bread, such as sourdough
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 egg
• handful salad, to serve

Method

1. Heat a frying pan on a medium heat and put oven on low. Put the ham and cheese between the bread slices and press to seal, then spread half the butter on the outside of the sandwich on both sides.
2. Fry in the pan, pressing down with a fish slice, for 1-2 mins until golden then flip and cook the other side. Keep warm in the oven. Melt remaining butter in the pan and fry egg for 1-2 mins until cooked. Top the croque with the egg and serve with salad.

Another amazing famous parisian dish, I tasted at the amazing Hotel Costes Restaurant and Bar on my first night in Paris was Steak-frites! This dish is the pairing of a grilled steak with various sauces and thinly cut potatoes that are hand-cut and double-fried. It was prepared perfectly and was better than any US steak I’ve ever tasted!

Once again, to stay on the more healthy side, I suggest cutting back on the potatoes and maybe preparing sauteed spinach or a broccoli rob!

This recipe from Good Food Magazine is a little more involved but definitely worth it!

Ingredients

• 600g medium-sized King Edward potatoes or Maris Piper potatoes
• sunflower oil
• , for frying
• 2 x 200g/8oz beef  steaks
• 2 handfuls mixed leaves
• dressing of your choice, to serve

For the butter

• 50g butter softened
• small handful parsley  leaves, finely chopped
• 1 small garlic clove, minced (optional)
• small squeeze lemon juice

Method

1. First make the butter: mash all the ingredients together with lots of cracked black pepper. Pat the butter flat between cling film (it’ll chill quicker when thinner) and put in the fridge or freezer to harden.
2. Cut the potatoes into neat chips, rinse under hot water, then dry on a tea towel. Place the chips in a deep saucepan (they should only come up a third of the way) and just cover with cold oil. Place the pan on a medium heat, bring the oil to a simmer and give the chips a stir with a wooden spoon. Increase the heat so the oil bubbles really quickly and fry the chips, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick, until crisp and golden – the whole process will take 15-20 mins. When they are done, scoop out with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with kitchen paper and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat the griddle pan until smoking hot. Season the steaks with salt and pepper and rub with a little oil – how you cook your steak will depend on the cut you have chosen and its thickness. For a steak that’s 2cm thick, cook it for 2 mins on each side for rare, adding 1 min more for every increasing degree of doneness. Just before lifting the steaks off the griddle, place half the butter on top of each. Serve the steaks with the chips, some mixed leaves and a tangy dressing.

Following my amazing meal at Hotel Costes, we walked back to Laduree and ordered a few of their famous macaroons!  Personally, my favorite flavors are pistachio, chocolate and caramel! Fortunately for all of WMC goers who live within a train ride of NYC, there is a Laduree store in Soho! So everyone can taste the amazing macaroon prepared the same way in Paris!

Macaroons consist of two almond meringue shells glued together with buttercream or ganache! Unfortunately they are very expensive, so a cost effective way of tasting the delicious pastry is baking them yourselves! With this recipe from Good Food Magazine!

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup almond flour
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup superfine sugar
• 2 to 3 drops gel food coloring (see below)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, almond or mint extract
• Special Equipment:
• Oven with convection setting
• 4 baking sheets
• 3 silicone baking mats
• Fine-mesh sieve
• Pastry bag with 1/4-inch round tip

Method

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F using the convection setting. Line 3 baking sheets with silicone mats. Measure the confectioners’ sugar and almond flour by spooning them into measuring cups and leveling with a knife. Transfer to a bowl; whisk to combine.

Sift the sugar-almond flour mixture, a little at a time, through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing with a rubber spatula to pass through as much as possible. It will take a while, and up to 2 tablespoons of coarse almond flour may be left; just toss it.

Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt with a mixer on medium speed until frothy. Increase the speed to medium high; gradually add the superfine sugar and beat until stiff and shiny, about 5 more minutes.

Transfer the beaten egg whites to the bowl with the almond flour mixture. Draw a rubber spatula halfway through the mixture and fold until incorporated, giving the bowl a quarter turn with each fold.

Add the food coloring and extract (see below). Continue folding and turning, scraping down the bowl, until the batter is smooth and falls off the spatula in a thin flat ribbon, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Holding the bag vertically and close to the baking sheet, pipe 1 1/4-inch circles (24 per sheet). Firmly tap the baking sheets twice against the counter to release any air bubbles.

Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the tops are no longer sticky to the touch, 15 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the humidity. Slip another baking sheet under the first batch (a double baking sheet protects the cookies from the heat).

Bake the first batch until the cookies are shiny and rise 1/8 inch to form a “foot,” about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Repeat, using a double sheet for each batch. Peel the cookies off the mats and sandwich with a thin layer of filling

Although all of these recipes are fairly difficult, they are extremely delicious and very close to the actual parisian delicacies! I hope one day to go again and be able to try even more cultural dishes! Maybe even Escargot!