Done Is Better Than Perfect

As much as I’m looking forward to summer holidays I do think it’s quite rude that it’s already the second week of June. I considered peeking back at my January resolutions but decided life is comedic enough and who needs the pressure. The upside is that Paris is stunning at the moment so the existential dread of time passing at breakneck speed can be shrugged off while gazing at red geraniums on every corner.

The semi-annual little antique festival at Saint Sulpice popped back up last week and I slipped through on the way home one day while carrying heavy bags, promising myself I’d return for this book later, but I never did and now it’s gone. Sort of ideal because I don’t need one more thing in our apartment and my life motto seems to be “done is better than perfect” anyway.

If you ever need an emergency vegan birthday cake like I did this week (long story) keep in mind Copains who have a great selection that’s also available for very quick delivery. The yuzu & basil tart was exceptional and also sturdy enough to hold candles and sparklers.

We headed over to rue du Nil on Friday night for dinner which made me feel like a real adult, crowded around a table on a bustling street after sunset, until in classic Parisian fashion a garbage truck rumbled down the street which scattered revellers and signalled that it was time to head home.

After a week of scrounging together meals at the corner store (no time do a proper shop) it was with great joy that I pulled out my grandma trolley for the market on Saturday and I went overboard, filling it with enough food for an army. Strawberries were on sale so I got three different types to do a tasting but then tossed them all in a colander together and the children demolished them before we got a look in.

We had friends for dinner Saturday evening which was the perfect excuse to finally buy some peonies now the prices have dropped. There was roast chicken with oregano and lemon, crisped potatoes, honeyed carrots, a simple salad, fresh baguette to soak up the rich jus and a selection of cheese. Then all the kids joined me in the kitchen and we whipped up raspberry soufflés for dessert which rose pleasingly under intense supervision.

With multiple groups of house guests at once I spent most of the weekend at the flea market showing everyone around, fuelled with multiple coffees from Harry’s. I fell dangerously in love with these embroidered chairs but quickly talked myself down as a) we already have chairs and b) we have small children who love tomato pasta, but I hope one of you buys them and loves them forever.

Have a great week,

- Emily

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Cheese we’re eating this week:

• Tomme de chèvre - an aged pressed goat’s milk cheese with an almost crumbly texture.

• Ossau-Iraty - a raw, sheep’s milk cheese from the Pays Basque (Basque country) made in a tradition that’s so old it’s said to predate the English alphabet.

• Neufchâtel - a soft bloomy-rind cheese made in the Neufchâtel-en-Bray region of Normandy which dates back to the 6th century and has been sold in a heart shape since the Hundred Years' War, when young girls offered heart-shaped cheeses to English soldiers to show their affection.

All three cheeses were bought from Fromagerie Saint Vrain at Marché Maubert.

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In place of a recipe this week I’m asking you for recommendations… I found some sour cherries at the market (as rare as hen’s teeth in Paris). What shall I do with them? Comments are open to everyone!

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Real Life Paris Photo

June 5th.