I spent Monday morning patiently waiting for a call about an important delivery, 2000 copies of my book to be lugged upstairs into our storage cupboard for me to sell/deliver over the coming months (self publishing is no joke, would you like to hear more about it?). Unlike the two previous shipments this one went smoothly and we created a little chain to pass the 100 boxes into the elevator, then as a reward for the hard work mum and I slipped down to Briezh Café for one last crêpe before her flight back home to Australia, suitcase overweight with little books.
Creative coach Anne Ditmeyer and I danced around an appliance repair time-slot to get coffee at the new Mise en Page installation in le Bon Marché, where we ran into curator Sarah Andelman, responsible for the magic alongside artist Jean Jullien. As our discussion on books, creative mapping and small business logistics wrapped up I dashed off and the washing-machine-repair gods smiled on me as the technician both showed up on time AND fixed the problem, leaving me a few spare minutes to take the dog out before collecting the children at school. As I stepped off the bus my attention was diverted to a small crowd of teenagers uncertainly hovering around a man on the ground, who upon further inspection was bleeding heavily from his face so I took charge and put him in the recovery position, gave the ambulance dispatcher the correct address, instructed someone to keep him talking and conscious and handed him a tissue compress before skedaddling off to the school gates (there’s a strict five minute pickup window). On the way home we detoured back to check all was under control (everyone was gone and I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined it), then poor Noisette finally got her bathroom break.
A little idea for a project popped into my head last week and although I believe there’s no great need for yet another podcast I have a hunch it might be of interest to some of you, judging by the most common discussion threads on my tours and on Instagram, so I’m announcing it before I can convince myself it’s a non-starter. Introducing Motherhood Around the World, a podcast celebrating women and exploring the big and small differences when raising children around the globe. It’s an interview format and in season one I’ll speak to women from Australia, France, USA, Canada, Italy, Guatemala, Greece, Sweden and I’d love to speak to mothers in all other countries. If you’d like to be featured please email motherhoodaroundtheworld@gmail.com and I would be so grateful if you could please subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify, Substack). I’ve also opened up the comments section for everyone this week so if you have any tips or questions I’d love to hear them below!
My cousin and his girlfriend visited us for a few days and it was so much fun reliving my terrible babysitting skills (eg the time I gave him a bowl haircut and the nights I served brownies for dinner). After a night of laughs I introduced them to the croissants at Maison Isabelle before sending them off to explore the city while I did my rounds at the market, slightly despondent at the thought of yet another week of apples and pears, turning down some pre-season white asparagus at €49 a kilo(!) and longing for the first sweet fraise gariguette to appear.
My son attended a treasure hunt birthday party in the park, so I spent a damp hour under torrential rain as his younger sister pranced about in puddles like a happy duck. By the time the cake was brought out he was shivering but the lure of sugar is strong and a hot chocolate seemed to tide him though the singing and the chilly walk home to a warm bath and a big nap.
On Saturday night we sat down to a gorgeous meal of scallop carpaccio under a sprinkle of lemon zest, olive oil and crunchy salt, followed by veau Orloff, veal stuffed with so much ham and cheese it’s falling apart, roasted on a bed of thinly mandolin-ed potatoes which absorbed all the cooking juices à la pommes Anna. We skipped cheese and went straight to dessert, tarte Tatin with caramel ice-cream, before spending an hour or so decorating posters to cheer on my husband at the semi-marathon the next morning (he received exceptional approval to cook regular pasta, gluten and all, for his dinner to prepare for the race).
On Sunday morning we walked through the organised chaos over to Pont Louis Philippe and sipped on coffee from le Peloton while we cheered on the runners approaching the final stretch. After a health scare in January he decided to pull out of the marathon in April but remained positive about the semi (why you’d do any race at all if you’re not on social media to brag about it is beyond me) and while I had my doubts and was actively anxious about it, all went well.
Have a great week,
- Emily
Scallop Carpaccio
So simple, I serve this as a starter a few times a year when fresh scallops are in abundance (by which I mean prices come down) at the market.
Fresh scallops - ideally removed from their shell that day, around 2 per person.
Lime
Olive oil
Salt
De-shell the scallops (or have your fishmonger do it), remove the roe, rinse off any stray grit and dry them on a paper towel. This recipe only works with really fresh scallops, please don’t try it with frozen or any you can’t guarantee.
Hold on its side and thinly slice, then arrange the slices on a plate. Grate a little lemon zest, add a few drops of olive oil and a sprinkle of good quality salt. Serve with a lime wedge.
Bon appétit!
Cheese we’re eating this week:
Mini-clac - a firm little cheese made from raw goat’s milk.
Burrata - an Italian cow’s milk cheese, it has an outer layer of mozzarella and is stuffed with stracciatella and cream.
Pyrénées Brebis - an aged sheep’s milk cheese from the Pyrénées mountains, made according to Basque tradition, with a rather strong, sweet taste.
All 3 cheeses were from were from Marché Maubert.
Real Life Paris Photo
Pain surprise (surprise bread). Each layer of triangles has a different filling. A retro French party hit.
Emily: Your podcast sounds just right for this time in our complicated world. My children are grown ups, so I am not sure I am your audience, but I am cheering you on! Your dinner sounds divine...I'm making steamed mussels with fennel, chorizo and tiny canned cherry tomatoes tonight. Lots of rain this week in Brooklyn, so wishing you and yours a sun-filled week!
Congratulations on the podcast which will be a huge hit! Question - Would you recommend the person you use for washer/dryer repair? Thank you.