Procrastination Tax
The heatwave was all anyone could talk about this week and while it was indeed hot, my eyes got an excellent workout rolling back and forth all day as people clutched at fans and threw themselves into stores for some cool air. The only sympathy I had was for Noisette who’s taken to sleeping on the cool bathroom tile and jumping on any scraps of watermelon or cucumber that I may have accidentally dropped on the floor.
I realised in a panic we’d only organised half our summer trip which went from being ages away to around the corner so jumped on the SNCF app to find train prices reaching the outer bounds of affordability and kissed my discount card (it honestly pays for itself after one journey) which mitigated the procrastination tax. And so the summer spending runway begins…
It’s a great year for strawberries and I’ve got multiple text chains going on which markets have organic vs regular, what the prices are and how much of our future retirement fund should be devoted to this simple pleasure. The ones at Ferme de la Petite Solle (at Marche Maubert on Saturdays) are the absolute best, so red they’ve almost too pretty to eat, but please don’t make me regret sharing.
With some spare time near the Grand Palais I popped in to the Hilma af Klint exhibition which I enjoyed enough to buy a magnet (my highest honour). Truly ahead of her time I struggled to accept she created these canvasses before 1915 but am just thankful she only sealed her abstract works for 20 years after her death so we get the chance to admire them.
On Saturday evening while the rest of the family tuned into the Champions League final to cheer Paris Saint Germain I settled in to watch the Kylie Minogue documentary, each happy in our own way. When guests arrived for dinner I gave up on ordering the kids to the table and and let them keep watching into overtime and penalty shootout, the novelty of a screen more enticing than their actual interest in the game. From the dining table we kept tabs on the score by the cheers down in the street and the chaos that followed.
Sunday was Mother’s Day here in France so I’m finally allowed to wear the blouse I chose weeks ago that’s been taunting me from the closet and my son painted me a very pleasing pink flamingo (my spirit animal), presented proudly among bouquets and school art projects. I rose early and in place of breakfast in bed (we agreed to do pancakes for dinner instead) nipped out solo to an excellent vide-grenier where I treated myself to a vintage Yves Saint Laurent dress (€40) with blue love hearts that may one day fit.
While my husband shuttled kids from one birthday party to the next (all May/June/July/August babies need to be celebrated in a select few weekends between the May public holidays and the summer break) I took guests to the flea market which is probably the favourite of my 438269 part-time jobs. In the evening we regrouped and my teenager and I were humbled by the subtleties of gluten free baking, with both tears and laughter as we somehow messed up a foolproof pancake recipe. Twice.
Have a great week,
- Emily
P.S. A couple I know are looking for an apartment to rent December 7th for 6 weeks, max budget €4000 all in, Paris ideally 6th arrondissement. Dates can be flexible. Please email me if you have one or know of one and I’ll put you in touch.
Cheese we’re eating this week:
Napoléon - a sheep’s milk cheese made in the Basque country and named after a mountain range in the Pyrénées that resembles the emperor's profile.
Tomme aux lin - a pasteurized cow’s milk cheese that’s rolled in crushed flax seeds after a few months of maturing, which gives it a subtle woody aroma.
Chèvre Parthenay - a soft, raw goat’s milk cheese with a fine coating of ash served on a chestnut leaf, from Parthenay in the Poitou-Charente region.
Someone emailed me recently to ask how I choose cheese as it can feel intimidating. For the life of me I can’t find the email but my reply is just pick at random, note what you like and what you don’t and each week you’ll feel more confident. I’ve been sold many duds in the past (luckily my husband will eat anything so they weren’t wasted) and now know blue isn’t for me but I love a stinky, salty époisses and only like brie that’s running away, not stoic. My kids adore goat which I’ll only eat in a salad but I do appreciate a thick slice of hard sheep cheese. It’s all experimentation and if your fromage dealer isn’t nice and helpful find another one.
Frozen Eton Mess
The original version is with whipped cream but the superior version is with ice cream. If you want to make your own meringues there’s a recipe at the bottom of this post or here. You can serve this in dainty individual glasses/ice-cream coupes or pile into an impressive wobbly tower to place on the table for a bit of drama.
Meringues, at least one fist sized one per person, crushed into nice bite-sized chunks
Mixed fresh seasonal berries
Vanilla ice-cream
Berry coulis or jam (optional)
Gather classes, coupes or your serving platter
Layer ice cream, mixed berries and crushed meringue until it looks like a beautiful mess. Drizzle with berry coulis if using.
Serve immediately.
Bon appétit!
Real Life Paris Photo
The Jardin du Luxembourg honey is coming along nicely.
Recent Finds Worth Sharing:
This book inspired me to finally lean in and solve our book storage problem with multiples of these shelves
My friend influenced me to try these bronzing drops and I love them. Zero orange so far.
Paris Mail Club art is ready to ship on the 14th, don’t miss out!
I need to go see the Hilma af Klimt! Those bronzing drops are my fave - been using them since they came out!!! 😍