Two days of sunshine was all Parisians needed to forget it’s been the wettest February on record, ignore the rising banks of the Seine and jump onto any available terrace to bask in the warmth of the promise of Spring. The magnolias are out, it’s almost the-one-day-of-the-year-you-can-wear-that-mid-weight-coat-you-never-should-have-bought-but-can’t-get-rid-of-because-for-that-one-special-day-it-makes-you-feel-like-a-movie-star and ducklings are on the way.
I jumped from job to job all week (writer, project manager, tour guide, personal assistant, cooking class teacher and now podcaster) delivering books across town, preparing a client for construction to begin on their pied-à-terre (you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain and as I told someone “yes but you’re in France” this week as an excuse for a delay I succumbed to my wicked fate), and recorded two interviews for Motherhood Around the World, ascending a steep learning curve during the editing process. My loyal husband has listened to countless versions of the first episode and still looks cheerful which is doing wonders for my imposter syndrome and I’m very excited to share it with you next week (yes I speak more slowly this time 🤣).
International Women’s Day passed without a single mansplaining incident which made a nice change of pace and I quietly celebrated France enshrining the right to abortion into the constitution, but failed to get into the spirit of what feels like a day of platitudes (although I did appreciate the flowers my husband presented our daughters and I, good job honey) while women around the world are oppressed, marginalised, assailed and giving birth in wars they had no hand in starting. This week I’ve set 20% off new paid subscriptions and all profits will be donated to the United Nations Population Fund to send emergency birth kits where they’re needed most.
To counteract the malaise I scheduled some lovely moments of joy into the week including coffee with the effervescent Dorie Greenspan (if you like to bake you simply must read her newsletter), afternoon tea with a firecracker of a friend and her young daughter and let Noisette on the bed for cuddles.
After a super macaron class where my students blew me away with their creativity, I saddled up for one of my favourite outings twice a year, dealer day at Foire de Chatou. Fueled with coffee and armed with extra Ikea bags to carry home my finds I almost ran across the bridge from the train station to greet the vendors, making my first purchase (serviettes) approximately 45 seconds after arriving. It’s on until the 17th of March (I’m heading back this week for tours, and to secure a chandelier to match these sconces) and I really recommend a visit. Also on the 17th of March is the little vide-grenier at Place Maubert which always delivers surprisingly good bargains.
The weekend was quiet with dinners at home, haircuts for the children, touching up the paint on the tiles in the guest bathroom, baking, folding old clothes to donate (if anyone would like a small mixed bag of rather scrappy clothing around 2/3 years size email me), and starting our sabzeh in order to have it looking beautiful by Spring solstice, when we celebrate Nowruz, Persian New Year.
At the market I waited in line behind the chicest lady in a navy coat with a tiny Pomeranian prancing at her feet, and as we coincidentally visited the same stalls one by one I simply copied her order each time, letting fate (or rather her) dictate what we’ll eat for the week ahead. At some point I lost her, and not having the fortitude to make any decisions of my own, simply walked home.
This week the wonderful women Myline and Claire who run French Wink in New York, a boutique full of French delicacies and stockists of my book in the USA are giving away A Day in Paris set, including a copy of the Parisian ABCs, along with an Eiffel Tower snow globe, a Paris candle and a mini metal line of Paris. All details on how to enter are here, bonne chance!!
Have a great week,
- Emily
Brownies
I’ve been making the same recipe forever. Sub in gluten free flour with a pinch of xantham gum if you need. This week-end I sprinkled praline all over the top before baking which was a genius move.
250g butter
2 cups sugar
1.5 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
4 eggs
pinch of salt
the praline was store bought and it’s optional
Set the oven to 170°C.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add in the sugar and mix. Add the flour (and xantham gum if using gf flour), cocoa, salt and mix. Add the eggs and mix.
Pour into a brownie tin lined with parchment paper and cook for around 20 minutes (depending on how gooey/firm you prefer them.
Bon appétit!
Cheese we’re eating this week:
Tête de Moine - a raw cow's milk Swiss cheese, initially produced more than eight centuries ago by the canons of the abbey of Bellelay, in the Bernese Jura mountains. It’s served via a special girolle that scrapes it into the form of rosettes.
Truffle St Marcellin - a wonderful soft cow's milk cheese named after the small town of Saint-Marcellin, with a ribbon of fresh truffles running through the middle
Fontainebleau - a speciality dairy dessert with no exact recipe, but usually made with a mix of fromage frais and whipped cream. Very delicate it’s best eaten immediately, with a light sprinkle of sugar or jam.
All 3 cheeses were from Barthélémy.
Real Life Paris Photo
A cigarette stubbed out in a baguette.
I appreciate your perspective on life. You are an excellent writer and I look forward to your posts. Your posts...and Noisette! She is darling! Have a great week. Warmer weather ahead I hope, as the winds are whipping here in Brooklyn!
So, sometimes when I see your email - and I hate to say this out loud - I think I don’t have time to read Emily this week and I toyed with that thought this morning and then read it. I am blown away by your life and galavanting and your packing things into a week, all the hats that you wear SO WELL and the people you meet and also being a phenomenal mum and wife. Well done Emsy. So proud to call you a friend.