Touring Poilane with Patricia Wells

It was one of my luckiest days - being able to go into the basement bakery of world-famous bakery, Poilane on rue du Cherche-Midi in Paris with culinary inspiration, Patricia Wells. It has been a while since we crept down the steep half-circle staircase and found the bakers hard at work, but it seems like just yesterday.  I was in Patricia Wells cooking class for the week and part of our itinerary was a tour of Poilane. Can you imagine? 

Did you notice the intricate work being expressed in dough above? This type of culinary art is known as pain décoré - a custom loaf of bread with words, leaves or decoration to denote a special occasion.  

Here you can see the Poilane Country Loaves rising in a tower of linen-lined baskets. Functional and beautiful.  Their famous wood-burning oven is glowing in the distance.

It was a thrill to see the baker pull some Punitions (delicate butter cookies) from the wood-burning oven in the basement - you can see them as they are baking (above). Pierre Poilane (founder of Poilane in 1932) used to tell the story of his grandmother and how she would call her grandchildren to her side for a reprimand (punishment in French, punitions) and then instead surprise them with one of these sweet treats. 

The cookies are just delicious and the perfect cookie to enjoy with a cup of tea. We had a little snack upstairs in the famous room where Poilane displays the paintings of bread they accepted as payment by starving artists of the day.

Why am I spotlighting all of this now?  I keep seeing notices that Patricia is on a book tour in America for her latest book, The French Kitchen Cookbook (Santa, are you listening?) and her birthday was yesterday, so I was able to send her my best wishes on Facebook.  All of these happy events have my mind whirling as I reminisce about my time with her in Paris.  Magnifique!

Patricia Wells Cooking in Paris

I want to go back to Paris!  I have been thinking of doing lectures on finding delight in Paris to inspire travelers to get the most out of their trip.  I could do a Power Point presentation (my photos are glorious!) and use my book on Paris ("Paris: Delight in the City of Light") as a guide.  Wouldn't that be neat?

As I have been brainstorming, I've been going through my photos from my trips and came across this fabulous photo from my time with Patricia Wells in her cooking school in Paris.  The week exceeded my expectations.  I remember shelling peas at a table with Patricia Wells - I was so happy my heart was pounding.  She loves what I love and it was so very fun to be able to look her in the eye and talk about food, cooking techniques and our mutual respect for the 45th parallel (FYI - the 45th Parallel is known around the world as having a climate perfect for growing stone fruit. It also happens to be where I spend my summers).  Patricia was a wonderful teacher and exceptional host - I cherish the time I spent in her kitchen creating meal after meal.  I loved it!

I need to get back to Paris! 

Grain Sack Pillows

It has been on my "To Make" list for a year, but I finally had a chance to sew a pillow out of the coffee bean sack that I bought in Paris!

Part of the incredible week I spent with Patricia Wells in Paris was walking the food markets with her. Along the way, we stopped at a whole bean coffee vendor. We poured inside to select beans and inhale the gorgeous smell of fresh ground coffee. As everyone was making their purchases, I wandered outside and noticed a stack of coffee bean sacks from all over the world.

As I leafed through the pile looking at the markings, Patricia asked me what I was up to. "One of these is going to become a pillow in my living room!" I told her. She loved the idea and asked me to email her a picture when it was finished.

Even better, I am sending her a link to this blog post - I love technology!

As it turns out, this season the upcycling (the use of an object/item for a purpose greater than it's original use) of grain and flour bags into pillows is all the rage. If you are looking for a designer touch, you can see some for sale right now at Restoration Hardware and Ballard Designs.

I am so happy with how this looks! The texture, color and graphics are perfect for my living room and serves as a constant reminder me that "We'll Always Have Paris."

Patricia Wells in Paris

Can you believe that it has already been one year since I spent a magical week in Paris with Patricia Wells? It seems like just yesterday I was sitting with Patricia at her kitchen table shelling fresh peas - heaven!

If you ever have the chance to take an "At Home with Patricia Wells" class, I highly recommend it. You'll find yourself talking, cooking and laughing alongside the most delightful icon of cooking. It is the epitome of delight!

A Visit to Poilane

When I first enrolled in Patricia Wells' cooking class in Paris, I poured over her web page and memorized the sample itinerary. I was so excited that I tried to bide my time by studying "all things French" until class began 18 months later (With only 7 students per class, registration is sometimes a year and a half out).

As the trip approached, my friends and family would ask questions about what I thought we would do in class and where I thought we would go. Every time I got to the part where I said I thought we would be touring Poilane Bakery, I got choked up. My eyes would water and I would smile and stall while I tried to compose myself. "A bakery?" they would ask. "Are you talking about a bakery?" Because they could not fathom why I would be tearing up. I am a "happy cryer," you see, and my emotions hit "tilt" every time I thought of the history of Poilane and the fact that I would get a behind the scenes look.

Poilane Bakery on rue du Cherche-Midi has been carving the now famous "P" on each Poilane Loaf (see above) for Parisians since 1932. I had heard about this bakery, the "P", the ovens, even eaten the bread, for years, yet in my prior trips to Paris, I had never actually made it inside the store front.

Well, it was simply the best field trip I have ever been on. I loved visiting the store, touring the original (and still operating) basement bakery, meeting the bakers and having tea & cookies under a chandelier made of bread. I have been writing all about my experience in my upcoming book (Paris: Delight in the City of Light) and I just had to share a bit of it with you today.

The Poilane website is interesting because it bridges old baking traditions with modern ideas. Click the "Bread & Games" tab and download a pdf to build your own paper Poilane (a mini-replica of the store)! Now that fills my criteria for something that is both beautiful and interesting.

Cherry Clafoutis

It seems like just yesterday that I was standing in front of a bin of cherries (in Paris' Rue Poncelet market) talking with Patricia Wells about making Cherry Clafoutis. I can hardly believe that it has already been 3 months since I was in her cooking school in Paris. I told her the story of making cherry clafoutis with my nieces and how thankful I was (upon discovering that I had forgotten my cherry pitter) that "Purists leave the pits in to perfume the dish."

Now suddenly it is cherry season in northern Michigan, and I am making my Cherry Clafoutis again. I rely on a recipe I tore from a Williams-Sonoma catalog years ago - it works like a charm every time. Are you in the mood for Clafoutis ("klah-foo-tee")?

Paris: Patricia Wells

Here I am...the happiest girl in Paris.
In 1995, Patricia Wells sent out a press release announcing that she would begin hosting classes called "At Home with Patricia Wells." A week long food-lover's experience in France filled with trips to the farmers' market, wine tasting and hands-on cooking with journalist, cookbook author and woman extraordinaire, Patricia Wells. I read the article and announced on the spot that I would someday attend her class.

Now fast-forward 14 years...I made it! How can I tell you how happy I am? How can I tell you how much fun we had? Six students and I spent a glorious week sampling cheeses, roasting nuts, constructing salads and talking, talking, talking with Patricia about all the things we love. Food, Paris, Wine, Food, Paris, Honey, Food, Paris, Mustard. It was wonderful. Everything I had hoped it would be and more.

What was a key component to my happiness? Anticipation. Classes are booked 2-years in advance. That means for the last 24 months I have re-read Patricia's books (Food Lover's Guide to Paris is my all-time favorite), mapped out the shops & spots I wanted to see, read up on Poilane bakery and generally savored every moment. I have made friends and memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you Patricia!

Dreaming of Paris

Mark my words. Someday I will take a cooking class from Patricia Wells. She hosts a week long class in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Près on the Left Bank. 

The class is described as a movable feast and includes shopping the Paris markets for fresh produce, cheese, bread etc.

Patricia Wells wrote the Food Lover's Guide to Paris, 4th edition - a necessary travel tool with an unrivaled French/English food glossary, a wide range of restaurant options, and a way to approach & appreciate French cuisine. 

In honor of my dream of cooking in Paris, I am posting a photograph of a cheese shop that I took one Easter morning while I was there. We were walking to church very early and saw this shopkeeper lovingly arranging his selection. The glass gleamed.