Claudine, Oui c'est Francais

My Book: It's in print and ready for purchase

I know that each and everyone of you are counting down the days to the start of the 2010 Tour de France, 19 in case you lost track, but just in time you can today order a copy of my 2009 Tour de French Cuisine in BOOK form. It took me almost a year to get it finished and together but its just in time for the start of the 2010 TdF and 2010 Tour de French Cuisine.  Its over 120 pages and filled with recipes, history of  hundreds of town in France and loads of pictures. When the Tour reached Paris you will find over 30 pages just on Paris and history behind the name of evey street they crossed (the only comprehensive guide of the Paris streets in one place)

the cover is my custom painting made for me by the wonderful Fifi of Fififlowers, I love it every single time I look at it and was so happy to include it onto the cover, nothing describes the things I adore more.

I do want to send a big thank you to my friend Darby Higgs for all the help on getting my book published, he has a fantastic website, Vinodiversity and has published two books on wine, Vinodiversity-the Book and Bacchus and the Bird: a cookbook for poultry and wine and was a wealth of knowledge and support to get this baby into print.

It arrived today on my doorstep and I was so excited to see it all in one handy little volume. So I hope you order one today.......

Tour de French Cuisine, the good stuff

And now for the Cuisine on the final stage of the Tour de French Cuisine 2009. And we had to go out with a bang, so first up breakfast.  Although the typical French breakfast normally consists of croissants, it is a special day and deserves a rather special way to start the day, the Croque Madame. If you haven't tried one before I highly suggest you do so immediately. The Croque Madame or it's big brother and predecessor the Croque Monsieur are what is known in France as "fast food" and no this is not your normal grilled cheese sandwich. The essence of the Croque is the ham, bechamel and gruyere or emmental cheese. This marriage of flavors is maybe the greatest thing ever.  The Madame name is given to a Croque Monsieur with a poached egg on top. The richness of the egg yolk with the cheese and béchamel is fantastic and very rich and the thin layer of Dijon mustard inside gives the perfect little zest to make it a perfect meal.

Croque is based on the word croquer meaning “to crunch" and Monsieur & Madame meaning Mister and Misses, sounds so much nicer than just Mr. Crunch. The sandwich can be traced back to the early 1900's when it first appeared in Parisian cafes and became a bistro staple thereafter.

I have adapted and complied the recipe from using a classic béchamel sauce, adding Gruyere and of course some black forest ham. Also always cut the crusts off the bread, if you don't they get overcooked and take away from the texture of the whole perfect bite.

Claudine's Croque Madame

Béchamel Sauce

2 tablespoons Butter

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

Salt and pepper

Pinch of nutmeg

Melt butter in a large sauce pan, add flour and whisk for 2 minutes until a light golden color. Slowly add in milk a half cup at a time continue whisking until thick. Remove from heat and add pinch of nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

Poached Eggs

Meanwhile Poach eggs in bowling water with a tablespoon of white vinegar. Drop eggs in low and to the water, using a slotted spoon move eggs around in the water flipping to evenly cook.

To finish:

Cut the crusts off the bread, you can use any bread you have, I have used multi grain bread to a brioche, and they all work. Toast the bread in the oven at 400 degrees for 4 minutes until browned on one side, flip and toast the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and on one slice spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard, top with two thin slices of ham and then with a handful of Gruyere cheese top with other slice of bread and then spoon liberal scoops of Béchamel sauce and the top with remaining Gruyere. Place in oven for 5 minutes, turn on broiler and place under broiler for 3 or 4 minutes until golden brown. Plate up and top with egg.....

Perfection! 

 

For dinner we had a multi course tres Paris Bistro dinner, starting with a cheese course that was its own Tour de France. Starting with one of the loveliest cheeses you can ever have, Epoisses de Bourgogne. Epoisses is the cheese that you will find at the top of almost any cheese lovers list. This very soft cow’s milk cheese normally comes with a rather strong smell but don’t let that deter you. The cheese will come in a small wooden box, much like a Camembert and helps the cheese stay in one place once you have cut into the rind; at room temperature this cheese will become runny and fantastic. Epoisses dates back to the 1500’s in the village of Epoisses between Dijon and Auxerre in the Burgundy region and created by Cistercian monks. Napoleon was a big fan of the cheese and the French gastronomic writer Brillat-Savarin named it the “King of Cheese” in 1825.  Next up the classic Comte, from the Franche-Comte region in the eastern most edge of France and is widely known as Gruyere de Comte. The hard pressed cow’s milk cheese has a very nutty smooth finish and is perfect with Alsatian Pinot Gris. From the Ile de France there is no other cheese that might be more recognizable then Brie. It is the one French cheese that you can find in just about any supermarket. But don’t be tricked into buying the one with the French flag on it and then see it is made in Wisconsin. You have to go with the real deal. French brie is soft with a bloomy white rind that has a buttery soft velvety interior that tastes best at room temperature.  The 2009 Tour had a few days in the Pyrenees so the Pyrenees Vache with green peppercorns was a nod to the region. The smooth mild cheese has a buttery texture and the addition of chopped green peppercorns gives it a little extra flavor. The lovely orange cheese is Mimolette from the North of France. Not actually from the 2009 Tour but the North will be in 2010. Mimolette is a very hard cheese that comes in an 8 inch cannonball shape that is made around the town of Lille in the Pas de Calais region just south of Belgium. Mimolette dates back to the Middle Ages when the area was called Flanders and included what is now Belgium, Netherlands and north of France. And lastly Persille de Malzieu Bleu from the Burgundy region, Persille translates to parsley and better represents the cheese. The “blue” looks more like small pieces of parsley throughout the cheese then “veins” of blue running through the cheese. This cheese is a softer texture blue and has a very salty finish, but pairs perfectly with fig jam on a slice of baguette.

 

For our second course a classic French Bistro salad, Mesclun salad with Roquefort Vinaigrette and walnuts. You can’t get more classic when thinking of a bistro then a salad like this and there is nothing compared to homemade vinaigrette. This one was adapted from the Patricia Wells, The Paris Cookbook which she had adapted it from bistro Aux Charpentiers and chef Paul Bardeche.

 

4 ounces musculun mix or baby spring lettuce mix, cut and torn into bite-size pieces.

½ cup walnuts

 

For the Vinaigrette

3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ cup best-quality walnut oil

6 ounces Roquefort cheese crumbled

French sea salt

Fresh ground pepper

 

Toast the walnuts in the toaster or oven until fragrant, watch them closely they will turn on you fast

 

In a small jar or bow combine lemon juice, walnut oil and 4 ounces Rouquefort. Cover lid and shake to blend, if using a bowl with a small whisk, beat until blended and emulsified.

 

In a larger bowl add the lettuce, walnuts and vinaigrette, season with salt and pepper, plate and serve immediately

Another classic Bistro item is Entrecote Grille Béarnaise with Pomme Frites or Grilled steak with Béarnaise sauce and fries. Getting that perfect bistro seer on the steak and topping it with Bernaise alongside those skinny golden fries should be a goal for any carnivore out there to have or even make at one. And with a little know how anybody can do it. The part that will scare most people is the sauce, but don’t let it. Once you have made a few basic sauces you can master them all. It just takes time, patience and attention and you will be a master saucier in no time.

For steaks

2 (1 1/4-inch-thick) boneless rib-eye steaks (16 oz each)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For béarnaise

1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, divided
3 large egg yolks
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste

Cook steaks:

Halve steaks crosswise, then pat dry and sprinkle all over with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (total). Heat a 12-inch heavy ovenproof skillet (not nonstick) over medium heat until hot, then add oil, swirling skillet to coat bottom, and cook steaks 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steaks to a platter and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 5 minutes. Make béarnaise while steaks stand: Boil wine, vinegar, shallots, and 1 tablespoon tarragon in a small heavy saucepan until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve set into a medium metal bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids. Whisk yolks into vinegar mixture, then set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until yolks have thickened slightly (do not scramble). Whisk in butter 1 piece at a time, adding each piece before previous one has melted completely. Remove from heat and whisk in lemon juice, remaining tablespoon tarragon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper (or to taste). Serve steaks with sauce.

Béarnaise can be made 20 minutes ahead and kept in bowl, covered, over hot water off heat.

For the Pomme Frites you can’t go wrong using the recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles Cookbook, if you adore him like I do you should already have this. It is not only written in the “Anthony” way and you can hear him on every page complete with some profanity but the food in it is classic French and amazing! The Les Halles Fries take some time since it is a four step process, prepping, blanching, frying and then the best part, serving.

Ingredients

• 4 Idaho potatoes, big, long ones
• 2 quarts/2.25 liters or more peanut oil to fill fryer (or pot)
• table salt

STEP ONE: PREP

Fill a large bowl with ice water. Peel the potatoes and cut them into ½-inch- (1-cm-) thick sticks. Put them immediately into the bowl of ice water to keep them from oxidizing. Leave them in the water anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight, then rinse well in cold water to take out much of the starch.

STEP TWO: BLANCH

In a deep fryer or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil to 280°F (140°C). Cook the potatoes in batches, about 6 to 8 minutes for each batch, until they are soft and their color has paled from opaque white to a semi translucent white. Do not get impatient and yank them out early. Remove them from the oil with the skimmer or wire basket and spread evenly on the baking sheet. Let them rest at least 15 minutes.

STEP THREE: FRY

Bring the oil up to 375°F (190°C). No hotter, no cooler. Fry the blanched potatoes in batches for 2 to 3 minutes each, or until they are crispy and golden brown. Remove from the oil with the skimmer or wire basket, shake off the excess oil, and…

STEP FOUR: SERVE

…immediately drop the fries into the other large bowl, which has been lined with a clean, dry towel. Add salt to taste and whip out the towel. Toss the fries around in the bowl and serve while still hot.

And last but not least we finish off with Crème Brulee which translates too burnt cream because of the top of the dessert that is a thin layer of sugar over the cream that is then torched and because as hard as glass.  The dessert dates back to the 17^th century when it was mentioned in the cookbook by Francois Massialot and but the actual origin and creator of the dessert is unknown. But it is a very good thing and very easy, impresses your friends and family and at least you get to play with a torch.

 

 

 

For Custard

2 cups whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

5 large egg yolks

For Crème Brûlée

12 teaspoons sugar

Preparation

Make custard:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Place six 3/4-cup ramekins in 1 pan in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Mix cream and sugar in heavy medium saucepan. Using small sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean. Add seeds and bean to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer. Cover pan, reduce heat to very low and simmer gently 10 minutes to infuse flavors. Strain into large measuring cup.

Whisk yolks in medium bowl until well blended. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture just to blend. Return custard to measuring cup; divide among dishes. Pour enough hot water into pans to come halfway up sides of dishes. Carefully transfer pans to oven.

Bake custards until almost set in center when pans are gently shaken, about 35 minutes for ramekins. Using metal spatula, transfer custards in dishes to work surface; cool 30 minutes. Chill at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

Make Crème Brûlée:Sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar evenly over each custard. Working with 1 custard at a time, hold blowtorch so that flame is 2 inches above surface. Direct flame so that sugar melts and browns, about 2 minutes.

Refrigerate until custards are firm again but topping is still brittle, at least 2 hours but no longer than 4 hours so that topping doesn't soften.

The end of the Tour is always such a bittersweet moment. And since I am actually writing this more than 6 months after the Tour is over and as soon as they reach Paris and the first image of La Tour Eiffel and Notre Dame, you realize that it is all over. Three weeks of early mornings, amazing scenery, my favorite announcers and nothing but French, France and French Cuisine. All good things must come to an end, until tomorrow when I start planning the 2010 Tour de French Cuisine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tour de French Cuisine 2009 Stage 21 part 14 Champs Elysees

And now we are here, the final stretch of the Tour de France. Every year since 1975 the Tour de France has finished on the Avenue de Champs Elysees, and what could be the most beautiful street in the world.  In France it is known as La plus belle avenue du monde  or “The most beautiful avenue in the world” but I can’t think of the Champs Elysees without hearing the classic song by Joe Dassin released in 1969. (click to view video)  The avenue runs from the Obelisk in the Place de la Concorde to the Place Charles de Gaulle and stretches 2,055 yards. The Champs Elysees was built in 1667 by Andre Le Notre, at the request of Jean-Baptiste Colbert who was the Minister of Finance to Louis XIV at the time. Le Notre was the gardener for Louis XIV who also designed the gardens of Versailles, Tuileries and Fountainbleu and was told to design the area between the Tuileries and the Saint Germain en Laye to open up the space. Colbert wanted to “have an avenue of trees planted between the Tuileries as far as the hill of Challot (today the Place de Gaulle-Etoile)The Champs was property of the Crown until 1792 and in 1828 under Charles X it was handed over to the Ville de Paris. The name comes from Greek mythology, Elysium was a section of the Underworld. The Elysian Fields was the final resting place for the souls for the virtuous and heroic.

One cannot think of the Champs Elysees without the crowning glory at the end of it. Of the iconic elements of Paris, the Arc de Triomphe is near the top of the list. The Eiffel Tower is #1 of course, and it is my list of iconic places so there. The Arc de Triomphe sits in the center of the Place de l’Etolie, on the western most end of the Champs Elysees at the top of the hill of Chaillot.  The Place de l’Etolie  is translated to “Place of Stars” and is the junction where 12 avenues including the Champs Elysees meet and three arrondissements, the 8^th, 17^th & 17^th and was once the boundary of Paris. The current design adopted by Haussman dates back to 1854 with the 120m in diameter circle.  In 1970 the name was changed to Place Charles de Gaulle after the death of the former General and President.

Emperor Napoleon had commissioned the Arc de Triomphe in 1806 to glorify the military victories of the French Grande Armee during the Napoleonic Wars, but Napoleon died before he was able to see the finished icon. Work began on Napoleon’s birthday, August 15, 1806 and took over 30 years to build and finish and was finally completed with the help of King Louis-Phillippe in 1836. It stands 164 feet high, 148 feet long and 73 feet wide and was inspired by Rome’s Arch of Janus.  The East façade depicts the French armies departure to new campaigns above the arch and the thirty shields on the attic bear the name of each of Napoleon’s victories in Europe and Asia. To the left of the arch on the East side is a bas-relief by Seurre the Elder depicting Napoleon’s victory over the Turkish army in 1799. On the right is the bas-relief of General Marceau’s funeral, the General defeated the Austrians in 1795 and was killed the following year while still fighting them. On the lower left side of the arch is the high-relief  “Triumph of Napoleon” by J P Cortot and celebrates the Treat of Vienna peace agreement of 1810. On the right of the arch is the Francois Rude’s high-relief  “Departure of the Volunteers in 1792” also known as “The Marseillaise” showing the citizens of France leaving to defend the nation.  On the West façade looking toward the La Defense is “The Resistance of 1814” on the left and on the right “The Peace of 1815” both by A Etex. Within the arches are the name of the 150 Imperial and Republican victories and 664 offficers.

The Arc de Triomphe has seen its fair share of history, beginning with the wedding march of Marie-Louise to Napoleon in 1810 although construction had barely started at that point and a wood and canvas mock up was installed. Napoleon never saw it completed but would finally pass under the arch on December 15, 1840 on his way to his final resting place at the Invalides. Over two million people visited the Arc in 1885 to pay respects to Victor Hugo and the beginning of the funeral procession to the Pantheon. In 1919 it was the site of the Victory parade of the Allied armies through the Arc following the First Word War. It was in 1920 when the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was interred below the arch on Armistice day and the eternal flame was lit, it is remembered with a ceremony every November 11^th. During a visit to Paris in 1961, President Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy paid their respects to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. After that horrible day in 1963 Jackie recalled that visit and the eternal flame at the Arc and asked for the same thing to be placed at JFK’s grave at Arlington Cemetery. On November 25, 1963 French President Charles de Gaulle was there to see Jackie light the flame and has remained to this day.

The Tour ends on the Champs Elysees only .2 kilometers from the Arc de Triomphe with the Rue de Presbourg on the left and Rue de Tilsitt and the Rue Arsene Houssaye on the right. The Rue de Presbourg and the Rue de Tilsitt encircle the Place Charles de Gaulle as a complete circle with the Presbourg on the South and Tilsitt on the North. On the South side of the Champs, the Rue de Presbourg was named after the diplomatic victory of Napoleon “the Peace of Pressburg of 1805”. The Treaty was signed on December 26, 1805 between Austria and France after France defeated the Austrians at Ulm and Austerlitz and the truce on December 4^th.  Both the Presbourg and Tilsitt were officially named by decree on March 2, 1864 and due to its closeness to the Arc de Triomphe both were so aptly named after a “Triomphe” of Napoleon. On the right side of the Champs is the Rue de Tilsitt and the Rue Arsene Houssaye, but first the Rue de Tilsit. The other half of the circle around the circle and was also named after one of Napoleons diplomatic victories. Named after the Treaty of Tilsit in 1807, signed July 7, 1807 between Napoleon I and Tsar Alexander I of Russia on a raft in the middle of the Neman River and a second signed with Prussia on July 9^th and ended the war between Imperial Russia and the French Empire. Well until 1812 when Napoleon crossed the Neman river and invaded Russia.  Just to the right of the Rue de Tilsitt is the Rue Arsene Houssaye named after the French novelist and poet who came to Paris in 1832 and wrote two novels, La Couronne de bluets and La Pecheresse as well as many poems, dramas and satirical letters.  In the triangle between the Rue de Tilsitt and the Rue Arsene Houssaye sits an amazing building with Cartier on the ground level, but it is what is on the 2^nd floor that holds some interest. It was in the Grande apartment that Dodi Fayed owned and lived that the lovely Princess Diana would leave from on her way to the Ritz Paris and what would be the last night of her life.

 

**all of these fantastic pictures with the exception of the Cartier building were taken by my grandfather in 1972 and 1977. In my grandfathers detailed diary on September 29, 1977 he wrote "sat at a cafe on the Champs Elysees enjoying pastries and cafe and looking up towards the Arc de Triomphe, what a sight!"

Tour de French Cuisine 2009 stage 21 part 13

Just rounding the corner from the Rue de Rivoli and making a wide arc of an entrance onto the Place de la Concorde. The largest public square in Paris and Europe is over 86,000 square meters and sits at the Eastern end of the Champs Elysees and is in line of the Axe Historique. Built in 1755 and designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel and was named Place Louis XV and was home of the equestrian statue of the king. But in 1792 it was torn down, the square was renamed Place de la Revolution and the Guillotine was placed there instead. Set just to the east of where the Obelisk stands today it was on this spot that Louis XVI was beheaded on January 21, 1793 and then 10 months later Marie Antoinette. The Place de la Revolution was the spot of a lot of bloodshed and in the summer of 1794 it was the spot of the “Reign of Terror” where 1,119 people were executed in just one month. The Guillotine was removed in 1795 and the square was renamed the Place de la Concorde for a short period. From 1814 to 1823 it was again named Place Louis XV, in 1830 changed to Place Louis XVI, shortly to Place de la Charte until it was finally changed to Place de la Concorde and remains so still today. Concorde translates to harmony, funny for a place that has seen so much death and bloodshed in its history. So let’s focus on the beautiful part of the Place de la Concorde instead. (Although I can go on for days about Marie Antoinette) As you enter the Place on foot from the Jardin des Tuileries and just past the Musee de L’Orangerie and at the main gate on either side of you are the large equestrian statues Les chevaux de Marly. The winged horses sit atop the gate pillars and were done by Antoine Coysevox in the early 1700’s. At one time they were at Louis XV’s Chateau Marly and then in the mid 18^th century after it was destroyed during the revolution they were brought to the Louvre and exact copies were made that you see today.

 

The octagon shape of the Place de la Concorde was at one time surrounded by a moat and small stone bridges stretched across the area adjoining the Place to the Tuilleries. On each of the eight sides sat a small stone pavilion used to get down into the ditch and later topped with statues depicting the eight large cities of France. The eight statues were each made by a different artist and represent the great French cities of Bordeaux, Brest, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Rouen and Strasbourg and were installed in 1836 by Jacob Ignaz Hittorf during a redesign of the Place from 1833 to 1846. During the reign of Louis-Phillippe from 1830-1848, the most improvement made to the Place de la Concorde and still holds true today. It was Louis-Phillippe who decided that a statue in the middle of the Place should not have any political ties and decided on a large Obelisk that Mehemet Ali, the Viceroy of Egypt had presented to France in 1831. It took over three years for the Obelisk to arrive in Paris and on October 25, 1836 it was erected in the center of the Place. The Obelisk weighs 230 tons and stretching to the sky over 75 feet and the rose Syene granite obelisk is over 3300 years old and is covered with hieroglyphics that tell the story of the pharaoh Ramses II. 

 

On either side of the Obelisk are two fountains each designed by Jacque-Ignace Hottorff and were based on a water theme because of their close relation to the Ministry of Navy building that overlooks the Place de la Concorde. With a nod to the great fountains of Rome and specifically the Piazza Navona and Piazza San Pietro, Hittorff patterned their placement on either side of the Obelisk. The statues on the north, Fontaine des Fleuves is devoted to the Rivers with figures that depict the River Rhone and the River Rhine and the riches that can be found there, Harvesting fruit, flowers, vineyards and agriculture. On the South the Fontaine de Mers is dedicated to the Sea and specifically the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Fishing, coral and collecting pearls are all things that can be seen within the statue.

 

One of the last things in the Place is at the entrance to the Champs Elysees. The second set of equestrian statues sit atop the pedestals that mark the beginning of the most famous boulevard in the world. Known as the Chevaus de Marly as well these were made by Guillaume Coustou and were made between 1743 and 1745. Like the other equestrian statues on the other side these were moved from the Chateau Marly and placed on the Place de la Concorde in 1794. In 1984 they were replaced with copies and the originals today sit in the Richelieu wing of the Louvre museum.

Tour de French cuisine 2009 Stage 21 part 12

Taking a left onto the Rue de Rivoli it is the last street before the riders hit the Avenue des Champs-Elysees. The Rue de Rivoli was commissioned by Napoleon following his victory over the Austrians in the Battle of Rivoli in Italy in 1797. Napoleon wanted a street that would extend from the Louvre and the Jardin des Tuileries to the Champs Elysees.  First conceived by Napoleon in 1802 it did not begin construction for many years and was only partially completed in 1835. Napoleon died in 1821 before he was able to see any of the completion but the vision was carried on. King Charles X, King Louis-Phillippe and Emperor Napoleon III continued the Rue de Rivoli into the Marais district of the 4^thArrondissement. Today it is one of the most famous streets in Paris and is lined with Neoclassical apartments and at one time the fanciest shops from the biggest names in fashion.

 

Just on the corner of the Rue de Rivoli and the Avenue du General-Lemonnier is the public square of Place de Pyramides. Named for Napoleons victory in Egypt in 1798 and the nearby Rue des Pyramides, but the jewel of the square is the amazing gilded statue of Joan of Arc by Emmanuel Fremiet. Created in 1874 the statue stands close to where she was injured by a crossbow arrow into her leg at the Saint-Honore Gate during the attack on the English as they held Paris on September 8, 1429. It was to be one of her last battles before she was captured in May 1430 in Compiegne by the Burgundians and then later sold to the English. After being convicted of heresy she was sentenced to death by burning and on May 30, 1431 she was tied to a pillar in the Vieux-Marche in Rouen. After she had died they moved the coals to expose her body and then burned her body two more times to reduce her to ashes. Her remains were tossed into the River Seine.  Today she is one of the highest regarded heroines in all of French history, as she should be.

 

In researching this I discovered that the “sister” statue to the Joan of Arc in Paris is right here in my very own Portland, Oregon. It was made from the very same cast as the one in Paris created by Emmanuel Fremiet and like her sister is covered in gold gilding. It was erected in 1924 in honor of the veterans’ of World War I in the Laurelhurst area of Portland. I have driven by it many times and it is located in the center of a traffic round, and can’t believe I never really noticed it before. I see many visits in my future that may be the perfect spot for a French picnic….. Ok, back to Paris.

 

 

 

The picture to the right is the one located here in Portland Oregon... beautiful isn't she

Tour de French Cuisine 2009 stage 21 part 11

After Catherine de’Medici began construction on the Palais des Tuilleries she also created an Italian style park with fountains, statues, grotto and menagerie. The Jardin consisted of six by eight compartments that had different trees, lawns and flowers that were surrounded by the garden ornaments and statues. Later Henry IV added the Orangery and a silkworm farm as well. In 1664 French landscape architect Andre le Notre added raised terraces, created pools and formal flower beds that are all still there today. Now the Jardin is one of the largest parks in Paris and covers 63 acres and still holds true to the design of Le Notre. His plan of the reflecting pools extending along a central axis from the west became part of the Axe Historique .

 

The Axe Historique extends from the west just outside of Paris in the business district of La Defense when in 1980’s Francois Mitterrand had a more modern arch built by Danish architect Johann Otto von Spreckelsen. La Grande Arche was dedicated in 1990 and sits atop an elevated plaza over the Tunnel de La Defense. Heading west the Axis goes over the River Seine and the Ile de Puteaux on the Pont de Neuilly through the Place de la Porte Maillot and the edge of the Boise de Boulogne. Further down the Avenue de La Grand Armee is the crowning point of the Charles de Gaulle Etoile where the Arc de Triomphe sits (we will get back to that later), keep heading down the Avenue des Champs Elysees where you will see the Obelisque de Louqsor on the Place de la Concorde, through the Jardin des Tuileries to the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel and finally ending at the equestrian statue of Louis XIV just in front of the I.M. Pei Pyramided y Louvre in the Cour Napolean of the Musee du Louvre.

 

Now we are getting closer and closer to the finish, with a left turn onto the Avenue du General-Lemonnier that is a tunnel that goes under the edge of the Jardin des Tuileries and the Jardin du Carrousel. The Avenue was originally named Avenue Paul Deroulede, named for the French author and politician of the French right-wing. On March 25, 1957 it was changed to Avenue du General-Lemonnier, named after Emile-Rene Lemonnier who was a commanding officer of the 3^rd Brigade of the division of Tonkin in Indochine, now known as Vietnam. In 1945 after a takeover of Manila the Japanese attacked and Lemonnier was captured, he was beheaded on March 10, 1945. Today on the Avenue is a sign that says “The ten-March 1945, Lang Son captured by the enemy, out of ammunition, has twice refused to sign a total capitulation, preferred to be beheaded rather than forfeit the honor will remain in history as a striking example of what is the will of the French character”

Tour de French Cuisine 2009 stage 21 part 10

 
  
And with the stop at the Musee d’Orsay we are ready to head over the Pont de la Concorde, just that must closer to the Champs Elysees.  The Pont de la Concorde dates back to 1725 when King Louis XV approved its construction and then again in 1771, but at each of these times the funds were not there. In 1786 Louis XVI finally got the construction started and the cost was partially offset by using stones from the newly demolished Bastille. Originally named the Pont Louis XVI it then changed to the Pont de la Revolution until 1795 when it was to become the Place de la Concorde. The bridge stands 502 feet long and has five arches and connects the left bank to the right bank from the Quai d’Orsay to the Place de la Concorde. When originally built there were not any decorations on the bridge, but Napoleon changed that when he ordered large statues of the eight generals that had died in battle. In 1818 during a renovation of the Pont the statues were removed and moved to the Hotel des Invalides courtyard. During the renovation twelve statues depicting national heroes were erected in their place. They were so large there was concern that they would damage the bridge, in 1857 Louis-Phillipe I had them removed and found a new home at Versailles. In 1930 the bridge was widened to be twice its size but retained it neoclassical architecture. Today it is the most traveled bridge in Paris.

 

Taking a right off the Pont de la Concorde and onto the Quai des Tuileries which is mostly just a fenced off one way street that travels next to the Jardin des Tuileries and heads toward the Louvre and the Quai du Louvre. Tuilerie means “tile industry” in French and the Quai got its name from the Jardin and the Palais des Tuileries that was once there and built upon the site where tile kilns once stood. Built in 1564 by Catherine de’Medici after the death of her husband Henry II of France, the large long and narrow buildings enclosed three courtyards on a large expanse of land and closed off what is now the Louvre courtyard. It stood until 1871 during the Paris Commune and twelve men were ordered to set fire to the Palais. Using petroleum, liquid tar and turpentine then lit the fire around 7pm on May 23, 1871 and the fire continued to burn for 48 hours completely destroying the Palais des Tuileries. The burnt skeleton of the Palais stood for eleven years before the French National Assembly voted to have it demolished and sold it to a private entrepreneur. It took seven months to finish the demolition and some of the marble and stone was taken to build the Chateau de la Punta in Alata Corisca.

 

In researching the Quai des Tuileries I came across a Paris photographer who was at the 2009 Tour de France and stationed at the Quai des Tuileries. Randy Harris takes some amazing pictures and graciously allowed me to share them with you here. Check out more of his art here.

 

 
 

Tour de French Cuisine 2009, Stage 21 part 9 d'Orsay

Next up is the Quai Anatole France which until 1947 was part of the Quai d’Orsay. It runs from the Pont Royal to the Pont de la Concorde and is the eastern side of the Quai d’Orsay. Even farther back it was named the Quai Grenouilliere by the council in October 1704 and renamed Quai d’Orsay in August 1707. But then the crazy times of Napoleon hit and became the Quai Bonaparte in Messidor year X or 1802. It was returned to its rightful name of Quai d’Orsay in 1815 until this portion changed to Anatole France in 1947.  But who was Anatole France you may ask? Francois-Anatole Thibault was his birth name when he was born in April 1844, in Paris just down the street on the Quai Malaquais, he was the son of a bookseller and would go on to become one of the greatest authors of the Third Republic. He became Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1884, elected to the French Academy in 1896 and a Nobel Prize winner of Literature in 1921.

 

Along the Quai Anatole France is the Musee d’Orsay an amazing building with a just as amazing history. Originally the spot was the home to the Palais d’Orsay that was built between 1810 and finished by 1840 and housed the State Council. In 1870 after the creation of the Provisional Committee it was all moved to Versailles. On May 23, 1871 the Palais d’Orsay was burned during the Paris Commune, those two brief months that Paris was run by the city council.

 

In 1898 the Orleans Railroad Company decided that they needed a new railway station more centrally located and closer to the center of Paris in time for the upcoming 1900 Exposition Universelle. The work of laying up to 4,000 yards of track from the Garde d’Austerlitz and the metal framework wrapped in an exterior of limestone was complete by 1900.  By 1939 the stations was basically abandoned, during the Second World War it was briefly used as a stop to transport French prisoners of war from Germany.  It was saved from demolition in part from the demolition of another landmark building, the Baltard’s markets halls at Les Halles in 1971 caused such a uproar that it was decided that the Gare d’Orsay should be placed on the historic monument list in 1973. In 1977 the French Government decided to change the Gare d’Orsay into a museum and by 1986 it was opened to the public. It now houses French art dating from 1848 to 1915, everything from paintings to furniture but it is most know for its collection of impressionist and post-impressionist pieces. 

Tour de French Cuisine 2009 Stage 21 part 8

Quai Voltaire runs just over 308m or just over 1000 feet from the Pont des Arts to the Pont du Carrousel and across from the Jardin du Carrousel.  Originally named Quai Theatins after the monastery Theatines that was established on land given to them by the Cardinal Jules Mazarin. The Cardinal Mazarin was born in Italy in 1602 and later studied at the Jesuit College in Rome, but at the end rejected the order. He later attended the Alcala de Henares in Spain and served as a chamberlain to the son of Filippo I Colonna. In 1628 he was a captain of the infantry to the regiment of Filippo I Colonna, his diplomatic ability was noticed by the Pope Urban VII and in 1629 he was entrusted to put an end to the War of the Mantuan Succession. He gained further attention from the Cardinal Duc de Richelieu and with the King of France asked him to come to Paris. Staying in Paris from 1634 to 1636 he was at the service of the Cardinal Richelieu and was taken into his confidence. He passed every test and every mission given to him and in 1642 upon the death of the Cardinal Richelieu he was asked to return to Paris and was given the title Chief Minister of France. The same year the new Chief Minister Cardinal Mazarin purchased the property for the Theatins Monastery and set up the Church St Anne le Royale in 1644 at what is now No. 23 and 25 Quai Voltaire.  

 

Always having a taste for gambling he struck it rich one evening winning stacks of gold and garnering the attention of the Queen, Anne of Austria who he thanked for bringing him some good luck. They were so close that it was long rumored that they had an affair and the Dauphin was thought to be their love child.

 

In 1791 the name was changed to Quai Voltaire, named after of course the writer, philosopher and essayist Voltaire. But that was just his pen name, his birth name was Francois-Marie Arouet but adopted Voltaire in 1718 for writing and for daily use. A writer of the French Enlightenment he was a champion of civil liberties, freedom of religion and trade and was one of the most highly thought of figures of his time and a large influence on the thinkers of the French Revolution. He was rather witty and would speak his mind most of the time, it would get him into trouble and he actually was exiled from Paris by King Louis XV in 1725. In 1778 after 30 years in exile he returned to Paris and to 27 Quai Theatins (not yet named after him) to a hero’s welcome. At 84 years old the Marquis Charles-Michel de Villette let him stay in a courtyard room. The Marquis changed the sign for the “Quai des Theatins” with “Quai Voltaire” the officials were not amused and took it down. On May 30, 1778 Voltaire died at the Hotel du Marquis de Villette. In 1791 the Marquis initiated the official name change to Quai Voltaire.

Tour de French Cuisine 2009 Stage 21 part 7

The Quai de Conti was built in 1655 and was named after a branch of the Bourbon-Conde house. The Prince of Conti name was taken from the Conti-sur-Selles which is a small Northern France town which was added to the Conde family from the marriage of Louis of Bourbon the first prince of Conde. The Bourbon family reigned in France from King Henry IV in 1553 to King Louis-Philippe of France in 1848. The son of Louis of Bourbon and Eleanor de Roye, Francois de Bourbon was given the title of Marquess of Conti and later the Prince of Conti. Upon his death in 1614 since his only heir had preceded him in death, the title expired. In 1629 the title of Prince de Conti was resurrected and given to Armand de Bourbon.  In the mid 17^th century on the Quai de Conti sat the two townhouses belonging to the Princes of Conti. In the perfect spot looking over the River Seine the buildings were home to most of the Conti family and saw the birth and death of most of them until 1733. The Princesse de Conti, Marie-Anne de Bourbon had the Hotel de Conti enlarged by acquiring the smaller mansion adjacent to it and became known as the Petit Hotel de Conti.  The Hotel de Conti passed through the family and by the time it went to the brother-in-law Duc du Maine who had little interest in the hotel and sold it in 1758 to the city who was interested in moving the Hotel de Ville to the site. Noticing the prime location they changed their minds and Louis XV selected the location for the Monnaie de Paris, built between 1767-1775 and designed by Jacque-Denis Antoine. The façade of the building that lines the Quai de Conti is one of the largest and longest along the River Seine and is still the perfect example of Neoclassicism style in the Pre-Revolutionary Paris. The five arches of the façade are topped with six Ionic pillars and above them the six statues of Prudence, Abundance, Fortitude, Justice, Peace and Commerce. The present Mint of France is now located at Pessac near Bordeaux but the Monnies de Paris and museum can be visitied during the week at special posted times.

 

On the corner of the Quai de Conti and the Rue Dauphine is a large and amazing building that overlooks the River Seine and the Ile de la Cite and matches the building just across street from it. Built from 1930 to 1932 by Joseph Marrast it is fairely “new” in the scheme of things. In the middle of the building under the large main arch is the entrance to the Rue de Nevers which is one of the narrowest streets in Paris, more like an alley then anything. At the end of the Rue de Nevers it turns into Rue de Nesle but you can grab a quick glimpse of part of the remains of the Philippe Auguste’s wall that I talked about earlier.

 

The Quai Malaquais is our next stop after the Quai de Conti and just past the Pont des Arts and leaving the view of the Ile de la Cite behind us. Now we are directly across from the Musee du Louvre and getting closer to the Champs Elysees. The Quai Malaquais was paved on July 1, 1669 by decree by Louis XIV but went by a few other names before that. The Lieu-dit Port Malaquest in 1581, Queen Margaret in 1641 and finally Malaquais which comes from the words mal acquet,  a term used by the people of the area to express the way they felt about Marguerite de Valois and the way they took the land of the Petit Pre that adjoined the quay.  At Number 5, Quai Malaquais many noteable people  have passed through its doors. The Marechal Maurice de Saxe, a Marshal of France lived and later died there. A Russian lady named Baroness de Korff who was the mistress to Quintin Crawford and decided to call herself Madame Sullivan Crawford was a wide collector of Italian art and filled No. 5 with it. Crawford and “Madame Crawford” were friends with Count Fersen who was a great friend of Marie Antoinette and rumored lover who helped Marie and Louis escape. We know how that ended but were Madame Crawford comes into the pictures is the passport that Count Fersen acquired for the Queen and the travelling coach that was built for the “Flight to Varennes”. In front of No. 5 is the statue of The Republic by Jean-Francois Soitoux. A French sculptor who was a student of Jean-Jacque Feuchere and trained with a rather well know sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty and it is hard not to see a similarity between the two. Soitoux won a competition to create the statue in 1848 but it was not until 1880 when the sculpture was placed in its current spot. In the early 1990’s Jacques Chirac and the city of Paris restored the statue and rededicated it on September 23, 1992 to mark the bicentenary of the proclamation of the republic.