On every excursion to Paris I have wanted to plunge into trying the local cuisine. Blanquette de veau has been on my ‘must try’ list for quite some time now, but I never managed to get around to it…that is until a few days ago. If you are a vegetarian than read no further, this will not be for you. If
you do dip into the carnivorous zone, then please carry on.
I stopped into one of the seemingly ubiquitous Parisian cafés on Blvd. St. Germain de Prés. Blanquette de veau was the special of the day posted on the outside chalkboard and I couldn’t resist. For 10.50€ I could sample a bit of French tradition.
I sat at the window seat in order to fulfill my obligation of people watching. Another cute guy had just walked by the window when my plate arrived. Oh la la, tres magnifique!
The aroma was delectable. Buttery white cream sauce topped over lamb shoulder. Admittedly, I was skeptical about eating the shoulder from any animal, but the meat simply melted in my mouth as my eyes rolled back into my head from sheer enjoyment. Rice and salad finished off the plate and thankfully the French don’t skimp on the cream sauce. There was enough to eat in every bite with a little bit left over to scrape the plate with bread.
If you are thinking how uncouth it is to scrape your plate with the bread, leave your cultural beliefs at home. There is no need to worry about this table manner. While scraping the plate is not done in fine restaurants, everywhere else it is tres normal. So do as the locals do and enjoy every morsel and every bit of creamy sauce on your plate.
And by the way, this dish is often served with carrots, mushrooms, rice or potatoes. Whatever it’s served with I will be sure to order it again!
So throw out your diets while you are here and sample some of the local cuisine. Your taste buds and your tummy will be glad you did.
Bon appetit!
Thank you for reading and bonne journée!
you do dip into the carnivorous zone, then please carry on.
I stopped into one of the seemingly ubiquitous Parisian cafés on Blvd. St. Germain de Prés. Blanquette de veau was the special of the day posted on the outside chalkboard and I couldn’t resist. For 10.50€ I could sample a bit of French tradition.
I sat at the window seat in order to fulfill my obligation of people watching. Another cute guy had just walked by the window when my plate arrived. Oh la la, tres magnifique!
The aroma was delectable. Buttery white cream sauce topped over lamb shoulder. Admittedly, I was skeptical about eating the shoulder from any animal, but the meat simply melted in my mouth as my eyes rolled back into my head from sheer enjoyment. Rice and salad finished off the plate and thankfully the French don’t skimp on the cream sauce. There was enough to eat in every bite with a little bit left over to scrape the plate with bread.
If you are thinking how uncouth it is to scrape your plate with the bread, leave your cultural beliefs at home. There is no need to worry about this table manner. While scraping the plate is not done in fine restaurants, everywhere else it is tres normal. So do as the locals do and enjoy every morsel and every bit of creamy sauce on your plate.
And by the way, this dish is often served with carrots, mushrooms, rice or potatoes. Whatever it’s served with I will be sure to order it again!
So throw out your diets while you are here and sample some of the local cuisine. Your taste buds and your tummy will be glad you did.
Bon appetit!
Thank you for reading and bonne journée!
