Archive for 'Recipes in France'

While we can't easily go travelling to France at the moment, we have been talking about travelling there with our taste buds recently by looking into some of her most famous and representative dishes, which can be recreated in the comfort and safety of our own kitchens. It's the perfect pairing to a session of browsing our incredible and beautiful villas in France and looking forward to when our next French getaway can happen!

Last time we discussed the controversial Salade Niçoise, which would make for a great starter to a homemade French meal, but today we thought we'd talk about a delicious and beloved French dessert with which to follow it up: the iconic Tarte Tatin. Hailing from the town of Lamotte-Beuvron in the region of Centre, this classic French treat is named for the two sisters who accidentally invented it in the 19th century.

If you've ever stopped for a snack while exploring Paris, you have probably seen Croque Monsieur written on the menu. This tried and true sandwich is one of France's most famous and representative dishes and is just the thing to pick you up as you explore the City of Lights. However, as travel to Paris and France is not quite yet possible for most of us at the moment, it might be a while until you can bite into one between greeting the Mona Lisa and climbing the Eiffel Tower. Fear not, though, we've got a handy recipe for the beloved French favourite so that you can make it at home and bring a little bit of Paris into the safety of your own kitchen!

The Croque Monsieur is a hot cheese and ham sandwich that originated in French cafés and bars as a quick snack. Named for the verb “croquer”, which means, “to bite,” or , “to crunch”, and the word “monsieur,” meaning, “mister,” its first recorded mention is on a Paris café menu from 1910.

Once again, we have somehow all made it to another Friday and, once again, we feel that that means you are very much deserving of another little culinary treat to enjoy from the safety of your own home. As the weather continues to get warmer and the evenings begin to stretch in earnest, there is no better way to kick back at home than by making yourself a fancy cocktail, sitting down, relaxing, unwinding, and forgetting about all of the uncertainty and chaos of the world at the moment for just a little while. This time around we are looking to France for some inspiration and the Between the Sheets cocktail, which is believed to have been created as a variation on the Sidecar cocktail.

Like so many of France's favourite and best-known cocktails, the Between the Sheets is thought to have been invented in the famous Harry's New York Bar in Paris. Although, like so many cocktails, in general, the exact circumstances of its actual birth are shrouded in confusion and debate, with multiple stories and sources claiming different tales of origin and claims to its authorship.

Probably the most commonly accepted origin tale is that the cocktail was invented in Harry's New York Bar in the 1930s by Harry McElhone, who is often also credited with creating many of the most famous cocktails in the world, including the Bloody Mary, Sidecar, the Monkey Gland, the Boulevardier, and an early form of the French 75. It is also usually thought to be a derivative of the Sidecar, which is also claimed to be a McElhone invention, differing only from the Sidecar by using less cognac and adding rum. Maiden's Prayer, a name sometimes used interchangeably for the Between the Sheets, is actually another variation from the same family that uses gin instead of rum and cognac and adds orange juice to the lemon juice.

We have been talking about grabbing a cocktail in Paris all this week and, really, could there be anything better this festive season? Just find a vacation rental in Paris and come enjoy the chicest of beverages in the most glamorous of holiday destinations. It's totally worth it.

9. Bloody Mary

Many have made claims to the origin of this very beloved and famous cocktail but the one that seems to be the most popular and oldest seems to accredit it to Fernand Petiot Harry’s New York Bar in 1921. This legend claims it to be named after a waitress who worked in the bar and, supposedly, Petiot brought the drink to the St. Regis Hotel in New York when he moved, where it blew up.

In the last posts, we have been dreaming of a Parisian Christmas. There is no better place for a winter break than the City of Lights, which twinkles with wonderful decorations and displays, is filled with the scent of warming street foods, and is full of festive spirit. Once you have found a vacation rental in Paris this winter, you should be sure to escape the cold after exploring the beautiful streets and head into a chic and cosy bar to try some of the city's famous cocktails. We have been discussing the best of the best signature Parisian cocktails to try and here are more to add to that list and their recipes, should you find waiting until your next trip too taxing...