Rue Mouffetard


We met George and Patricia for a tour of one of the oldest streets in Paris, the bustling and colorful Rue Mouffetard. It is the remnant of an old Roman road with structures dating back hundreds of years. The narrow cobblestone street functions pretty much the way it has for centuries in a neighborhood where people come to shop, eat, meet, and socialize.
The market is open every day except Monday. I will freely admit that I am jealous of the life of my gracious Parisienne friend, Patricia. In my fantasy I come here every morning (excepté lundi) to peruse la viande, les fruits de mer, les fruits, les légumes, le pain et les fromages, then choose what looks freshest and suits my mood and the weather.
I pick up une bouteille de vin (ou de deux) to accompany my treasure, then go home to my apartment château to cook for family and friends and fellow bloggers who happen to be visiting Paris. Including YOU I hope!
Mollusques et Crustacés




Peg, Kristy and Susan

Look at the little pooch under the woman’s chair bottom left.

Fromage




Fraises

There are several varieties of strawberries.

Gariguette

Mara des Bois

Asperge

Coeur de Boeuf

Don and his favorite, The Foie Gras Market!
La Contrescarpe

Kristy and Peg

Merci beaucoup to our friends in Paris, George and Patricia, for the camaraderie and wonderful experience of La Mouffe! I hope the two of you will visit Los Angeles soon, so I can return the warm hospitality.

À bientôt!

Suprême – Cheese of the Month

Purple Asparagus with Suprême Sauce

  • French 
  • Cow’s milk 
  • Soft ripened 
  • White rind 
Sounds really good, like Brie, right? Not exactly. Suprême is enriched with crème fraîche. Produced in Burgundy since 1926, it was introduced in the 1930’s under the name “Les Ducs” then by 1968 Suprême des Ducs was distributed internationally. If you are interested in wine pairing, by all means try a Red Burgundy! 
Suprême

Not to take anything away from Brie, Le Brie is King and one of my favorites, in fact, it will be Cheese of the Month in July, so please stop by then for some new Brie recipes. But here we are featuring the esoteric Suprême. Flavors that pair well with this cheese include hazelnut and roasted garlic. Please be sure to visit the Ile de France website for more recipes and information about Suprême.
Purple Asparagus with Suprême Sauce

Simmer the asparagus in boiling water with lemon juice.

Eighteen seconds later  (thanks to digital camera information) you can already see the purple is fading away. If you have your heart set on preserving the original purple color, I am afraid that you have to serve it raw. Which would of course be delicious, as noted in an earlier post, Grilled Purple Asparagus and Tofu, this variety is sweeter and less stringy than green asparagus.

Regular readers of Taste With The Eyes may have noticed that I am a crème fraîche aficionado, and since Suprême is made with it, I thought I would melt the cheese after removing the rind, and add a little crème fraîche to make a sauce. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice (and salt if desired) on the asparagus and ladle the Suprême sauce over. Voilà! Easy and elegant!
More Cheese of the Month!

Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Escarole Stuffed with Suprême

Quarter a head of escarole keeping the bottom stem intact. Drizzle with your favorite (or mine, see below) Dijon Vinaigrette. Place a slice of Suprême in the center of the escarole. Wrap with prosciutto.
Jacques Pepin’s Vinaigrette in a Jar

  • 2 tsp chopped garlic
  • 3 Tbs Dijon-style mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 c red or white wine vinegar
  • 1 c extra virgin olive oil

Put all ingredients in a jar, screw on the lid, and shake very well.

Grill over medium high heat, turning, until the prosciutto gets crispy, the cheese starts to melt, and the escarole begins to char and wilt. Serve with extra vinaigrette on the side.

Great starter for an alfresco grilling party!

Suprême, Roasted Garlic, 
Grilled Escarole and Japanese Eggplant Sandwich

The ultimate veggie sandwich! There is so much going on here you won’t miss the meat. It is smokey and garlicky, rich and creamy, slightly bitter (in a good way) from the escarole, and silky and toasty…

Lightly brush the escarole with olive oil. Grill over medium high heat, turning until slightly charred and slightly wilted.

Grilling Japanese Eggplant. 

The long slender shape makes it perfect to fit the rolls.
More about eggplant here.

Brush a halved roll with hazelnut oil and grill until toasty. Spread warm roasted garlic cloves on one half, sliced Suprême on the other half. The warm bread will start to melt the cheese.

Top each side with grilled Japanese eggplant and grilled escarole respectively. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste.

A Supremely Flavorful Sandwich.
Thank you to Ile de France for introducing us to Suprême!

Thank You Buitoni & Foodbuzz!

Hi Lori Lynn!
Buitoni and Foodbuzz are excited to announce that you are the GRAND PRIZE WINNER of the Buitoni Riserva pasta sauce contest!
Your recipe, Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Veal, Portobello, Fried Sage and a Pinot Noir Cream Sauce, was a wonderfully creative and original showcase for Buitoni’s Wild Mushroom Agnolotti. Thank you for creating such a great recipe!
As the winner, your Grand Prize is a delicious array of VIP Buitoni coupons and an All-Clad Copper Cookware set, perfect for creating more fantastic recipes!
We made your recipe as a taste test—it was truly amazing!

Here is the recipe once again:
Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Veal, Portobello,
Fried Sage and a Pinot Noir Cream Sauce

Portobellos are seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper then grilled until tender.

Veal medallions, cut into the same size as the portobellos, are seasoned with salt and pepper, dusted with flour and sautéed until golden brown over medium heat in a mixture of half olive oil half butter. Squeeze 1 T. fresh lemon juice over the veal then remove from the pan. Keep warm.

Add 1/4 c. minced shallots and 1/2 t. thyme to that same pan and sauté briefly. Add 1 c. Pinot Noir, raise the heat to high, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of pan.

Continue cooking over high heat until the wine is reduced to about a quarter cup.

Add 1 c. veal stock to the pan and reduce again.

Meanwhile, cook the Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti according to the instructions on the package in boiling water with 1 T. olive oil.

When the veal stock has reduced by half, whisk 3 T. crème fraîche into the sauce. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve. Add salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Keep warm.

Sauté a handful of fresh sage leaves in 1 T. butter, turning once, until crisp, about 2 minutes. Remove sage leaves to a paper towel.

To assemble: Place the warm portobello in the center of the plate, top with a fried sage leaf then a medallion of veal. Take 3 wild mushroom agnolotti and surround the mushroom cap. Sparingly ladle warm Pinot Noir Cream Sauce over the pasta and veal. Crumble fried sage leaves by hand and sprinkle over dish. Garnish with a whole sage leaf. (The concise recipe can be found here).


THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!

And thanks again to my brother Bill. I couldn’t ask for a better Sous Chef! Happy to cook for you anytime you’re in town, Billy!
It sure is fun to be a grand prize winner. But, you know, beyond winning, it is quite satisfying to create a dish, and hear that others truly enjoy it. The wonderful and generous prizes pale in comparison to the pride and joy in sharing our creation and finding out that it was honestly appreciated and savored. I am grateful to Buitoni and Foodbuzz for the recognition and to all of you who left encouraging comments on the original post and on the Foodbuzz recipe link. That is the true prize!
A Hearty Congratulations to the Other Winners! Don’t these recipes sound delicious? You can read more and link to their sites from here on Foodbuzz.
PrincessBacon
Luscious Smoked Tomato Sauce with Portabellas & Fennel
FoodMuse
Fried Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Tomato, Fennel, and Olive Gremolata
dvmamg2001
Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Garden Vegetables in a Creamy Sweet and Savory Sherry Sauce
From Whence the Sweet Bird Sang
Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Cognac-Cream Sauce and Baby Pea Shoots
eCurry
Agnolotti with Sundried Tomatoes, Peppers, Almonds & a hint of Saffron
SippitySup
Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Spring Vegetable Ragout
Chefectomy
Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Caramelized Shallots, Thyme and Mushroom Broth
The Feast Within
Manchego Mornay Sauce for Buitoni’s Wid Mushroom Agnolotti
FotoCuisine
Buitoni Wild Mushroom Agnolotti with Champagne Chile Cream Sauce

Fusion Burger & Garden Tour

Particularly Flavorful Grilled Burger, Asian Influence
Grilled Roll Brushed with Wasabi Butter
Cilantro, Scallion, Wild Arugula
I buy the ground round from the butcher shop, ground fresh that day. Gently mix the beef with a judicious amount Oyster Sauce, Soy Sauce, Hunan Red Chile Sauce. Form into an oval shape to match the fresh baked rolls from the bakery. When the burger is cooked to your liking, remove from grill and keep warm while grilling the rolls generously brushed with Wasabi Butter (softened butter mixed with wasabi powder). Serve with Cilantro, Sliced Scallion, Wild Arugula tossed lightly with Toasted Sesame Oil and sea salt.
Speaking of Grilling…

Come on outside with Wilson and me. The barbecue is on the side patio. Take a little tour around the garden.

Sixteen Candles Floribunda Rose

David Austin Old English Rose “Heritage”

Wilson at the front gate.
Eastern Redbud Tree

He’s a good guard dog.

African Iris and Sweet Pea Shrub

Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile)

Brugmansia (Angel’s Trumpet)

I leave you with one of the most fragrant roses in the garden,
French Perfume Hybrid Tea Rose.

Joyeux Anniversaire

Mille Feuille au Chocolat
Today Marks the Two Year Anniversary of
Taste With The Eyes!
Cooking, photographing, writing, then ultimately sharing my culinary adventures on Taste With The Eyes is a source of much joy for me. This little food blog is an ongoing learning experience, a terrific creative outlet, and a source of pride. It has opened doors and provided new opportunities. It is the means with which to connect with fellow foodies, and a wonderful way make new friends with various interests and passions from all around the globe. I am grateful to have the opportunity to share food and ideas and experiences with you.
Reading your blogs provides an awesome source of inspiration, a conduit of creativity, and a heartfelt connection through your personal stories. Your enthusiasm is infectious. I cook, dine, laugh, and cry with you.
Your kind, knowledgeable, clever, and sometimes funny comments are deeply appreciated. I learn so much from you, way beyond food and cooking. You amaze and inspire me.
Thank you!