Ma Bourgogne, adventures into puff pastry

Deciding what to do on a Sunday afternoon is always a challenging task because half of Paris shuts down on Sundays. The usual markets aren't open, and most restaurants and stores are closed as well. Thanks to David Lebovitz's "Sunday Dining in Paris" blog, we decided to head to Le Marais to Ma Bourgogne for steak and frites. Apparently, all of Paris goes to Le Marais on Sundays because the streets were packed! We've found on Sundays that most of the city is very quiet but then there will be small pockets of bustling activity. Ma Bourgogne was packed full of tourists and locals. Quinn had the steak and frites; I had the steak tartare. Yum! It definitely lived up to the online hype, but if you're not in the mood for steak, go elsewhere.

The service at Ma Bourgogne was excellent, the best we've had in Paris. Ironically, if we were back home, it would be the "expected" service you would get in almost any restaurant. Since the service tip is already included in the bill, the level of service in restaurants and cafes is much different than it is in the U.S. I haven't quite decided if I like the way we do it at home better than the way it is done here. In the U.S., you can expect a cordial, attentive waiter who will work for a tip. When the bill comes, the tax is added onto your bill and you have some discretion on how much you'd like to leave for the tip. Here, all of the prices listed on the menu already include the tip and tax. You don't have to think.

Day 2 of puff pastry: We continued our adventure into puff pastry today, and completed the last three turns on the puff pastry that we started yesterday. From this, we made millefeuille, palmiers, and I mimiced (sort of) the "St. Honore" dessert that we had at Laduree one afternoon. I'll need to work on my piping skills, but other than that, the millefeuille turned out perfectly! Quinn and I were surprised! It was like heaven on a plate. To make the layers of pastry, we weighted down the puff pastry with a casserole dish in the oven. It turned out flaky, buttery, and delicious. Next, I piped out the pastry cream I had made onto the layers of pastry. For the top layer, we smeared on some caramel sauce. My first attempt at making caramel sauce was a big failure so I was happy to see that my second attempt was a successful one. Never again will I buy caramel sauce in a jar!!
With some of the leftover puff pastry dough, we made mini palmiers (puff pastry sprinkled with sugar).

I'm glad to report that I'm using some of my newfound culinary skills at home. I can't wait to have an "American kitchen" again. When looking for the apartment online before coming to Paris, many of the apartment ads listed having an "American kitchen." I never quite googled what that meant but I have a feeling it means having a full size refrigerator, a stovetop with more than 2 burners, and a real oven. We take so many things granted at home (including the security of being able to have daily hot showers!)!

I also made soft boiled eggs for the first time in my life. We learned how to make them during one of our demo classes so I thought I'd try it at home!