Visitors today!

If you have read my recent posts or have been anywhere near me for the last few days, then you know I am a bit obsessed with the film I saw last Thursday night at the Full Frame Documentary Festival, Kings of Pastry.  Chefs Jacquy and Sébastien are pictured above (photo from Flickr... thank you, Frazer, for sending me there).  I have always had a thing for men in uniforms...
Anyway, look who showed up for my first period French class this morning--

Oui!  Chefs Sébastien and Jacquy!  I guess they realized that we teachers frown upon students wearing hats to class.  I wouldn't have minded, though.  I wouldn't have sent them to the principal's office.  Really, I wouldn't have.  I might have given them after school detention... to be held in the faculty room where there is a stovetop and oven!
And they came bearing gifts-- beautiful little handmade chocolats.

They haven't even read the article I just submitted to the Durham Herald-Sun so they don't know about what a little gourmande I am.  Aren't they thoughtful?  Truth be told, men should never go around without a stash of chocolates in their pockets.  You just never know when they might come in handy.  (The un-ex occasionally leaves a bonbon in my mailbox here at school...)
Ok, ok, ok.  Sébastien and Jacquy were not actually in my classroom in the flesh, so to speak.  One of my darling 6th grade girls brought in a brochure from The French Pastry School and the box of chocolates.  Her stepdad is a VIP and he did get to go to the opening night soirée held at American Tobacco after the film.  She just plopped those goodies down on my desk first thing.  I am quite sure she knew I would be happy with her gifts, she probably didn't have any idea just how thrilled I would be!

Bon appétit, la petite Marie et merci!

P.S.  One young man in my French 8 class has caught on to the chocolate thing... Yesterday, he brought in a pan of Chocolate Stuff to share with his classmates.  It just so happened that the only other boy in his class was absent, so he ended up serving it to seven very happy young ladies.  And Chocolate Stuff is best eaten with a spoon, making the experience even more enjoyable.  There was not one crumb remaining in that pan, let me tell you.  A nice way to end the day!  Bravo, M. Alejandro Chèvre!  (Can you believe that I actually forgot to take a photo??)
Recipe found on Sept. 13, 2009 post-- http://thesabbaticalchef.blogspot.com/2009/09/queenly-chocolateness.html

Spring weekends

 

Saturday morning started with me pulling Mildred the Mixer out of her resting place and making banana bread.   As the bread was baking and my coffee was brewing, I stood on the back deck watching the day begin.

Springtime in North Carolina is the purple of redbud trees, the white of dogwood blooms unfolding, the bright green of brand new leaves seemingly springing out overnight and the sunny yellow daffodils and forsythia bushes lining driveways. 

Baking on Saturday mornings is one of my weekend pleasures.
Going to the Durham Farmers' Market is also one of my weekend treats.  We headed out early, after coffee and banana bread.  I wanted to take some lavender infused honey from Celo, NC to Dolly Mama for perhaps new chocolate creations.  She paid me with a cup of her hot chocolate topped with chantilly cream.  I got a great deal!  (I did let the un-ex have a couple of small sips...)  I love our farmers' market.  I have gotten to know a few of the vendors so it's fun to make the rounds and say hi to Dave from Elodie Farms, Dolly Mama, and Tim and Helga MacAller of Four Leaf Farm.

I bought herbs from them-- basil, lime thyme, rosemary, sage, dill and chives.  Tim flatters me by calling me a food writer-- what a charmer!

I bought lavender from WeatherHand Farm and oregano from Flat River Nursery.  They are now in pots on the back deck where they will receive lots of morning sun and grow so that I can use them in my cooking very soon.  Pesto, rosemary potatoes, potato salad with dill...  Next week, I hope to find tarragon and maybe some mint.  I'll also be looking for a couple of tomato plants.
We ran into a former student and basketball player, his wife and their 6 month old daughter.  Chef Dorette and her husband Rich were out and about buying up herbs and geraniums.  We spent time catching up with parents of students we had taught.  My favorite wine guru was there with his wife and two daughters.  The sun was shining, a gentle breeze was blowing, what a glorious morning.

Sunday afternoon, I headed back into the kitchen to experiment with making palmiers, French cookies.  One of my 6th grade boys brought some in for the class a couple of weeks ago and his mom sent the recipe, telling me how easy they are to make.  I've eaten them in France and was much too scared to try them until I realized that Pepperidge Farms Puff Pastry can be used.  Sugar and puff pastry.  How hard can it be?  Well, for a directionally challenged person, it can be a little confusing, shall we say.  My first ones didn't really look like any palmiers I had ever seen.  Is rolling and cutting pastry dough even remotely related to geometry?  I was miserable at that, too.  Thank goodness French teachers only need basic math.

Hmmm... what went wrong?  I googled and found pictures of how to roll the dough so the second batch came out better.

My advisees will be treated to French cookies tomorrow and I bet they won't care what they look like. I will save pretty ones for Señor and Signora to have with their morning cup of coffee at break. Since they are both fabulous cooks, I know that I will be repaid!


Palmiers

2 cups sugar
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
2 sheets Pepperidge Farms puff pastry, defrosted

Preheat oven to 450F.
Combine sugar and salt.  Pour 1 cup of this mixture on a flat work surface and spread it out evenly.
Place one sheet of pastry on the sugar.  Pour 1/2 cup of sugar evenly over the top of the pastry.  With a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is a 13-inch square.
Fold the sides of the square toward the center so that they go halfway to the middle.
Fold them again so that the two folds meet exactly in the middle.
Then fold one half over the other as though closing a book (it should now make a long roll).
Slice the dough into 3/8 inch slices and place cut side up on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake 6-7 minutes or until caramelized and brown on the bottom.  Turn with a spatula and bake 3-5 minutes more.  Cool on a rack.
Place second sheet of pastry on the sugared surface and repeat the process.
Makes about 24 cookies.

Bon appétit, le Printemps!

Kings of Pastry

This past Thursday night here in Durham, North Carolina, the 2010 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival hosted the North American premier of Kings of Pastry.  And I had tickets!!  The BFF, her husband, Daddy-O, and the Un-Ex were my dates.  I was so excited that I am sure I bored the heck out of my friends, colleagues and students in the days leading up to it. 
The film was to start at 7:00 pm.  I hate to be late to anything, so we got there around 6:00 pm, parked the car and found the proper line--

We were blue liners because we weren't green liners, the people with priority passes.   (But thank goodness we were not in the line of people just hoping to get a ticket...)  People-watching is one of my favorite past times and we got in 45 minutes of checking everyone out before we were allowed in.
The weather was nice, if a bit windy.  Through the upstairs window of the Carolina Theatre where the festival is held, we could see our buddies from the Wine Authorities pouring champagne for the VIP reception.  None for us, though.  We aren't VIPs.  But we were happy anyway!

We were sixth in a line that stretched for about a city block.  The un-ex had no idea so many people would line up for this movie.  I tried to warn him...  When he came to France to visit me during my sabbatical, I took him to Le Florimond, a restaurant in the 7e arrondissment I discovered when in Paris with the Arles 6 (merci, Alex!).  I photographed our food, bien sûr, and here's his dessert...

He fell in love with French pastry on the spot, needless to say.
We got very good seats, only two rows back from the filmmakers and the star of the film and his wife.  I had a great view of the backs of their heads!  I brought my trusty French cahier or notebook (being held by my equally trusty assistant above) and a pen to take notes.  My next newspaper article will be about my impressions of the film, so I won't go into detail here except to say that I LOVED every second of the movie.
The subject is the MOF (Meilleurs Ouvriers de France) competition for pastry chefs that takes place every four years in Lyon.  The film features Jacquy Pfeiffer, a French pastry chef who lives in Chicago, as he prepares for the competition and then competes in the three day event.  As half of one of his "practice" cakes went into the trashcan after being tasted by his coaches, I wanted to jump right in after it.  And film maker D A Pennebaker backed me up on that one during the question and answer session following the film.  A combination of pastry, chocolate, French and France for 84 minutes.  What's not to love?

(Filmmakers Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus and Chef Jacquy on stage after the film)

And, alas, I was not invited to the opening night party (not a VIP, remember?) and did not get to gawk at or drool over the 70 pound chocolate creation Chef Jacquy made for the occasion.  (One of my 7th grade students did see it, though, and has promised a photo...)
Check out the film's website and watch a clip of the movie to whet your appetite--
http://kingsofpastry.com
I won't divulge details and spoil it for you.  It is a must-see for anyone who loves food and has ever baked a cake.  I will own a copy of it as soon as possible!

Bon appétit, Kings of Pastry!

Simple really is best

This afternoon I decided to visit a few of my favorites things.  Simple pleasures, really...

Brightly colored jelly beans.  They are so good, kind of sweet and tart in the same bite.  Very simple and so spring-like.  (I did not eat the whole bag all by myself... I had help!)

Cute little stretchy bracelets brought back from a spring break trip to Disney by the BFF for the 3 Lucys.  We started this tradition on our trip to Italy and it makes us feel like such girls.

Walking in Duke Gardens on Easter Sunday with the un-ex, looking at all the amazing flowers and trees, in full splendor on a glorious day.

A recent sunset seen from my front porch.  I just had to grab my camera and see if I could capture the colors.  What's not to love about that?  It just makes you happy to be alive.

Sliced onions, thrown into a pan with some olive oil and a few herbes de provence, the smell taking over the whole house as they caramelize.  Add a pastry, some crumbled goat cheese and bake for 30 minutes.  Voilà!  A glass of chilled rosé completes a simple dinner or appetizer.  Maybe a green salad with a vinaigrette dressing and a few cherry tomatoes?

Laughing on Friday mornings with my colleagues in the faculty room.  We have bagels or biscuits and spend 30 minutes catching up.  I try never to miss this.  These people have been in my life for 30 years.  They are simply the best!

A spring afternoon spent watching high school-age son play baseball.  Baseball is a rather simple game (until you try to explain it to a Frenchie... then it sounds really complicated!) and I love watching my son play centerfield.

A tiny little violet picked after finishing a walk on the Duke Trail with the BFF.  These simple little flowers remind me of my grandmother because she loved them so much.  She planted them around her house.

Anchovies and garlic getting ready to be stuffed into a leg of lamb for Easter lunch.  Two very simple ingredients but so flavorful.  My in-laws certainly appreciated it.  College-age son even tried it.  Bravo!  (And I think that Mr. Centerfield even had a bite...)


Chef Érick's Gigot d'Agneau aux Anchois-- Leg of Lamb with Anchovies
(for 6-8, with leftovers)

One boneless leg of lamb 5-6 pounds (2.5 kilos)
Anchovy filets
One head of garlic
Rosemary

Heat oven to 400F.
Trim excess fat from lamb.  Cut 3-4 cloves of garlic into slivers.  Cut slits in the lamb and insert a piece of anchovy and a sliver of garlic into each slit.  Do this as many times as you wish.
Lay the lamb in a baking dish and surround it with the remaining cloves of garlic, unpeeled or "in their shirts."  Drizzle olive oil over the lamb.  Pour a small amount of water in the baking dish.  Place sprigs of rosemary on top of the lamb.
Place lamb in preheated oven (be sure the temperature has risen to 400F first).  Immediately lower the temperature to 275F.  Bake for approximately 10 minutes per pound.  Lamb is medium rare when the inside temperature reaches 127F.  Use this as a guide and bake according to your taste.
Allow to sit, covered, for 15 minutes before carving.

Bon appétit, Spring!

Ahhhh.... lavender

(from Aquarupella 2010 Calendar of Provence)

This is a photo of my fantasy home in Provence, situated in the middle of un champ de lavande.  Who cares about windows?  No need.  You can't see it from this angle, but there is a little patio with a table and two chairs where all meals are taken.  There are a few extra chairs that can be unfolded for when guests come for a kir or a pastis and une salade de chèvre chaud.  There are no complicated meals prepared here.  Just simple, seasonal fare.  Le soleil brille, the sun is shining, les cigales chantent, the cicadas are singing, the air is hot and dry. The hottest part of the afternoon is spent inside, taking a little sieste after lunch or reading.

We all have our fantasies, non?  I have been to the lavender fields of Provence.  I've picnicked in the shade of a pine tree, overlooking the Abbaye de Sénanque near Gordes.  The lavender blooms there in mid-summer.  It's incredibly beautiful.

There was dried lavender for sale at the market in Arles last month.  I couldn't resist buying a bunch, wrapping it carefully in plastic and stashing it in my suitcase.  Most of the little flowers fell off, but that's okay.

I can't resist it.  The mec that I bought it from even sprinkled a few drops of lavender oil on it.  That made my suitcase smell heavenly.

It is also sold by the little bags full, if you would rather.  You can make your own sachets.

These are two that "live" on my desk at school.  The little one was made my very creative friend, Signora.  It hangs on my wooden Eiffel Tower.  The other was a gift, sent from France by someone who probably suspected that I needed it!
Sophie, a beekeeper I met while working with Chef Érick, was at the market.  Thank goodness she had some miel de lavande, lavender honey, left over to sell to me.  My two jars made it home safe and sound.  (One for me and one for the BFF!)

We also found these beautiful little bottles of lavender oil at the Arles market.

Once again, I bought two of them.  One for me and one for Lucy, a member of the Arles 6 gang, a colleague and very good friend.  She has a shrine to Provence in her house here in Durham.  Every time I go back, I bring a little something for her to add to it.  (I haven't been to visit lately... need to fix that!)

This is me, Lucy and Signora one day this week.  We all just happened to be wearing pink so we had our photo taken in my classroom.
This little touch of lavender is hanging on the wall above one of the sinks in Chef Érick's kitchen.  (Sigh...)

So, as the sun shines here in North Carolina and there is a touch of summer in the air for Easter weekend, with temperatures predicted in the 80's, I can already smell the lavender that will bloom on my back porch.

I think that I will make some cookies this weekend...

Lavender Limoncello Cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. white sugar
2 Tbsp. dried lavender flowers
2 lemons, zest and juice
1 egg
2 Tbsp. Limoncello liqueur
2 tsp. baking powder
2 c. + white flour

Preheat oven to 350F.
Blend butter, sugar and lavender.
Add in lemon zest and juice, then the egg and Limoncello.
Blend in the 2 cups flour and the baking powder.  Dough should be soft but not oily.  Add more flour by the tablespoon, if needed.
Roll into 2 logs and place in wax paper. Chill at least 20 minutes.
Slice into 1/2 inch thick rounds.  Makes approximately 30-36 cookies.
Bake 10-15 minutes on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Bottoms should be pale gold.
Ice with a lemon - powdered sugar glaze, if desired.

Bon appétit, my little mas in Provence!

Tears and la Tour Eiffel

Every time I go to Paris, I vow that I am not going to take dozens (hundreds?) more photos of the Eiffel Tower.  I mean, how many does one need?  How many do I already have?  How many of the 23,929 photos in my iPhoto folder are of la Tour?  Aucune idée.  No idea. 
But did I keep that promise to myself this time?  Absolument pas...

 
As soon as she came into view on the bus ride from the airport, I started snapping away.  And I did not stop. 

Sunset while crossing the Seine...

As I headed down Rue St. Dominique to the hotel...

Across the city from the rooftop of Galeries Lafayette...

From the top of l'Arc de Triomphe...

Up close and personal...

In different light...

At night...

And when the sparkly lights came on.
I just cannot help myself, I guess.  Silly promises made in North Carolina before the magic of Paris takes a hold of me.
This year, I had a total meltdown on the top, though. Well, on the second floor, actually.  You can now go on-line and buy group tickets.  What a marvelous idea.  I did it last year and the only hitch was that I had miscounted and didn't buy one for myself.  Pas de problème.  Not a problem.  I've been up many times.  That gave me time to scout out nearby cafés and find a place to have dinner with my band of 8th graders and my other chaperone.  I strolled all around the base, took photos of it (of course), watched it sparkle, sat underneath and talked to a Marseillais who was visiting for the first time in his 65 years.
This year, I went on-line in mid-February to buy the tickets.  I saw that the third floor was closed for a month, but it was scheduled to reopen before we got there.  Pas de problème.  I registered my school's name, put in the school's credit card information (merci, Dr. Dupont!), counted very carefully to make sure I would get to go up this time, confirmed, printed, filed the paper away in my pink trip notebook and all was good.  I had checked on-line to see what time sundown would be on March 9 so that I could time being on the top when the lights of Paris came on.  Que je suis intelligente!  Aren't I smart??  I was arranging a magical moment for the kiddies.  What a great teacher.
We all got in line (I did have to wait for the other chaperone and some stragglers who were haggling for a good price on key chains...), passed through security and got to the first check point.  I asked the fellow letting us through (in my very best French, of course) why we didn't have individual tickets, the kind we had always had where they tear off the corners for each floor that you visit.  He told me that they'd gone to a new system.  Ok.  Who am I to question a new system?  We rode up to the first floor, not getting off yet, saving that for the way down,  and headed on up to the second floor where you have to change elevators.  It was very, very cold and windy that night.  We found the line for the third floor elevator and made it to the next ticket-checking fellow who informed me that I had only bought tickets to the second floor.  Mais non, I told him.  There must be a mistake.  I explained, once again in my very best French, and he shook his head and said that at that time they weren't selling tickets to the third floor because it was closed.  Fine, I said, but why didn't his buddy downstairs tell me that then I asked?  The famous French shoulder shrug.  I was told to go buy the supplementary tickets at the ticket machine.  Ok.  Pas de problème.  Until I got to the machine and discovered that it took a carte bleue, a French credit card with a special chip in it, or CHANGE.  No bills.  And I am not in the habit of carrying around 63 euros, approximately $82, in coins.  And no one was working the window on such a cold, windy night.  Uh-oh, I could feel the tears just on the brink of escaping my little green eyes.  And I was not wearing waterproof mascara... (It had been a stressful day, the majority of it spent at CDG airport sending home a girl who was homesick-a first for me)  Just as the tears started spilling down my cheeks and I started looking for the elevator to head all the way back down to buy the tickets (my students would get to the very top, no matter what), a woman employee noticed and told me Attendez, madame, ne descendez pas.  Hold on, don't go down yet.  She found someone to open up the ticket window for me and I bought the tickets.  But once the tears start and you are tired and cold and more than a little stressed, it can be hard to stop.  After digging around in my bottomless purse for the little plastic packet of tissues I always carry around with me, mopping up some tears and wiping away the mascara, I found my group and tried telling them what was going on.  One of the girls grabbed me, gave me a huge hug and said something to the effect of "Oh, madame, you need some lavender right now."  They know that I keep some on my desk, just for emergency moments and when I want to pretend that I am in Provence.  But that hug is why I teach...
Oh!  The reason the top had been closed was so that they could install a champagne bar, it seems.  And we did witness a champagne moment as a guy got down on one knee and whipped out a lovely diamond ring for his unsuspecting girlfriend.  One of my girlies heard the girl gasp and ask, in a very loud voice, in English, a question containing language that I cannot repeat here.   But they didn't buy champagne.

Well, in spite of all of that, I still love la Tour Eiffel.  I always will, I guess.  Maybe next time, though, I will carry my little bottle of lavender with me or at least a lavender sachet, just in case, along with the tissues and the waterproof mascara.

This is my favorite salad and I eat it as often as possible when in France.  With the help of my Frenchie friends, I've recreated the recipe. There are many variations, but this is my favorite.  The BFF and I served this salad at our Sabbatical Chef Dinner last weekend.

Salade de chèvre chaud

Line plates with your favorite lettuce or baby salad greens.  Add cherry tomatoes.  (I found some red, yellow and green ones at Whole Foods that worked well.)  Drizzle this with vinaigrette (recipe below).

Cut goat cheese into rounds.  (I used Bucheron from Wine Authorites.  Randy cut the rounds into 1/3-inch slices for me.  I cut the slices into quarters.)  Dip the pieces first into egg yolk and then into bread crumbs.  Fry in a hot pan with olive oil until golden brown on each side.

If you wish, instead of frying the goat cheese, you can just place it on slices of a baguette and warm it up in the oven, under the broiler.  Do not dip in egg or roll in bread crumbs.

Place the goat cheese on the salad greens.  Add a touch of honey (a "tear" according to the Frenchie who sent a recipe!) to the top of the cheese.  (I brought lavender honey back from the Arles market just for this.)  If you do not use honey, you can drizzle the cheese with a bit of good olive oil.

Vinaigrette

Use the best quality ingredients you can for this simple dressing.  You can adjust the quantities, but you should stick to a 3:1 oil to vinegar ratio.

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. vinegar (wine, balsamic, sherry,etc.)
1 heaping tsp. Dijon mustard
Freshly ground pepper

Whisk all ingredients together.  Serve at room temperature. 
You can add shallots, garlic, herbs, whatever you desire to spice it up.

Bon appétit, la Tour Eiffel!

Le poisson d'avril and the Easter Bunny

On the Rue du 4 Septembre in Arles, you will find Guy LeBlanc's pastry and chocolate shop.  And what a treat it is just to step through the door.  Actually, it is a feast for your eyes even before you open the door.  Just looking at the window display is a joy.  M. LeBlanc is a Le Nôtre trained pastry chef.  His wife offered me my very own carte de fidelité, a frequent shopper's card, this time.  I pretended that I would be back very soon to fill it up and get my treat and discount...

I told the kiddies all about his shop even before we got to Arles a couple of weeks ago and then showed them just where to find it once we arrived.  Not only does he make wonderful bread and croissants, he also makes handmade chocolates.  I think that quite a few of his chocolate lollipops were consumed during our five days there.  Some chocolates may have made it home as gifts, but I am not sure. I only saw one chicken being toted home ever so carefully.

 (photo by Catherine Yang)

Now that spring is here, the shop is full of chocolate chickens, as well as the fish pictured above with the lovely lavender-colored ribbons around their bellies.

April 1 is known as le Poisson d'avril (the April fish) in France.  Non, I do not know why.  But the French play jokes on each other, just as we do on April 1, but theirs involve colored fish stickers and telling someone tu as gobé le poisson d'avril (you've swallowed the April fish) if they fall for one of your pranks.  Ok, I need a Frenchie to explain, please!  And since I do not have one at my disposal right this minute, I did what I always do, I googled.  Seems April Fool's Day comes right back to the French.  I had no idea.
This is the shortened version, taken from several sites.  Believe what you will.  If some of my French buddies correct me, I will keep you posted.

• The Julian Calendar, established by my friend Julius Caesar in 46 BC made January 1 New Year's Day.  But a few centuries later, most regions in France were still using Easter (around March 25, although the date of Easter changes since it is based on lunar cycles) as the legal and administrative New Year.  Things were a big mess.  Everyone was confused.   Sans blague.  No kidding.
• King Charles IX ordered a new calendar to replace the Julian one in 1564, attempting to end the confusion.  Enter the Gregorian calendar, named for Pope Gregory XIII (the Catholic Church adopted it in 1582).  January 1 was once again proclaimed New Year's Day, legally and otherwise.  
• Some French folks, though, resisted the change and continued to celebrate New Year's during the week following March 25, ending the fun around April 1.  Those who made the calendar switch made fun of the ones who didn't, sending them fake gifts and invitations to non-existent parties. That's a really dirty trick, n'est-ce pas? Getting all dressed up only to find you have no where to go.  Enter the fools, les foux.  
• So, later the French adopted April 1 as a new celebration (any excuse for fun?) and called it Poisson d'avril.  
• Why poisson, you ask?  There are a few theories out there--  one is that it coincides with the sun leaving the astrological sign of Pisces, the fish.  Another is that fishing wasn't allowed in April in 16th century France because the newly hatched fish needed to grow up before being caught and fried up in un tout petit peu d'huile d'olive (ok, the frying in olive oil part I made up).  Yet another is that in April fish are abundant and they are easy to fool with a hook and the proper lure or bait.  Yet one more is that during Lent you are allowed to eat fish but not red meat (this one doesn't make much sense, now does it?)
• New information:  The French give gifts to their friends at New Year's, les étrennes, they are called.  In the 16th century, food was the most popular gift (not a shock at all... I think it is still the best gift, myself!) and since Easter marks the end of Lent (Christians were forbidden to eat meat during the 40 days of Lent), fish was often offered to friends (Chef Érick was busy smoking salmon for friends when I left Arles in December of 2008).  After the New Year's switch to Januray 1, fish remained the symbol of April 1, but this time for fun, in the form of paper fish, fish stickers (placed on someone's back as a joke- kind of like our "Kick me" stickers when I was a kid) and bien sûr, poissons de chocolat, those beautiful chocolate fishies.
• And this has nothing to do with it, but I found it interesting.  Supposedly, Napoléon was nicknamed le Poisson d'avril because he married Marie-Louise of Austria on April 1, 1810.  This led me to wondering just how tall was Napoléon anyway?  I took my students to visit Les Invalides in Paris and we paid homage to l'Empereur by visiting his tomb.  They always ask me how tall he was.  Not as short as you would think, it seems.  At the time of his death he was measured and listed at 5'2 inches.  (Some have even said he was only 4'11.) That wasn't accurately translated into English measurement until later.  He was really 5'6.5.  That's not so short.  I am 5'5 and I only feel short next to my sons and their basketball teammates.  That was actually taller than the average Frenchman in 1800.  Maybe Napoléon just hung out with taller guys and and that made him appear short.

Here in the U.S., as we get ready for the Easter Bunny to pay us a visit, I have already stashed some bon chocolat aside just for moi.

Chocolate bunnies, chocolate caramels, chocolate and coconut, Hershey's kisses in dark chocolate, Suchard rochers in milk, dark and new macaron flavor, chocolate chili bark and chocolate wrapped up in a picture of the Louvre pyramid.

The Dolly Mama bunny is my favorite.  He is called The Carolina Spring Bunny (Carolina blue ribbon?) and he is made of chocolate and peanut butter.  Some of her caramels are wrapped up here, too.  The green bunny came from Foster's Market where I had coffee this morning while proofreading progress reports.  Non, pas de poissons in my collection.  Dommage!  Maybe the Easter Bunny will bring me some...

When my eaters need something chocolate and I need a quick recipe, this is the one...

Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies
(recipe from my mother-in-law)

2 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. butter
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. peanut butter
3 c. oatmeal

Combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa.  Bring to boil and boil for one minute.  Add vanilla and peanut butter.  Stir until peanut butter is melted.  Add oatmeal and stir until it is well-coated.  Drop on waxed paper and place in refrigerator until cooled.
Makes about 3 dozen.

Bon appétit, Poisson d'avril and the Easter Bunny!