I went to Versailles and Paris with my dear friend, David. It was the most wonderful trip ever. I fell head over heels in love with France. I loved its open windows, and crowded brasseries, and its version of a martini, and the sound of people speaking. I loved it all.
I had big ideas when planning this trip, and I didn’t follow through on any of them. Let’s list what I didn’t do, shall we?
I didn’t tour the Palace of Versailles. I went to other big homes in the park, and I thought each one was in fact the palace, but they weren’t.
When I finally did spot the Palace of Versailles while on a jog it was too late. I had an Uber to catch. On to Paris!
Yup. This was as close as I got to the Eiffel Tower.
And I never stepped foot into a patisserie. I only took photos of window displays. And of my reflection.
I did plan to go out on the town by myself (David was cast in a show, and had to learn an enormous amount of lines),
but I only got as far as the hotel bar, so I drank alone while taking pictures of myself. By the way, that is a French Martini in my hand, and you can find the recipe here.
So what did I do, you ask? Well, I belly laughed with David so hard that my cheeks hurt, and my eyes watered, and I didn’t want that feeling to end. David also showed me the parts of Paris he loves, helped me with my pronunciation when ordering at cafes, and encouraged me to be brave and go off on my own. Still, what I’ll remember most from this trip is the two of us laughing together. It’s what we do, and we do it well.
I also saw my best friend from elementary school, whom I haven’t seen since we were 10 years old. Now we are moms in our 40s with lots of years, and big oceans separating us. We both agreed, however, that those few years together as children were some of the most important years of our lives. I loved spending time with you, Ieera.
Me, and Ieera
One of the most memorable moments from my trip was having lunch at David’s friends’ flat. It felt like a true French experience– open windows, good wine, delicious food, a cheese course after lunch, and nothing but the French language being spoken. Even though I understood very little (thank goodness David translated) Laurent and Manu made me feel completely taken care of. I remember one particularly sweet moment when David told them about my baking blog, and Manu looked at me and patted his heart with his hand.
Clockwise: David, Manu, me, and Laurent
For dessert that day we had panna cotta with macerated strawberries and a mint leaf on top. Yes, I know that’s Italian, but I assure you it was made with pure French love. So, in honor of my old and new dear friends, a French trip of a lifetime, and delicious food bringing us all closer together I made you a vanilla bean panna cotta. I used Russ Parson’s recipe because it is the very best. Bon appétit!
- 2 TBS Water
- 1 TBS Powdered Gelatin
- Oil
- 2 and ½ cups Heavy Cream
- 1 and ½ cups Whole Milk
- 5 TBS Sugar
- ½ Vanilla Bean, split in half lengthwise and the seeds scraped out (or ½ tsp. Vanilla Extract)
- Place the water in a small bowl, and sprinkle the gelatin over top. Set aside 2 to 3 minutes to soften. Lightly oil the inside of eight ½ cup-sized ramekins. Set aside. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Set that aside too.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, stir together the cream, milk, sugar, and the vanilla bean (along with its seeds) until it comes to a simmer. Remove the mixture from the heat. Add the softened gelatin. If using vanilla extract now is the time to stir it in as well.
- Discard the vanilla bean, and place the saucepan in the ice water bath. Be sure that the edge of the saucepan is well above the water. Whisk until the mixture is lukewarm. Dip two clean fingers into the mixture. It is ready to be poured into the ramekins if the mixture feels smooth and there is no grit from the sugar or gelatin.
- Pour the mixture into the ramekins, cover with plastic wrap (press the wrap gently to the surface), and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Keep in mind, the longer the chill the firmer the set.
- Ten minutes before serving briefly dip the bottom of the ramekins in hot tap water then run a knife around the inside of the ramekin. Turn over onto individual plates to unmold.
- Serve with berries if desired. Bon appetit!
- Eight 1/2 cup-sized ramekins
- Small bowl
- Large bowl
- Saucepan
- Whisk
- Plastic wrap
- Thin blade knife
- Eight dessert plates
