A Thanksgiving table

 

 

A casual Thanksgiving in a Montmartre loft.

- Merci nos chers amis -

Turkey Tuesday

 

A turkey run on a farm that welcomes school groups and visitors.

 

(click to enlarge)

 

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In France, bigger is not necessarily better and as turkeys are usually smaller than those in the US, cooking time is shorter. And because they are free range the quality and taste of the meat will be superbe. When cooking a turkey my French mother-in-law would lay a rasher of lard (bacon - fumé or not fumé) from the butcher atop the whole bird before bunging it in the oven and the fat basted the skin. Stuffed with chestnuts or a breadless herbed pork farce and served with grilled seasonal vegetables and autumn fruits - figs, apples, airelles (easy to find and often mistaken for cranberries) - a feast was inevitable.

 

A very Happy Thanksgiving to one/all and until next week... - BPJ

 

 

Mushroom Monday

 Still in season: varieties of mushrooms that inspire.

Above: large meaty cèpes have all but disappeared by 10 a.m.

 

Church search

 

Three-quarters of the churches in Paris were burned down during the French Revolution leaving few survivors, most notably Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, Église Sainte-Chapelle and the Basilique Cathédrale de Saint-Denis where the kings and queens of France repose, now all well-known touristic sites. (Despite its byzantine aspect the Basilique du Sacré Coeur de Montmartre did not appear until 1914).

Today there are many lesser-known churches sprinkled throughout the city that deserve a detour, easily found by searching their whereabouts on a map of Paris. Most are active but some are former churches, cloisters, and ecclesiastical buildings, all worthwhile to discover for their history, architecture, and beauty. - BPJ

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Recommended:

 Église Saint Paul-Saint Louis

 Église Saint-Jean de Montmartre

 Chapelle Nôtre-Dame-de-la-Médaille-Miraculeuse 

 Église Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois

 Église Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais

Èglise Saint-Médard de Paris

 Basilique Nôtre-Dame des Victoires

Basilique de Sainte-Clotilde

Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont

Église Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre

Église Saint-Pierre de Montmartre

Église Saint-Sulpice

Église Saint-Séverin

 Église Saint-Eustache

 Église Saint-Seraphin-de-Sarov

 Église de la Madeleine

Église Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Le Panthéon (originally Église de Sainte-Geneviève)

Collège des Bernardins

 Église des Billettes and its medieval cloister w/exhibitions, concerts

 

 

Autumn yellow

Shimmering leaves will soon be on the ground.

 

Fig Friday

It's the end of the fig season, but figs can still be found in most markets and on market streets.

 

Nouveau

Last night the 2023 Beaujolais Nouveau made its fruity debut.

Much anticipated on the third Thursday of every November, dozens of vintages for every taste and budget begin to appear in wine bars, restaurants, shops, caves and on comptoirs.

Did you celebrate?

Beaujolais Villages AOC