Soups du jour

Soothing homemade soups and smooth veloutés ease le confinement.

Above: immune-boosting carrot ginger soup

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Recipes in April newsletter

Optimist

 

A portrait artist takes his chances.

Evening apéros

Well before the lockdown, we'd made it a tradition to have a pre-dinner apéritif almost every evening, whether chez nous, chez friends, on a café terrace in nice weather or at a favorite wine bar, wherever we are. And the drink needn't be alcohol - it could be a fruit juice, iced tea or sparkling water, with accompaniments of anything from peanuts, chips, pretzels or olives to cheeses, sausages or more elaborate canapés. - BPJ

Above: dried mango, almonds, whole wheat grissini, two kinds of cheeses

Below: yesterday's gin tonics, cheeses, spicy cashews, cured sausage w/fennel, dark German bread

 

Font art

Baptismal font inside Église Saint-Jean de Montmartre, an art nouveau church on Place des Abbesses.

Café du coin

Another frequented corner café in Montmartre, closed until further notice.

Tables for two

A Montmartre café.

Le traiteur

In Paris, the neighborhood traiteur - translated into English as "caterer," similar to a deli but not quite the same  - along with supermarkets, boulangeries, and butcher shops, is remaining open during the now prolonged confinement. These purveyors of prepared dishes to take away date to the middle ages when homes lacked kitchens. 

 

French traiteurs are said to be frequented primarily by a discerning elderly clientèle, and feature delicacies from entrées to desserts, making them an overlooked - and welcome - meal alternative. A google "search nearby" around an address should reveal where they are hiding - but be sure and call first to confirm that they are still in business! - BPJ