Une tarte crème de citron

7:21pm, Kitchen, Paris

This afternoon I have been working on une tarte crème de citron or lemon cream tart. In this whole process, what I have enjoyed the most is my lemon cream and the sifter I used for it, which basically cleaned up the mess I had made in the cream to produce something smooth. It is an amazing tool! As of now, my favorite tool is a Chinese sifter. The last batch of tarts are baking now, but I will upload pictures of the process. It's been a good day.



8:37pm
I made a major mistake on my tarts, but this is my first time, so the learning curve is high.

12:06am
This is my first time making une tarte of any kind, so I'm happy with this first attempt. I hope to improve on the presentation. Bon appétit!


Something I have thought about consistently while visiting the grocery stores, is how I will find the same or at least similar ingredients I use here back in the States. For example, we don't have coing, which is a type of fruit, in the States. It looks kind of similar to a pear, but it's distinct, so hopefully I will be able to find something similar when I return.


12:32am

I just bit into the tarte and I was actually nervous. I don't know what I was expecting ... I guess something that would be mildly edible. But despite the mistake I made in the tart ... it's kind of awesome - praise be Jesus Christ!

Isaiah 30:1-18

12:22pm, room
Paris

Today I am headed to a free art showing and then will make my way to le Jardin du Luxembourg. I was inspired by the First Reading in today's Office of Readings that talks about a rebellious children whereupon the Lord is just waiting to give favors if only they would find rest in him.

"By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies." Throughout this trip, I feel as if I have been trying to 'make things happen' and they have not happened or I end up being frustrated. However, when I am not planning anything but praying and trusting, everything just falls into place. This is a constant struggle. It's hard when you've organized in the past to not have plans or to not have things set or if it's just your personality to be like this, but God just works in ways otherwise.

11pm, Paris

Today I tried to buy a copy of La Maison-Dieu's Le Mouvement liturgique; but apparently despite that I had ordered it from La Procure and was told to come in, they are actually not selling this anymore. I'm fairly confident there was a serious miscommunication. It's fine though as copies from this particular issue were emailed to me today! And of all days when I was disappointed and had been waiting weeks ... the USML library's scanner was finally fixed - praise be Jesus Christ! I was able to get next month's Magnificat though, so no trip was wasted!

I then went to see a free art exhibition of paintings looking at people who had experienced suffering and hope through tradgedy. The exhibition had about 30 paintings of the faces of children, women, and men and the artist's name is Antonio Veronesse. It was a compelling range of emotions and a emphasized specifically with the artist's use of the colors red, white, organge, and black.

The rest of the day I read up on readings within the Liturgical Movement in le Jardin du Luxembourg to prepare me for when I visit the monasteries. Woo hoo ... the details for preparing this are becoming refined with each day. Mass was at L'Église Étienne du Mont.

Unexpected but part of His plan

This weekend I had hoped to visit Solemes and the great Abbaye, but these plans have fallen through and it looks like it will be Paris for the weekend. It's, of course, not a bad thing ... as it's been raining consistently over the past couple days. The forecast for this weekend is 80's and sun.

We never know what God will bring into our paths or where we are going or what lies ahead, and there's only so much planning we can do. In my case, I am very particular with my time but working on God's time can throw you for a loop. My challenge for tonight is to embrace the unexpected and to just trust.

I will praise God for one thing tonight and that is my wonderful flatmate, Emilie. She is a real girl and a good friend I just feel I am so lucky to have while on this trip. She has helped me process stuff as it comes, helped my french, been a great roommate, and been a good pal to laugh about random things while in Paris. God sends us angels all the time. We are lucky when we are able to have them as friends. As she reminded me today, I am here as I should be and everything is happening as it is supposed to.

Celebrate avec du vin

I celebrated the evening making my meal a mix of french and filipino. You could never take the rice out of me! Today was a good day; and due of celebration, so I celebrated with my first purchase of inexpensive (and still delicious!) bottle of du vin rouge (red wine). In a short amount of time, I was able to accomplish much ... so I guess in some ways, no matter where you go ... your personality just stays the same. Today I went shopping for hours looking at the prices at Bovida and Mora for professional cookware. Once everything was sufficient, I went to Darty to purchase an electric product. Then, off to a pâtisserie. Dropped off things at my flat and called various financial institutions. Then, off to Mass at Saint-Lambert's. Finally, what I couldn't find at Edy's, I went to another grocery store where the cashier was so entertaining - very refreshing for a long day! What I loved was the employee helped me find the ingredients I needed! Tomorrow tools in hand and ingredients ready ... I plan on creating something.

So, it turns out the laws in France are such that if you want to work and even volunteer to work at any French business, you need the necessary paperwork and there needs to be some form of declaration. I did not know that! And what I have been aiming for - that is, volunteering - is simply not possible given the laws here. It's cool, and that's how it goes. I finally understood why today when someone explained to me in french and slowly what was required. Onto plan 2: it's onto taking courses in des pâtisseries with the cuisine classes or schools that cater to short stays! It will just be a lot of practice at home...

Vive la confiance et l'amour du Christ!

Friday I finally visited le Musée national du Moyen-Âge (The National Museum of the Middle Ages), which is an impressive collection of liturgical art, tapestries, paintings, sculptures, and church artifacts from the early to late Middle Ages. If you love Catholicism or just have an appreciation for the Middle Ages, this is the museum for you. I spent the whole day there and when I finished, I wanted to go through everything over again. They have preserved a lot of altar pieces for display, and the intricate carvings (in the marble or wood) is so detailed - you have an appreciation for the craftsmanship that took place for something sacred to take place.


Also, the tapestries were amazing. The story and movement within each tapestry was impressive, but my favorite was definitely La Dame à la licorne (the Woman and the Unicorn). There are 6 pieces that look at the 5 human senses (taste, touch, sound, hear, and smell) with the final one called Mon Seul Désir, or My Only Desire. In this last tapestry, the woman revokes her material goods for ... and there are many theories: 1.) For Love or 2.)For Love and Christ. I obviously favor the second theory. It was so beautifully crafted and detailed; I think I spent an hour just looking at the tapestries in this room.

It was also equally impressive to see how churches had evolved over so many years. Sculptures, arches, and columns from churches (Notre Dame, Saint-Denis, and others) were on display and had been removed to make room for either new construction within each church or new sculptures.

After the museum, I went into a bookstore and found myself in front of the Sociology of Gender section. I was very curious of who was writing about Gender in France since the previous bookstore lacked selection. This definitely was outside of pop culture and seemed more thorough, and there was a good selection of past to contemporary writers (based on the copyright). Most of these writers were new to me, so I was very curious as to what they were writing about.


I walked over and spent the rest of the late afternoon at my favorite garden, le Jardin du Luxembourg.



The layout of the flowers and ambience are a good way to end the day, with Mass at L'Église Étienne du Mont.

Saturday was spent enjoying the work of Auguste Rodin. I feel like my appreciation for sculptures and the sculpturer grew exponentially while I visited le Musée Rodin (the Rodin Museum). During the rain, I stayed in the l'Hôtel part of the museum. This section is good because it's shows a lot of Rodin's work prior to his final pieces that are displayed in the garden. It helps prepare you for his work and to see the process that is involved. The fact that his initial models were all fashioned by his own hands and then the caster poured over allows you to see his brilliance. My favorite sculpture of his was the first work he did, which was actually rejected. In making the piece, he made a mistake and the only part that was salvaged in the headpiece (or bust as it is called) was the face, which is practically a mask. Nevertheless, he had a deadline, so he submitted it; and sure enough, it was rejected. Later he would comment that this was his best work because it influenced all sculptures to follow. My favorite sculpture to pose next to :) was le Penseur (the Thinker).




Before I knew it, the museum was closed and I was stressing out because I really wanted to go to confession before the Feast of the Assumption; but I knew I wouldn't make it if I headed back to Saint-Lambert's de Vaugirard. What's so awesome about Paris, however, is that each arrondissement has a number of churches available. So I knew that if I could find one in the area, then it would be possible to go. The security at the museum directed me to L'Église Saint-François-Xavier. Just my luck, confessions were to start not too far from when I arrived.


L'Église Saint-François-Xavier is stunning.


There are mini-chapels along the side dedicated to the Saints. The dome is covered in gold with the 12 Apostles painted and the sacrificial Lamb in the center. Christ is at the center when you look at the front of the church with vines coming from him. The mosaics are also designed as flowers throughout the church and the names of prophets from the Old Testament adorn the ceiling. When the lights are turned on, the entire altar lights up in gold.



So this was my first time to have confession completely in French. I was nervous because I was afraid I would say something that wasn't what I intended to say and was worried I wouldn't understand what my penance was. So beforehand, I had already written down the Act of Contrition in French. My worrying was silly and confession is really the last place you should be worried. Confession is the place for grace, restoration, and healing ... not anxiety! It was such a gift to be able to go to confession; I hope that as I get older, I never take it for granted.

He followed the rubrics as I had studied them from my class on reconciliation and anointing, which doesn't always happen when I've gone but he did. I don't know who this priest was; but he was awesome, and I could tell from what he was saying during my confession that he was prayerful. He spoke to me in French normal, listened attentively, and I understood what he was saying. And he ended with, "Vive la confiance et l'amour du Christ!" (Live the trust and the love of Christ!). I was so inspired that I ended up attending Mass that he presided at, and he was just as passionate during the homily. What a treat - praised be Jesus Christ!

I lingered around taking pictures in the church until I got kicked out ... oopsy! The hours on the schedule were right, but they were closing early. I bought a delicious pâtisserie to end the evening: une tarte citron meringuée. It was a nice twist to a classic tarte - that is, the meringue part of the tart.


Monday was spent looking for a café to just have coffee and organize my notes and planning.





I feel like I'm balancing a lot, and I'm alright with that. I'm tired when I get home, but it's a joy to organize and also do the tourists things, eat pâtisseries, and visit so many beautiful churches. Emilie, my flatmate, asked me if I missed Chicago or if I felt alone as I was on this trip. And my response to her was that my home is Christ. I am reserved for him alone. And where I walk, he walks alongside me, so I never feel alone. My joy and consolation when I get discouraged is Christ. Indeed, I also get angry ... and I get mad at him, too; but ultimately, it tends to be my fault...

Vive le randomness!

Wednesday and Thursday of last week were spent visiting shops that sold des ustensiles de cuisine (cooking utensils). I wanted to check stores for their utensils for pâtisseries and their prices. Tuesday night before my hunt I had a dream of the métro stop where I ended up going to buy a utensil I needed.

Wednesday I did research on specialty stores where 4 of the stores I needed were off the métro stop called Les Halles, while the cheapest store with only 1 location was near a métro stop called Madeleine. Initially, I wasn't sure where to go because the selection in the specialty store off Madeleine was limited. In the dream, however, I went to Madeleine; so I decided to just follow the dream! Yes, crazy, right?! Turns out the store I researched was closed for the summer. So I quickly decided to run back to the métro at Madeleine and go to Les Halles before the stores closed. Once I got into the métro, I saw a store called Darty which I could see sold electronics and appliances. Looking around, I found the cooking utensil I was looking for and at the lowest price for my budget. God is so good!


Thursday was a little bit more interesting! I walked around Les Halles' shopping center and made my way eventually to L'Église Saint-Eustache. I think outside of the Vatican, this is one of the biggest churches I've ever seen in my life; it was enormous. The pillars inside are so massive it makes you feel like you are in a forest. The church is also undergoing a lot of renovation, so the renovated 1/4 of the church is absolutely stunning - ivory, gold, red, repainted ... awesome! The rest needs some work, but you can tell it will look stunning once all is done.





I then decided to visit the shops that sold cooking utensils for pâtisseries as Darty didn't sell these. I felt like I was child in a toystore when I visited Mora! It is a store for professional cookware and has everything you need with quality materials ... très cher, but you need good materials when you are baking. There are also materials for everyday cooking, but it's definitely a specialty store. Anyway, I could not help but be excited as I was going through the different spatulas, tart containers, and petite gâteaux containers ... great fun.

Exiting from Mora's and out of the corner of my eye, I passed someone who was coming into the store who I sensed looked at me. I didn't really think anything of it as I turned the corner, but then a little ways down the street, I had a tap on my shoulder from the man I had just passed. I could understand pieces of what he was saying in French, but I was caught off guard since we had just passed one another and I thought maybe I dropped something, and he was returning whatever it was to me. He ended up being fluent in English, and it turns out he was an artist and painter. Visiting his website (http://www.micheltemim.net), I was able to see his talent. What I liked about his past work is his ability to revive the mundane in the everyday. With an edgy-style, he knows how to create movement in his art. He also captures the emotions of those involved in the picture, while also evoking emotion (even humor) from his audience.

In a store I met a woman, Jane, who was so helpful in helping me find what I needed; consequently, we ended up having a great conversation on French food culture. It was so good to talk with someone who appreciates cuisine. We both agreed that learning about food also comes with having the support of the culture - in other words, how the culture embraces food will affect your experience of it. France is a good place for this!

Shifting pâtisserie gears

I think I just had my first encounter with the reality of the baking and pâtisserie world. As I'm here I have been scrambling trying to find an opportunity to learn how to make pâtisseries ... that fits my student budget :) Well, I met a pâtissier who had encouraged me that they would teach me; and kind of out of the blue, they've just disappeared and are unreachable with a vague email that it may or may not happen anymore. It's a little discouraging because my hopes were already wavering and then shot up because I was given the impression there would be lessons. Well, it doesn't seem like that's going to happen anymore, so I'm disappointed but that's how it goes.

I think it has more to deal with that the pâtissier does not want to share recipes, which would have to have happened if I were to receive lessons since I don't know how to make them yet at this point. I sensed this when I first mentioned the recipes and there was an awkward response followed by subsequent awkwardness ...

I can understand this to a great extent because your trade is something you have to protect and it's a skill that's taken years to develop. But if I were put in this pâtissier's position though, I'd just be honest and say, "Look, I can give you ideas and give basic help, but I can't share recipes because this is how I feed myself" AND more importantly, I wouldn't get someone's hopes up.

I'm disappointed, but I'm not giving up. It just means I have to not store my les oeufs in one basket, as I did with this ... and I just have to shift gears into another approach. If there's one skill that people who love to cook and bake have, is they can smell and taste the ingredients of a product; they know what is good quality versus what needs work; and basic tastes and textures in a dessert or cake stick out... I wasn't expecting this to be easy. I just have to shift gears, which may involve my budget and shorten what has been a lovely trip thus far...