Papilles en Éveil – May event

While in Lyon I (Anna) have been  participating in an AVF cooking workshop,  Papilles en Éveil (roughly translated as “awakening tastebuds”), led by an incredible (force of nature) woman named Brigitte.  Brigitte has managed to organize a very diverse group of women to meet monthly to prepare and enjoy a three course lunch.  Each meeting is limited to eight of us to keep it manageable and typically lasts from 10 AM to ~3 PM.  We each chip in to pay for the ingredients which are supplied by the person in charge of that course.

Last week we met in the beautiful apartment of Marie-Noëlle.  Her apartment is without a doubt

Enjoying an apéritif before lunch

the most lovely apartment I’ve been in in Lyon – and perhaps anywhere.  It is in a gracious, old building and retains the large rooms, high ceilings, and decorative detail of an old building but has a very modern kitchen that would be a joy to have in any country.  (Alas, the French are known for their cooking but not for their kitchens - although they are making progress and one sees apartments advertised as having “Cuisine Americaine”.) Marie-Noëlle (French) provided the ingredients and recipe for the main course (and of course, the wine); Gillian (English) was in charge of dessert; and Isabel (French) was in charge of the first course, or entrée as it is known in France.   (I am the only American and, without a doubt, the least fluent in French.  Our group also includes ladies from China, Brazil, and various other countries.)

The lovely table

 

 

 

 

 



L-R Isabel, Anna, Gillian, and Marie-Noëlle
 with the entrée with accompanying wine.

Isabel’s entrée, Gougère Béchamel Jambon, was a delicious (rich!) pastry ring with a ham, cheese, béchamel sauce filling. Marie-Noëlle added the dried flower petals that provided the perfect finishing touch.  It was delicious and could easily serve as a summer meal with a salad.

 

 
Then came the main dish (plat, in France),Veau au Pamplemousse et au Poivre Vert (veal with

Veau au Pamplemousse et au Poivre Vert

grapefuit and green pepper corns).  Marie-Noëlle had us prepare  spätzle  for the starch, although one could also have potatoes, noodles or whatever.  This dish not only looked lovely, but was incredibly tender and tasty.

 

 

And then, on to dessert.  Gillian had us preparing Tarte au Citron Meringuée (Lemon Meringue Pie) – but the recipe was completely different from any I’ve ever used.  For a start, the pie crust included

Tarte au Citron Meringuée

egg yolks and was totally mixed and shaped by hand – no rolling pin!  Then Brigitte did some artistic magic with the meringue and added some sugar crystals to the top of the pie before it went into the oven. The result was impressive and tasted delicious.  (David was the happy recipient of the leftover pie – thanks to Gilllian.)

 

 

 

 

Enjoying the fruits of our labor. 
 L-R Marie-Noelle, Isabel, Anna, Gillian, and Ling

As usual, we lingered over coffee and conversation before we said à bientôt  (see you soon) and went our separate ways.  Another very successful, and delicious, Papilles en Éveil gathering.