Emily in France 🇫🇷 Ready to Head South?
There's still time to register for our TERRE/MER retreat – and I've got a discount code just for you!
After one of the oddest summers, fall seems to be slowly sinking in in Paris. My second-favorite season has the unfortunate quirk of arriving hot on the tails of my all-time fave, and so while I always love autumn – cozy evenings by candlelight, Halloween decorations, the arrival of pumpkins and squashes and sweet little mirabelles – I find it so hard to say goodbye to the long, hot, sunny days of summer.
Luckily, I don't have to say goodbye just yet… and neither do you.
Our next long weekend edition of TERRE/MER is taking place in sunny la Ciotat in just a few short weeks. On October 5, a small group of women seeking creative inspiration, relaxation, and seaside views will convene to take part in a 10-hour ceramics intensive led by the incomparable Camille Drozdz. I’ll be leading us through afternoons and evenings discovering local terroir ranging from vegetal olive oil to fresh fish with aioli to, of course, cheese.
And best of all… you're invited!
We still have a few more spots available on this retreat from October 5 to 8. And to thank you all for being such loyal supporters, I’m offering a 10% discount to any newsletter subscribers who sign up. Just quote the code EMILYINFRANCE to take advantage of this special deal.
The retreat includes 10 hours of ceramics, three cooking ateliers with yours truly, yoga classes with local professionals, guided walks, shared meals made with local products, and more than enough free time to soak up the village ambiance of La Ciotat. (It’s kind of le rêve.)
Our retreats are small (just six people max) so sign up now before we run out of spots! We’re looking forward to welcoming you!
Cheese of the Week
I first discovered Grovire in la Ciotat thanks to the woman aptly dubbed Marie-Pierre la Fromagère, a rhyming signifier that just barely scratches the surface of the passion at the heart of the shop manned by this native of the Drôme. The ancestor of Beaufort, a pressed cheese I absolutely adore, Grovire was first invented in the Beaufort Valley in the 17th century. Boasting that powerful fruitiness, nuttiness, and zing Alpine tommes are known for, after two years of aging, this develops even deeper, more pronounced flavor and longevity. It’s a total gem.
To discover more of my favorite cheeses, be sure to follow me on Instagram @emily_in_france, subscribe to my YouTube channel, and tune into the Terroir Podcast, where Caroline Conner and I delve into France's cheese, wine, and more one region at a time.
What I'm Eating
In the heart of the Marais, a century ago, a Catalan engineer who developed a wine tank with a removable lid to stop oxidation invested his fortune in an import business and, finally, in a wine shop. Decades later, it would become a favorite of Jim Morrison, and today, it’s a restaurant exuding Old World charm – and cooking up one of the best egg-mayos in Paris. More on the blog.
Discover more of my foodie finds via Instagram @emily_in_france and on the blog.
What I'm Writing
1. French pastry has been experiencing a glow-up of sorts in the last few years. Chefs are breaking with the super-sweet fillings, stodgy creams, and neon-colored glazes that dominated pastry in the 80s and 90s to pave the way for pâtisserie that’s more seasonal and lower in sugar, somehow managing to be both more approachable and more refined. At his new Butterfly Pâtisserie, a veritable jewel of a boutique within the recently renovated Hôtel de Crillon, Matthieu Carlin chats about these and other trends with me for Bonjour Paris.
2. It attracted Winston Churchill, inspired James Bond and is set to rename its airport after the late Queen Elizabeth II. But this decidedly British resort isn't actually British. For the BBC.
3. The best chicken parm you'll ever make is ready in eight minutes. For InsideHook.
What I'm Reading
1. Let me start off with the bad news: Toujours Provence is not as good as A Year in Provence. It lacks the narrative cohesion and organization of the former and, in many cases (especially towards the end) feels like a repository where Peter Mayle puts his darlings. That said, even his darlings are delightful. Mayle's British wit and keen sense of observation mean that Toujours Provence is just as delightfully escapist and Francophile as the book that made Mayle famous. It's the perfect poolside read – particularly paired with a glass of Provençal rosé!
2. This intriguing exploration of the history of Pastis definitely makes me want to give the aniseed liqueur another try. In The French Life.
3. As someone who travels a not-insignificant amount, I found this argument against travel eye-opening and thought-provoking… and honestly, I don’t disagree with much of it. (It’s also not going to stop me traveling.) In the New Yorker.
A bientôt !