Spring in Paris and a Litttle bit of goodness

Yes, it is spring in Paris, France. After sunny Spain and bright southern France, we thought that Paris might be a bit cooler. As we get off the the high speed train that brings us to the city of light, we discover that the sun is shining here too. Since it’s Sunday, everyone is out, walking, riding bikes, sitting in parks and just all around enjoying the warm weather. Our itinerary takes us from the train station to the metro station. We finally surface close to our destination and as we come up the stairs to street level, we smell the fragrance of sweet things baking. We know we will find a bakery open today in our neighborhood. Our home away from home here is on a small side street, close to the large public gardens. We find the arched double wooden doors, press the keypad with the magic numbers and we find ourselves within a courtyard with trees and shrubs, the street now a memory behind those doors. Our landlord greets us and is on his way. We unpack, take a deep breath and head back out to enjoy the weather and to orient ourselves in this new neighborhood. As we walk around the block, people are sitting at cafe tables on the sunny side of the street, watching the rest of the world go by. Once again, we find the little store that has everything one short block from our apartment. We fill up there for our staples. And two blocks away, a line of people lets us know that there is still bread available at the bakery. I choose an ordinary baguette and a rustic baguette. That will last us for supper and breakfast. As we stroll down the sidewalks, we marvel at this city. Old yet elegant, traditional yet modern, it does have that certain something that draws you right in. Maybe it’s because at every turn something catches your eye: a specialty food store with goodies in its window display, an old street fountain, an even older church, an architectural detail on a building, a green area with a bench, a policeman eating his baguette sandwich for lunch. We’re happy to be back here again.
The next day, we go to the market in the middle of the boulevard. We purchase carrots, bread and small little goodies called “Financiers”. And we do what all good Parisians do on a beautiful spring day. We pack a simple picnic lunch and head over to the public garden, Jardin du Luxembourg, where chairs are scattered for the taking. Jim finds a spot overlooking the fountain with two chairs. We take off our jackets, sit down and roll up our sleeves so the sun will soak in. We pull out two halves of baguette, spread with butter, and filled with ham and cheese and take that first bite. Along with our carrots and some Orangina (an orange soda), we eat our baguette sandwiches sitting in the park with five hundred other people or more. The murmur of voices around us gives us a cozy feeling. The mood is informal yet restrained, relaxed yet orderly, social yet low-key. Some are here on their office lunch break; others are here between university classes. A man is reading a book. Two women are just finishing their picnic lunch. Everyone seems to be there for the same reason: beautiful weather and friends.
To top off our meal, we eat the “financiers”, little pieces of goodness. We sit back in our chairs and think, “Ah, life is good.” And yes, it is spring in Paris!

Financiers

1/2 c. flour
1 3/4 c. confectioner’s sugar
1 1/4 c. ground almonds
5 egg whites
1 1/2 stick butter

Put the butter to melt. Let it cook for a little bit without letting it brown. Mix the flour, almonds and sugar in a bowl. Slowly, mix in the egg whites with a spatula. Then, add the melted butter.
Butter well mini muffin tins. Spoon the dough in filling only halfway. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees and bake another five minutes. Then turn oven off and leave in oven another five minutes. Remove from oven, let sit for five minutes and pop out of pans. Makes 30 to 35.