Bouillabaisse - A Gift of Love

 A total commitment to excellence, a passion for food, combined with an eye for detail are the reasons why M&B Food and Catering is so popular in the  Southern Highlands when it comes to events, functions and entertaining. Martial Cosyn of M&B brings us a wonderful Bouillabaisse - light, healthy and easy to prepare, this soup is a traditional French dish. Bon appetit!

Countless poets, songwriters and authors have heralded this unique fish soup over the years so it can leave a prospective cook a bit hesitant to try. There is even claim of its mystical origins; that the goddess Venus first created a Bouillabaisse and served it to her spouse, the god of fire Vulcan. I wonder if it had an aphrodisiac effect? And as if this isn’t enough, there are hundreds of recipes; all declaring their authenticity as ‘the original’ and confusing us even more, before even slicing the first fishy fillet!

For the serious ‘a-fish-ionado’ I should probably be shot just for including it in my repertoire as I’m not even ‘Provençale’; geographically I’m from quite the opposite end of France, in fact.

To simplify the issue, we are talking about a chunky fish soup. Fish from the Mediterranean coast, flavoured with saffron, tomatoes and fennel. Typically it should include fish such as Merlan, Rascasse Rouget et Saint Piere (Flat head, Red fish Mullet and Dory), some Langouste and other crustaceans.

I generally like to start with a good quality fish stock. I then prepare all my fish; filleted, skinned and completely deboned. I normally also like to include some mussels for the flavour as well as the presentation.

Next, in a large heavy bottomed saucepan, I add some good quality extra virgin olive oil and sweeten without coloration some leeks, fennel and carrots. [Sliced carrots and thinly sliced leeks]

I Cook this softly for10 minutes and add some crushed tomatoes, some fish stock and a generous amount of real saffron. All this could be made in advance and as a dinner is ready to serve  -  you simply add all the various :

The bouillabaisse is traditionally served with rouille; a potato, garlic and olive oil paste also flavoured with saffron. However, some diced cooked potatoes can substitute the rouille, and added to the soup give some chunkiness and gusto! Typically some Pernod is often added to the soup at the end of the cooking to accentuate the flavour of the fennel. I encourage you to try this incredibly delicious and healthy soup, and perhaps like Venus, you too may find the promise of love fulfilled?         

Martial Cosyn                                

To contact M&B Food and Catering:  

Email: info@mandbfood.com.au:         

T: 0061(02) 4869 2899.  

W: www.mandbfood.com.au

The Twenty Arrondissements of Paris - Part IV

The 16^th Arrondissement -  Passy

The 16th arrondissement is an elegant area of Paris which houses important museums such as the Claude Monet/Marmottan Museum, the Palais de Tokyo and the area know as Passy. The main attractions are:
1. Passy neighbourhood, 2. Passy Cemetery, 3. Palais de Tokyo, 4. Musee Marmottan Monet, 5. Maison de Balzac, 6. Musee Galliera, 7. Musee Baccarat, 8. Musee Clemenceau, 9. Fondation Le Corbusier, 10. Maison de Radio France, 11. Parc des Princes (stadium and concert venue), 12. Jardin d'Acclimatation (amusement park for small children).


The 17^th Arrondissement - Batignolles-Monceau

The 17th Arrondissement combines qjuiet upper-class suburbs and spotsuch as Place de Clichy, formerly seamy areas frequented by 19th century artists including Edouard Manet. The most interesting places are:

1. Batignolles neighbourhood (former stomping ground of Manet and Emile Zola), 2. Parc Monceau, 3. Placwe de Clichy.


The 18th Arrondissement - Butte-Montmartre

Thanks to sweeping views, art-drenched history and charming, village-like streets, the 18th arrondisement is one of Paris' most-frequented areas. It also includes loively, bustling immigrant neighbourhoods such as Barbes and Goutte d'Or. The main sights include:

1. Barbes and la Goutte d'Or neighbourhoods (African and North African districts), 2. Montmartre area, 3. Sacre-Coeur Basilica, 3. Montmartre Cemetery, 4. Place des Tertres, 5. Le Moulin Rouge Cabaret, 6. Le Moulin de la Galette, 7. Dali Museum, 8. Le Moulin Rouge and the Pigalle red light district, 9. La Chapelle (Little Jaffna) - Sri Lankan district.


The 19th Arrondissement - Buttes-Chaumont

 Situated in the north-east of Paris, the 19th arrondissement is undergoing a dramatic urban renewal. It features a sweeping park, large cinemas and a science and industry museum. The main attractions are:

1. Buttes-Chaumont park ( a former limestone quarry that was transformed into a park in the 19th century, 2. Canal de l'Ourq, 3. Parc de la Villette and La Cite des Sciences (Science and Industry Museum), 4. The La Chapelle/Little Sri Lanka District.


The 20th Arrondissement - Menilmontant

Paris' 20th Arrondissement is a gritty working class area whose immigrant roots, stately Pere Lachaise cemetery and surprisingly quiet stretches lend a particular charm. Maybe this is why the area and its diverse inhabitants were so extensively documented by photographers such as Willy Ronis. The main sights include:

1. Pere-Lachaise Cemetery, 2. Parc de Belleville, 3. Belleville neighbourhood, 4. Gambetta and Bagnolet nighbourhood (birthplace of Edith Piaf), 5. La Fleche d'Or (famous nightclub).

The Twenty Arrondissements of Paris - Part III

The 11^th Arrondissement – Popincourt

The eleventh arrondissement of Paris is an ethnically diverse area of the city that houses the Place de la Bastille and its majestic modern opera house. It's also a big draw for fans of nightlife, offering many hip bars and clubs. The main attractions are:

1. Place de la Bastille (shared with the 4th and 12th Arronissements), 2. Cirque d'hiver, 3, Oberkampf nieghborhood (vibrant by night), 4. Edith Piaf Museum, 5. Maison des Metallos (old metalworkers'house; now an arts/culture centre), 6. Place de la Republique.

 The 12th Arrondissement – Reuilly

Paris' twelfth arrondissement is home to the historic train station Gare de Lyon and the Bois de Vincennes, an enormous park known as the Lungs of Paris. The main sights in the 12th Arrondissement are:

1. Place de la Bastille (shared with the 4th and 11th arrondissement), 2. Opera Bastille (Opera National de Paris), 3. Faubourg Saint-Antoine area, 4. Promenade plantee (gardens built on the site of an above ground railway), 5. Viaduc des arts, 6. Bois de Vincennes (huge park, referred to as :The lungs of Paris), 7. Picpus Cemetery, 8. Palais Omnidports de Paris-Bercy (stadium and concert Hall), 9. Gare de Lyon (busy train station and site of the famous restaurant Le Train Bleu).

The 13^th Arrondissement – Gobelins 

The thirteenth arrondissement houses a lively Chinatown and the ultramodern National Library. Other interesting sights include:

1. Bibliotheque Nationale (Paris National Library), 2. Butte aux Cailles quarter, 3.Gare d'Austerlitz, 4. Chinatown (major site for Chinese New Year celebrations in Paris), 5. Manufacture des Gobelins (tapestries manufacturing museum).

The 14th Arrondissement - Observatoire 

The  legendary Montparnasse district, once home to a lively arts and literature scene in the 1920s, has a lot to offer. Must sees are:

1. Montparnasse tower and nighbourhood, 2. Montparnasse Cemetery, 3. Paris Catacombs Museum, 4. Parc Montsouris, 5. Fondation Cartier pour l'Art Contemporain (Cartier Contemporary Art Foundation), 6. Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson (dedicated to photography), 7. Musee Jean Moulin (tribute to the French resistance hero), 8. Rue Daguerre (pedestrain market street), 9. Cite Universitaire (university housing various architectural styles).

The 15th Arrondissement - Vaugirard

The fifteenth Arrondissement of Paris features charming residential streets, a waterpark and the city's largest convention centre. It is quiet and unassuming, but has many charming spots. The main attractions are:

1. Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre and the Palais des Sports, 2. Musee Bourdelle, 3. Musee Pasteur, 4. Aquaboulevard (Europe's largest waterpark).














                     

The Twenty Arrondissements of Paris, Part II

The 6th  Arrondissement - Luxembourg.



Jardin du Luxembourg



The 6th Arrondisement, once the stomping ground of mid twentieth century intellectuals and writers, is now an up-market hub for designer boutiques, art and antique dealers and houses beautiful formal gardens. The main attractions are:

1. The Luxembourg Gardens, 2. Musee de Luxembourg, 3. Odeon Theatre, 4. Saint-Sulpice Church, 5. Saint-Germain des Pres area and historic abbey, 6. Cafe Les Deux Magots and de Flore, 7. Le Procope (oldest cafe in Paris), 8. La Closerie des Lilas (famous restaurant), 9. Hoel Lutetia.

The 7th Arrondissment - Palais Bourbon

The 7th Arrondissement is a prestigious part of the city that attracts many tourists to sights like the Eiffel Tower and the Musee d' Orsay. Accommodation here is expensive due to the nature of the area. The most interesting sights are:

1. Eiffel Tower and the Champ de Mars, 2. Musee d'Orsay, 3. Rodin Museum, 4. The French National Assembly, 5. Hotel Matignon (seat of the PM), 6. Ecole Militaire, 7. Hotel de invalides (not a hotel but former military complex and resting place of Napoleon I), 8.Musee de Quai Branly (recently opened indigenous arts museum), 9. Maillol Museum, 10. Eugene Delacroix Museum, 11. Bon Marche Department Store and Gourmet Market.

The 8th Arrondissement - Elysee.

Near the city centre, the 8th Arrondissement of Paris is a busy centre of commerce and home to the famous Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees. The most important attractions are:

1. Arc de Triomphe, 2. Avenue des Champs-Elysees, 3. Grand Palais, 4. Petit Palais, 5. Elysee Palace (home to Presidents), 6. Theatre des Champs-Elysees, 7. Eglise de la Madeleine, 8. Hotel de Crillon , 9. Musee Jacquemart-Andre, 10. Musee Cernuschi (Asian Art Museum), 11. Parc Monceau, 12. Maxim's Art Nouveau "Collection 1900" Museum, 13. Pont Alexandre III (1 if the city's most opulent bridges).

The 9th Arrondissement

The 9th Arrondissement of Paris is home the stunning Garnier Opera House and is well known for its Belle-Epoque Department stores and elegant shopping galleries, popular theatres and hilly residential streets. The main sights are:

1. Opera Garnier (Paris Opera), 2. Galeries Lafayette Department Store, 3. Printemps Department Store, 4. Musee Grevin (Wax Museum), 5. Olympia Theatre and Concert Hall (historic performances by Edith Piaf and others), 6. Les Folies Begeres Cabaret, 7. Musee de Parfum Fragonard, 8. Musee de la Vie Romantique, 8. Grands Boulevards Neighbourhood.

The 10th Arrondissement - Enclos-St- Laurent

The 10th Arrondissement is little-known to tourists but has hidden gems, such as the Canal St Martin area. This edgey, working-class area is just a stone's throw from the busy city centre and now attracts young business people and artists. The principal attractions are:

1. Canal St Martin, 2. Place Saint-Marthe, 3. New Morning (famous Paris Jazz Club), 4. Gare de l'Est and Gare du Nord areas.