Bon Appetit

My coat still smells like duck fat. More about that in a moment.

My heart is pounding out of my chest as I sit here on the shuttle bus to Beauvais airport and the the bus turn signal which actually sounds like a failing heart monitor isn't helping. First, I just took a taxi ride through the roundabout of the Arc de Triomphe. The driver actually turned the car perpendicular to the rest of traffic at one point--talk about a once in a lifetime experience. Second, I'm on my next leg of the journey to an airport I've never been to (I eased myself into this adventure with London & Paris having been to both before), to a country I've never been to, speaking a language I don't even know how to say "hello" in, yet.

Back to the duck fat...last night we attended an evening market and cooking class taught by a professional chef, Constance. We received a lovely overview of French cheeses while standing in a fromage or cheese shop.

Did you know...
~Goat cheese from the south of France was rolled in ash to protect it from birds and humidity (now it's tradition).
~There are 2 traditional kinds of brie named for the towns where they are made. Meaux - produced in a large wheel so you find this in long skinny slices. Melun - a smaller wheel with a browner crust that has a stronger flavor.
~Double cream Brie is 70% fat as opposed to all other cheeses that are 45% fat.
~That cheese with a wet looking rind has been regularly washed or coated in wine or alcohol specific to the region.

So there is your little cheese lesson for the day. After visiting the butcher, the fish monger, the grocer and the boulangerie we went off to cook.

We shucked our own scallops, cleaned and seasoned duck breast, tried to put too much butter into the potato foam, turned a perfect circle of pastry into something resembling the USA, enjoyed wonderful company and ate like royalty.

Le Menu
Scallops with leeks and onions
Duck breast on potato foam with parsnips in orange sauce
Beautiful butter with beautiful bread
Cheese course (the one covered in black ash was the class favorite)
Chocolate tart

Voila! Tres Bon!

And now......I'm in Norway!

That is chef Constance next to me. She will soon be posting videos to YouTube with cooking demonstrations. I will so be watching. And I would recommend this company for Paris cooking classes. Small, great info and great food: cook'n with class.

Rome with a load of coins

• Cast a coin [or several] in the Trevi Fountain in Rome and make a wish and let us know when it comes true - Jeff

I'm going to need a lot of coins to help me complete the to do's on this Mission Possible list because the theme is Amore!

• Have a romantic lunch with a sexy Frenchman - Allison
• Tell an Italian or French guy he is very handsome - David
• A date in every country! xoxo - Carrie - every country? phew, no pressure or anything. Then on the flip side . . .
• If a Frenchman tries to pinch or flirt with you just say "Non!" - Laurent 

In addition to coins I need to pack a lot of luck, guts, flirty winks and cute clothes. So if anyone knows a cute nice single guy in any of the countries on this list please help a girl out and let me know.

Or . . . maybe I just need to learn to Mambo Italiano

A Straight Jacket

That's what the Italians will put me in when I'm caught doing this:

• riding a bike and singing "my country tis of thee" (at the tops of my lungs) while wearing red white and blue somewhere in Italy. Thank you Tanni

For the second installment in the Mission Possible list the theme is Culture.
All the "to do's" below will immerse me in the culture of a locale while the item above will only validate the negative opinion that many Europeans have of Americans. I will have to get creative with that one. I seriously love my friends.

• Clog dressed in traditional clothing in Germany - Adrian

• A cooking lesson in every country! - Carrie

• A once in a lifetime experience in every country! - Carrie

• Drive on the autobahn in a BMW - Michelle

I mean really. I get to drive on the autobahn in a BMW without feeling the least bit of guilt for my frivolity.

A Field of Barley

Yes, that's right. I asked a group of friends to share what they would have me do while on my adventures in Europe and one said, "Run your hands through a field of Barley".

So here's the first installment of these zany to do's and the theme is Nature/Great outdoors.

• Run your hands through a field of Barley -Armando
• Yodel every time you cross a bridge -Katie, who will also Meet Me In Prague
• Run through the grass wearing a dress while singing "the hills are alive with the sound of music" (don't forget the nun hat) -  Tanni
• Visit the Ice Bar in Sweden - Michelle

I'll give it my best effort to accomplish all or die laughing or crying. For now we'll call it my Mission Possible list.

Barley 3 by Michał Ludwiński