French Kiss

Is there anything more parfait than un délicieux pique-nique au parc in the summer? Non.

Now is the time of year when you can get outside and enjoy le dejeuner sur l’herbe or a late night repas under the stars. Whether you want to dress in a full skirt and carry a beautiful vintage picnic basket or just throw on ripped jeans and tote around some sandwiches, make a date to have a leisurely meal outdoors with someone you adore.

Here is a little inspiration to plan a classic French picnic en plein air that will have you thinking you’ve stepped into a Renoir or Monet masterpiece.

What to eat & drink:
- A fresh, crusty baguette from your local bakery
- Camembert and brie cheese
- Endless amounts of green grapes and red berries
- Crudités with lemon oil and thyme – a sunny appetizer from the south of France
- Chilled Sauvignon blanc or apple cider
- Roasted almonds

What to wear:
- Your favourite sundress
- A fabulous pair of sunglasses
- A pretty scarf tied in your hair or around your neck

What to bring:
- A small bunch of fresh flowers
- A large blanket
- Sunscreen

Where to go:
- High Park
- Centre Island
- The Beach
- Your own backyard or rooftop patio

Laura Calder, host of the Food Network's French Food at Home, offers helpful advice on fabulous summertime French cooking and tips for entertaining comme les françaises.

As a young professional with a demanding schedule, I'm not exactly Mademoiselle Suzie Homemaker. It can be très difficile to even eat le petit déjeuner, let alone plan meals for the entire week! But Laura believes that you don't have to plan far in advance to eat well daily. Just keep good quality staples on hand.

So, which ingredients should a clever femme stock throughout the summer? Crème fraîche, Dijon mustard, green peppercorns, capers, eggs, a selection of nuts and a chilled bottle of exquisite vin blanc. Instead of making one big grocery run each week, buy small quantities of fresh fruit and organic vegetables at your local market. Pick up fish or meat on your way home from work. There are several farmer’s markets that pop up throughout the city during the summer at places like Dufferin Grove Park, Bellwoods, Metro Square, etc. Check out tfmn.ca or veg.ca for a guide to farmer’s markets in Toronto.

Laura finds inspiration for her culinary creations when visiting France and cooking with friends, but most of all, by experimenting with recipes and trying to find a bit of her personality in a dish. With a little trial and error, she finds potential in even the simplest dish and brings out the best in each recipe.

Verrines continue to be a hot culinary trend in Paris. A verrine can be an appetizer, entree, or even a dessert of artistically layered food in a glass. Laura isn't a fan of verrines, since they often do not involve cooking at all, but some consider verrines a beautiful, simple luxury.

Five tips on how to entertain this summer with a little Parisian panache and loads of fabulous French flair:

1. Serve vivid, blush-coloured rosé wine with simple, light meals
2. Prepare a menu of food that can be served at room temperature
3. Use an indoor setting on an outdoor table – votive candles, real cutlery and dishware and a table cloth or placemats
4. Enjoy olives with aperitifs before the main course
5. Don't stress about preparing a meal for friends or family – cook as you would for yourself on an average day and enjoy the meal as if it was made for you

And on the days when you absolutely must enjoy a dinner on the town, try one of Laura's favourite places to dine: C5 Restaurant and Lounge in the ROM for a casual lunch or Splendido on Harbord Street for a délectable dinner.

Bon appétit!

Here’s a recipe from Laura’s latest book French Taste: Elegant Everyday Eating that will make your stomach believe that summer has arrived!

Salmon en Croûte

Serves six

Ingredients for salmon
1 salmon filet, about 1-1/2 pounds/750 g
1 pound/500 g asparagus, trimmed
1/4 cup/60 ml crème fraîche
3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Zest of 1 lemon
1 pound/450 g sheet puff pastry (2 sheets)
Salt and pepper

Ingredients for glaze
1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions
Skin and bone the salmon and set aside. Heat the oven to 450°F\230°C.

Cut the tips off the asparagus, and poach in boiling salted water until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well, refresh in ice-cold water, then drain again, leaving to sit so that all the water comes off. Purée and stir through the cream, dill, and lemon zest, to blend. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Lay the puff on a damp baking sheet with the long edge facing you. Lay the salmon on the pastry, like a picture in its frame. Season with salt and pepper. Lay the raw stems of asparagus on top of the salmon, like pencils. Spread the purée mixture over top.

Brush the margins with the egg wash. Lay the top pastry over the salmon and press the edges to seal, like a giant ravioli. Trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch/2.5 cm border. Press with the tines of a fork, then, with the dull edge of a knife, scallop the edges. Make two or three slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush all over with the egg-wash glaze and bake until puffed up and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes before slicing to serve. This dish is also good at room temperature.

It’s not everyday a girl gets to chat with a ballerina from Paris who trained at the Paris Opéra Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet, danced in La Vivandière, Per pétuum, Satanilla, La Bayadère and Conservatoire, a two-act vaudeville ballet created by August Bournonville, and has won the couple prize at the Paris Dance Competition.  

Lise-Marie Jourdain left Paris and moved to Toronto six years ago to join the National Ballet of Canada.  Here she has performed as the Lilac Fairy, leader of the good fairies, in Sleeping Beauty, bride Effy in La Sylphide, the Sheep and Spanish Chocolate variation in The Nutcracker and a dreaming debutante in Le Spectre de la Rose.  

Becoming a professional ballerina was a childhood dream for Lise-Marie; and dancing on stage is, still, like existing in a dream-like, magical world for her. Her favourite aspect of being a ballerina is the opportunity to experience different roles and characters, and the drama and fun of dancing each night.   

So what’s an average day, when you’re a Parisian ballerina?  It starts with a good breakfast — including buttered toast and coffee — ballet classes and rehearsals for six hours, a healthy, light dinner, preparing for the evening show with an extensive hair and make-up session and a final warm-up before the curtain is pulled back to reveal a beautiful ballet to a large, often awestruck audience.      \

When she is not in rehearsal or on stage, Lise-Marie shops on Queen West, which reminds her of certain spots in Paris.  She is a big fan of Preloved and Pho Pa, a great little boutique filled with Canadian labels.  For fresh croissants and café au lait, she visits local bakeries and pastry shops like Frangipane Pâtisserie on   Madison Ave. at Dupont St. 

To unwind, she visits museums and art galleries, a big part of her life in Paris since childhood — her father works at the Louvre — or takes in independent and foreign films at Cumberland cinema.   

Her favourite places in Paris include Ladurée, a pretty, century-old salon de thé near Madeleine metro station that evokes the delightful ambiance of a theatre`s backstage. Here you can buy the most delicious macarons in Paris par emporter, wrapped in coloured gift boxes. En Rue des Martyrs in the Montmartre district, she loves to pop into chic shops and restaurants.  

When Lise-Marie wants to capture l’esprit de Paris, she takes time to stop for coffee, enjoys a glass of vin rouge and, once in a while, treats herself to a piece of creamy milk chocolate.  

Bring a little Paris to your world by refusing to rush for a day. Stop for coffee or meet a friend for tea at un café charmant; sit on a sun-soaked patio and watch the world pass; buy fresh, in-season fruit – and a bouquet of flowers – at your local market.  You know, stop and smell the goddamn flowers. 

Go see Lise-Marie Jourdain play a step-sister in Cinderella, running May 28 to June 8 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, and in a mixed programme from June 13 to June 22. For more information on tickets and performances, visit national.ballet.ca. 

TICKET GIVEAWAY 

For a chance to win two tickets to a performance on June 21 at 7:30 p.m., email contests@shedoesthecity.com with CINDEREALLA in subject line of email.  Winner will be notified on June 9.  

Bonne chance!

As the weather gets warmer, the urge to get outside and explore your surroundings can make you wander your neighbourhood until you come upon a little gem of a shop or magical bistro just around the corner that had gone unnoticed in the long, cold, bitter months. This is how I discovered Crêpes à GoGo – a beautiful, small and intimate French bistro serving the most deliciously authentic crêpes this side of the Atlantic.

The smell of warm, buttered bread and strong espresso welcomes you to la petite salle. Black and white photos of Paris adorn the bright orange walls, and French music and conversation filters into the air. Add outdoor bistro chairs, wooden benches and bottles of apple cider and you may as well be snacking in a parkside Parisian cafe.

Order the signature house crêpe in French; Big Ben is dripping with fresh confiture de framboises (raspberry jam) and mozzarella. My favourite, the Côte d’Azur, is stuffed with goat cheese, tomato, basil and olive oil. 

I think any meal must taste better when a chic French woman named Véronique presents it to you wrapped in a pretty basket with a casual “Voilà!”

Just when I thought my perfect déjeuner couldn’t get any better, a handsome young man walked through the door, unpacked a red accordion and began to play music from Amélie and Once.

Seriously belles filles, as if you need any other reason to go to Crêpes à GoGo.  Allez and enjoy!

Crêpes à GoGo
18 Yorkville Avenue
Toronto, ON
416.922.6765
www.crepesagogo.com

France is electro central right now and Paris is le coeur of electro French style, according to un bon ami who is a self-proclaimed electromaniac hipster.  Actually, France has been a key force in the electro music scene for almost a decade now, producing brilliant DJs, dynamic duos and creative musical minds that include Laurent Garnier, Vitalic, Air, Cassius – and of course, those who we all know and love, Daft Punk and Justice.

Several seriously hot electro-hipster femmes have also been making their way onto the French music scene over the past few years, including artistes like Yelle, Uffie, Émile Simon and Els Pynoo of Vive la Fête. These fashionable women prove that the French electro fashion world is where the chic little black dress goes to die. Gone are the pearls, black and white silk robes and “less is more” attitude that typically characterize French fashion – this is where bright neon leggings, angular disheveled hair (mais oui), in-your-face makeup and funky graphic tees are à la mode.

The electro scene in Paris is something of a subculture phenomenon that has flourished, especially online where it has found an ever-growing global audience. L’internet is allowing several celebrated underground artistes to reach mainstream heights of success and draw worldwide throngs of fans. All the latest and greatest seem to sign with Ed Banger Records – a French electronic music label run by Pedro Winter (a.k.a. Busy P.). The French music label is home to other noteworthy French electro acts including Krazy Baldhead, DJ Mehdi, Mr. Ozio, So Me, and Feadz.

Ed Banger Records has enjoyed a huge rise in success and fame over the past few years thanks to the popularity of tracks like Justice’s "Never Be Alone" and Uffie’s “Pop the Glock.”  The latest edition of their annual compilation series, Ed Rec Vol. 3, is set for release on May 26, 2008.  The unofficial track listing below should inspire you to shake your derrière in a hot technicolour mini and a pair of vintage haute bottes.

Ed Rec Vol. 3

Mr. Oizo - "Yves"
Busy P (featuring MURS) - "To Protect and Entertain"
Mr. Flash - "Over The Top"
SebastiAn - "Dog"
Uffie - "Robot Oeuf"
Justice - "Stress (Auto Remix)"
Mr. Oizo - "Minuteman's Pulse"
DJ Mehdi - "Pocket Piano"
Krazy Baldhead - "No Cow, No Pow"
DSL - "Find Me In The World"
Feadz (featuring Spank Rock) - "Back It Up"
So Me - "Decalcomania"

Cinéfranco, a festival of Francophone cinema, is celebrating its 11th year in Toronto, with films showing from March 28 to April 6, 2008 at the Royal, a charming écran at 608 College St.

Discover hidden gems of international cinema with 46 films from more than 10 countries, including Belgium, Switzerland, Morocco and Chad. Guest filmmakers from Switzerland, Morocco and Quebec will attend.

France, however, remains the heart of Cinéfranco. A slate of promising new filmmakers, like Céline Sciamma (Naissance des pieuvres), and celebrated filmmakers like Jean Becker (Dialogue avec mon jardinier), Claude Berri (Ensemble c'est tout), Claude Lelouch (Roman de gare) and Thomas Gilou (Michou d'Auber) are presenting their work.

For French comedy at its sarcastic best, check out Eric Lavaine's Poltergay, Ivan Calbérac’s On va s'aimer or Gérard Pirès’ Double Zéro, an outrageous parody of James Bond flicks.

For a lesson on gallant Gallic histoire, watch Laurent Boutonnat's Jacquou le croquant, an epic, magical drama about a peasant rebellion against French aristocracy at the beginning of the 19th century, or Thomas Gilou’s dramatic comedy Michou d'Auber, an examination of the Algerian War from the point of view of rural France starring Gérard Depardieu and Nathalie Baye.

The festival closes with the highly anticipated Un Secret, by one of France's best known filmmakers, Claude Miller (The Accompanist, La Petite voleuse, La Petite Lili).

The drama stars Patrick Bruel, Cécile de France, Ludivine Sagnier and Julie Depardieu, who was awarded the 2008 César for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.
If the opening night film Toi is any indication of what’s to come the festival, expect a week full of drama, sex, dark comedy and more sex. Oh la la!

Ah, Fashion Week! After obsessively absorbing all the juicy media coverage, celebrity gossip and glossy fashion porn pouring out of Paris Fashion Week last month, I was très excited to take in some shows in our own belle ville last week during L’Oreal Fashion Week. A favourite highlight came early in the week with the Denise

Collection by Quebec designer Denis Gagnon.

The show was bold and dramatic with the long runway bathed in a deep blue light and sounds of upbeat contemporary French music blaring throughout the tent. The collection featured a stunning mélange of several exquisitely tailored leather jackets and hooded sheaths, transparent capes with leather accents, weighty woven wool dresses, thick leather belts and elbow-length gloves.

Colours were predominantly black and navy with a few chocolate brown and crème coloured pieces. Models looked severely chic with their hair slicked back in tight ponytails, heavy black smudged eyes and nude matte lips. Accessories included chunky silver necklaces and a FULLUM collection of gorgeous oversized leather handbags wrapped in cool gunmetal hardware, also designed by Denis Gagnon.

The contrast between raw and refined materials and the opposition between strong and delicate was apparent and consistent throughout the entire show. Washed leathers teased fragile silk charmeuse and delicate and translucent jerseys played up the rock ‘n’ roll appeal of glazed leather.

Think French Canadian virginal fashionista meets haute couture dominatrix! J’adore.

www.denisgagnon.ca

Photo credit: James Wm. Dawson - Photography

It’s hard to go anywhere in Paris without seeing her face splashed across souvenir items or hearing her unmistakable voice echoing through busy sidewalk cafes and swanky bistros. Edith Piaf is alive and well in the streets of Paris and in the hearts of French music lovers around the world.

Her heartfelt ballads and poignant life story have rendered her a French cultural icon and musical legend. Whether or not you understand French or appreciate cabaret, you can simply feel her through song. Her voice somehow reaches out and grabs hold of you, leaving you feeling moved, inspired and stirring with emotion.

Dripping beautifully with pain, sorrow and heartache, her music is a testament to a life riddled with tragedy and despair. Abandoned by her parents at a young age and raised in a brothel by prostitutes, she lived in poverty and later began to sing and perform on the streets to support herself. She became pregnant and gave birth to her only child at age 17, who died two years later from meningitis. She endured a string of unhealthy and emotionally abusive relationships, and then lost the love of her life in a fatal plane crash while he was en route to visit her in Paris. Later in life, she struggled with serious alcohol and morphine addictions and ultimately died of liver cancer at age 47.

Throughout all of this impossible hardship and suffering, Edith Piaf somehow managed to record over 200 songs, appear in 10 films, travel the world and become a legacy. She is, in her own way, a true survivor and artist who shows us the strength and absolute resilience of the human spirit.

If you aren’t already a fan of this talented powerhouse of a French woman who stood less than five feet tall, you will definitely fall in love with Edith Piaf when you listen to these songs:

“Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien”
The best song to cure heartache - it will make you feel completely brave.

“La Vie En Rose”
The best song to play on a Saturday morning – it will give your day such a magical sense of possibility.

“Padam Padam”
The best song to play when you need a boost – it will help you clean your kitchen with fierce conviction.

“Hymne à l'amour”
The best song to make you believe in love. Period.

Pommades, gommantes, toniques...a French woman’s medicine cabinet is more like an apothecary’s treasure chest of secret lotions and potions hidden away in gorgeous glass bottles and jars, rather than a practical supply of necessary products. Perhaps this is because from an early age French women see their beauty as something to lovingly care for and fiercely protect as opposed to a variable trait they can easily alter or fix later on in life.

French women spare no expense when it comes to stocking their tables de toilettes with the world’s most deliciously smelling and sinfully rich skincare products. Elaborate morning and nightly beauty rituals consist of religiously cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing their skin.

Give your skin a buffering with Crème Gommante pour le Visage from Sisley Paris to reveal a smoother, more refined layer of skin with the help of soothing camomile extracts. Moisturize with Concentré Essentiel Hydratant from Caudalíe, a sweet smelling serum you will be tempted to eat, which promotes cellular renewal with 100 per cent plant-derived concentrate. And if your skin is really in need of some TLC, go to bed with Yves Saint Laurent’s Elixir de Nuit – heavenly oil made from three rose extracts that replenish your skin while you sleep – and awake with a wonderfully radiant French glow that will have your friends convinced you’ve taken a lover.



“The most beautiful make-up on a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy.”

- Yves Saint Laurent

Almost everywhere in Europe, and particularly in France, wine is enjoyed at all hours of the day and with nearly every meal. Instead of viewing wine as a luxurious or calorie-rich indulgence that is saved for special occasions, French women simply consider it a healthy part of their everyday lives and a necessity for making any meal beautiful and enjoyable.

And really, who can blame them? France is home to the magnificent wine regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne and produces renowned grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. Wine seems to seep from the pours of the French and has deliciously saturated French culture and identity for centuries.
Whether you’re spending a quiet evening in with your beau or hosting a grand soirée with friends, uncork some French flavour at your next meal. Use your most chic dishware, stylishly set the table with fragrant fresh flowers and serve up the sounds of Edith Piaf and Maurice Chevalier alongside a rich, fruity vin rouge, like La Vieille Ferme from the Côtes du Ventoux or a dry, wonderfully nutty Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay.

Or you can skip the fête altogether and slip into a hot lavender-scented bath or sit at your vanity with a crystal glass of Carte Noire's smooth, full-bodied Cellier des Dauphins from the Côtes du Rhône. The old-word look and feel of the bottle will make you believe that you’re Marie Antoinette flouncing around in her Versailles boudoir….or at least a few glasses and a full party skirt might.