The Ferrandi faculty and some of their illustrious alumni and friends have contributed their savoir-faire and 143 recipes for the mega-cookbook Le Grand Cours de Cuisine Ferrandi (The Great Ferrandi Cooking Class).

Named by Le Figaro as Best Cookbook of 2014, this book digs into the nitty-gritty: deboning a pigeon, un-shelling a crab, shucking an oyster, dressing a duck, filleting a sole, roasting a peach. There are even 18 large color pictures that give the step-by-step process of de-choking an artichoke.

However, there’s no pressure to start out with Yannick Alléno’s go-for-baroque Oyster/Chorizo medley or Olivier Roellinger’s mega-complex Chocolate/Sherry Lobster, a dish that—even with pictures—looks like it requires a sous-chef armed with a sonic screwdriver from Gallifrey. Less accomplished chefs can begin by learning how to pull off a perfect hard-boiled egg before professing at their own speed to an airy omelet.

Two “simple” versions of blanquette de veau (beginner, intermediate) are explained, while black-belt chefs may head straight for the Michelin-starred version by Alsace star Olivier Nasti.

A significant part of the book’s 695 pages are devoted to recipes from restaurant celebrities like William Ledeuil, Adeline Grattard (both Ferrandi grads) and Thierry Marx.

Le Grand Cours de Cuisine Ferrandi offers no helpful tips on catching your rabbit, but once you’ve bagged your bunny, it will show-and-tell you everything else you need to know about turning it into cuisses de levreau en civet à l’échalote grise with candied apples and chanterelle ravioli on the side… a recipe contributed by Eric Briffard at the Hôtel George V.

The Ferrandi cookbook is perfect for the aspiring or confirmed chef on your gift list, whether in bicep-building hardback (the book tips the scales at 4.1 kilos) or in its e-book version. Published by Hachette, 49.95 €.

© 2014, Corinne LaBalme

For more about The Ferrandi School on France Revisited read this.

The post Cookbook Beat: Le Grand Cours de Cuisine Ferrandi appeared first on France Revisited - Life in Paris, Travel in France.

* * *

It’s hard to imagine that a district as well-trodden as the 6th arrondissement would still have anything resembling a backstreet, but if a backstreet in Paris can be defined as a street with neither thru-traffic nor croissants—selling croissants requires sufficient morning traffic or an elementary school nearby—then rue de l’Abbé Grégoire fits the bill.

Ferrandi, the French School of Gastronomy

Actually, there are croissants on rue de l’Abbé Grégoire, but they aren’t for public sale. They’re made as a practical exercise during baking class at the Ferrandi School.

Ferrandi is well known in Paris’s gastronomic circles for its secondary school curricula covering all aspects of the culinary arts and the restaurant business, from chef to manager. The school also offers short and long programs for amateur or professional chefs, and foreigners may apply for any of the school’s programs.

The culinary school also houses one of the best kept gastronomic secrets in Paris. Anyone, upon reservation, can become the well-fed guinea pig for the cuisine and services of the school’s young and budding chefs and restaurant staff at Ferrandi’s two dining rooms, les restaurants d’application.

A 3-course lunch menu is served Tues.-Fri. for 25€ or 30€, depending on the dining room. A 3-course dinner menu is served Mon. and Tues. (45€) and the occasional Thurs. (40€). Prices exclude beverages; there’s a decent wine list here. The students in the kitchen and in the dining room are being trained in French gastronomy, so whether achieved or not in every dish and every gesture, each meal has gastronomic leanings in its preparation and service.

Each table is requested to select a variety of dishes so as to give the chefs practice in the full range of the day’s menu. Come as a couple if you like, but as a restaurant experience a meal chez Ferrandi is especially endearing for a party of four or more. You’ll find the wait staff more willing to speak with diners than other waiters about town (students are expected to attain a certain proficiency in English) and you may even have the occasion to meet the young chefs before they head to their next class, or out for a smoke.

Ferrandi Paris, 28 rue de l’Abbé Grégoire, 6th arr. Tel. 01 49 54 28 00. Saint-Placide (line 4) is the closest metro station to Ferrandi and to the shops below, while the Rennes station (line 12) is just a bit further.

Backstreet doesn’t mean that Abbé Grégoire is difficult to find (the liberal, revolutionary abbot himself is entombed in the Pantheon) but that the neighboring streets are more commonly shopped and strolled and transited: rue du Cherche-Midi, rue de Vaugirard, rue Saint-Placide, rue de Rennes.

Colorova, Pastry Shop and Tea/Lunch Room

Guillaume Gil, the chef and owner of Colorova, a shop across the street from Ferrandi, is a 2004 graduate of the school, pastry section. Though he speaks highly of education at Ferrandi, it isn’t an attachment to the school that brought him to rue de l’Abbé Grégoire but the possibility in 2012, at the age of 31, to deploy his dream of operating his own business after honing his skills as an apprentice at the Plaza-Athenée, as commis chef at La Maison Blanche and as second and then chef at the Terrass Hotel.

At first glance, Colorova could be taken for an architect’s office, a frame shop, a design shop or a decorator’s showroom. You’ll likely first notice the light jade Smeg fridge to one side of the window and the Florentine nest of tables and woven-fabric-covered footstools to the other before catching sight of the presentation counters. And even then you might notice the slats that decorate the side of the counters before the array of pastries on top. But there they are: Guillaume Gil’s beautiful and delicious creations, and behind one of the counters, the man himself, working away with an assistant or two in the open kitchen.

About ten different pastries appear on the counter on a given day. Since the pastry presentation isn’t the focus of the room, the offerings of about 10 different pastries can appear rather sparse, but that illusion disappears as soon as you take on the challenge of trying to select one.

Gil’s luscious modern pastries stray noticeably if slightly from the canons of classic fine pastry-making without being avant-garde, e.g. a commendable caramel mousse tarte with a ring of speculoos and peanuts; a candied raspberry and chocolate tart; a café mousse with amaretto mascarpone. Gil eschews traditional pastries such as éclairs and basic fruit tarts. Viennoiserie (croissants, pains au chocolat and other morning pastries) are also absent, other than on weekends and holidays, when Colorova serves what has become a very popular brunch (26€ or 35€, reservations required). Weekday lunch, also prepared by Gil and his assistance, is also available. Pastries remain his true expertise.

The large minimalist boutique area and additional seating area, both enlivened with splashes of color, have an air of refinement but neither snobbery nor exclusivity. Anyone will feel comfortable here. In the morning and during afternoon tea, Colorova is a fairly quiet place that makes for a sweet, perhaps romantic linger.

Since Gil’s aren’t pastries that one can easily eat while walking, it’s best to choose one and have a seat. Pastries cost 4€50-5€50, so you might as well take a seat and savor the pleasure along with a Lov Organic tea or Nespresso coffee or a thick hot chocolate for overkill. A nice breakfast is also available at 12€ consisting of a slice of soft, delicate French toast (from a brioche made here); a whipped vanilla cream, caramel and apple compote; a hot drink and orange juice; bread (not made here), and homemade jams, a chocolate spread and a caramel spread.

Colorova, 47 rue de l’Abbé Grégoire, 6th arr. Tel. 01 45 44 67 56. Open Tues. 10am-5pm, Wed.-Fri. 7:30am-7pm, Sat.Sun. 9am-7pm. Weekend brunch is served at three seatings: beginning at 11/11:30am, 1/1:30pm and 3:30/4pm.

Le Vin en Bouche, Wine Shop

While Colorova, at first glance, looks like a design shop, Le Vin en Bouche, when I first walked by, looked as though someone had left the door open to the back pantry. I say that fondly because this quirky little wine shop and tasting room has an inviting spirit that comes from the knowledge and personalities of its two dissimilar owners, Vincent Martin, 41, and Jonathan Jean, 24, either of which would make a fine drinking companion.

Vincent Martin is a Ferrandi graduate, where he studied the culinary arts from 1993 to 1995 after three years in hotel school and where he discovered an aptitude for and an interest in the subtleties of wine. He was head sommelier at La Truffière, where he worked from 2000 to 2010 and helped develop the gastronomic restaurant’s tremendous wine cellar. He and Jean met when the latter, then in his teens, was hired as his apprentice.

Combining Martin’s great experience and Jean’s knowledgeable and engaging enthusiasm, they opened their little shop as peers in 2012. Whether you come upon one or the other you’ll get expert advice on an eclectic selection of wines and spirits and can pursue the conversation with them or with your travel companions over a glass and some well-selected charcuterie or fromage at the narrow table by the brick wall. They also offer wine tasting workshops and events, and Martin continues to advise restaurants and individuals on constituting wine lists and wine cellars.

Martin has personally visited each of the vineyards represented in the shop. But that’s not the end of his purchase policy. More than a dozen bottles are open at the shop at any time. The purpose of the open bottles isn’t simply to give clients a taste or larger pour, but also because Martin believes that for a wine to be worthy it must, among other qualities, be able to stand up to having been opened for a week or so. He continues to test open bottles for up to ten days to understand how they evolve. They’re simply recorked after each taste, without any air pump device, and either left on the table or placed in the wine fridge. “It’s a little extreme,” he acknowledges, “but I don’t like to leave things to chance.”

Martin and Jean’s small selection echoes their “passion for the wines of small winegrowers that truly represent their place of origin [terroir],” as Martin says. That’s a formula, at once trendy and old-fashion, that the traveler is well-advised to take as his own motto while getting to know French wines.  In wine tastings with those unaccustomed to French and European appellations, Martin joins many small-shop owners in saying that one of his tasks with New World consumers it to get them to loosen their focus on expecting a particular taste from a particular grape varietal.

These aren’t necessarily pricey wines. Most are in the 15-35€ range, along with a splash of more expensive wines from notable low-yield vineyards. There’s no Bordeaux in the shop, as Martin explains, because he finds that too many vintners and traders of the Bordeaux region have generally opted to sell through large distribution channels, meaning that any retail price that he might have for such wines would far exceed their price in chain shops, which would in term make him and Jean look like a price gougers. Actually, Martin does have some well-aging Bordeaux along with along with other “vins de garde” and old vintages in a private cellar in the 5th arrondissement. Those wines are also available for sale, so knowledgeable wine-lovers might wish to inquire about wines beyond those found in this wonderful little wine pantry.

Le Vin en Bouche, 27 rue de l’Abbé Grégoire, 6th arr. Tél. 01 42 22 02 97. Open Mon.-Sat. 10am-8pm.

© 2013, Gary Lee Kraut

The post Paris Street Talk: Gastronomy, Pastries and Wine on Rue de l’Abbé Grégoire, 6th Arr. appeared first on France Revisited - Life in Paris, Travel in France.

Vincent Dallet, a master pâtissier-chocolatier, is one of the top chocolate-makers in France and no slouch as a pastry-maker either. His shop/tea room is in the center of town and he has another in Reims.

I first met Mr. Dallet, at his pastry and chocolate school, behind the Epernay shop, where individuals can join in occasional afternoon classes in French. I’d come to bake—or rather watch Mr. Dallet bake—his version of the region’s famous pink biscuit, the biscuit rose or biscuit rose de Reims, known in English as champagne biscuits.

Akin to the ladyfinger, the champagne biscuit is a light biscuit with a sprinkling of powdered sugar on top. It can be softened, if you like, by dipping it into champagne. Though often sold packaged as a dry and crumbly biscuit, Vincent Dallet prefers them tender and moist, as he explains in his personal recipe which he was kind enough to share below.

Mr. Dallet’s apprenticeship and training in pastry- and chocolate-making came during his years of journey as a compagnon du Tour de France, an organization through which young craftsmen and artisans, from woodworkers to chocolate-makers, travel around France to learn from masters in their field. After working with several 3-star Michelin chefs, Mr. Dallet opened his shop in Epernay in 1991, where he now continues the tradition by training young compagnons in his business. He opened a second shop in Reims in 2006. That same year he was named Best Pastry Maker in France by Pudlowski, a major French gastronomy guide.

Vincent Dallet in Epernay. 26 rue du Général Leclerc. Tel. 03 26 55 31 08. Open Tues.-Sun. 7:30am-7:45pm. Closed two weeks Jan./Feb. and two weeks July/Aug.

Vincent Dallet’s Ecole du Chocolate is just behind the shop. The current schedule of afternoon classes can be found here.

Vincent Dallet in Reims. 27 cours Jean-Baptiste Langlet. Tel. 03 26 35 40 53. Open Mon. 2-7:30pm and Tues.-Sat. 10am-7:30pm.

© 2012, Gary Lee Kraut

Here is Vincent Dallet’s recipe for biscuits roses, first in English (GLK’s translation) then in the original French.

Biscuits Roses, a.k.a. Champagne Biscuits, Vincent Dallet’s way

Ingredients:

• 5 eggs
• 250 grams (1.1 cups) of powdered sugar
• 5 drops of red food coloring or carmine. [The scarlet coloring carmine that was originally used to color the biscuits pink came from cochineal insects, but other deep red food colorings will do.]
• 240 grams (1.9 cups) of flour
• 6 grams (.21 ounces or just under 1 packet) of yeast

Directions:
• Place a stainless steel mixing bowl on a saucepan of simmering water.
• Beat together the eggs and sugar and food coloring.
• Warm the mixture gradually until it becomes a thick mousse.
• Remove the mixing bowl from the bain-marie (boiler) and continue whipping until cool.
• Slowly pour the flour (previously sieved) along with the yeast and delicately mix it all together with a rubber spatula.
• Preheat the oven at 180°C (350°F).

• Butter the biscuit mold.
• Fill it with the mixture to the top edge of the mold.
• Sprinkle with powdered sugar using a sifter.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the molds.
• Remove from the mold while hot.
• Allow to cool. And enjoy without moderation.

Tip:
• For me a biscuit rose should be tender and moist, not dry. That’s the big difference with industrially produced biscuits roses.
• However, if you prefer them dry, you can simply leave them in the over for an extra 15 minutes at a temperature of 80°C (175°).

Biscuit rose à ma façon (Vincent Dallet)

Recette de base :
• 5 œufs entiers
• 250 g de sucre semoule
• 5 gouttes de carmin (colorant alimentaire rouge)
• 240 g de farine
• 6 gr de levure

Procédé de fabrication :
• Sur une casserole d’eau frémissante, posez un cul de poule en inox.
• Travaillez au fouet les œufs et le sucre et le carmin.
• Faites tiédir doucement ce mélange, afin d’obtenir une mousse épaisse.
• Retirez du bain marie, et fouettez jusqu’à complet refroidissement.
• Versez doucement la farine préalablement tamisée avec la levure et mélangez le tout délicatement à la Maryse.
• Préchauffez votre four à 180°.
• Beurrez les moules à biscuits roses.
• Garnissez les de pâte à biscuits rose à ras du moule.
• Saupoudrez les de sucre glace à l’aide d’une passoire étamine.
• Cuisez les entre 25 à 30 minutes suivant la grosseur de vos moules.
• Démoulez les à chaud.
• Laissez refroidir et dégustez sans modération….

Astuce :
• Pour moi un biscuit rose doit être fondant et moelleux et non sec.C’est la grande différence avec les biscuits roses fabriqués de façon industriel.
• Mais si vous les voulez sec, il suffit de les laisser 15 minutes de plus au four, mais à une température de 80°.

The post Vincent Dallet, Master Pastissier-Chocolatier in Epernay, and His Recipe for Champagne Biscuits (Biscuits Roses) appeared first on France Revisited - Life in Paris, Travel in France.

The video below shows various moments during that class under the instruction of the Atelier’s executive chef Antony Courteille and sous-chef Laurent Mosset.

The sound is a bit muddled at times and the chefs may not be comprehensible to some viewers since the class was given in French, nevertheless the instruction was indeed clear and concise, and the 2 hours event (instruction + lunch) flowed smoothly and convivially from tomato to onion to sea bream to chocolate mousse to decorating the plate… and then from an aperitif to the enjoyment of our own cuisine.

Taking part in the cooking class along with me and glimpsed in this video are Fabien Nègre, who organized of the event, and the following Paris-based food bloggers: Wai Ming Lung, Fabrice Ivara, Christophe Wakim, Vanessa Besnard,Salma Essafi, Barbra Austin, Géraldine Ranouil, Isabelle Chane Pane, and Phyllis Flick. The video was filmed and directed by Thibault Perois.

In view of the limited cooking skill of some in the group, beginning with myself, the instruction of this specific lunchtime class was kept rather basic. Classes for more experienced or trained cooks as well as specially tailored classes are also possible, including in English.

At the lunchtime cooking class and at a previous cocktail event I attended, I found the staff of the Atelier to be gracious, friendly, and highly knowledgeable and the atmosphere unpretentious and relaxed, leading me to believe that Atelier Guy Martin is well worth considering for those looking for a cooking class in Paris at any level. Classes are reasonably priced at about 80 euros per two-hour course. There are shorter and longer courses as well, along with classes for children.

Atelier Guy Martin, 35 rue Miromesnil, 8th arrondissement, Paris. Metro Miromesnil. Tel. 01 42 66 33 33. See the schedule of upcoming classes. Tailor-made classes and events are also possible.

© 2010, Gary Lee Kraut

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I don’t mean to be sexist about this but there’s something sad and unseemly about grown women endlessly tweeting, FBing, blogging, and otherwise texting about what they ate, are eating, and will eat. And it is indeed mostly bloggeuses who operate these chew blogs—their male counterparts at least throw in some wine, perhaps a few beers, before going off to playing with their Wii.

But it isn’t the sex of a food blogger that’s the problem rather the lack thereof. The libido of these wannabe Julies (or is it Julias?) is exclusively and obsessively directed toward what can be bought, prepared, and swallowed. Other than that there’s no there there.

Blogs are of course obsessive by nature. But the better blogs, whether about food or travel or anything else, manage to attach to their chosen obsession some analysis or contemplation or reflection or conviviality surrounding their subject—in short, some humanity, something to share. These aren’t geek blogs about “Mafia Wars” or iPhones, these are supposed to be about food and all that involves: earth, life, culture, exchange, breaking bread, shared conversation, a personal and collective quest for substance and sustenance.

The majority of food bloggers, however, offer neither substance nor sustenance. Even when they present recipes they aren’t really sharing so much as letting you know how they kept busy before sitting down to eat. And there’s never a surprise ending since every mouthful ends with a self-congratulatory “Mmmm!!!”

You can tell a blogger’s at a complete loss for words when there’s a post that contains five close-up images of an éclair in various states of consumption, with the heading “Stopped at Chez Madeleine on the way home. Mmmm!!!” I wish they’d put even a tenth of the time they spend thinking about what goes into their mouth into what comes out of it.

Don’t get me wrong, I have great respect for food writing. There are some very palatable, informative, and entertaining food blogs out there, though I can’t think of any offhand. Perhaps readers can tell me some so that I might present as the plat de résistance. (Disclaimer: Food writing is also a part of my work, though I am more a travel writer and advisor than a food writer.)

Good food writers manage to talk about food while showing some connection between a given food/product/restaurant and people, place, culture, history, geography, economics, even themselves.

Bad food bloggers try to give themselves kitchen cred by dropping names:
“I ate at that bistro that Mark Bittman wrote about in the NY Times and it’s as good as he says it is. Here’s the link to his article.”
“Michelin gives it three stars but I’d only give it two.”
“I started with the Barefoot Contessa recipe but gave it my own personal twist because my favorite vegetable seller Claude had THE BEST avocadoes at the market today.”

They would have us believe that they spend their time hobnobbing with farmers, fishmongers, butchers, produce sellers, and chefs of all kinds, but, like an actor trying to learn acting by watching sitcoms, their characters inevitably come directly from central casting.

Read enough such food blogs and you realize how much of it is food porn, only instead of penetration and bad acting they show engorgement and bad writing, with an apron as protection instead of a condom. “Eat it, baby, eat it… Yeh, lick that hot emulsified sauce, you know you like it! Go ahead, fork it.” Go down on a few of these blogs and your gag reflex kicks in within a few inches.

No wonder “Gourmet” magazine folded. Their readers were too busy blogging about everything they ate to want to cut out and save actual articles. (On the other hand, “Gourmet” had become a hyped up version of those same blogs.)

Bad food blogs are irrepressibly cheery. That might sound like a good thing. Indeed, initially the image they present of the happy, venturesome foodie seems sweet and appealing enough. But follow them for three or four posts as they go about their daily search of multiple Mmmm!!! food orgasms and you’ll find that these food bloggers have created a disturbingly manic food persona for themselves. They are constantly applauding themselves for having a kitchen, an appetite, and a camera. The bad food blogger’s syllogism goes as follows: I love food. You love food. So you love me.

I think I’m going to be sick.

(c) 2010, Gary Lee Kraut
Recipe for this article

Servings: Self
Calories: 0
Preparation time: 24-36 hours
Temperature: May be served hot or cold

Ingredients: 6-10 food blogs, 1 keyboard, 1 website

1. Select 6-10 food blogs. You can get these through your local “food blog” search but I prefer the peppery expression of those available in specialty searches such as “French food blog” or “Italian food blog” or “Southern food blog” or “lonely foodie wants the world to know she exists” or “wealthy traveler finds purpose in life in food.”

Blog posts should be fresh, frequent, and colorful. Look for large gaps of 2 months of blogging as this may be a sign of nervous breakdown. Be wary of a series of blog posts that consist of unformatted images showing close-ups éclairs and cupcakes as these contain few textual nutrients. Avoid blogs that make excessive use of links to articles and videos that are not their own as they contain large quantities of free radicals.

2. Once you have selected food blogs of sufficient self-indulgence, eliminate skin of attitude. Read each for 10 minutes.

3. (optional) Brown slightly by posting one-line comment on Facebook or other social networking site. This may cause loss of some amigos and followers but will bring out the flavor in others.

4. Let simmer for 12-22 hours. Some rant may spill well before then, but personally I like to wait. My own method is to begin this recipe between midnight and 2 a.m. then let simmer until the following evening, however that schedule may be impractical for some. Stir occasionally. Avoid further blog searches as that will dampen spontaneity of rant.

5. When ready, quickly stir until all blogs are fully blended, then place rant layer by layer without allowing previous layer to cool.

6. (optional) I also like to add a glass of whiskey at this point, but other beverages are also possible. Alternately, coffee may be used, but I suggest adding that well before midnight so as to avoid ranting through the night.

7. Limit rant to 2 hours and 800 words. Larger quantities tend to dilute the original flavor of the blended blogs.

8. Select and format photo. Any image showing the author enjoying local food will do.

9. Let sit on desktop overnight or at least 3 hours.

10. Reread, eliminate excess fat, and smooth transitions without seeking perfection as this is intended for relaxed consumption.

11. Serve. I like to use fine France Revisited dishware for this.

The post Roasted French Food Porn (Includes Recipe) appeared first on France Revisited - Life in Paris, Travel in France.

For one, the town’s Notre-Dame Quarter has one of the most attractive market squares in the Paris region, part of the planned 17th-century layout that fans out from the palace. The current covered markets that enclose the square, Halles Notre-Dame, date from 1841.

It’s along that market square that Patricia Boussaroque, freshly graduated from the celebrated Ecole Cordon Bleu in Paris, recently set up a cheery and intimate kitchen-workshop, where she offers two- and three-hour cooking classes in the preparation of classic (and occasionally contemporary) French dishes and desserts.

In Paris there are dozens of possibilities for taking cooking classes lasting anywhere from one hour to one year—in schools, in kitchen supply stores, in restaurants, in private homes—so one needn’t go out to Versailles from the capital just for several hours in a kitchen. But what’s special about the prospect of an easy-going class with Patricia is the way in which it can contribute to a full, leisurely day in Versailles, both town and palace.

As a chef Patricia doesn’t have decades of professional culinary experience in her hands since for twenty years she worked in the corporate world in human resources. Until recently, tying on an apron had largely been an amateur passion not a career. Her atelier cuisine is now the result of well-baked career change.

After obtaining her Grand Diplôme from the Cordon Bleu in the spring of 2009, she found this unique location by the market to install a bright, convivial kitchen-workshop and began sharing her passion as a professional in September.

Set dates for daily classes in French are posted on Patricia’s website, yet the most enjoyable way to include a cooking lesson from Patricia on a Versailles outing would be for you and your traveling companions to arrange a private class. Patricia, who speaks fluent English, can either privatize an already scheduled class for your own small group or create a special class for you outside of the posted schedule, beginning with a tour of the market below.

Patricia’s affable, easy-going approach to cooking classes make them attractive to casual chefs, a group of friends, or families looking to bring home some French culinary experience and more than a taste of history when they visit Versailles.

© 2009, Gary Lee Kraut

L’Atelier Cuisine de Patricia, Place du Marché Notre-Dame, 4 rue André Chénier, 78000 Versailles. Tel. 01 71 42 82 42. www.lateliercuisinedepatricia.com.

Halles Notre-Dame, the covered markets of Versailles, are open Tuesday to Saturday 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Sunday 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The best time to visit is when food market stalls also occupy the square outside from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday.

Note: The palace, the Notre-Dame market, and Patricia’s atelier are all closed on Monday.

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