Those were Euros?

Our main activity during the day was a baking class at Le Cordon Bleu. The subject: Intense Dark Chocolate Éclairs. (Intense Dark Chocolate? Of course!). The Métro broke down on our way (also: Of course!) so we exited and took a taxi to get to class on-time. When we arrived, it was clear who are the full-time students (wearing chef white jackets with checkered pants) versus the public for the workshop. We did get Cordon Bleu aprons, which will be a great souvenir once they get a thorough cleaning back home!

The process had numerous steps. Start with a choux pastry. While it bakes, make a cocoa nib crumble. Then a nougatine base. Then a chocolate mousse. Then pipe the mousse onto the base and add the crumble as a finishing touch. And of course, taste an eclair, in addition to the scraps along the way. At least we had clear instructions, unlike the Great British Baking Show.

Most of the class were amateurs, except for the woman standing next to Greg, who owns a French pastry shop in India. But we seemed to do fine; the English translator even complimented our piping skills. When Greg replied that she must say that to all the students, she said no: for ones that don’t look good, she simply says: “That looks delicious!”

We also learned that most full-time students at Le Cordon Bleu aren’t French, since French people can attend public culinary school far cheaper than the expensive private program at Le Cordon Bleu. Indeed, we heard a lot of English among the full-time students, and saw one carrying a Trader Joe’s tote bag just like our own!

After the class, we stopped at the Maille Dijon mustard store, a mere 2-minute walk from our hotel. Amy meticulously packed our refillable Maille crock, which we got filled with their traditional mustard. We’re now thinking how we can use that much mustard when we get home. Sandwiches? Check. Salad dressing? Check. A Trader Joe’s microwave turkey corndog? Maybe. A few weeks ago, we learned that Maille has a store in New York City that sells refill bags, but they don’t have the special filling spigot like in France.

For dinner, we went to L’Arpège, a 3-Michelin-star restaurant in Paris that is legendary in our family. About 25 years ago, Bob Bixby asked Greg to help him make a reservation there for a group of executives who were in Paris for the week. This was soon after France switched from Francs to Euros. Amy convinced Greg to join the group. The dinner was over-the-top elegant, with truffles in practically every dish. When the bill came, one person said, “Oh, those were Euros?” Even if it were in Francs, the dinner cost more than anyone could put on an expense report. Earlier this year, Chef Alain Passard moved to a vegan menu, a radical idea in France. We had the 12-course tasting menu (Of course!) that lasted about 3 hours. One dish was a complete miss for us - think raw vegetables in a tea-broth. But the rest went from good to amazing. Some highlights were: a butternut soup with a savory foam, a beet tartare with a faux egg, and a quince sorbet as the second dessert. While a Michelin-starred meal is always expensive, when you consider inflation, it seems cheaper than Greg’s first visit.

Just before we left, the staff invited us to take a quick look in the kitchen. We were shocked by how small it is, for such a famous restaurant.