At the Broadway Farmer’s Market today we, found some really beautiful organic Charentais-style melons, so fragrant that, even uncut, their aroma fills the kitchen. The Charentais is the famous melon of Provence in SE France, know for its wonderful, sun drenched flavor and firm texture. The good people at Tonnemaker Farms specified that these can’t actually be called Charentais, as they are not the exact same species but a hybrid that stands up better to the cool PNW nights.

The melons I purchased for Café Presse are currently ripening in a warm corner of the kitchen but should be ready to serve Tuesday or Wednesday, watch our facebook page for a heads up when we are offering it as a daily special. I am planning something simple to feature the pure summer flavor of the melon:

Sliced Charentais melon sprinkled with lime juice and piment d’Espelette, served with sliced jambon de Bayonne

My tile in the Arcade of the Pike Place Market is still going strong, if a little dirty (I scraped some gum off this tile before taking the photo!). The tiles, found throughout the main level , were originally sold and installed in the mid-80’s to raise funds for Market preservation and restoration. Over time, they have become such a part of the texture of the Market that people hardly notice them. This tile was purchased for me as a birthday present by my sister in 1985. We have both always been been big fans of the Market. I have had the very good fortune to work in the Market for 27 years, first at Campagne Restaurant then at Le Pichet.

On the borderline between the 11th and 12 arrondissements and to the east of the Bastille is a neighborhood that is referred to alternately by reference to its main thoroughfare (the Faubourg Saint-Antoine) or its metro stop (Ledru Rollin), or, as often as not, by its market, the Marché d’Aligre.  Which makes sense, because the market is  the heart of this neighborhood, and like its neighborhood, it is an amalgam of the very traditional and the current, old and young, bursting with the flavors of France, which in modern Paris means also North Africa, the Levant and Asia.

The market consists of one of the oldest covered market in Paris, the Marché Couvert Beauvau, and the street market that spills out of the Beauvau into place  and rue d’Aligre , from which the market takes its name.  Quite simply put, this market is one of my favorite spots anywhere, and one that I almost never miss when I am in Paris.

Packed with too much stuff for any description to do it justice, it’s a market that demands that you just wade in and experience it.  Here are some of my favorites:

Poissonerie “La Marée Beauvau”, inside the covered market, a beautiful selection of fish and shellfish, and they have a single table for 2 where you can enjoy a plate of oysters and a glass of muscadet.

Boulangerie Moisan, an organic bakery facing the market  The fennel and raisin rolls are fantastic.

Fromagerie Philippe Langlet inside the covered market offers the most amazing selection of goat cheeses I have ever seen.

Boucherie “Les Provinces” along rue d’Aligre behind the market vegetable stalls;  you can select your preferred cut of “bio”  beef, lamb or veal butcher case, then pay the 9 euro “droit de cuisson” to have them cook it and serve it to you with salad and roasted potatoes in the small dining room next door.

At the south end of rue d’Aligre, Halal butcher shops predominate, some with rotisseries offering roasted merguez sausages in addition to the more usual roasted chickens.

The surrounding neighborhood is particularly rich in restaurants, bars and wine bars, like the legendary Le Baron Bouge, (formerly Le Baron Rouge…it’s a legal thing, don’t ask) where shoppers  meet for a glass of wine and a plate of charcuterie after the market closes.  Also not far are Chardenoux, Au Vieux Chene, l’Ebauchoir and Le Siffleur de Ballons, all places that find their way on to my list when friends ask for Paris recommendations.

Marché d’Aligre / Marché Couvert Beauvau
Place d’Aligre and along rue d’Aligre between rue Charenton and Faubourg St.-Antoine
Paris 12eme

Now at Café Presse and Le Pichet…our house made Vin Chaud.  Vin chaud is the hot mulled wine of France, traditionally served during the Holidays and any time that its cold and damp out.  I worked under a chef in Paris who would grab onto the slightest sneeze or sniffle from anyone in the kitchen as an excuse to make up a batch.

More famously, vin chaud is the beverage of choice for warming hands and spirits at annual Marchés de Noël, or traditional Christmas markets that pop up across France every  year during the month of December.

Our version is made with red wine, brandy, lemon, orange, cinnamon, cloves, mace, bay leaf and allspice and a touch of honey, served hot with a twist of orange.   Enjoy it now and until the end of the year.

What:  Cooking demonstration and tasting by Le Pichet and Cafe Presse Executive Chef Jim Drohman

When:  Saturday, December 06, 2014 from 11am to 12 noon

Where:  The new show kitchen in the Pike Place Market Atrium

Please join Chef  Jim Drohman for a cooking demonstration in the Pike Place Market Atrium kitchen on Saturday, December 06, 2014 from 11am to 12 noon.  The demonstration is free and open to the public.

Jim will be cooking Moules en Piperade, Penn Cove mussels simmered with white wine, parsley and Basque sweet pepper compote, served with grilled baguette.   And he will be giving out tastes to the audience when the demonstration is finished.

Please visit the Pike Place Market website for full details.

What:  Cooking demonstration and tasting by Le Pichet and Cafe Presse Executive Chef Jim Drohman as part of the Chefs on the Cobblestones series

When:  Sunday June 22, 2014, from 2pm to 3pm

Where:  The Pike Place Market demonstration stand, the corner of Pike Place and Stewart

Please join Chef  Jim Drohman for a cooking demonstration in the Pike Place Market on Sunday June 22, 2014 from 2 to 3 pm.

Jim will be cooking “Soupe aux pistou”, an early summer white bean and vegetables soup served with basil-walnut pistou.   And he will be giving out tastes to the audience when the demonstration is finished.

In case you didn’t get the memo, there are some changes coming to the University District and Broadway Farmer’s Markets.

The University District market will be leaving its location at just south of the University Heights Community Center, its location since 1993, to make way for a new city park.  Instead, from 9am to 2pm, every Saturday of the year, all year long, University Way NE, popularly known as The Ave, between 50th and 52nd streets will close to become the market’s new home.  That’s right, they are moving into the street.  Here are full details from the Neighborhood Farmer’s Market Alliance.

I have always considered the U-District the best market in Seattle, and am hopeful that the move will be a positive step in its long term development.

At the same time, the Broadway Farmer’s Market, which formerly was open from 11am to 3pm on Sundays between May and early December, has recently announced that it will now be open all year round.  Although frequented by a smaller number of venders than the U-District market, the convenience of the Broadway Market’s  location at the corner of Broadway and Pine makes it an important destination.  News of the year round dates  is a very welcome change (especially when we run out of something at Cafe Presse on a Sunday, as happened last week).

If you are anywhere near the Pike Place Market today, Sunday August 4, 2013, would be pleased to have you drop by the Chef Demonstration Booth today between 2 and 3pm for a cooking demonstration give jointly by myself and Le Pichet Chef de Cuisine Jack Spiess.

Here’s what we will be cooking:

“Roasted beet gazpacho garnished with a salad of house smoked Idaho trout, scallions, dill, creme fraiche and candied lemon”

And yes, there will be samples.

What:  Cooking demonstration and tasting by Le Pichet and Cafe Presse Executive Chef Jim Drohman and Chef de Cuisine Jack Spiess, as part of the Chefs on the Cobblestones series

When:  Sunday August 04 and Sunday August 25, both from 2pm to 3pm

Where:  The Pike Place Market demonstration stand, the corner of Pike Place and Stewart

If you enjoy cooking demonstrations and the Pike Place Market, here is news about upcoming events you wont want to miss:

This summer,  Jim Drohman and Le Pichet Chef de Cuisine Jack Spies will be cooking up Market produce on two different occasions.  Join us for a demonstration by Jim and Jack together on Sunday August 04, and Jack will be cooking solo on Sunday August 25.  Both demonstrations will be from 2pm to 3pm at the demo kitchen in Pike Place at Stewart street.  And they will be handing out samples of the dishes they cook after the demonstration, so be there early for a good seat.