Marc Riboud

A couple years ago, I went to visit some family in France with my mother. My mother went ahead to St-Malo, Britany, to stay with my grandparents and I decided to stay a week with my illustrator uncle in Paris.

Despite my hopes for this burst of freedom, my uncle being a pretty relaxed guy and also very busy most days working long hours in his studio, I quickly became lonely. I had been coming from an apartment of 3 girls in Montréal and am also the forth child in a family of five, and so company is just a way of life for me. Regardless, I filled my days, walked around till my feet smelled so putrid I was forced to buy another pair of shoes. Who can really complain about a week in Paris? I also spent a lot of time lounging about with Cachou, my uncle's cat.

More to the point, my uncle suggested I go see this so-called "Musée de la vie romantique" and I had run out of things to do and spent little time up near the Sacré Coeur and Montmartre. And so I was pleasantly surprised to find this lovely museum which looked more like a house with a quaint courtyard filled with plants. With the photography, I felt I'd traveled a good part of the world in black-and-white portraits. Being someone who loves photography but by no means a connoisseur... Marc Riboud's exhibit drew me in and inspired me to take more photos.

From : http://www.marcriboud.com/

French Onion Soup

This delicious recipe makes good use of the bag of onions that come in my food box. It makes even better leftovers, as the flavours seep in.

3 Tbs butter
6 onions, finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
8 cups of chicken or veggie stock
1 cup of white wine
1 bay leaf
2 thyme sprigs
baguette
Gruyère, grated


Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the onions. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 25 min, or until the onions are a deep golden brown and begin to caramelize.

Add the garlic and flour and stir continuously for 2 min.

Gradually blend in stock and the wine, stirring all the time and bring to a boil. Add the bay leaf and thyme and season. Cover the saucepan and simmer for 25 min. Remove the bay leaf and thyme and check the seasoning.

Toast the baguette slices with Gruyère in toaster oven.

SERVES 6

from "The Food of France" by Maria Villegas and Sarah Randell, Whitecap Books