A Taste of Paris

 
So, a couple of weeks ago I took a really lovely mini-break to Paris with my friend Grace. We took the Eurostar out, spent a night and came back the next evening. When out there I sampled some really beautiful Parisian and French foods.

Enjoying a chocolate brioche pastry just by the Eiffel Tower

My first taste of France was eating a baguette while sat in the park outside the Eiffel Tower, which seemed like pretty much the Frenchest thing I could be doing. This was a plain and simple Ham & Cheese Baguette but it was the first sign of the French really caring about their food - the bread was fresh, the cheese was good, not plastic-y, and the ham was pretty damn good too.

We then picked up some ice creams on our walk round the city, which was a vanilla/chocolate mix and very tasty. We also decided to go on a Macaroon hunt, which wasn't too tricky because there's lots of shops with really beautiful displays of macaroons. I'm not a macaroon fan, but Grace assures me they were brilliant.

Stopping for dinner at a bistro, we sat out on the street overlooking a cross-roads and watched the world go by. I ordered a classic; Steak Frites with an incredible peppercorn and wine sauce. There is, it seems, a reason the French are known for this dish; it was tender, juicy and definitely one of the best steaks I've eaten.

The next morning we headed back to the Eiffel Tower park because it was nice and near to where we staying. I nibbled on a freshly baked Chocolate Brioche... thing which madet the perfect breakfast.

Now, for lunch. We were doing a bit of shopping on the Champs-Elysees and I'm not ashamed to say that we went to McDonalds. We needed somewhere quick, cheap and easy and we happened to stumble upon McDonalds. Once in, I was wowed by all the flashy gadgets they had there - there were quick order stations that allowed you to order, pay by card, then just pick it up at the counter but we went for the normal queue where a nice lady with a tablet took our order, printed a receipt and we handed that over to the counter. I have to say, it made ordering in a different language considerably easier. The meal wasn't half bad either - I had some Chicken McNuggets & fries (which were definitely better than the English ones) and some Tex Mex sauce which was like a tasty cross between BBQ and ketchup. Turns out, in France even the McDonalds have better food!

And sadly, that was the end of my mini-trip of French food discovery. I jetted back home in the evening and ate a M&S sandwich on my train home as a sort of 'Welcome Back to England' present.
I loved Parisian food, and I'll definitely be back for more!

Cumin Spiced Sirloin on Lime and Pepper Noodles and Beansprouts

Cooking time: 7-10 mins

Prep time: 1-2 mins 

This meal was good and exceptionally easy. I am always looking out for deals, and ways to cook posh food at student-y prices. I found some thin cut sirloin steaks in the 3 for £10 meat offer at Tesco and it seemed too good to say no to. I had a few pre-made items in, like the Thai Dressing but lime juice should be fine and about as quick to knock up.

 Ingredients (For 1):

• 2 Tesco Thin Cut Sirloin Steaks (there's 4 in a pack so you can do this twice or do it for 2)
• 1 150g pack of Amoy Straight To Wok Udon Noodles
• A handful of Beansprouts (add however much you like in your stir fry, I added about the same amount as there was noodles)
• A good splash of Waitrose Fragrant Thai Dressing (to knock up something similar, a good bit of Lime Juice, Chilli Flakes and some Red Pepper should do the trick)
• Cumin
• About a tablespoon of Olive/Vegetable oil (I used extra virgin olive oil because that's all I had in)
• A few bits of Chive to garnish (Spring Onion will do just as well)

Steps:

1. Heat the oil up in a pan or wok on a high heat, then chuck the beansprouts in. Fry these for about 3 minutes.
2. Add the noodles and add a healthy amount of dressing (or lime juice etc.), give it a good mix and let it cook for a minute or two
3. Serve the noodles and beansprouts onto a plate
4. Add extra oil if the pan has run out then add the steaks, sprinkling a little cumin on each one, sealing them for 1 minute on each side then cooking for however tender you want your steak (I did mine for an extra minute to get it Medium...ish)
5. Chuck your steak on top of your noodles & beansprouts and enjoy.