Thinking of Paris...mmm...Macarons at Le Panier

To be honest, I don't think I ever ate macarons when I was in Paris. I ate crepes while walking to Notre Dame. Escargot, moules and steak frites. Chocolate and delicious wines.

I remember a lot of cheeses...YUM.

How did I ever forget to eat REAL FRENCH MACARONS, when I was in Paris.

Le Panier is our little piece of Paris, in Seattle. Le Panier has some of the best breads, sables, tartes, and so many more French pastries, I cannot remember. Oh, and the best baguette sandwiches EVER. My favorite baguette sandwich...ham and butter.

Don't knock it until you try it!

OK, the star, or secret indulgence at Le Panier...the macarons. Some of my favorites: cafe, pistachio, raspberry, chocolate, orange-ganache, vanilla, and lemon. Actually, I think that is every flavor macaron at Le Panier. I must have bought one of each on this particular visit.

Hmmm...what a surprise.

This is my favorite, orange-ganache.

Here they are waiting for you to bring them to your home.

A little bit of Paris, right here in Seattle.

Christmas Eve Dinner: The Starters

Calamari, Tomato and Caper Salad
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
This salad was a big hit! We will definitely be making this again and again. We bought our squid or calamari at the Pike Place Market and I cleaned the squid myself.

Also, we used canned San Marzano tomatoes since fresh tomatoes are not good this time of year.

Delicious!

Ingredients
Salad:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound calamari, cleaned, sliced into 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices
Dressing:
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained
1 lemon, zested
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions
For the salad: In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes. Season the calamari with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Saute, stirring frequently, until cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the mixture in a colander.

For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, capers, and lemon zest until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Transfer the calamari mixture to a serving bowl. Pour in the dressing and gently toss until all the ingredients are coated. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

One other little Yummer I served was these bite-sized latkes with my housemade gravlax, sour cream, chives and a little caviar.