A hike up Le Parmelan

Back on May 18, yes that was nearly 3 months ago, R and I spent a spectacular day hiking up Le Parmelan, near Annecy in the Haute-Savoie. From a distance it's easy to pick out Le Parmelan from the other mountains in the area—it is massive and cliff-like. You can see its gray rock face for miles and miles away.

The summit, or la tete, of the Parmelan is 1,832m, which is over 6,000 ft. We parked at the lot near Le Petite Montoir path which we decided to take up—it's longer but not as steep as Le Grand Montoir. In total we ascended 660m which is about 2,165 ft! On a clear day the panorama from the top is impressive. Lucky for us, R and I picked a clear day with steel blue skies.

On the way down, we decided to take Le Grand Montoir—faster and much much steeper. For someone who's afraid of heights, I did pretty well, thank you very much. I also thank Le Parmelan's caretakers who put up some chains and handrails so hikers have something to hold onto to as you make your way down the steep steps and narrow ledges. Oh, we also had to climb over a few huge fallen trees that blocked the path down. In the end it was 100% worth it for the 360 degree views of the Alps, Lac Annecy, and even Mont Blanc!

The Parmelan is classified as difficile but I found it much harder to descend than to ascend. Both R and I were happy to reach the parking lot and even happier when we got home and took a nice long shower. Despite being completely sore for two days afterwards, our randonnée up Le Parmelan was easily one of my favorite days in France. Have you seen anything more ridiculously beautiful?

A walk in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland

Before heading back to the States, R and I did a few hikes near our house and some day trips in France and Switzerland.

In late May, we made a trip to the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. On the way back we took the Jaun Pass home. It was a gorgeous day and knowing that R and I would be back in the US before we knew it, I fully appreciated all the beauty before us. I wanted to capture everything with my lens, but in the end I opted to take it all in. But you know me, I did manage to snap a few to help us remember our trip!

My NYC kitchen and pantry

I don't know about you, but it's definitely hot enough for me this summer. Last year we didn't need air conditioning because mountains and trees cooled us. Here in the city, even with the plethora of trees in Jackson Heights, the heat and humidity have been stifling.

When the heat's on, I usually don't feel like turning on the stove, and absolutely not the oven! Do you feel the same way? But recently I started stocking my pantry and added essentials like good sea salt, light soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, distilled vinegar, olive oil, sesame oil, vegetable oil, and fish sauce. And for any good pantry, you must have garlic, shallots, onions, lemons, limes, cilantro, scallions, couscous, and jasmine rice. And oatmeal and prunes too. Not to mention butter.

With this and all the good stuff I picked up at this weekend's farmer's market, I've started cooking in my small NYC kitchen and I can't stop! A quarter the size of my French kitchen, it's much smaller and the layout is not great but it'll do for now. There's a full size fridge, stove with microwave on top, and a half size dishwasher. I lament the fact that there's not enough storage or counter space. And no disposal but that's ok. I'm collecting fruit and vegetable scraps for composting which I can donate on Sundays to the farmer's market. Even though I'm back in the States I still would like to hold on to several things I started doing while in France like composting, living simply and as close to nature as possible.

At the farmer's market, I was enticed by the many offerings. Without any recipes in mind, I picked what was visually pleasing. Vivid yellow summer squash, bright red onions, tiny MacIntosh and green pears, and some cucumbers. We couldn't pass the Red Jacket Orchards stall without taking home their delicious all natural rhubarb juice and plum stomp made in Geneva, NY.  On our way out, we stopped to purchase Ronnybrook Farms' all natural yogurt drinks and a bottle of milk. Buying the milk in a glass bottle reminds me of the times R and I bought fresh fromage blanc, bleu de Gex, crème fraîche, and raw milk from our local fromagerie. If you bring back your bottle, you get your bottle deposit back. We still have our milk bottles in my kitchen in France, which means we have to visit le fromagerie when we next visit!

With my bounty, I've made lots of salads and eaten a mostly vegetarian menu this week including an easy salad of cucumbers, red onions, and tomatoes. I dressed it with some extra virgin olive oil, pink salt, a little twist of pepper, and lemon rinds, left over from making strawberry lemonade. For R, I made a no-mayo potato salad using baby red potatoes dressed with a vinaigrette with herbs de Provence, olive oil, a drop or two of distilled vinegar, and two big heaping tablespoons of whole grain French mustard. I also braised some romaine lettuce with garlic, shallots, and the leafy greens from the farmer's market red onions. I used the yellow summer squash in a quick ratatouille cooked in my favorite pot, a 5.5 quart cherry red Le Crueset which my sister gave me one year for Christmas.

To beat the heat and humidity, I pureed the remaining strawberries in a blender, tossed in a bit of sugar, and then added some rhubarb/apple juice. Then I poured this mixture (seeds and all) into some popsicle molds. Voila! Six hours later, R and I enjoyed our strawberry/rhubarb pops! Sweet, tart, and cold enough to cool us down in this city heat.

Transplanted in new soil

Today someone I met recently asked for a link to my blog and I happily shared it with the knowledge that it's been a long time since my last update. I've taken a respite from writing because I've been preoccupied with moving and planting roots in new soil. Moving and setting in is a process, and moving to NYC has been both an exhilarating and exhausting process.

Since moving back to the States two months ago, R and I traded our big country house and garden in the Juras for a small 1 bedroom in the quaint neighborhood of Jackson Heights, Queens. For those of you who have visited NYC and not ventured out to Brooklyn or Queens, you are missing out!

R and I are getting to know our neighbors and the neighborhood which we chose for many reasons: its proximity to the city, the many trees that provide natural air conditioning, the farmers markets nearby, and its closeness to a certain yummy French patisserie and boulangerie. We've also noticed it's not as noisy here (relative to Manhattan and other areas in the city). There's a bit of craziness that comes with the quaint—within a 10 minute walk to Roosevelt Ave is probably the most culturally diverse part of Queens, where you can hear Hindi, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Nepalese, and much more.

Small adventures await outside our door step, no passport required! If we head in one direction, we're in Little India, where every single inch of sidewalk seems to be taken up by ancient men with long interesting facial hair selling whatever your heart may fancy. Their sidewalk tables are covered in jeweltone scarves, prayer rugs, sunglasses, plastic toys from China that squeak, move, and flash. If nothing strikes your fancy at these tables, don't worry. There is something for every impulse you may have....something for every sense. If you're a Bollywood fan, then you need to make a trip out to JH and rummage through the CDs and DVDs for rent and sale.

I'm sure one of Little India's stores and grocers will catch your attention—here you can find everything from the haut de gamme to the bas de gamme in flowing saris, head scarves to spices, Indian pickles, aromatic boxes of Indian mangoes. I've found myself returning a few times to Patel Brothers, which is an Indian supermarket chain much like Hong Kong Supermarket is for Chinese groceries or HMart is for Korean goods. 

R and I have become big fans of Indian sweets which are very close to Middle Eastern sweets which we enjoyed in France. We're (quite) fond of (mango) kulfi, a delicious ice cream treat which you can buy on most streets in Little India. So far we've tried mango, vanilla cardamom, and pistachio. More to come of Little India in upcoming pieces.

Heading north, we cross over to the Spanish speaking part of Jackson Heights. A short walk away is Elmhurst and then Flushing, home to probably the largest community of Chinese in NYC. Just this weekend, after a delicious breakfast of croissants and apricot tart at Cannelle over the Sunday New York Times, we followed the music to Northern Avenue and watched a parade celebrating Ecuadorian culture. Unbeknownst to me, I picked the right color to wear that day: yellow, for Ecuador!

Now that we've mostly settled into our new home, I have a bit more time to write and enjoy NY. And also to cook. I have an enviable number of ethnic markets to browse and shop from. I was thinking of starting a new version of my blog to capture my adventures in NYC but for now I am resting here. I hope to share more with you in the coming weeks and months! R and I are here to stay for a while, so there are many adventures ahead of us.