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We had one full day to explore Quebec City so we made sure to get a somewhat early start. We entered the Old City on Rue Saint-Jean, passing through a gate and out onto a busy street lined with restaurants and shops. There was definitely more of a European feel in the Old City, and I liked it immediately.
It was drizzling a bit so we quickly walked to our breakfast destination, Paillard, a cafe-boulangerie. It was a huge space with tall ceilings and lots of seating. The were little round tables in the front, as well as several long communal tables in the main area next to the bakery cases and coffee station. Josh went to the bakery line to order some food while I settled at the end of a communal table with J’s stroller, where there was more room for us to maneuver. Since it was mid-morning on a weekday, the cafe wasn’t too full and it didn’t take Josh too long to pick up our food.
We decided to share a few pastries and half a baguette. First was the croissant, which was flaky on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. One bite and the crust shattered delightfully in our mouths. Flavor-wise, it was buttery without being greasy, and had just the slightest hint of sweetness.
Next was the pain au chocolat, which was not as flaky on the outside as the croissant, but who can resist any kind of chocolate-stuffed pastry? Perhaps it was just not as freshly made, as the edges were a bit tough. Nevertheless, it was still devoured.
The baguette was a bit of a disappointment, as it had been sliced in half lengthwise and toasted. I would have preferred to try a freshly baked baguette in its natural state, and the toasting left the bread soggy rather than crunchy. Texture-wise it seemed a bit dense and flat, and the crust lacked any crispness, but that was due to the toasting. It must have sat in some sort of warming tray afterward and steamed itself. As a result, I don’t think I could fairly judge the qualities of the baguette, but it had good flavor and was a nice vehicle for butter and a pear-vanilla jam they gave us on the side.
I also got a regular coffee while Josh had a cappuccino. The coffee was good – not too burnt-tasting or bitter. The cappuccino was a lot stronger, and I saw people with giant bowls of it, but Josh settled for just a cup and seemed pretty content.
Overall we thought Paillard was a good breakfast option for some quick coffee and pastries. We weren’t in the mood for something heavy or overly complicated, and this fit the bill. The croissant was top notch, and there were some beautiful-looking desserts in the bakery case, though we didn’t have a chance to try any. While the baguette that came with our breakfast was disappointing, the assortment of breads seemed pretty impressive, and I would have liked to try a regular baguette since this boulangerie is so highly rated. I’ve also read rave reviews about their sandwiches, so it might be a good lunch destination if you’re looking for something fast and casual. Prices are cheap, especially compared to a nice bakery in NYC. Croissants are under $2 and most of the dessert items were less than $4. Breakfast for the two of us cost under $15 in total, and it provided us with enough energy to walk the entire Old City while pushing J’s stroller up and down many steep hills. I would recommend Paillard for its simple breakfast options and central location in the Old City.
Paillard
1097 Rue Saint-Jean
Quebec City, Canada
We’re still trying to cook more often but with the weather so hot and muggy lately, there are some days when neither of us can bear the thought of slaving over a hot stove. And because our stove has no exhaust hood, our apartment gets hot and smokey every time we cook. As a result, we’ve been resorting to one of our favorite summertime meals – prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato, and basil on fresh bread. And with our CSA, we’ve had access to some really gorgeous basil with big, beautiful green leaves.
Even with this simple supper, Josh still fusses with presentation. Instead of cutting up some cheese and tomatoes and slapping it all together, he likes to arrange everything nicely on a large cutting board so that we can individually customize each bite. And even though I tease him about it, the lovely presentation really does make the meal seem even more appetizing.
I am very methodic in my constructions. I take a slice of bread, rub some olive oil on it, and top it with a large slice of prosciutto. Next I put on slices of tomato and sprinkle them with some kosher salt. Then I layer on some fresh mozzarella and top it all off with a big basil leaf. But that’s not all. To finish, I douse a bit more olive oil over everything, and drizzle on some balsamic syrup that Josh makes by slowly reducing an entire bottle of balsamic vinegar until it’s thick and rich like chocolate sauce. A few cranks of freshly ground black pepper, and voila!
I’m embarrassed to say how much of this stuff we ate in one sitting but we also added some veggies to our dinner by throwing together a quick salad with CSA baby greens and radishes. Lightly dressed with just lemon juice and some olive oil, it was the perfect complement to our meal.
Amy’s Bread is still our preferred bakery for baguettes. Lately, however, they’ve been running out of baguettes by the time we get there after work. The country white boule is a nice alternative, though it has a denser texture and a thicker crust. We’re also fans of the olive fougasse, which has a nice chewy texture and is studded with tons of flavorful black olives. Once you have fresh bakery bread, the stuff from the supermarkets just doesn’t compare. And to top it all off, the bread we get from Amy’s Bread is cheaper than the bread from the supermarket. How great is that?!
Amy’s Bread (multiple locations)
672 9th Ave. between 46th and 47th St.
New York, NY
When I opened the package, it became quite clear that the naan was too dense and bread-like, and it kind of had a chemically processed smell to it. That put me off a bit but I surged ahead, hoping that it would be better once it was baked. I followed the directions on the package, which was to wet the bread slightly first and then bake it in the oven. It came out more pliable, slightly darker, but still pretty dense. I served up a piece with some leftover rice topped with both the keema mutton and chicken korma curries.
Flavor wise, it was pretty bad, tasting more like a processed pita bread than naan. It didn’t have the nice fluffy interior and flaky exterior that I like about freshly baked naans from restaurants. I ate about half of it, and then gave up, as I couldn’t deal with the processed taste. There are actually two pieces of naan in one package, so the second night, I baked it for much longer, until it was more toasted and completely brown. That’s what I do with supermarket bagels because once you’ve had fresh, authentic NYC or NJ bagels, the processed stuff is just gross. I guess it works the same way with naan. Toasting it completely helped a bit, but it still wasn’t great or even good, it was just more edible.
Overall, I definitely don’t recommend buying the Tandoori Naan. I got it on sale for $1.99 but usually it’s priced at $2.99 for the two-piece package. That’s not too pricey but I still definitely don’t think it’s worth getting. If you have an Indian restaurant nearby, you’re better off picking up some fresh pieces to go, even if it costs a bit more.
]]>As a result, on nights that we don’t go out or order in, we’ll just throw together something simple like Caesar salad with homemade dressing and grilled chicken or arugula salad with lemon and parmesan. Tasty, but nothing exciting to blog about. Our favorite simple supper, however, is prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil, and a nice baguette, all arranged on a cutting board for easy noshing. We slice the baguette into little rounds and just pile on whatever toppings we choose. It’s fun, easy, and requires absolutely no cooking.
On truly lazy nights, we’ll get by with supermarket mozzarella, prosciutto, and baguettes. They’re not the greatest but they’re passable in a pinch. However, when Josh took our friend from Singapore to Chinatown for some banh mis, and he very thoughtfully picked up some fresh mozzarella and burrata from Di Palo’s.
One night I convinced Josh to stop at Amy’s Bread and Sullivan Street Bakery after work for some baguettes, so we could do a side-by-side comparison. Unfortunately, by the time he got to Amy’s bread they had run out of regular baguettes so we had to settle for whole wheat. Not a big deal. He did manage to get a regular baguette from Sullivan Street, so while we couldn’t do an exact comparison, we did have a nice variety for dinner that evening.
We rounded out the meal with some decent Citterio prosciutto that we picked up for cheap at Costco, basil from our windowsill, a nice ripe cantaloupe, also from Costco, and some super sweet cherries.
The last time we had burrata from Di Palo’s, it was imported burrata. This time Josh got the domestic burrata, which still had great flavor but it wasn’t as milky or creamy on the inside as the imported variety.
Both baguettes were delicious. Fortunately the whole wheat one from Amy’s Bread wasn’t too wheaty in flavor, since I usually don’t like whole wheat bread. It had a subtle nuttiness to it, and a slightly firmer chew, but otherwise it was just as good as a regular baguette. The one from Sullivan Street Bakery had a nice airy and chewy interior, though I wished the crust was a bit more crispy. Not a big deal, we can just pop it in the oven for a quick toast next time. I really liked both baguettes, and while the location of Amy’s Bread is much more convenient, I’d happily make the trek down to Sullivan Street Bakery once in a while for some delicious bread.
The addition of the cantaloupe was a nice change of pace for us. It’s no wonder that prosciutto and melon is a classic pairing. The super sweet melon and the salty sweet prosciutto were simply divine together.
I’m sick of the hot weather but I’ll be sad when the summer is over and my excuse for not cooking will no longer be valid. But even though we won’t have super sweet ripe summer tomatoes and fruit available when the weather gets cooler, I’m sure we’ll still have many lazy nights when we’ll have a simple feast of prosciutto, mozzarella, and tasty fresh baguettes.
Amy’s Bread (multiple locations)
672 9th Ave. between 46th and 47th St.
New York, NY
Sullivan Street Bakery
533 West 47th St. between 10th and 11th Ave.
New York, NY
Di Palo’s Fine Foods
200 Grand St. between Mulberry and Mott St.
New York, NY