Christmas Market'10: "Marches de Noel," La Défense, Paris, France

Of all the Christmas markets I have gone to this year in Paris, I rate the market at La Défense as the best one. Even on a cold, mid-week day, with the threat of rain and snow, we were not deterred, just like the others, to come to this Christmas market.The selection of items carried by the vendors brought a melange of interesting items for the shopper working with a Christmas list. The arrangement of the stalls was so well organized in one big square, that it was easy to go around or go back to something that had previously caught our eye.

The Christmas market is set up at the parvis of a very distinct landmark, the La Défense Building, also known as La Grande Arche. When up at the Eiffel Tower, you will see that this building is on the same axis as the Arc de Triomphe on the avenue des Champs Elysees.

La Défense is a modern style skyscraper, government office tower. Architect Paul Andreau oversaw the project which was began in 1982 and was completed in 1990. It is clad with marble, on the exterior. The square arch rises to 110 meters, with a fabric canopy and transparent tube elevator under the huge square arch.

The surrounding buildings were interesting architectural sculptures, creating a skyline reminiscent of other cities, like New York, Makati, Hong Kong. 

Having found several shopping malls around the square made us change our shopping schedule for the day. We ended up doing grocery shopping, as well.

On this side of the square, bound by this building, our eye caught a side show that was going on...

two men who were harnessed, were slowly scaling down the front part of the building as they peeled off the yellow plastic sheets that covered the glass-paneled wall.

The chandeliers hanging above the pathways added a touch of elegance to this Christmas market.

This Christmas market looked like a giant, international bazaar. Here are some of the things that we looked at.

Seeing these goods reminded me of the bazaar and markets in Istanbul.

The Tibetan vendors brought their crafts, jewelry, and fashion accessories.

These mosaic ware and decorative items were so attractive.

What an innovative design! These uneven umbrellas are designed to keep you under cover during a snow storm.

Going green this Christmas? These Christmas-themed plant arrangements are perfect for gift-giving.

The aromatic flavors if the food being prepared and served were floating in the air.

The smell of the raclette cheese melting under the light lamp caught our attention.

After an order was filled for another customer, we simply could not resist.

My daughter and I ordered one, too, and it was so yummy!!! We considered getting another one...but on second thought, no!

This Christmas tree lot brought back memories of when I used to take my kids to help me choose and haul a tree.

We took some quick stops at this gallery of stores, then we walked back to the metro station to avoid the after-office-rush-hour crowd.

Visions of the tartiflette "remained" in our palates while we were on our train-ride to go home. I decided that it was going to be our home-made dinner...it was quite easy to prepare:


INGREDIENTS:
1. 2 medium-sized onions (or more if you like), sliced thinly and caramelized in a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of vegetable oil


2. Add 1 pound of peeled and sliced potatoes, and let them steam (on their own juices) on a covered pan, for a couple of minutes at medium-low heat, until the potatoes are softened.


3. Add salt and pepper to taste


4. Turn the flame to "low," add half a pound of cut-up Reblochon cheese (I removed the outer, waxy sides) and cover the pan, and wait for a couple of short minutes for the cheese to melt, stirring once or twice.
Plate the tartiflette for serving, with pieces of baguette.


OPTIONAL: Sprinkle previously cooked lardon (bacon pieces) before serving


That was so good and filling. It's another comfort food to savor on a cold wintry day!

It's Specialty Food Time at the "Paris Village de Noel" - Christmas Market, Champs Elysees, Paris, France

The first Christmas market in Paris opened a week early this year, along l'avenue de Champs Elysees. On a very cold night, my daughter and I decided to check it out. It's the usual stalls of things for the season's gift giving or for personal use, but then the aroma of the food stalls beckoned us to come closer...dinner it will be in lieu of shopping.

Our walk began after hearing mass, and right about the the cross-section of avenue Montaigne and rue Francois 1er,...

we had to make a decision...a turn left on the avenue would lead us to the Pont d'Alma for a magnificent view of the Tour Eiffel, while a turn to the right, which is what we took, was going to get us to the ...

Rond Point de Champs Elysees (a 6-way intersection)... the beginning of the Christmas market. We underestimated the cold temperature and found it rather cold. The first practical choice was to get warmed up...

with a glass of vin chaud! It's warmed wine with spices...but in 5 minutes, the drink was cold!

So many people are out here, shopping and dining this weekend. Here are the food options:

different types of sausages...including Merguez, Andouille, Boudin, Saucisse de Toulouse...serve on a baguette with pom frites (French fries).

How about this tartiflette, a dish made with potatoes, reblochon cheese, cream, and lardons (French bacon), and with diced or sliced onions. 

This was my choice...a Norwegian specialty...more healthy than the rest: Salmon that is grilled, sandwiched between 2 smoked, wooden slabs...

served with salad on a baguette, and topped with fresh cream.

A restaurant was set up for oysters, as this is the season for it. I had to keep away from this as I could get a severe allergic reaction just by getting a whiff of the seafood scent. I could see from the peoples' faces how deliciously good they were.

My daughter opted for a barquette of pom frites, topped with tartar, curry and snack sauces...that came out a bit spicy.

Maybe I'll have a Gyro sandwich tomorrow....here known as kebab royal, decadently served with a salad and with sauces of your choice...and optional is a side order of pom frites.

There was not much time for dessert as our toes were freezing by the time we had walked the whole length of the Christmas market. Maybe tomorrow, we will check them out. We noticed new items tempting us to sample them. I'll tell you about those soon.

It's time to turn around, right here by the stop light before Place de la Concorde and go home to get warmed up.

It's a treat to be able to try these specialty foods without having to prepare them myself. Once in awhile will do it for me, as most of these I have removed from my list of foods to eat, daily. I think I am becoming more of a gourmand and less of a glutton!

We are back at the rond point, and soon we will be back home...just another 10 minute walk. Good night!