What’s great about this BB is that it’s super light. I made it tonight after work because tomorrow – for one day only, thank goodness – the temperature will shoot up to 39°C (102°F) and I won’t want to turn the oven on.

Up until now, we’ve been blessed with the most gorgeous weather: warm and sunny with a constant cool breeze.

I reduced the amount of sugar, using half a cup instead of three-quarters. I also used olive oil instead of butter. The chopped walnuts are optional, but make a nice addition. If you don’t have a proper bread tin, make muffins in a muffin tin. That’s what I did.

FAMOUS TONY’S BANANA BREAD

3 very ripe medium bananas ( 270 gm) ¾ cup dark brown sugar, 90 gm 2 Tbsp. honey , apple butter or maple syrup(25 ml) 2 eggs ½ cup melted butter or extra virgin olive oil ( not too spicy) (125 ml) 1 tsp. vanilla extract ( 5ml) 1 1/3 cup unbleached all purpose flour (325 ml) 1 tsp. baking powder (5 ml) ½ tsp. baking soda (2 ml) ½ tsp. salt (2 ml) 2 tsp. ground cinnamon (10 ml) Chopped walnuts, optional Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste Preheat oven to 350 F In a large bowl, mash bananas, leaving them chunky with brown sugar, eggs, honey, oil or melted butter and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl and add to banana mixture, blending with masher again just until flour is absorbed . Add chopped walnuts, if desired . Makes 3 small loaves 3 ¼ x 6“ each 2“ deep Bake 350 F for 20 – 25 minutes until tester comes out dry and tops are springy.

Here’s Christine, the author of this recipe. I think she lives in France. She used super-ripe bananas, I used just ordinary ones.

I was about to dig into this salad an hour ago when I said “Dang! That’s one beautiful looking plate …” and I photographed it before eating.

It’s important to use quality ingredients: the best olive oil, the best mozza, the best summer tomatoes, sea salt, etc. This salad takes only 5 minutes to make.

Fresh basil is in abundance during the summer. I buy a plant because it lasts longer and I can pick off the leaves when I need them. Rinse them, pat them dry on paper towels and just tear them and throw onto the salad.

So what to do with fresh basil? Why, make pesto, of course! This too takes only 5 minutes. You need a small food chopper or a mortar and pestle. Here’s my Moulinex hachoir that I use all the time, it cost me 45 euros.

I didn’t make enough, I should have doubled or tripled this. What’s great about making your own is you can make it extra garlicky, use parmesan or pecorino (or both) and walnuts instead of pine nuts. I’ve never been a fan of pine nuts.

Here’s what I had for dinner yesterday; simple and tasty on a summery Saturday night. I sprinkled on more grated parmesan cheese. If you can, buy a chunk of real parmesan or pecorino and hand grate it.

Dang, that wine was good. Wines from the Loire Valley are my favorite.

For the pesto recipe, click on this link below called ‘Two Pesto Variations’ that I posted in May 2018. Bon appétit !

https://julietinparis.net/2018/05/26/two-pesto-variations/

The weather here is perfection: blue sky, abundant sunshine, cool breeze and not too hot. Last night the kids and I went out at 9:30 pm to the amusement park in the Tuileries Gardens. To get there, we strolled down the rue de Rivoli from Place de la Concorde in the gathering dusk. Note the darkening colors of the sky from lilac blue tinged with orange to midnight blue.

This is the giant ferris wheel called La Grande Roue. From the top, you can see all of Paris.

Empty. Because of COVID-19, very few tourists. No Americans. All businesses in the tourist and hospitality industry are suffering. The government is pumping billions into the economy in an attempt to keep everything afloat.

Here’s the west wing of the Louvre which overlooks the Tuileries Gardens. Tuileries comes from the word, tuile, which means ’tile’. Since the 13th century and before Queen Catherine de Medici moved into the Louvre palace in 1559, the area had been occupied by tile-making factories.

We left the amusement park at around 11:30 and strolled up the rue de Rivoli towards the Place de la Concorde. It was a perfect warm midsummer night. I loved this illuminated tuk-tuk.

We had every intention of jumping on the metro at Concorde but, as I said, the night was beautiful, so we decided to walk to the Champs-Elysées. I also wanted to show my young companions where I used to work. Taking the road called rue du Boissy d’Anglas which runs off the Place de la Concorde and alongside the Hôtel Crillon on one side and the American Embassy on the other, I took them to number 9 which is where I used to work in an international boutique law firm.

“I met and made a lot of friends here,” I told them.

Then we strolled back to the Place de la Concorde and the American Embassy (cops everywhere, so we felt safe) and headed west along the avenue Gabriel. Suddenly it got very dark and the street lights were dim. On our left was a dark leafy park, on our right policeman with rifles standing guard in sentry boxes. Rows of paddy wagons with Gendarmerie emblazoned on the side were lined along the avenue Gabriel. Why? Because we were passing the back garden of the Elysee: the offices and apartments of the President. The kids were impressed.

“You mean President Macron lives here?!?” they said. Yes, I said before explaining that the Elysee Palace is the official residence and workplace of the President of the French Republic. I don’t know why the road was so dark, but it was. Of course our every move was scrutinized, but I suppose that a woman out walking with two kids didn’t seem threatening. Although one might wonder why we were out so late …

We came out onto avenue Matignon which leads to the Champs-Elysees. Normally, even at midnight, the Champs-Elysees is filled with tourists during the summer months, the height of the tourist season. This is what it looked like:

We ended up here, eating delicious burgers out on the terrace. Then we jumped on the metro at George V. Twenty minutes later we were home by 1:15 am.

“Take off your flip-flops and climb up barefoot,” I said to my 8-year old godson as he began his ascent up the “arraignée” (the spider). I do not know what it’s called in English.

“Mais non,” he protested mildly, “J’aime bien mes claquettes.”

No, I like my claquettes, he replied, which is what flip-flops are called here.

“Well, you’re not wearing your claquettes on the streets of Paris, that’s for sure.” I said. “Why not?”
“Because Parisian boys wear proper shoes,” I said. “Or sturdy sandals.”

He and his big sister are coming for 4 or 5 days during the third week of July. Like last summer, their father will put them on the train in Lille and I’ll pick them up at the other end in Paris. It’s an hour’s trip. Just up the road from where I live there’s a lovely Aquatic Center complete with sundeck, several pools, slides and stuff. I imagine we’ll spend a lot of time there. Like everyone else, they’ve been in lockdown for months, poor things. Kids shouldn’t have to be deprived of fun, movement and the freedom to run and play outside, is my opinion.

Neither he nor his sister are big walkers. Last summer we walked a very short distance from the grocery store back to my apartment. “Are we there yet?” So, I guess bus and metro travel will prevail. I don’t own a car.

It rained all day Saturday in Lille. Life is quasi-normal with the exception of facemasks: EVERYONE WEARS THEM, no one complains that its a violation of our civil liberties. Au contraire, it’s a significant protective measure for everyone. Social distancing is practiced: only a certain number of people allowed in a shop. I have two white cotton masks that I actually like (provided by the mayor). Every night I handwash one of them then hang it up to dry over the bathtub. Oddly, I like this ritual, don’t ask me why.

The park re-opened on June 2nd after its Covid closure. I missed its lawn and magnificent chestnut trees.

And that’s about it, really. The weather is beautifully cool here; hope it lasts.