Stephanie Newton Books

My daughter has been working on a geography project…you know, project just doesn’t seem to convey what she’s been doing. Let’s call it an opus. It’s one month–a study of one country. Thankfully she picked a country I knew something about because this thing has been in depth! She’s had a great time learning about France (when she wasn’t complaining about it) and I’ve had fun filling her in on some of my favorite things about a country that I’ve been in love with since I was her age.

This week, her project was to make a recipe from the country she’s been studying. Well, I ate while in France when I lived there for that one magnificent quarter, but I was a poor college student. I ate a lot of baguettes and cheese. So, we made one of my favorite cafe meals–a staple of my life in Paris: a croque madame. It’s basically a ham and cheese sandwich, but with grilled sourdough bread, tangy gruyere cheese and a fried egg on top.

Try it. And as you bite into the first chewy, crunchy, cheesy mouthful, imagine yourself nineteen, in the City of Lights, walking where the Romans walked and seeing some of the most amazing art in history.

Check out this recipe from the Food Network. And the photo (above) of Paris when I was there last year. It really is the most incredible city. Oh, and my daughter thinks this project won’t be complete without a trip to the Loire valley to see the chateaux in person. I wish.