While I was at the Maison d'Objet in Paris I stumbled upon Mathilde Carron's beautiful and ageless pottery.  Mathilde worked for 10 years with Astier de Villatte helping to make that a thriving brand.  Anxious to have her own studio Mathilde is now producing her own designs.  You can see more and read about Mathilde on her website- http://www.mathildecarron.com/en/presentation.html

I was immediately drawn to the sureal milky whiteness of the glaze and the light and organic nature of the pieces.  I have a fondness for the 18th century and all that reflects that time period.  I could see this period's influence in Mathilde's work.  The work is made of black terra cotta that uses a special technique of drying and firing that leaves the surface deliciously original.  Nothing mass produced here.  In fact my shipment took 2 months to prepare and well worth the wait.  As delicate as these pieces look, they are increadibly durable.

 Each piece is more beautiful than the next.  They make beautiful serving pieces.  Picture some nice cheeses on this platter- a goat like Valencay- an ash covered pyramid, a cantal, and a blue to round it out.

I have always had a hard time buying cutlery for the shop.  I didn't want to carry knives that might be everywhere.  That isn't what the shop is about.  It's about finding the best- not the most popular.  For that reason we have a few high quality knives from small manufacturers.  Recently two of our vendors Staub and Demeyere have merged with J.A. Henckels.  Since we already carry Staub and Demeyere I thought to revisit Henckels.  To my delight they had recently introduced 2 new high end lines- Twin Profection (http://www.zwilling.com/en-US/Product-Range--sortiment/Cutlery--knives/Series-overview--serien/TWIN%28R%29-Profection--3733.html) and the Japanese line called Miyabi (http://www.miyabi.eu/miyabi_fx.html). To round out the new products they also introduced a new line of gadgets called Twin Pure.  I was hooked and convinced!

The Twin Profection series is beauty, elegance and performance combined. This series was created in partnership with internationally-acclaimed architect and designer Matteo Thun.

On the Henckels facebook page they say,  "In speaking about TWIN Profection, Thun states, "The pursuit of perfection finally has a shape." At its core, TWIN Profection is a superior cutting instrument - but it also boasts a unique aesthetic. The cutting edge extends from knife tip to heel and an increased curve in the blade allows a smooth rocking motion for ultimate chopping ability. The knife is forged from a single piece of ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS' Special Formula Steel, which extends into the handle with a full tang. With TWIN Profection, two elements that contribute to its function also figure in its unmistakable look. A curved bolster, inspired by Thun's original creation for ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS, TWIN 1731, provides a seamless connection between blade and handle while giving chefs and home cooks a perfect place for the thumb to fall. This also takes into consideration the preferred gripping style for many professional chefs and serious cooks, which involves gripping both the handle and the blade. The handle's wedged design gives the knife a unique look, while creating a secure grip with three rivets."

J.A. Henckels and Thun also created a gadget line called Twin Pure (

As I mentioned in a previous post Staub enameled cast iron cookware is found throughout France.  They have a great new web site that gives you all the colors, sizes and care instructions (http://www.staubusa.com/index.asp). Restaurants and Bistros across Paris served their offings in Staub pots of every style.  We have been selling Staub at Weekend Kitchen since we opened and I use it almost every day at home for a multitude of things.  So, why is Staub superior to other enameled cast iron?  While the colors are fabulous, the biggest difference resides inside the pot. Staub has patented Closed-circuit and spikes® that allows for continuous self basting.  The interior also is not glazed which can discolor and craze but rather an enameled black matte interior that provides genuine flavor which gets better and better with use.  The smooth enamel bottom is compatible with all heat sources and the knob is heat resistant up to 500ºF

The Teapot are great and come in a variety of colors.

The cocotte's (Dutch ovens) are available in both round and oval in the colors from 1/4 qt to 6 1/2 qt and larger sizes in black, graphite and blue (up to 12 qt).  There is also a lovely pure white edition.  They have delightful specialty pots with really fun knobs like the Coq au Vin rooster and the Bouillabaisse put with a fish- see http://www.staubusa.com/prod_specialties/index.asp

 The Dash & Albert Rug Company located in MA (http://www.dashandalbert.com/) produces the nicest collection of well made rugs at a great price.The 2 x 3 rug is a perfect size for in front of your kitchen or bathroom sink.  You can scale them up to room size as well.  They are available in a variety of styles, colors and sizes from wool hooked rugs to 100% cotton woven to an indoor/outdoor rug made of polypropylene. Check out their web site for all the options that can easily be ordered from Weekend Kitchen and arrive in a day or so since they are so close.  I'll add them to our web site soon as well!

My recent trip to Paris was full of exciting adventures. Most of which required a lot of walking.  I don't know how many miles these feet clocked, but I had one maimed toe by the time we left.  One such adventure was the famous kitchen shop- E.DEHILLERIN 51, rue Jean- Jacques Rousseau Paris (http://www.e-dehillerin.fr/en/index.php).  A favorite of Julia Child.

E. Dehillerin is an amazing shop full of all my favorite gadgets and cookware.  From floor to ceiling there was real cooking stuff.  No whimiscal gadgets that were merely cute and impractical.  It was hard core cooking. To me it seemed more of a Kitchen Hardware store than a Williams Sonoma- where you knew what you want and just got it.  No looking at a fancy display of beautiful items to inspire your shopping choices.  The beauty would come when you took the item home and used it.  Even the check-out was industrial.  No fancy logo bag but a green plastic bag with your treasure wrapped like a fish in brown paper (they did have good Logo tape though).  I should have taken a picture to show you.  What was most amazing (aside from their offerings) was the catalog of prices.  There was a code on each item.  You either made a memory game of it and tried to memorize the number and run to the chart or drag it to end of the aisle where the price charts were located.  Then the trick came to convert euro to dollar (that was most sad).

I was very pleased to find a nice supply of Staub here.  Staub is the favored cook-pot in France.  I saw so much Staub used in restaurants.  Little Coccottes filled with lucious soups and stews.  They made a wonderful presentation as well.  We sell Staub at Weekend Kitchen (www.staubusa.com)  and I absolutely love it.  I use it all the time, not just for soups and stews but oatmeal, pasta and even boiling corn.  It is so versatile.  Plus there are so many nice colors of enamel that it brightens up a kitchen.

I also saw a lot of Olive wood salts (usually also available at Weekend Kitchen) in France.  Olive wood is so beautiful and interesting to look at since every piece is different.

If you are in Paris and like to cook you must visit E. Dehillerin and see for yourself how amazing it is.