Meet In Your Kitchen | Cécile Molinié's Life and Cooking in Paris
You only need to walk along the Boulevard Saint-Germain on a sunny afternoon to understand Paris. You'll promise yourself that you'll come back - for the rest of your life. Once you've seen this city, a piece of you will stay there forever. Just walk and gaze up at the facades of the elegant sandstone buildings of the 19th century Haussmann era, dotted with white wooden shutters. Or sit in a café, get comfy on a colorful French wicker chair at a marbled bistro table, a glass of crisp white wine in front of you, order a Galette, crêpe, or escargot, and look at the chic people around you scurrying on the cobblestones. The trottoir is a stage in Paris, and the bistro is the place to watch it from.
We could have just stayed in Paris, visited renowned restaurants and celebrated chefs in their praised kitchens and we would have never had to leave this inspiring city, but when we decided to include France in our culinary trips around the world together with Zwilling, I had to think of the whole picture that the country paints. France, to me, is the trinity of Paris, the countryside, and the sea. It's the capital's seductive charm, its haute cuisine, food temples that attract gourmets from all over the world to enjoy the pleasures of French tradition, to create the best food with the most refined techniques and ingredients. It's a city that rouses and satisfies your appetite, you'll never get enough of it.
Then there's the countryside and its more rural cooking, frugal, hearty, and meaty, all those wonderful delicacies coming from the soil and the woods, and also the home of French wine. And which region would be better to learn about the country's famous wines and winemakers than the picturesque Médoc. There are so many fantastic French reds and whites and there's a compelling mystique about the vineyards covering the slopes around the city of Bordeaux.
To make the trilogy complete, we have to look at the sea. All those oysters and clams, fresh fish and lobster, these treats that are often served raw or so pure that you can still taste their salty freshness. It's always better to go to the fruits from the sea than letting them come to you, so we packed our bags and went to Cap Ferret. It's a long peninsula stretching into the rough and cold Bay of Biscay, where the beaches are long and lonely, the people are kind and welcoming, and you can eat the best oysters of your life straight from the banks, all day long.
So we started our trip in Paris and Cécile Molinié's kitchen was the first place we visited for a new series of Meet In Your Kitchen features in France.
Four children and a cat called Cookie are enviably lucky to call Cécile Molinié their maman. Her Paris kitchen is the cozy heart of the big family's beautiful home close to the Jardin du Luxembourg, in the capital's vivid Quartier Latin. The room is bigger than normal city kitchens and opens onto a spacious, green terrace. It's filled with lots of light, life, and laughter, while delicious food spread out on the large island and table is a tempting invitation to come together and indulge in maman's creations. It's a family kitchen where the six Parisians, Cécile, her husband, and their kids, meet to share their day, to cook together, and turn their daily meals into little feasts.
Cécile is an excellent cook, her grandmothers passed their passion on to her and this heritage found fruitful ground in the young woman, she's been fascinated by the excitements of the culinary world since she was a little girl. At the age of 16, Cécile already prepared the meals for dinner parties of 20 guests at her parents' home. The house was always open to friends, her mother loved to entertain, but didn't feel inspired by the kitchen herself. So Cécile gladly took over those duties and became more and more skilled as a cook, she refined her taste and became impressively precise through experience and practice. Tender Boeuf Bourguignon, Blanquette de Veau, or petite Madeleines are staples in her repertoire, she loves the famous French classics and curiously dives into the country's different regional cuisines.
Southern France inspired her to create a recipe for sea bass bedded on sugary-sweet roasted tomatoes. She finishes off the summery composition with lemon slices grilled in the oven until the edges are crisp and golden, it's a colorful firework of flavors and textures. How could I disagree when she offered to cook this dish together with me in her kitchen? I've been waiting impatiently for the day to come to finally meet her, in the kitchen that I knew from her famous Instagram account where she shares visual bites from her life. The pictures are stunning, she's just as talented behind the camera as she is at the cooker. You can feel her love for her city, so much so that you want to stroll along the Seine, the bistros and boulevards together with her. When she visits her second home just outside Paris and posts episodes from her country life, you seriously wish you could move in with the whole family.
So we finally met in Paris, but before we pulled the pots and pans out of the cupboards in her kitchen to cook, we went to the beautiful market on Rue Mouffetard in the 5ème arrondissement. The shops and stalls of the daily farmers' market gathered on this street make you want to pack your bags and make Paris your home. We filled our shopping baskets with wonderfully milky Sainte-Maure de Touraine, ripe Saint-Nectaire from Auvergne, and the creamiest Saint-Marcellin from Fromagerie Véron. The beauty of the presentation at the fishmonger took my breath away. Quality and freshness are unbeatable, wherever you look. Gills and eyes clear and shiny, crabs are still alive, bulots (sea snails) freshly cooked, and the oysters in the wooden baskets taste salty-cold like the sea. Cécile's butcher is right next door, you can smell the golden poulet rôti rotating on metal skewers all along the cobblestone street, their hot juices dripping onto the potato wedges perfectly placed at the bottom of the grill. Packed with warm baguettes from the boulangerie under our arms, the baskets overflowing with all these delicacies, we went back to Cécile's kitchen and started cooking.
In the next months, I’ll share many Meet In Your Kitchen features with you that took me to California, Italy, France, and Japan. Thanks to Zwilling for sponsoring these features for our culinary trip around the world!
Sea Bass with Candied Tomatoes and Roasted Artichokes and Potatoes
By Cécile Molinié
Serves 4-6
For the sea bass
1kg / 2 ¼ pounds cherry tomatoes
Olive oil
Fine sea salt
Ground black pepper
2 organic lemons, very thinly sliced
2 large sea bass fillets
A few young sprigs fresh thyme
For the side dish
4-6 baby artichokes, trimmed
1 lemon
1kg / 2 ¼ pounds little potatoes (preferably a sweet variety), rinsed and scrubbed
Olive oil
Fine sea salt
Ground black pepper
Preheat the oven 170°C / 350°F.
Spread the cherry tomatoes in a large baking dish, add a splash of olive oil, salt, and pepper, mix, and roast for 1 hour or until soft and candied.
While the tomatoes are in the oven, spread the lemon slices in a large baking dish, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and bake them, with the tomatoes, for 30 minutes or until they soften.
For the side dish, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the juice of 1 lemon and the artichokes, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain, rinse quickly with cold water, and set aside.
Cook the potatoes in a medium pot of salted water for about 15-20 minutes or until almost soft; drain and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F.
When the tomatoes are done, arrange the sea bass on top of them, season with salt and pepper, and cover with the roasted lemon slices. Roast for about 10-15 minutes or until the fish fillets are done, you should be able to flake the fish with a fork. Mind that you don't overcook it. Sprinkle with the thyme.
While the fish is in the oven, heat a splash of olive oil in a large heavy pan and sauté the potatoes and artichokes over medium heat, stirring once in a while, for about 15 minutes or until golden and crispy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately when the fish is done.
What brought you to Paris?
I came here because of university. My younger sister was admitted to a very good post-baccalaureate school, Henri IV, here in this neighbourhood. As I was the eldest one and I was good with managing a home and cooking, my mother wanted us to go together. So I was admitted to the prestigious law school here, and then…I never left!
Did you fall in love with the city immediately?
Paris? No, because I was the country girl, and there was all this noise….The year we arrived, there was a big strike during the winter and all the cars were stuck and it was a big mess…
So, you didn’t have an easy start?
No, but we could go back to the country every weekend. At the university, I didn’t know anyone – there were 1000 students! And I was the little girl from the country inside the big city…
Were you always interested in photography?
Yes, yes. I remember that when I was a child, I won a little camera because I did a drawing contest, and then when I was 16, my dad gave my sister and I a nice Canon camera – I remember! An old one, you know an analogique (analog).
How did you get into cooking?
I love to cook. My mother is more an intellectual woman than a….
…a kitchen woman?
Yes! So, I had an interest in cooking – I don’t know why – and I took over the kitchen at a very young age. She let me do whatever I wanted so I tried new recipes, I made notebooks, and as my parents had lots of friends coming from all over the world – they were very welcoming – I used to cook a lot!
So you cooked for the family and for friends! For how many people?
I don’t know! But when I was 16, I could cook big meals and it was great because you have some meals where you need to be in the kitchen and do things at the last moment, so my mother was with the friends and I was cooking!
What’s your favourite dish cooked by your grandmother or one of your grandmothers?
My father’s mother used to make a very good blanquette de veau, a very good one. My mother’s mother, she’s from the southwest of France, so it’s more about zucchini, eggplants, and tomatoes, more Mediterranean – and she cooks very well, too. In my husband’s family, it’s not as we call in France plats en sauce, you know all these stews. It’s more about very good produce, cooked well.
Does your husband love to cook too?
He cooks rarely, but when he does it’s a very elaborate meal. We are great fans of Alain Passard, the chef of the Arpège. I used to be invited to his restaurant when I was a student by a friend. We go there for very special occasions, so my husband has his book and sometimes he cooks from this book. He cooks very creatively and elaborately, but not that often.
So, he’s more the weekend chef?
I would say, once a year!
So, once a year he’s the weekend chef but then he’s fantastic!
Yes, exactly! I think it’s what men do: amazing things, but not that often for food…
Where do you find your inspiration for your recipes?
At the market first because you see the food and you think “ah, I want to do that or this” and then cookbooks. I think I love cookbooks! I love to read them, I like to see the pictures, but I’m not good at following the recipes exactly.
But that’s not important! I think cookbooks are…
…a great inspiration. I still have one from when I was a very young woman and I still look at it, because the recipes are all good. Really, the inspiration comes from the market or from other people. At the market this morning, I spoke to a guy who was telling me what he was going to cook for his parents for lunch – you take ideas from everywhere! And some blogs too, but you need to have time to read them – sometimes it’s easier to have a book.
Do you prefer to cook when you’re here in Paris or in the countryside?
In the countryside, it’s usually the weekend so we have more time. And maybe you think I’m picky but I prefer to cook with gas rather than with induction.
What does healthy food mean for you?
Healthy means first of all cooked with good produce. I want my kids to have veggies and fruits every day. They are picky eaters, I must confess! I try to have them eat fresh fruit and veggies – it can be compote, it can be soups, it can be raw – healthy, for me, is when you have all the nutrients that you need in the food.And homemade, mostly homemade. I rarely buy frozen food. Some frozen pizzas just for when I have no other plan, but I prefer to cook eggs and potatoes instead.
What is your greatest kitchen hack?
When I bake cakes, I use the baking paper. In France, it’s not that automatic to do that.
So, you can’t live without baking paper?
No! And then I always have some veggies to roast. You know, I am very organized, so sometimes I start to cook in the morning – even at 7am, when the kids are just waking up. I always roast some cherry tomatoes, zucchini… And when it’s winter, pumpkin – that kind of thing. I always like to have something roasted.
So being organized in the kitchen is one of your greatest tips?
Yes, when you work and you have a lot of kids, who often come for lunch and dinner. And bread. I’m sorry, but we eat a lot of bread! I always have some bread! And butter! And cheese!
You’re going to have 10 friends for a spontaneous dinner, what will be on the table?
It’s going to be pasta – I’m sorry! – because we always have pasta and fresh Parmesan. We often have ham. In French we call that – you know the proscuittto crudo? The big ones that you can slice yourself – so I often have that. I could do pasta with fresh tomatoes and basil – I always have basil – so all good produce but very simple. And a good bottle of wine! That’s something that I would do if I had an impromptu meal with lots of people. Everybody is happy with that kind of food. And then fresh fruits or cooked fruit that’s easy to do.
If you could choose one person to cook a meal for you, who and what would it be?
I love Alain Passard’s food. So if he could come cook for me, a delicious vegetable dish, I would like it! I like light food.
If you could choose between improvised and planned dinners, what would you prefer?
I like to plan because I know I’m happy to plan something. It makes me happy to anticipate the people’s happiness. But sometimes, it’s stressful to plan something. You want to have a good result. I am a perfectionist, so sometimes when you plan ahead and you want people to be happy, I’m often disappointed by the result. When it’s impromptu, you don’t have much time to think about it and it’s more about the pleasure to be together. You know, I think as much as I like to plan a meal and to share it with friends, when I do something that’s not planned it is super good, too. So I don’t know what I prefer!
You like both!
I prefer everybody to be happy around the table and laughing. If the food matters too much then sometimes you lose something in the pleasure of being together.
Do you prefer to cook on your own or together with others?
I like when my kids give me a hand, and I like to cook with friends, because it’s something to share, but I am faster by myself!
Thank you very much, Cécile!
meet in your kitchen | The Deyerling's Venison Burger with Bavarian Potato Salad
When I met Anna and Clemens Deyerling for the first time, I noticed the blind understanding and wordless communication between them that only close siblings can have. They know and respect each others roles, in their private life but also in business as they decided to start a company together with their partner Julius, an old friend of Clemens'. In 2010, Sitzfeldt was born, the beginning of an exciting journey and the start of a young online business for affordable design furniture. The Deyerlings come from a family background of furniture and design and they wanted to continue this family tradition, but in their own way. They sat together with designers who already were or became friends over the years and developed various sofa collections. One of them, the Set sofa system, already won the Interior Innovation Award and the renowned Red Dot Design Award.
A few months ago, the young entrepreneurs presented a selection of their collections in one of Berlin's old manorial flats. One spacious room followed the other, separated with large double wing doors, high ceilings decorated with opulent stucco and beautiful timbering on the walls. The siblings chose an amazing location for the presentation but they also managed to create a beautiful evening with great people and food. One of the (not insignificant) reasons why I still remember that day so clearly are Clemens' skills in the kitchen, this man can cook! He treated us to a buffet of various soups and dips, fresh bread and wine and everybody loved it! On that day, Anna was the perfect host, she's not only responsible for the creative presentation of the design which led to a very comfortable atmosphere, but her soft and warm way makes you feel welcome right away. So while her brother was busy in the kitchen on his own (if you read the interview, you'll know why) we got lost in chatting. When I met the two siblings in Anna's gorgeous flat this week for our meet in your kitchen feature, the roles were more or less the same, us chatting while Clemens was cooking.
Clemens made a fantastic venison burger - called Fleischpflanzerl where he comes from - with the most amazing meat from a butcher in the Brandenburg area outside Berlin, accompanied by a light warm Bavarian potato salad inspired by the region where they grew up, the south of Germany.
Venison Burger with warm Bavarian Potato Salad
For 4 people you need
For the burgers
minced venison 500g / 1 pound
white bread, rind cut off, 3 slices
milk 80ml / 3 ounces
medium onion, finely chopped, 1
eggs 2
orange zest 1/2 teaspoon
lemon zest 1/2 teaspoon
mustard 2 teaspoons
fresh parsley, chopped, a small bunch
dried or fresh marjoram, chopped, 1 teaspoon
freshly grated nutmeg
salt 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons
pepper
olive oil
Soak the bread in the milk for a few minutes. Tear the bread into pieces and mix with your fingers.
Cook the onion in a little olive oil until soft. Whisk the eggs, mustard, orange and lemon zest and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Mix the minced meat with the bread/ milk mixture, the onions, the egg mixture, marjoram and parsley and form the burgers.
In a large, heavy pan, heat a splash of oil and cook the burgers on medium heat until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.
For the potato salad
warm, waxy potatoes, cooked, peeled and sliced, 1kg / 2 1/4 pounds
medium onion, chopped, 1
garden radish, thinly sliced, 4
cucumber, peeled, cut in half and sliced, 1/2
chives, snipped, 1-2 tablespoons
olive oil
For the salad dressing
broth, hot, 400ml / 13.5 ounces
red wine vinegar 3-5 tablespoons
mustard 1 tablespoon
salt and sugar
Cook the onions in a little olive oil until soft.
Mix the hot broth with the vinegar and mustard and season with salt and sugar to taste.
Slowly mix the potatoes with the dressing (not all at once). Stir in the onions, cucumber, radish and chives.
Serve warm with the venison burgers.
Anna and Clemens, you grew up in the south of Germany, in Bavaria. Both of you studied in Germany and in London, when and why did you decide to move to Berlin?
Clemens: I fell in love with Berlin during my studies and tried to find my first job here. I was lucky. In the meantime our entire family - our sister and our parents - also moved to Berlin.
Anna: We grew up in quite a small town in Bavaria. I always dreamt of living in a big city. Berlin has always been on my list and after having spent a few months during my master's program here, I always wanted to come back. I just love the openness and the variety of Berlin. I finally moved here 10 years ago and since then Berlin became home more and more.
Do you miss the kitchen of the south?
Clemens: Oh, yes. I miss it badly. Especially the Schweinebraten (pork roast) our grandmother used to make every single Sunday. I still need it at least once a month, but do it myself now. And what else? Pretzels, Pretzels, Pretzels… I will never understand why no one outside of Bavaria can bake Pretzels as they should be.
Anna: I used to miss it, but fortunately the southern kitchen became quite popular in Berlin over the last few years. So there are good places all over Berlin. When it gets really bad again, I go to Meierei in Kollwitzstraße or I hope for a lunch invitation for Sunday by my brother.
What was the first dish you cooked on your own, what is your first cooking memory?
Clemens: I am not quite sure. I guess, I used to cook with our Mum when we were children. But the first real remembrances to consciously cook was my grandma making the Schweinebraten every Sunday.
Anna: I guess, it was only Clemens who cooked with our Mum... At least, I did not. Because I remember always calling my Mum to ask for help once I lived on my own. And this was for the very basic things, like cooking pasta…
What are your favourite places to buy and enjoy food in Berlin?
Anna: Soluna in Gneisenaustraße, Market at Südstern, Markthalle 9, Meierei, Nansen, Restaurant Obermaier, Massaniello, Txokoa Gastro Bar, Hoastaria del Monte Croce.
Clemens: Markthalle 9, Fräulein Dickes in Stargarder Straße
You started Sitzfeldt, an online company specialised in affordable designer sofas in 2010 together with Julius, an old school friend of Clemens'. What moved you to work in the field of designer furniture?
Due to our father’s business, we have always had a great affinity to furniture and design. At the end, it was this affinity combined with the business potential of selling furniture directly to the end customer via the internet. And of course the wish of building up our own company.
Your father established a successful furniture business and you continue this family tradition with your own company. How does this affect your work? Do you feel responsibility, is the family tradition a gift or a burden?
Anna: Once, someone called Sitzfeldt the 'Unternehmensnachfolge 2.0' (Business successors 2.0). That is pretty much how I feel. Without my father and his experience, we would not have been able to build up Sitzfeldt so quickly. But it makes me proud, that we have always done it our way. And: It makes me happy to see my father proud. Of course, he is happy that something he built up is continued somehow. So, it is a gift – for sure.
Clemens: It is easier to be an entrepreneur, if there are other entrepreneurs in the family. I feel supported and challenged by my family at the same time. And it helps that worries and doubts are understood and shared. The family tradition is a gift – no burden – because it really helps to build upon failures and successes.
Two of your collections have been nominated for the German Design Award 2015. Who are the designers you're working with at the moment and how do these collaborations start?
Anna: The designer we work with the most, is Steffen Kehrle. He actually is an old friend of Julius' who we all met in Milan in 2010. That was the year when the volcano in Iceland was active, so our flights were all cancelled. Steffen had a car and three free seats, so we drove together from Milan to Munich. During that ride we talked a lot about our plans, visions and ideas. When we arrived, it was clear that we would have to work together. That is when we first started to develop our sofa system Set which won the Interior Innovation Award 2013 and the Red Dot Design Award. Since then, we work together with Steffen a lot. We developed the new table GAME with him and are planning many more projects. Sebastian Herkner is a good friend of Steffen, that is how we met. HEIM is the first project we launched with Sebastian.
Clemens: In the end, we decide if a designer fits to Sitzfeldt. Our philosophy and their philosophy need to match. So it definitely helps that we are good friends with Steffen. It is fun to work on both of our ideas and plans and it is even more fun to see that people actually like what we do.
What are your plans and visions for Sitzfeldt?
Clemens: We want to work hard in order to strengthen our market position and our brand. Of course, the long term vision is that everyone who is looking for a sofa takes Sitzfeldt into account (laughs). No seriously, there are three basic elements Sitzfeldt is built upon: design, sustainability and fair prices. We work on all areas and think in small, realistic steps. In the end, we want to continue our journey of the last four years.
Anna: I cannot add anything to that, besides one thing: I hope that we will always enjoy what we are doing.
Anna and Clemens, what did you choose to share on eat in my kitchen and why?
Warm Bavarian Karfoffelsalat (potato salad) with cucumber. Why? This tastes like home and is so delicious with the right potatoes. Coming with a Boulette made of Dammwild (venison burger) from Brandenburg. There is no way of enjoying meat more sustainably and the Boulette is also well known in Berlin. This all comes with Preiselbeeren Salsa (lingonberry salsa).
If you could choose one person to cook a meal for you, who and what would it be?
Anna: Our grandmother is getting older and she is the only one who knows how to make Wuchter (Bohemian dumplings) as they should be. Clemens, we need to learn this! So, it is my grandmother.
Clemens: Angela Merkel, no matter what...
You're going to have ten friends over for a spontaneous dinner, what will be on the table?
Anna: Pasta. And to be honest, it is also pasta for not-so-spontaneous dinners.
Clemens: Pasta. The entire year, there is always something good to have with pasta. And if they really surprise me, I always have homemade pesto in the fridge.
What was your childhood's culinary favourite and what is it now?
Anna: Childhood: Wuchter – a special kind of the Bavarian Knödel (Bavarian dumplings). Today, I still die for Wuchter.
Clemens: Bayrischer Schweinebraten (Bavarian pork roast).
Do you prefer to cook on your own or together with others?
Anna: I prefer to cook on my own, but love being entertained by friends and wine while cooking.
Clemens: I love to cook for others, but I can’t stand any 'assistant' in my kitchen. You can ask my wife …
Which meals do you prefer, improvised or planned?
Anna: Planned.
Clemens: Planned and it really bothers me when I forget something at the grocery store.
Which meal would you never cook again?
Anna: Bayrischer Schweinebraten (Bavarian pork roast) – my brother’s is just better …
Clemens: Gluten-free pasta.
Thank you Anna and Clemens!
