paris blues ( and pinks)

When I got there, the chestnuts trees were all in bloom. Quite a sight, as the soft pink and white blossoms opened under the summery skies. It was so hot that you wanted some cool desert to get a blast of bracing flavors.In this case a "verrine" which is a dish, sweet or salty presented in a glass, this one made by Herme .Layers of: syrup of balsamic reduction,genoise,spaghetti cooked in strawberry sauce, genoise, puree of fresh strawberries and mascarpone quenelle....At the outdoor market, I found the first asparagus of the season.Now, you also find the green ones, but I grew up with the white, thick as butchers fingers and delicately tinted by spring dew.Dipped in mayonnaise,they brought me back to an age of wonder and fleeting bliss in the seasons.Walking through the lovely gardens that border the Louvre, I was amazed at the skills of gardening and pruning these trees to the precise square shape, with the inner dome. There was a control in the symmetry and bondage of nature that reminded me of Japanese culture, and in a way explained the attraction that both society have for each other.