Paris-Madrid Grocery will be closed this Easter Sunday, April 17. If you’re hosting an Easter gathering and would like salami, chorizos, olives, Jamon, wine, or paella ingredients, shop here early for ingredients. We’ve got French butter for baking and a large selection of salts, herbs, and spices for cooking – and even dried lime which is spectacular in soups – just arrived. We will be open regular hours from 10 AM – 6 PM on Thursday, April 14, Friday, April 15, and Saturday, April 16.
Padrón Pepper plants are now for sale, $5.99 each or $5.00 each for 3 or more plants. It’s been a cold spring, so keep them inside until the weather is warmer, at least 50 degrees at night. If you’ve never tasted a Padrón Pepper, they are best eaten when about 3 inches long. Usually, by mid to late June you’ll be able to harvest them. Sauté the peppers in olive oil until they blister, remove from the heat, sprinkle with sea salt, and serve. About every tenth pepper is spicy, which is part of the fun of eating them.
Hot Chocolate and Churros are always a welcome treat, especially after a chilly Easter egg hunt. We carry Spanish hot chocolate in both bar form and powder. Either style makes a thick hot chocolate that coats the churro in a delightful chocolate jacket. You can make your own churros from a prepared batter and fry them in oil. Or, buy them at Paris-Madrid Grocery already made and frozen. We carry thick churros (called purros) that are ready to eat after heating in a 375-degree oven for 5 minutes. The hot chocolate can be prepared while the churros are baking.
Monte Enebro goat cheese is back in stock! A World Cheese Award winner, this extraordinary soft-ripened cheese is made in the Sierra del Gredos mountains, near Madrid. It’s coated in ash which gives it an edgy, exotic appearance. A full-flavored and creamy cheese, it melts on your tongue and delivers a tangy note on the finish. A mind-blowing combination is a serving of Monte Enebro cheese with Gramona Imperial Corpinnat Brut 2014 ($37.00), a rich, complex, and creamy Spanish sparkling wine that is aged on lees for 60 months. Gramona Imperial is now in stock at Paris-Madrid Grocery.
One fortuitous Easter, we were in Paris. Wowed by the patisseries’ hand-crafted pastries and chocolate-shaped Easter hens, bunnies, cows, and eggs, we traipsed through the arrondissements, seeking the best. None were alike, we couldn’t agree on the best, but it was worth walking miles to see them, and taste a few. In France, the traditional Easter meal is roast lamb, seasoned with herbs and served with spring vegetables which are now our go-to holiday meal. Regardless of your dinner plans, if you enjoy wine, this is a great day to enjoy something delicious. Check our wine corner below, or stop in and ask us for recommendations.
WINE CORNER
Champagne sale! $32.00 – This is a fantastic value. Decottane NV Brut Champagne is 
90% Pinot Noir, 5% Chardonnay, and 5% Petit Meunier from France’s Cote des Bar, with a classic dosage of 9 grams per liter. Offering up pear and dusty aromas, it has a fine mousse and beautiful richness on the palate. Fresh and complex with opulent orchard fruit flavors, savory notes, and a lengthy clean finish, this is the classically styled, fresh, delicious NV Brut that people seek out. Serve this on Easter or grab a case if there is a wedding in your future! 3 cases are available.
Château Les Clauzots 2016, Graves ($28.99) 50% Merlot, 45% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Petit Verdot aged 18 months in oak. Pair this medium to full-bodied Bordeaux with any type of roasted meat or hearty vegetarian dishes. With fresh ripe fruit aromas and hints of oak, it shows an excellent balance between vanilla notes, black fruit, spice, and acidity. “Attractive ripe dark berries with rich, toasty spices that lead to a very fleshy and succulent palate that carries a long, smooth, and supple array of bright, sturdy tannins. Long and plush.” 91 points James Suckling