December 31, 2003
Meine Wunderschöne Gebäck-Presse
Please meet my new beautiful friend, the cookie press! Personally imported from Germany by my sister, and an awesome Christmas present for the kitchen toy addict that I am. You should have heard me squealing with joy, kneeling at the foot of the tree!
It comes complete with a full set of cute little cookie shapes and an instructions booklet - hilarious in its French translation - that includes recipes. There is even a special attachment to fil...
"Meine Wunderschöne Gebäck-Presse" continues »
December 30, 2003
Crumble de Courgettes aux Champignons
[Zucchini and Mushroom Crumble]
On Christmas day, Maxence and his mother joined us for lunch at my parents'. My mother and I cooked for this meal too, preparing most of it the day before.
As a first course, we served a Zucchini and Mushroom Crumble, a recipe we had come up with a week before, during our Christmas-menu-brainstorming session. Elaborating menus is one of my favorite activities, and practicing it with my mother was a lot of fun :...
"Crumble de Courgettes aux Champignons" continues »
December 29, 2003
Pomme Rôtie aux Fruits Secs, Quenelle de Glace au Calisson
[Roasted Apple with Dried Fruits, Calisson Ice Cream]
My mother and I wanted to end our Christmas eve dinner with a dessert simple to prepare yet festive, and satisfying yet light - more or less. This is what we came up with!
The store Picard Surgelés sells excellent ice-cream created by François Théron. They come in a variety of flavors, all of which quite unusual and incredibly tempting, like marron glacé (chestnut ice-cream with candied ch...
"Pomme Rôtie aux Fruits Secs, Quenelle de Glace au Calisson" continues »
December 28, 2003
Escalope de Foie Gras Mi-Cuit, Poire Pochée, Toast de Campagne
[Scalloped Foie Gras Mi-Cuit, Poached Pear, Toasted Rustic Bread]
Christmas eve this year was spent just the four of us : my parents, my sister and myself. A week before, having come to my parents' on a weeknight, my mother and I had brainstormed over an after-dinner cup of tea, and we had come up with the Christmas menus. My mom having taken care of the grocery shopping, the afternoon of the 24th found us preparing the dinner together, in bet...
"Escalope de Foie Gras Mi-Cuit, Poire Pochée, Toast de Campagne" continues »
December 27, 2003
Truffes au Chocolat
This year for Christmas, I made chocolate bites of two kinds to give to my family, and bought small confectioner's crystal bags at a professional store to put them in. I also wanted to make little tags to tie around the bags. I bought delicate ivory paper, beautiful green leaves made of very fine thread, and some silver yarn. I cut out rectangles of paper, wrote "Chocolate & Zucchini" with colored pencils on them, and sewed each rectangle to a ...
"Truffes au Chocolat" continues »
December 26, 2003
Mendiants
I have always loved the idea of giving out food gifts. As with any handmade present, it seems a very personal way to show you care, and that you love the person enough to spend a few hours making something nice for them. Last year, I didn't plan for it early enough to make it happen : Christmas is always a busy period, and we had just moved into our apartment a month before. But this year, I thought about it well in advance, took care of the ne...
December 24, 2003
Joyeux Noël!
Thanks for everyone's well wishes, and Happy Christmas to you all! Tonight and tomorrow will be spent at my parents', basking in the Christmas family glow and helping my mother with the cooking!
And I will be back with tales about the food, the gifts and the food gifts......
December 23, 2003
Petit Pot Chocolat Vanille, Ruban de Caramel au Petit Beurre
[Chocolate Vanilla Petit Pot, Caramel Petit Beurre Ribbon]
This is the dessert I served to end Saturday night's dinner. The idea came to me during the same bus ride through Paris that brought us the goat cheese mousse. I don't know what was in the air that day, but ideas just kept bubbling up, a swarm of dishes taking shape and morphing in my mind, which I kept writing down furiously. Stepping out of the bus, I even had to sit down on a bench ...
"Petit Pot Chocolat Vanille, Ruban de Caramel au Petit Beurre" continues »
December 22, 2003
Filet de Boeuf, Compotée d'Echalottes, Rattes au Romarin
[Roast Beef, Shallot Compote, Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes]
While planning for our Saturday night dinner, I conducted a little research to find out what was best to eat with Baptiste's bottle of St Julien. My sources were comfortingly unanimous. Red meat, roasted, was the card to play. I chose to roast a filet de boeuf, a very tender beef cut, and serve it with a shallot compote and roasted rosemary potatoes. The meat was promptly ordered at o...
"Filet de Boeuf, Compotée d'Echalottes, Rattes au Romarin" continues »
December 21, 2003
Mousse de Chèvre Frais à la Confiture de Tomate Cerise, Chips de Lard
[Fresh Goat Cheese Mousse with Cherry Tomato Jam and Bacon Chips]
Yesterday, we had two of Maxence's oldest friends, Baptiste and Jérémie, over for dinner. The occasion was to finally open the bottle of St Julien that Baptiste had given us a while ago, a 1996 Sarget du Château Gruaud-Larose. As I have done in the past, I will tell you about the dinner menu over the next few entries.
While I wanted the main dish to be classical to compliment t...
"Mousse de Chèvre Frais à la Confiture de Tomate Cerise, Chips de Lard" continues »
December 19, 2003
Confiture de Tomates Cerises à la Cannelle
[Cherry Tomato Cinnamon Jam]
My mother has been making jars and jars of delicious jam every summer as far back as I can remember, using fruit bought at the Sunday morning market (strawberry, apricot), hand-picked by my family (raspberry, blackberry, blueberry), or given out by friends with overflowing orchards (rhubarb, plums, cherry plums). She labels them and stores them in the cellar, where they patiently age for a year before being generou...
"Confiture de Tomates Cerises à la Cannelle" continues »
December 18, 2003
L'Homme Tranquille
Nov. 2010 update: L'Homme Tranquille is now under new ownership. Fabrice Le Glatin, the new owner, also runs a handful of good wine shops in Paris, including Raisin, at 64 rue d'Orsel, just around the corner. Prices are slightly higher, and the atmosphere is completely different, but the service remains friendly, and the wine list features artisan vintners. Although there is no vegetarian dish on the menu, the kitchen is open to such requests.
...
"L'Homme Tranquille" continues »
December 17, 2003
Bruschetta
I remember very well the first bruschetta I ever had, served at the San Francisco vegetarian restaurant "Herbivore". We had arrived in the US about two months before, it was the night of my 21st birthday, we were with our friend Jérémie, and after dinner we went to see Arling & Cameron play. The barman wouldn't give me a free drink even considering the occasion, but we had the artists sign their album's poster for me, which sure made up for it....
December 16, 2003
Le Bar à Soupes
Laurence, one of my best friends, works at the Opéra Bastille, and sometimes has to work Saturdays. She had joined me a few times for lunch close to my office, so I decided to return the favor, and met her during her lunch break this past Saturday. We had an hour, so fast food was the way to go. In its healthy trendy Parisian version of course!
Le Bar à Soupes, as the name implies, serves mostly soup. You can buy it to take away or sit in the ...
December 15, 2003
Crème de Noix du Monastère
[Walnut Butter from the Monastery]
I take bus 67 to get home from work every day. This bus line isn't very crowded, and takes me from the South of the 13th to the 18th arrondissement along a very pleasant route. You can usually find me sitting by a window, reading, writing, or just gazing outside and observing. At one point, in the 4th, the bus drives up the rue du Pont Louis Philippe, a typical Marais street, lined with small and arty store w...
"Crème de Noix du Monastère" continues »
December 14, 2003
An Index Of C&Z Recipes
I have worked on building an index of the recipes I share in this blog. It will allow you to browse through them in alphabetical order, sorted by date, or by category of dish.
It will of course be updated automagically as I add new recipes, and you will find a link to it in the "About" section on the left navigation bar......
"An Index Of C&Z Recipes" continues »
December 13, 2003
Petit Gâteau Chocolat Noisette
I was out in the Marais area this afternoon, doing a little Christmas shopping (ok, a lot). And shopping, as you know, is a form of strenuous exercise. Especially ten days before Christmas. Especially in the Marais. That is why I entirely deserved a nutritious goûter, and I found just what I needed at a chocolate store called "Cacao et Chocolat". I already knew that this Aztec-themed store sold excellent chocolates, ganaches and truffles, but I...
"Petit Gâteau Chocolat Noisette" continues »
December 12, 2003
L'Avant-Goût
From time to time, my dad offers to come and treat me to lunch on a weekday. My company offices used to be located in Nanterre, a cheerless suburban town, where we had to make do with an ordinary brasserie randomly called "L'Européen". But last summer, to everybody's relief and joy, we moved to the 13th arrondissement of Paris, close to the Parc Montsouris and the Butte-aux-Cailles and the Place d'Italie. A much much much better environment, it...
December 11, 2003
Oeuf Cocotte
When I was 9 years old, I was in the last year of primary school while my sister was in junior high. On Wednesdays, I didn't have class, but she did, and my parents considered us old enough to be home without a nanny, so I would make my own lunch. Maybe my memory fails me, but I seem to remember that this involved a lot of canned beef ravioli, warmed up in a saucepan. From time to time, scorched ravioli in a saucepan, the reward for getting a b...
December 10, 2003
Tarte Chocolat Poire Chocolat
[Chocolate Pear Chocolate Tart]
As you know, I have a passion for chocolate. In restaurants, I am never intimidated by the decadent sounding all-chocolate desserts, and I can usually be relied upon to pick that. I have also tried my hand at that kind of desserts, and loved every minute of it, from the imagining to the making to the savoring to the methodical plate scraping. But chocolate can also be sublimated by the presence of other well-cho...
"Tarte Chocolat Poire Chocolat" continues »
December 9, 2003
Galettes de Polenta Grillées
[Grilled Polenta Slices]
I have a strange relationship with polenta. I either love it or loathe it, depending on how it's prepared. If it's just been cooked and it's mushy, the smell and texture really put me off. But if you let it settle and you slice it, or even better yet, if the slices are grilled, then polenta is my very good friend.
And on Saturday night, grilled polenta slices are what I served with the Ginger Pineapple Chicken Skewers. ...
"Galettes de Polenta Grillées" continues »
December 8, 2003
Brochettes de Poulet, Ananas et Gingembre
[Ginger Pineapple Chicken Skewers]
This was the main dish for our dinner party on Saturday. I got the inspiration from a recipe in the excellent cookbook "Mes petits plats 100% naturels" by Catherine Mandigon and Patricia Riveccio, which I recommend wholeheartedly : the recipes are amazingly unusual and tempting, and everything I've cooked from it so far has been a success. The original recipe calls for pork, but I used chicken breasts instead...
"Brochettes de Poulet, Ananas et Gingembre" continues »
December 7, 2003
Petits Rouleaux d'Aubergine Farcis
[Stuffed Eggplant Mini-Rolls]
Last night, Maxence and I threw a little dinner-party for my two dear friends, Marie-Laure and Laurence, and their respective boyfriends, Ludovic and Jean-Christophe. Over the next few days, I will post the menu for this dinner...
You can see us pictured here in our living-room : from left to right, Marie-Laure, Ludo, myself, Laurence and Jean-Christophe. Interesting detail on this picture : you remember Stéphan...
"Petits Rouleaux d'Aubergine Farcis" continues »
December 6, 2003
Frites de Patates Douces d'Egypte
[Egyptian Sweet Potato Fries]
When Maxence and I went grocery shopping in the ethnic stores of the rue de Clignancourt last week, we bought sweet potatoes. There were five (five!) varieties to choose from, so we asked the store attendant which variety was the sweetest, and he pointed us to the ones from Egypt, white-fleshed with a dark pink skin.
Tonight, I used them to make sweet potato fries in the oven. Very simple, very good....
"Frites de Patates Douces d'Egypte" continues »
December 5, 2003
Brochette De Mini-Sandwiches
[Skewered Mini-Sandwiches]
The boulangépicier store, or "be", opened a year ago in Paris, and is owned by Alain Ducasse and Eric Kayser, the famous restaurant and bakery emperors. The name, as well as the concept, is a fusion of "boulanger" and "épicier" - baker and grocer.
On the grocery front, they sell a range of gourmet goods (unusual spices, condiments, jams, chocolate, candy, pasta...), a small selection of organic produce and dairy pr...
"Brochette De Mini-Sandwiches" continues »
December 4, 2003
Sucre d'Erable
When my parents came over for lunch a few weeks ago, my mother, who knows me oh-so-well, brought me a cute little jar of maple sugar from Quebec. It is made by a company called Les Sucres du Quebec, which makes a variety of maple-based products.
I love, love, *love* maple syrup, and I'd never had maple sugar before, so I was very intrigued, and it's delicious! It's crystallized like muscovado sugar, but the crystals are more fragile and collap...
December 3, 2003
Grilled Onions And Peppers
I did not write the food entry I had in mind yesterday night, and my excuse for that is as valid as it will ever get : I couldn't get back into my apartment until a late hour, for the seventh floor of our building was on fire.
Important forenote to reassure everyone : no worries, I'm fine, Maxence is fine, everybody's fine, and the apartment's fine!
Coming home from work, I went to the grocery store to run a few errands. When I got to the foot ...
"Grilled Onions And Peppers" continues »
December 2, 2003
A Diet of Baked Beans
From the ages of ten to sixteen, my parents sent me on séjours linguistiques ("linguistic stays") abroad each summer. The idea was to spend two to three weeks living with a family in an English- or German-speaking country and immerse myself in the culture and the language. It did tremendously improve my language skills and was also, to put it mildly, a definite character-building experience: I was miserable, but I learned to put up with it.
Th...
"A Diet of Baked Beans" continues »
December 1, 2003
Carrés de Noix de Pécan à la Vanille
[Vanilla Pecan Squares]
Yesterday was my dear grandmother's 92nd birthday. On this occasion, my parents, myself and a few friends and relatives gathered at her place for a celebratory drink, before we all headed out to eat dinner. My mom had asked me if I felt like making a few sweet nibbles to go with the champagne. Me? Sweet nibbles? Have I ever *not* felt like making sweet nibbles? Ever? Not that I can remember! So I accepted, with glee.
A...
"Carrés de Noix de Pécan à la Vanille" continues »