December 2003 Archive

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 - hi...

"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. Ela...

"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 o...

"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 ca...

"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...

"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 ...

"Mendiants" continues »

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......

"Joyeux Noël!" continues »

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 mi...

"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, a...

"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 ...

"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...

"Confiture de Tomates Cerises à la Cannelle" continues »

December 18, 2003

L'Homme Tranquille

L'Homme Tranquille is a small restaurant in the rue des Martyrs, precisely a block from our apartment. It is a very cosy, intimate, comfy, friendly place. It looks a little secret from the outside : the door is narrow, the large windows that look out onto the street are curtained, and the lighting inside is dim, coming from low lamps and candles....

"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 consideri...

"Bruschetta" continues »

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" continues »

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 ...

"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"....

"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 ...

"L'Avant-Goût" continues »

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, wa...

"Oeuf Cocotte" continues »

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 t...

"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 ...

"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 ...

"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, L...

"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...

"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 spic...

"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, who 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...

"Sucre d'Erable" continues »

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 fin...

"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 mil...

"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 ev...

"Carrés de Noix de Pécan à la Vanille" continues »