March 30, 2005
Au Fil des Saisons
GO:: Au fil des saisons had been on my to-try list for a while: I had been told good things about the chef, his use of fresh products and his "homemade everything" approach (including bread and sorbets). I had dinner there with my friend Marion a few weeks ago, when it was still remarkably cold -- hence the wintery menu choices as you'll see below.
The restaurant is located on a teeny tiny street off the Place de la République, and the room it...
"Au Fil des Saisons" continues »
March 29, 2005
So: Do We, or Do We Not?
Those of you who keep track -- however off-handedly -- of the American book market, have surely heard of Mireille Guiliano's book French Women Don't Get Fat. This French woman, who is head of the Champagne company Veuve-Clicquot and lives between New York and Reims, explains how and why French women can get away with eating chocolate and cheese while sipping on a little wine, and still manage to look slender and fabulous.
With such a promising ...
"So: Do We, or Do We Not?" continues »
March 26, 2005
Happy Easter!
I am off for the week-end to Lourmarin, a village in the South of France. Till I return, Joyeuses Pâques, be well, enjoy the egg hunt and the chocolate!
PS: I may be moblogging from there, so stay tuned!...
March 24, 2005
Muffins à la Framboise, Eclats de Fève de Cacao (IMBB13)
[Raspberry Muffins with Cacao Nibs]
Today is the new edition of the world-famous collaborative food-blogging event Is My Blog Burning?. It is hosted this time by Maki of I was just really very hungry, and her theme of choice is cupcakes and muffins. You may notice that while IMBB's are traditionally held on Sundays, Maki thoughtfully planned for us to have time to scrounge around for the ingredients and make each other's goodies in time for Ea...
"Muffins à la Framboise, Eclats de Fève de Cacao (IMBB13)" continues »
March 23, 2005
Première Fraise
[First Strawberry]
I am normally not one to buy fresh fruit out of season -- the waiting game only heightens the pleasure of eating them at their peak -- but I had to buy strawberries last week for a project I'm working on. I wrinkled my nose at the notion of buying March strawberries and fully expected these bright red babies to be tasteless little rocks with an excellent colorist, but I have to say I was most pleasantly surprised: these were...
March 22, 2005
Introducing... le moblog!
"Huh? A moblog? Is that edible?"
Well, no. Moblog is the contraction of "mobile blogging", itself a contraction of "web logging", making the term moblog a rare occurrence of double portmanteau -- quite handy when you have guests as I'm sure you'll agree. But I digress: moblogging is, quite simply, blogging from your phone.
I had long wanted a cell phone that took pictures, but had yet to find one that I liked and was reasonably priced. It t...
"Introducing... le moblog!" continues »
March 21, 2005
Salade de Roquette, Vinaigrette d'Echalote et Amandes Toastées
[Rucola Salad, Shallot Vinaigrette and Toasted Almonds]
Last week I had lunch (at the Café Fusion, where else?) with someone who, incidentally, told me about a cooking class she had attended. It was one of those conversations between two persons who don't know each other too well, who suspect they are in the company of a fellow food enthusiast, but are still trying to determine how deeply infected the other person is, and just how much detail ...
"Salade de Roquette, Vinaigrette d'Echalote et Amandes Toastées" continues »
March 18, 2005
The Saddest Thing Since The Invention Of Jam
...is an empty jar of jam.
Particularly if it is Christine Ferber's Confiture de Framboise à la Violette (raspberry and violet jam). I held on to that one for months after buying it, not opening it until the heart of winter so it could act as my cheerful companion on those bleak mornings when you wake up and it's still dark, you get ready and it's still dark, you leave for work and it's still dark.
I guess it's only fitting I should get the ...
"The Saddest Thing Since The Invention Of Jam" continues »
March 16, 2005
Mid-Atlantic Cheesecake
Cheesecake is one of my favorite desserts. Hard to resist I find it, with its fresh, creamy yet cakey body, and its tasty cookie crumb crust. But when you try to make American-style cheesecake in France, you quickly run into a procurement hurdle: neither cream cheese or graham crackers are readily available. You can find them -- at least if you're in Paris -- but this requires time and effort and the planning of a trip to one of the few stores ...
"Mid-Atlantic Cheesecake" continues »
March 15, 2005
Daffodils! Bona fide this time!
Ha! I knew they were coming! These here ladies just needed a couple more days to doll up and get ready for their grand debut. They do not disappoint. (Same park, different lawn.)
No matter what the calendar says, today is really the first day of Spring: you should see the glorious weather we are having today, bright patches of blue sky between the cut-stone buildings, a breeze so warm you happily shed scarf and coat, but more importantly, the ...
"Daffodils! Bona fide this time!" continues »
March 12, 2005
Le printemps est là!
Spring is here! Spring is here! First daffodil sighting of the year, yesterday at the Parc Montsouris, which I cross on my way to work. I spotted them first after a client lunch, walking by with two of my coworkers ("Oh, des jonquilles!", exclaimed I loudly, but they have ceased to take notice of my strange bursts of enthusiasm), and again a few hours later as I was going home. I could swear they had already grown by an inch. Now I hope the wea...
"Le printemps est là!" continues »
March 10, 2005
Salade de Pleurotes, Pomme et Bergamote
[Oyster Mushroom Salad with Apple and Bergamot]
Pleurotes, also known as oyster mushrooms or tree oysters, are these large greyish beige mushrooms with a round funnel-shaped hat, that grow in clusters on the trunk of trees -- they don't care much if said tree is dead or alive, if you must know. The flesh underneath the hat (and that part is called the hymenophore, aren't you glad you came) has deep white gills that go all the way down the curv...
"Salade de Pleurotes, Pomme et Bergamote" continues »
March 9, 2005
Press: From Washington to Nashville to San Francisco
Two articles have just appeared in US papers, dealing with food blogs, and featuring C&Z along with esteemed fellow food enthusiasts.
~ Today in the Washington Post: A Food Blog for Every Taste
~ Yesterday in the Tennessean: Word-wide Recipe Swap.
Update! As a few readers have pointed out (thank you!) and as the journalist has just informed me, there is also an article running in the San Francisco Chronicle today: Young Parisian Puts Her Hea...
"Press: From Washington to Nashville to San Francisco" continues »
March 8, 2005
Petite Salade Rouge
[Little Red Salad]
"C'est assez amer, vous savez?", said the pretty salesgirl at the market.
Beautiful purplish-red leaves with a white spine. Oh, I knew they were going to be bitter and I wouldn't like them so much and I would just end up pushing them to the side of my plate in favor of the baby spinach leaves I'd have tried to blend them with. But I had to buy it all the same, this little rosebud of a salad.
What can I say, I have a weakn...
"Petite Salade Rouge" continues »
March 7, 2005
Goûter (presque) chez Pierre Hermé
[Afternoon Snack (almost) at Pierre Hermé's]
Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure to meet Louisa, my own personal kitchen hero, and Andrea, her charming roommate from Mexico who also works at Les Ambassadeurs. When we discussed time and place, Louisa suggested we meet at Pierre Hermé's boutique, as Andrea had yet to discover it. Needless to say, I nodded vigorously (for the sole benefit of my living-room wall, as we were speaking on the phon...
"Goûter (presque) chez Pierre Hermé" continues »
March 4, 2005
Gâteau de Panais au Chorizo
[Parsnip and Chorizo Cake]
Yes, another gâteau! But it's a savory one this time, that combines grated parsnips, little chunks of chorizo and chopped parsley, baked into a warm golden cake, frittata-like and satifying. The parsnips meld into the egg batter to produce a smooth, almost moussy texture, and the chorizo adds a really nice kick to their earthy sweetness. Chorizo is one of my favorite things at the moment, and I'm still looking for so...
"Gâteau de Panais au Chorizo" continues »
March 2, 2005
Gâteau aux Daims
Daim Cake
Sometimes I come upon a recipe and I just can't seem to get it out of my head. Case in point: the Buttercrunch Almond Tea Cake, as baked by Zarah Maria in Copenhagen. The original recipe comes from Lisa Yockelson's book Baking by Flavor and is a tea cake studded with chunks of Heath bar. Heath bars I don't do (never had one, not sold over here) but Zarah Maria had the brilliance to use Daims instead. Daims? That I will do.
Daims are...
"Gâteau aux Daims" continues »