October 2005 Archive

October 31, 2005

Gâteau de Mamy à la Poire

[This is the republication of a post originally featured in October of 2003.] On Sunday, Marie-Laure came over "pour le goûter". Le goûter is the afternoon snack kids are given when they come out of school around 4. In my family (by that I mean "at my parents'"), it is also called simply le thé, and is practically an institution. Around 5 on wee...

"Gâteau de Mamy à la Poire" continues »

October 28, 2005

Chocolate Chili Bites

[This is the republication of a post originally featured in October of 2004.] On Saturday night, we had the pleasure of attending the fourth edition of the Paris Potluck, hosted by Alisa and her husband Jean-Yves. This time around, Alisa had suggested that we follow a theme : no more random assortment of everyone's current food obessions! And as...

"Chocolate Chili Bites" continues »

October 26, 2005

Fondue Savoyarde chez nos Voisins

[This is the republication of a post originally featured in October of 2003.] [Cheese Fondue at our Neighbors'] We are lucky enough to be very good friends with our next-door neighbors: Stéphan and Patricia live on our floor, in the apartment to the right of ours, and we met on the night of our housewarming party. We had posted a note to apolog...

"Fondue Savoyarde chez nos Voisins" continues »

October 24, 2005

Zucchini Polenta Tart

[This is a republication of a post originally published in September of 2004.] I have a particular soft spot for polenta and anything cornmeal. Unfortunately, they are not at all common in France : I have occasionally seen polenta served at restaurants (and I will reliably dart onto any dish that mentions it as a component, especially if it cl...

"Zucchini Polenta Tart" continues »

October 22, 2005

Out of Office Auto Reply

Maxence and I are leaving today on a much-deserved (I would say that, wouldn't I) vacation, during which we will drive around the South-West of France. No definite plans as of yet, we will just head whichever way the roadsigns sound interesting and the food looks good. We like a little improvisation in our roadtrips (read: we had no time whatsoev...

"Out of Office Auto Reply" continues »

October 21, 2005

C&Z's Second Birthday Party: a Recap

Many many thanks to those of you who attended the second C&Z birthday party on Wednesday night! The party was held at L'Homme Tranquille in the 18th, and fifty of us managed to fit in the rather small room. It looked a little ambitious at first, and as guests were pouring in, apéritifs being frantically served, it seemed like we would have to st...

"C&Z's Second Birthday Party: a Recap" continues »

October 19, 2005

Sandwich au Foie Hâché

[Chopped Liver Sandwich] The gehakte leber featured in this sandwich was purchased from a yiddish bakery in the Marais, called Florence Finkelsztajn. I was tipped off on their chopped liver by a fellow food enthusiast, and had to buy some when I walked by the store yesterday. The service was stiff and frankly contemptuous, which I've sadly come ...

"Sandwich au Foie Hâché" continues »

October 17, 2005

Cours de Cuisine Traditionnelle

[Traditional French Cooking Class] Show-and-tell: this is the gear I bought for the cooking class I am taking this year! It's part of the Cours Municipaux pour Adultes, a learning program sponsored by the Mairie de Paris (the mayor's office), and mine is a weekly three-hour class to learn about traditional French cuisine. All classes offered in ...

"Cours de Cuisine Traditionnelle" continues »

October 14, 2005

Pain Spécial

I can hear you thinking: "Hm, could this be a pain au chocolat? Is that a bit of ganache coming out from the side? ...then again it looks a bit like black olives, no?" You have a point. They are indeed black olives, and the little guy on the picture is an olive and tomato pain spécial, purchased at Pain de Sucre, a previously mentioned pastry st...

"Pain Spécial" continues »

October 12, 2005

Gâteau au Yaourt

[Yogurt Cake] As I've mentioned before, Maxence is a big advocate of the adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it". In other words, when a classic recipe is fabulous, don't meddle with it, and just do what you're told. Obviously I have trouble following that piece of advice, and more often than not I'll surrender to the urge and tweak a little some...

"Gâteau au Yaourt" continues »

October 10, 2005

C&Z's Second Birthday Party!

C&Z turned two ten days ago, and just like last year I wanted to throw a little party to mark the occasion, celebrate all the fabulous things it has brought me, and give Paris readers a chance to meet. So! Mark your calendars: the second annual C&Z party will be held on Wednesday, October 19th at L'Homme Tranquille, a small neighborhood restauran...

"C&Z's Second Birthday Party!" continues »

October 7, 2005

Salade Tiède de Poireaux aux Noix Fraîches

[Warm Leek Salad with Fresh Walnuts] There is a special kind of grace in the simple combination of a few ingredients that you have on hand. The resulting dish has an air of spontaneity, a certain modesty, that makes it easy to love: you didn't put much time or thought into it, there is little pressure on its shoulders to be successful, and this ...

"Salade Tiède de Poireaux aux Noix Fraîches" continues »

October 5, 2005

Gems from the Market

Last Saturday I went to the Marché des Batignolles, an all-organic market that's just a short bus ride from where I live. I don't go nearly as often as I'd wish: many different activities compete for my attention on Saturday mornings, and the whole sleep-in-and-laze-around-in-your-pj's seems to win the game more often than not, especially when Fr...

"Gems from the Market" continues »

October 3, 2005

Canelés

I tasted my first canelé some seven years ago, at Eric Kayser's boulangerie on rue Monge. Maxence had a friend who lived nearby, they often worked on school projects together, and whenever they felt like a break and a snack, this is where they would go. Maxence adored their canelés, ordered them often, and made me try them. Delicious. Simply del...

"Canelés" continues »