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 weekends, somebody will invariably ask "on fait le thé?" (alternatively "on prend le goûter?"). Cookies...
"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 she (and I and pretty much everyone else) had been suffering from terrible Mexican food cravings si...
"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 apologize in advance for the noise and music, and to invite everybody over for a drink. We were very happy...
"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. Click through for the recipe.]...
"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 whatsoever to sit down and make said plans).
I most likely won't have any internet access during that time ...
"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 start standing on tables or invading the kitchen (which I'm sure none of us would mind). But soon enou...
"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 to expect from this little rue des Rosiers area, but I was prepared to bear it for a bit of chopped ...
"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 this program (although the quality of teaching no doubt varies) are a real bargain, since they are f...
"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 store in the 3rd.
It is made from a rectangular strip of bread dough spread with fresh tomatoes and o...
October 12, 2005
Yogurt Cake
[Gâteau au yaourt]
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 something here and a little something there -- substitution is my middle name.
But Maxence had bee...
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 restaurant Maxence and I love dearly. It's a warm and welcoming little place we've been going to on a regular...
"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 allows it to shine even brighter.
I was standing in the kitchen, thinking that something had to be ...
"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 Friday nights are poker nights.
However, this time I had a companion, Meg, who lives not too far fro...
"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 delicious. Canelés (alternate spelling: cannelés) are made from a batter that resembles a crepe batter....