January 2006 Archive
Book Update, Part III: Recipe TestingCoussin de Lyon
Crumble Pomme Mangue
Gâteau Choco-Coco
Mes Recettes Pour Votre Ménage
Petit Pain Ananas Violette
Saucisson de Canard
Tickets de Rationnement
Wine Charms
January 30, 2006
Book Update, Part III: Recipe Testing
This is the third episode of my Book Update series, in which I share the ins and outs of writing a cookbook -- or at least the way I'm tackling it. (You can read the first two parts about The Book Deal and The Recipes.) Back in late July, when the sun was shining bright and the air was crisp with elation and hope and the workmen had not yet ador...
"Book Update, Part III: Recipe Testing" continues »
January 25, 2006
Tickets de Rationnement
[War Ration Stamps] As if those two books my grandmother gave me weren't fascinating enough, leafing through them unearthed other treasures, slipped between the pages over the years. A yellowed advertisement for a bottled remedy called Le Contre-Coups de l'Abbé Perdrigeon (Abbot Perdrigeon's back-kick), which will help you recover from heavy fa...
"Tickets de Rationnement" continues »
January 23, 2006
Mes Recettes Pour Votre Ménage
[My Recipes For Your Home] When my grandmother gave me her superb edition of L'Art Culinaire Moderne, she also entrusted me with two much-loved little books, which had belonged to her mother before her. Mes Recettes Pour Votre Ménage and Mes Recettes Pour Votre Dessert ("My recipes for your home" and "My recipes for your dessert") are two book...
"Mes Recettes Pour Votre Ménage" continues »
January 20, 2006
Petit Pain Ananas Violette
[Violet Pineapple Bread Roll] "Dear Ms. Clotilde, In our continued effort to keep you bread-happy and entertained, we have just added a new variety to our collection of little bread rolls. This one is flavored with violet essence, which may remind you of those candies you and your father like to eat in the car, and it has tiny chunks of pinea...
"Petit Pain Ananas Violette" continues »
January 18, 2006
Gâteau Choco-Coco
[Coconut Chocolate Cake] It was Maxence's birthday last week, and one of the things we did to mark the occasion -- in addition to one glorious meal at Les Ambassadeurs -- was to invite friends to join us and celebrate at a small cocktail bar that recently opened in our neighborhood, on an improbable little street we'd hardly ever noticed before....
"Gâteau Choco-Coco" continues »
January 15, 2006
Saucisson de Canard
[Dry-Cured Duck Sausage] We had long wanted to try Le Petit Canard, a small restaurant tucked away in a side street of the 9th arrondissement, just a few blocks from us. I had often walked past it on my way up and down the hill, and it looked cosy and warm, with just a handful of candle-lit tables. As the name implies, the menu focuses on all th...
"Saucisson de Canard" continues »
January 11, 2006
Wine Charms
When I was much younger, I loved fiddling and tinkering with things, building little trinkets, putting bits and pieces together, deconstructing toys and objects to see how they worked, and trying to get them back together afterwards -- not always successfully I might add. Duct tape and scissors were my very good friends, and I loved using my moth...
January 5, 2006
Coussin de Lyon
[Chocolate Pillow from Lyon] Like many French kids, I practically learned how to read with bande dessinées, the Belgian/French take on comic books, and a large chunk of my general culture comes directly from them. Although I had too many favorites to name just one, the classic Astérix was certainly among them. It is one of those incredibly multi...
January 2, 2006
Crumble Pomme Mangue
[Mango Apple Crumble] I cultivate a relationship of deep trust and mutual appreciation with the Fruit Crumble Family. We send each other holiday cards and such, we remember our respective birthdays, and I often turn to them when I'm looking for a simple dessert that won't keep me busy for half the day, one that will be comforting and reliably ta...
"Crumble Pomme Mangue" continues »