March 30, 2006
La Meilleure Baguette de Paris
[The Best Baguette in Paris]
...and it's not even me saying it, but the good members of the jury in the 2006 edition of the yearly Grand Prix de la Baguette Parisienne. The winner is Jean-Pierre Cohier, whose bakery is just off the Place des Ternes: this was his fourth time competing, and he received the distinction for his baguette called Tradition. He's been making that baguette for twenty years, with flour from the French Beauce region, and...
"La Meilleure Baguette de Paris" continues »
March 27, 2006
Petites Brioches
Amongst the many good things a food blog will do to you, is this one: even when you feel you are completely ruining a recipe, your mind is already working on how to turn this potential disaster into what you hope will be an entertaining, tale-of-a-near-fiasco post for your readers -- a much more constructive way to look at the situation than curling up on the kitchen tilefloor and weeping helpless tears of rage.
And this is what I was thinking...
"Petites Brioches" continues »
March 22, 2006
Clafoutis à la Fraise
I have a new piece appearing today on NPR's Kitchen Window: it is a recipe for strawberry clafoutis, to which I've added, as a free! no-strings-attached! bonus, an easy recipe for strawberry coulis.
(If you've missed them, my previous contributions to Kitchen Window include:
~ Mango Scallop Tartlets
~ Pear Pastilla
~ Cheese Course 101
~ Fresh Herb Muffins
~ Cherry Soup with Hazelnut Rosemary Tuiles
~ Artichoke and Goat Cheese Mille-feuille
~ A...
"Clafoutis à la Fraise" continues »
March 20, 2006
Club-Cake by Fauchon
... or how to botch a perfectly brilliant idea.
This is the story of a disappointment. I hesitate to call it a cruel disappointment, because I was more disappointed the day I learned that Milli Vanilli was all a lie, but it was a sore one nonetheless.
I had business to do around the Place de la Madeleine the other day, and as I was walking past the Fauchon pastry shop, I stepped inside to take a look -- you know, nothing out of the ordinary, ...
"Club-Cake by Fauchon" continues »
March 15, 2006
Boudin de Langue
[Tongue Blood Sausage]
Paris is filled to the brim with little stores that sell produits du terroir, artisanal products from different regions of France: condiments and spices, jam and honey, cookies and candy, traditional canned dishes such as cassoulet or duck confit... You push the door and feel like you've stepped right into Hansel and Gretel's bread house, complete with cake roof and sugar windows.
Having read that fairy tale and learne...
"Boudin de Langue" continues »
March 13, 2006
Book Update, Part IV: Food Photography
This is Episode IV of my Book Update series, in which I share some behind-the-scenes aspects of my cookbook and the writing thereof, an activity that occupies roughly 99% of my waking and sleeping thoughts. And today kids, the topic will be: food photography.
(Read the first three installments of the series, dealing with the book deal, the recipes, and the recipe testing.)
I never really considered hiring someone else to take care of the phot...
"Book Update, Part IV: Food Photography" continues »
March 9, 2006
Cookies, Muffins & Co.
Those of you who read a little French have no doubt happened upon Pascale's food blog, called C'est moi qui l'ai fait! (which means "I made it myself"). I first met Pascale some two years ago at a food show, and we have been very good friends ever since, meeting on a regular basis for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or silicon molds home sales -- as you can see, our friendship is very much food-centered, but then again my entire life is, so all is ri...
"Cookies, Muffins & Co." continues »
March 6, 2006
Almond Croissants
[Croissants aux Amandes]
A couple of weeks ago, as I was writing about brunches and the possibility of leftover croissants, I gave a passing mention to croissants aux amandes. Such a teaser could not go unnoticed: I received a few requests for instructions, and promised I'd share them as soon as I had a picture to illustrate the recipe.
You will find croissants aux amandes in most traditional French bakeries. Originally devised as a way to se...
"Almond Croissants" continues »
March 2, 2006
Chocolate & Quinoa
You know how sometimes, you introduce two of your friends, and later find out they've clicked so well that they call and see each other without you? Now, as I understand (and this I gather from reading women's magazines, so take it with a grain of Maldon salt), some people hate that: it makes them feel left out, or perhaps sligthly cheated. But I've never been of a jealous nature, and on the contrary such situations make me glow visibly (a bit ...
"Chocolate & Quinoa" continues »