March 2006 Archive

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 Tradi...

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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 a hopefully 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...

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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 He...

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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...

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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 Grete...

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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 recip...

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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 yo...

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March 6, 2006

Croissants aux Amandes

[Almond Croissants] 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 fin...

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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...

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