June 30, 2008
Pistachio Gelato
When it comes to ice cream, I am hopelessly predictable.
As far as I'm concerned, if the ice cream parlor, glacier, or gelateria offers dark chocolate, pistachio, and/or yogurt, he might as well not have any other flavor: I am blind to them.
I always go through the motions of hesitation, though (I scratch my temple, chew my lower lip, and hum lightly -- it's easy to fake, really), for the benefit of my ice cream companions, and because I like...
"Pistachio Gelato" continues »
June 24, 2008
On Reusable Shopping Bags
Paris supermarkets stopped giving away plastic bags for free last year. The deal is this: you can either 1- bring your own shopping bag, 2- purchase a jumbo reusable plastic bag, or 3- purchase a flimsy plastic bag if you really insist.
Despite the corporate claim that they're pretty (um, hello?), the jumbo reusable plastic bags they sell at my supermarket are ugly. But I admit they're sturdy and very large, which makes them handy when you hav...
"On Reusable Shopping Bags" continues »
June 18, 2008
Banana Pecan Cake with Maple Glaze
Among the countless blessings this blog has brought to my life is this one: I have met and become friends with a few cookbook authors.
They are delicious people to be around, naturally, and if I manage to fox my way into their house they may actually cook for me, but the invaluable bonus is that, once I've come to know and trust them, once I've witnessed how exacting they are, and how much pressure they submit themselves to in order to produce...
"Banana Pecan Cake with Maple Glaze" continues »
June 9, 2008
Chilled Pea Pod Soup
As a sequel to my ode to the fresh pea, here is a recipe for chilled pea pod soup, a.k.a. "I have just devoted thirty minutes of my life to the shelling of those peas, and I intend to milk them for all they're worth" soup.
Like all recipes that propose to use odds and ends that might, in other, less frugal kitchens, end up in the trash, this one delights me to no end -- the nose-to-tail philosophy applied to the vegetable kingdom, if you will....
"Chilled Pea Pod Soup" continues »
June 4, 2008
Sesame Mill: The Gadget You Never Knew You Needed
While in New York last month, Maxence and I had lunch at Ippudo, a ramen place that's the first American outpost of a popular Japanese chain. The decor was super sleek and the ramen excellent, but what really got me excited was the sesame mill that was propped on our table, keeping the shôyu company.
It was a simple thing, really: a plastic see-through container filled with toasted sesame seeds, mounted with a red cranking wheel and an open mo...
"Sesame Mill: The Gadget You Never Knew You Needed" continues »