March 26, 2010
[Edible Idiom] Plein comme un œuf
This is part of a series on French idiomatic expressions that relate to food. Browse the list of idioms featured so far.
This week's expression is, "Plein comme un œuf."
Literally translated as, "full as an egg," it is a colloquial simile applied to a thing or a place that's completely full; close English equivalents would be "filled to the brim" or "packed to the gills." Note that it can't be applied to a person*: "full" here is not to...
"[Edible Idiom] Plein comme un œuf" continues »
March 23, 2010
How To Taste Chocolate
Last week I had the good fortune of visiting Tain-l'Hermitage, a town in the southeastern quarter of France, near Valence. It is right in the middle of the Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage wine country, in a gorgeous area that's full of peach, cherry and apricot orchards. But me, I was there for the chocolate: Tain is also home to the Valrhona chocolate factory, and I'd been invited to take a tour.
We spent the day in paper hats, paper coats, an...
"How To Taste Chocolate" continues »
March 16, 2010
Ginger and Almond Chocolate Clusters
Lately I've had an insuppressible urge to declutter. I would chalk it up to the advent of spring if it hadn't been so stubbornly cold, and if I didn't find myself in that state of I-can't-bear-to-live-with-this-stuff-for-a-minute-longer several times a year.
Actually, one of my resolutions for 2010 is to take on at least one decluttering project every weekend. It can be something quick, like sorting through the restaurant business cards we've ...
"Ginger and Almond Chocolate Clusters" continues »
March 12, 2010
[Edible Idiom] Ne pas y aller avec le dos de la cuiller
This is part of a series on French idiomatic expressions that relate to food. Browse the list of idioms featured so far.
This week's idiom is, "Ne pas y aller avec le dos de la cuiller."
Literally translated as, "not going at it with the back of the spoon," it is a colloquial expression that means acting bluntly and deliberately, without restraint or moderation. It is often used in the context of interpersonal relationships, and especially wh...
"[Edible Idiom] Ne pas y aller avec le dos de la cuiller" continues »
March 9, 2010
Converting Yeast-Based Recipes To Use A Sourdough Starter
Once you have a natural starter alive and kicking on your counter, stealing the occasional banana from the fruit bowl, it's hard to go back to baking bread with commercial yeast.
Not only would that feel like a bit of a betrayal (though you can always blindfold the jar of starter or work under the cover of night) but every loaf is an opportunity to strengthen your starter as well as your skills. And frankly, you've gotten used to the vivid fla...
"Converting Yeast-Based Recipes To Use A Sourdough Starter" continues »
March 3, 2010
Rice and Bean Salad
I hardly ever eat meat or fish when I'm alone. I may have a bit of ham or chicken on occasion if there is some left over from another meal, but other than that, my solo appetite favors a plant-based diet, with a few dairy products (yogurt, cheese) and eggs thrown in.
And because I eat most of my weekday lunches at home, in my own company (I admit I've become frightfully attached to the quiet and solitude of my workdays) and as an accidental ve...
"Rice and Bean Salad" continues »
March 1, 2010
March 2010 Desktop Calendar
At the beginning of every month, I am offering C&Z readers a new wallpaper to apply on the desktop of your computer, with a food-related picture and a calendar of the current month.
Our calendar for March is a picture that represents the old marble mortar my grandmother found at the bottom of her garden in Marseille in 1937, and one of the venerable cookbooks she entrusted me with; this particular one is called Mes Recettes pour votre ménage. ...
"March 2010 Desktop Calendar" continues »