July 28, 2011
43 Things To Do With Fresh Shiso
When Maxence and I went to Japan last year, one of the items I was determined to hunt down and bring back was a bag of shiso seeds to grow my own.
Shiso (pronounced "she-so") is the Japanese name for an annual herb called Perilla, which belongs to the mint family. Other aliases include beefsteak plant (which makes little sense, if you ask me) or Japanese basil. It is used in quite a few Asian cuisines, but I've mostly encountered it in Japanes...
"43 Things To Do With Fresh Shiso" continues »
July 19, 2011
Dates, Hazelnuts, and Thoughts on Food Gifts
At a C&Z anniversary party three years ago I met David, a reader from L.A. who was spending a few months in France. We've been in touch on and off since then, and when David came back to Paris for a vacation in late spring, he very generously brought me a gift.
What he brought was a bag of honey dates grown in Indio, California by Dates by Davall*, and a pound of dry roasted hazelnuts from the Freddy Guys orchard in the Willamette** valley in ...
"Dates, Hazelnuts, and Thoughts on Food Gifts" continues »
July 12, 2011
En Cuisine avec Alain Passard
France has a vivid culture of comic books and graphic novels, which are grouped under the general term bande dessinée (literally, drawn strip), often shortened to BD and pronounced bédé. It is a remarkably rich and diverse genre, with titles to appeal to all ages and interests, from kids' comics to historical sagas, from humorous social commentary to science fiction.
My father has an extensive collection of them, one that filled an entire room...
"En Cuisine avec Alain Passard" continues »
July 5, 2011
Welcome Back, Eggplant!
Spaghetti with eggplants, new carrots, and shallots.
After weeks of skipping my Saturday morning market run due to the chaotic nature of my living situation and work schedule, I was finally able to go back to the marché des Batignolles this weekend.
It was the perfect morning for a comeback. I'd awoken (relatively) early, it was mild and sunny, and as I rode my bicycle down the boulevard in my shower-wet hair, I was seized by that swelling fee...
"Welcome Back, Eggplant!" continues »
July 1, 2011
July 2011 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 July is a picture of water kefir (kefir de fruits), a thirst-quenching fermented beverage I've written about a couple of months ago. It's wonderful in any season, but it is exceptionally refreshing during the summer months, and if you can lay your ...
"July 2011 Desktop Calendar" continues »