April 25, 2012
Scone Tops
We were expecting friends for brunch on Saturday morning, and I decided to bake scones. Not the triangular wedges stuffed with various ingredients often sold in the US, but the classic, round, plain, British kind.
For three years, almost to the day, I'd been sitting on a recipe that my dear friend Chika had shared with me, and which she'd drawn from Anton Edelmann's out-of-print book, Taking Tea at the Savoy. She had mentioned that this was he...
April 17, 2012
Where to buy organic foods in Paris
I've recently received requests from a couple of readers who were about to move to (or spend a little while in) Paris, and were wondering about natural and organic foods, and where to find them.
Agriculture biologique is French for organic farming, and organic goods are referred to as produits bio. Organic produce, grains, dairy, and meat are increasingly popular with French consumers, and although they still come at a higher price than conven...
"Where to buy organic foods in Paris" continues »
April 12, 2012
Candied Orange Slices
Drouant is a century-old Paris restaurant with a majestic Art Déco interior and private dining rooms where the jury for the Prix Goncourt, the most prestigious book award in France, convenes each fall to deliberate.
Beyond that literary glamour, Drouant also serves an excellent cuisine, and one of the features that have turned us into regulars is the poulet-frites that is offered for lunch on Sundays: a farm-raised roasted chicken served with ...
"Candied Orange Slices" continues »
April 3, 2012
Crystalline Iceplant (Ficoïde Glaciale)
Meet one of my favorite greens, the crystalline iceplant, known as Mesembryanthemum cristallinum in Latin and ficoïde glaciale in French.
It's a succulent, leafy plant that originated in South Africa and belongs to the same family as tetragon, another unusual green I'm very fond of.
The leaves of the iceplant are thick and fleshy, with a frosted look, as if they were covered with tiny dew droplets. Depending on the variety, they may be flat a...
"Crystalline Iceplant (Ficoïde Glaciale)" continues »