May 2007 archives

Don’t tell me she’s now a Lisbian too?

Nice to see Rosie’s found another line of work so quickly, reading the news in Portugal.

I just hope The Donald stays right where he is.

And that annoying blonde too.

There’s something about a warm fruit crisp with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream melting alongside that most people are unable to resist. And who doesn’t love pulling that heavy baking dish, fragrant with the aroma of sweet seasonal fruit, out of the oven, with the rich fruit juices bubbling, with the heavenly smell of the buttery, nutty topping?

Really, what’s not to like?

Well…the dart-in-the-butt is that if you let it sit for any length of time, what you’re left with is a baking dish of fruit topped with solidified mush. And that, my friends, is what’s not to like.

So I came up with a plan—To put the crisp back in crisp topping.

Ever since I came up with this recipe, it’s become the only one I use and is a summertime staple around chez David. Even though there’s perhaps nothing easier to prepare in a moment’s notice, I like to keep a batch in the freezer for an impromptu fresh-fruit crisp, so you can easily double the recipe and freeze Part deux for the next time.

Continue Reading Crisp Topping Recipe…

All too often, I’m put in the position of being an ambassador between several cultures, spending a fair amount of time explaining and defending the practices of each one to the other. For me it’s become part of life, since there’s a certain amount of stereotypes that people make about foreigners that are, or aren’t, true

I had no idea, for example, that Americans were well-known for uttering the words “Oh my God!” at each and every opportunity possible. I never really thought about it until French friends started saying it to me, half-jokingly in English. (And a waiter in Lisbon said it to me as well…it was the only phrase he could recite in perfect English.) I don’t think I ever uttered those words all that much before I moved here. But now, unfortunately, because of all my French friends saying it to me (in English), I’ve picked it up and now I find myself saying it all the time too.

On the flip side, people have an image that French people aren’t particularly clean and are, in fact, smelly. Having lived on both sides of the Atlantic, I wouldn’t say that the French are any more- or less-washed than their overseas counterparts.

Sure, I’ve gotten stuck on the métro with some dude’s hairy, rank armpit dangling centimeters from my face. And I have noticed people avoiding seats next to certain riders as well. (And when I dive in quickly to get one of the vacant seats, self-satisfied, I realize my victory is short-lived as my nose quickly discerns why all the nearby seats are empty.)

Closer to home, just few weeks ago I’m waiting for the elevator to arrive outside my apartment door. Since I live on the top floor, seven flights up, the elevator is a necessity. When the elevator arrives and door opens, two young men come springing out.

Continue Reading Oh My God…

More Scoopers!…

Shauna puckers up for me.
(…or is it my Super Lemon Ice Cream?)

A tasty ménage-a-deaux of chocolate & roasted banana, from fudgy Fidget.

Oh-la-la!
Cindy’s on a French Vanilla sugar high (#31…to be exact).

Sassy Radish licks the bowl clean when she spins her own scooper-duper frozen yogurt.

Lisa’s almost up to 31 flavors!

Tammy gives birth to the mother of all popsicles.

Deb’s a-smitten with her own pinkcherry frozen yogurt.

An open letter to moi about a scary night in Paris. And it’s absinthe-tinged aftermath.
(In two chilling parts!)

Making a date in the desert with homemade ice cream.

Jessica churns up the perfect batch of Toasted Almond and Candied Cherry Ice Cream.

Nabeela gets the beautiful blues.

Jerry finds the perfect combination—White Chocolate Ice Cream melting over warm blueberry cobbler.

Adam has a meltdown.

It’s an all-out husband versus wife ice cream food fight!

Meeta metes out Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Ice Cream.

The ever-popular Roasted Banana Ice Cream rears its head again at a Mad Tea Party.

Alanna rounds ‘em up at BlogHer.

I love whole grains and I love chocolate.

So when I saw this curious Muzzi chocolate bar in a terrific Italian traiteur and grocer, Au Village Italien, I had to add it to my shopping basket. Inside the bar was little bits of puffed farro, or spelt as one would say in English.

(It’s épautre in French, dinkel in German and for the brainiacs out there, it’s triticum dicoccum in Latin.)

I was curious to taste how the dark Italian chocolate would meet up with the earthy, crispy little bits of whole grains and I was not disappointed. Boy…I took one bite of this and stopped in my tracks.

What a great bar of chocolate!

Speaking of not being disappointed, did you ever correspond with someone online, then meet up with them to find out they’re nothing like you think?

Okay, you don’t need to admit to that.
But I will.

Continue Reading Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking…

A ficelle is a small baguette, whose name actually means ‘string’. But in French bakery lingo it means a thin little crusty baguette. A ficelle makes a perfect petit snack, especially one like this that’s crusted with lots of poppy and sesame seeds.

One of my all-time, tip-top favorite breads in Paris is the ficelle apéritif baked at Moisan bakery. Although primarily known for their large rustic pains biologiques, breads made with organic flour, these slender little loaves boast a prime ratio of crust-to-crumb, with a golden, crackly crust enclosing an earthy, slightly-tangy mie within.

But what makes this little devil so appealing to me is the heavy-hand the baker lavishes it with sea salt.

Each little bit I rip off has a generous amount of seeds. Not just a measly few, but just the right amount of coarse sea salt—enough to taste each grain but not enough to be overwhelming or salty.

(Which is a good thing, since salt can lead to thirst and thirst leads to water and…well…we all remember where that leads in Paris.)

Continue Reading Moisan: Ficelle Apéritif…

Find a treasure…after uncovering where all the flea markets in Paris are.

Float down the Seine at a bargain price.

Make new friends at the biggest dinner party in Paris.

A nice, brand-new pocket guide to the Markets of Paris.

Learn French by listening to the news in ‘easy French‘ while reading the script.

Don’t wanna sleep on my Aerobed?
Paris hotels for 35€…or less!

Curious juxtaposition.
(Oops!…Warning: PG-13)

Love Paris bistros?
Good tips and reviews here.

Hate the smoke in Paris bistros?
Here’s a list of places non fumeur. And here too.
(My favorite? La Cerisaie; great food, sans fumeurs.)

Wanna get outta town on the cheap?
Finally. A decent search engine to the discount airlines in Europe.

Take the quiz: How French are you?

I’m heading to Lisbon soon.
Anyone got any must-do tips or casual restaurant suggestions?

If so, please leave ‘em in the comments….

Saúde!