December 2009 archives

You get a little lazy living here. At least I do. And because I’m not as spry as I used to be, if someone proposes a trip that’s more than one métro change away, I usually find a way to opt out of it. Arrondissements that are far, far away, like the 15th or the 17th, may as well be on the outside of the périphérique (or l’hexagone, for that matter) and I haven’t stepped foot in the likes of them in years.

One place that’s worth going out of my way for is A l’Etoile d’Or, and I broke my cardinal rule when Cenk from Café Fernando came to Paris for a visit and he asked me where to meet up.

I’ve known Denise Acabo, who lords over her confectionery wonderland, even before I moved to Paris, when I’d stop in and gawk at all the amazing chocolates and confections.

Continue Reading A l’Etoile d’Or…

In French, if someone asks you how old you are, you respond, “J’ai 51 ans”, which translates to “I have 51 years.” It one of the quirks of grammar between the languages, which don’t always intersect. In English, we do say, “I own _______” (fill in blank with something of which you have global, all-encompassing command of), which is a popular phrase, one that I haven’t been able to translate to French friends.

(I recently said on Twitter that “…Karen Carpenter owns the Christmas carols”, which probably confused non-native English speakers, and perhaps a few English-speaking ones that aren’t wise enough to appreciate Karen’s proprietorship of Christmas music as much as I do.)

Last year when I had 50 years, I celebrated with a birthday bouillotte. But this year, I’m not going to get so crazy. When your birthday falls two days after Christmas—and an unspecified number of days after Hannukah, and during Kwanzaa, it’s hard to rouse much enthusiasm amongst friends and family. And because it’s a week where a lot of people choose to travel, most people have headed out of town. Either that, or I’ve finally done it, and managed to offend everyone I know because they’re not returning my phone calls or e-mails. (And who says I have no talents?)

Continue Reading I Have 51…

The other night I was standing on the métro and found myself face à face with a little affiche advising me, minding my own business as I rocketed below Paris, that it’s not alright to eat Mr. Ed. Then on Tuesday, I was taking a stroll through the thirteenth, on my way to have lunch with a friend in Chinatown, and came across a sign pleading a stop to the practice of le gavage, the forced stuffing of ducks and geese to make foie gras.

A lot of Americans think that all the French are unequivocally daring eaters, or aren’t picky, which is partially true: when you have a dinner party, you don’t have to worry about someone showing up who’s allergic to peanuts or dairy. Aside from a certain American who won’t eat squid, everyone around here eats almost anything, and just about everything might show up on a menu if you get invited to dinner. Except offal, which, in spite of the fact everyone thinks the French like to chow down on stomach lining, testicles, and kidneys, there’s plenty of them that turn up their noses at the idea of digging into a steaming dish of any of the above. btw: In case you invite me over for dinner, I’m with that camp.

Continue Reading Stop the Stuffing!…

We’re in the final week, the home stretch, of Menu for Hope 6 and I’m thrilled that so many of you have generously bid on items for this important charitable event.

(Update: The deadline for bidding has been extended to December 31, 2009!)

It’s amazing that when so many people contribute even just a small amount, just $10 a person, collectively we can make a major impact.

However I am committed to making this the best-ever year for Menu for Hope, so I’ve rounded up some additional, extra-special surprises in addition to the other fantastic European and UK bid items, most of which can be shipped globally.

Two American chocolate-experts, Ginger Elizabeth Hahn and Shawn Askinosie have offered the most incredible gift baskets for bakers and chocolate lovers I’ve ever seen. (And I’m not kidding, folks.) Speaking of chocolate, if you live or plan to travel to London, there’s a private chocolate tour for you and your guests.

My friends at Ten Speed Press have put together a collection of their best-ever baking books, including one from me. And any frites-lovers out there will certainly appreciate a professional deep-fryer, courtesy of Krups.

Ginger Elizabeth Hatbox Chocolate Extravaganza

On my last trip to the states, I managed to get through most of the chocolates that people generously plied me with along the way. But I did bring a box of Ginger Elizabeth chocolate back to Paris, which I opened one night after dinner. And after we each plucked one of the shiny brown squares from the box and put in on our mouths, we both fell silent, then looked at each other. Then I just said, “Wow”, and Romain pronounced them “…Better than La Maison du Chocolat“, which is some praise, especially from a Frenchman!

Continue Reading All-New Menu for Hope 6 Items + Chocolate Treats!…

I rarely make bread for reasons that should be obvious: it’s hard to justify spending the day at home mixing, kneading, and baking bread when you live in a city where there’s likely at least four very good bakeries within a two block radius. Unless, of course, it’s the middle of winter and the idea of braving 0º temperatures is less-than-appealing.

Before the deep-chill set in this week, the previous week I was going to my dentist, and stopped in at the nearby Kayser bakery* (one might say I chose my dentist based on the proximity to that bakery, but I’ll deny it), and they were selling their terrific Stollen, which they make for the holidays. The small loaves cost only €3, which makes them, in my opinion, the best bargain in Paris.

Continue Reading Stollen…

Alright, folks. We’re about halfway through Menu for Hope 6 and we’re almost at the $20,000 mark. Thanks to all of you who contributed to this incredibly worthy cause!

However being an overachiever (in spite of what a therapist, or my editor, might say), I think we can do better. Like, a whole lot better. So just to remind you, here’s a list of a few bid items that you should hop over to the FirstGiving site and bid on immediately.

Or there is a super-awesome, easy-to-use Donation Widget that was just introduced which was so much fun to use, I dropped a few bucks myself.

So how about…..

From the “You’d-have-to-be krazy-not-to-bid-on-this” file, a bar of Bernachon chocolate shipped to you once a month for a whole year? There’s only two places these very special bars of chocolate are available: at one shop in Paris, and at the Bernachon boutique in Lyon. Otherwise, forget it. Zip. Nada. You’re not getting any.

Well, except here. Or I should say “there”, because they’re gonna get shipped right to your door.

Bid item EU37

Speaking of chocolate, people always ask me, “Which country makes the best chocolate?” It’s a question where there just isn’t any answer. I mean, there’s nothing in the air particles or, say…the atmosphere in any particular country that makes their chocolate better or worse than the others.

Continue Reading Shameless Groveling…

Did you know that there is no such a thing as a Meyer lemon anymore? Well, at least not as we know them. Officially, they haven’t existed for about fifty years, when a virus attacked the Meyer lemon trees and they were banned in the United States.

Then in 1975, a new, “Improved” Meyer lemon tree was released that was virus-free, and people began planting them in backyards in America. And in Paris apartments, too. (More on that, later…)

Some think that the now-extinct Meyer lemons, and the new, Improved Meyer lemons, are a hybrid between oranges and lemons. But I’ve been told by my produce guru that no one is certain as to what the heck they are, exactly.

Continue Reading Improved Lemon Curd…

Welcome to this year’s European and UK edition of Menu for Hope 6, where you can make an online bid in an effort to raise money for the United Nations World Programme’s Purchase for Progress program, which assists low-income farmers to raise crops and support their local economies.

This is our sixth year raising money and in the past, we’ve topped $92,000. With your help, in 2009, let’s take it over that mark!

UPDATE: The auction is now closed and we raised nearly $78,000! Please check back on January 18th, 2010, for the announcement of the winners.

There are some truly amazing prizes, gathered from across Europe and the UK, including French and Italian chocolates shipped right to your door, cookbooks, a shiny-new standing mixer, and for those of you visiting Europe this year, or living here, you’ll find wine tastings and culinary tours…and tons more!

For a donation of just $10 per entry, you’ll have a chance to win fabulous bid items from all over the world. You can make as many donations as you wish; the more you enter, the more chances you’ll have of winning.

I’m being assisted this year by Sara, of Ms. Adventures in Italy, and she will be popping in here and on her site with more information and perhaps a few surprises.

The Rules

1. Please read the bid item descriptions carefully. If you have any questions about the items (date of validity, shipping & customs, descriptions), contact the donor at their site directly. Do not contact me about specific items as I am unable to answer questions about them.

2. Because of customs and other regulations, certain bid items may not be shippable to all destinations. Please confirm before bidding on items which might require special handling.

3. If a tour or vacation is offered, there may be a period of validity, and dates when they are and aren’t available. Please contact the donor or visit their site to find out that information.

Note that European dates may be expressed differently than elsewhere, and 12/01/2010 is January 12, 2010 in Europe, whereas in the states, it’s December 1, 2010 so when in doubt, ask the donor at their site.

4. Bid on the items you want at the Menu for Hope 6 donation page.

5. When the results are announced on January 18, 2010 at Chez Pim, it is the responsibility of the donor and winner to contact each other to work out details of delivery.

6. Please see the end of this post for instructions on how to bid on items.

Good luck to all!

Continue Reading Menu for Hope 6: Europe & United Kingdom…