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David Lebovitz Archives: January 2008
« December 2007 January 31, 2008 |
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Wet 'n Wild! It doesn't take much to turn me on around here. For example, I know that very few of you will be as excited as I was to find this at Tang Frères...  But Alisa and Ms. Glaze?...you know you want it too...
Wanna see two Parisian studs going head-to-head in a groovy Parisian loft? (Click to continue reading, for Adults Only...)
How To Make The Perfect Caramel January 29, 2008 |
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I didn't realize the ruckus that the revival of the Chocolate-Covered Caramel Matzoh Crunch would cause! But if it's any consolation to the new generation of fans—I, too, ate almost a whole batch by myself before making another so don't feel so bad if it had the same effect on you. Oy! I thought this was a good time to finally do Part II of the promised caramel post, which I started here. Then I was sidetracked. And then I got into a little round-robin about caramel and butterscotch with Michael Ruhlman and Shuna. Since it seemed like heaven and earth were in collusion, I felt a prodding to continue to delve deeper into caramel. So I thought this was a good time to talk about How To Make The Perfect Caramel.  When writing a recipe, for books or online, one of the biggest conundrums is "How explanatory should you be?" Page space is limited in books and honestly, people would freak if you published a 6-page full-on manifesto for making brownies—so you need to strive for a happy medium.   Speaking of happy mediums...enter the internet! Continue reading "How To Make The Perfect Caramel" »
Chocolate-Covered Caramelized Matzoh Crunch January 27, 2008 |
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I wasn't sure how to start this post until this morning when I was at the market. As I was walking the aisles, avoiding the critical mass-of-madames and strollers, lost in my own little sugary world, I though; "Hey, that caramelized matzoh crunch I made yesterday is the perfect blog post!" So when I got home, I wrote up what I'd made, snapped a few pictures, and voilà!...here it is.  Seriously my friends, is there anything better than chocolate and toffee together? Especially when the toffee has a brown sugar-flavored buttery snap and luscious chocolate is smeared over the top so it hardens and melds with the crackly caramelized matzoh underneath. When a marriage is this good, a picture can only do partial justice to the love that exists between the happy couple. Shalom and gut yontiff to the happy duo! The original recipe I presented a while back is great, but I thought I'd bring it up-to-date here, and present it once again since things get buried in archives and for reasons only the internet gods know, I can't retrieve them and give them a good shake. So I gave it a makeover (or 'relooking', as they say around here), tweaked it a bit, and enjoyed every bite along the way. Continue reading "Chocolate-Covered Caramelized Matzoh Crunch" »
January 24, 2008 |
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When a British travel writer asked if I'd like to meet for brunch last week, he also asked if I could suggest a reasonable place for the article he was doing. So I put on my thinking cap, kicked off my slippers, tossed my funky pajamas in the laundry bin, showered and...get this...shaved!...and actually took a break from my project and got a few breaths of fresh air. Imagine that!  Le Brunch is indeed available at some places in Paris, but je deteste being around people first thing in the morning—and I'm not so fond of Le Brunch either. So we compromised on the more civilized hour of 1pm. Not much is open in Paris on Sunday, which our President is fixing to change, so I suggested Breizh Café a tidy corner spot specializing in galettes de blé noir, commonly known as buckwheat crêpes. This sparsely-finished restaurant is in the heart of 'bobo' (bourgeois bohemians) land, so there's no shortage of strollers or hipsters hanging out in this part of the Marais on Sunday. Once you get by all the posers skulking on the sidewalks peering in gallery windows, cigarettes perched in the corners of their mouth and the obligatory Sunday am dark glasses...(who unlike me, couldn't bother to shave)...it's a relief to find an inexpensive place to eat where the food is anything but trendy.
Continue reading "Breizh Café" »
Being A Tourist In My Hometown January 23, 2008 |
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Last night I rounded a corner, and looked up.
And what's really important is to give myself a moment to stop everything—take a look (and a photo)—and remind myself what a beautiful city I get to live in. Although I don't think happiness necessarily depends on where you live, I'd say in my case, it definitely has something to do with it.
That's Sénateur Lebovitz, To You January 22, 2008 |
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 Last month, I received an invitation to visit the French Sénat. Like most of the government buildings here in Paris, this is one fabulous. Think wildly-ornate with lots of gilding and chandeliers and gardens that are plucked and shaved within an inch of their life. ('Nature' in Paris is meant to be looked at...ne touchez pas!) Plus there was a gorgeous dining room where les Sénateurs dine. (Well, I should say, the real Sénateurs, since they didn't seem to have my name on that list.) I don't know why the exhibition of foods and wines from the Lot-et-Garonne, was being held there, but I felt pretty special all the same. And who doesn't like feeling special?  There was a decent selection of foods to try. Lots of foie gras, some nice Gascon cheeses, and of course, pruneaux d'Agen. And lots of 'em. Since they were free, I ate as many as I could, especially the ones stuffed with chocolate-flavored prune filling. I was in prune heaven! Except the next day—I was in prune hell. Continue reading "That's Sénateur Lebovitz, To You" »
January 19, 2008 |
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 I decided my entryway was a disaster and got on the stick and pulled everything out and straightened it up. Actually I didn't get that far. I did pull everything out, but lost interest and didn't put anything back. The good thing is, I can't leave. So I have to stay home and work.
 I've nicknamed it Darth Vader since it's dark, scary, and hisses at me a lot. Continue reading "(Another) Lost Weekend " »
Au Revoir, Carte Orange...Bienvenue Navigo Decouverte! January 17, 2008 |
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So what's happening with the Carte Orange? Continue reading "Au Revoir, Carte Orange...Bienvenue Navigo Decouverte!" »
January 14, 2008 |
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I'm a deadline for a project and am panicking about it. So...being a world-class procrastinator—what did I do this weekend?
 A. I scrubbed the hose of my showerhead.
 B. I contemplated the safety of a wild boar sausage some Roman friends brought me. There were some mysterious things in there that I couldn't cut through as well, but I'll spare you that footage. So far I've eaten one-third of it and nothing's happened to me. Yet.
 C. I realized that I really like to make soup. But later remembered that I really don't like eating it. Continue reading "A Lost Weekend" »
Skip This Post If You Don't Live In France January 12, 2008 |
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Pierre! You were, like, so robbed last night on Star Academy.  You rock...and the people who voted you off are complètement nul...
January 12, 2008 |
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Caramel Ice Cream
I'll be doing an upcoming post on making the perfect caramel, and here are some tips that'll help:
Continue reading "Ten Tips For Making Caramel " »
Menu For Hope Winner Announced, and More... January 11, 2008 |
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 The results are in! The winners of this year's Menu For Hope IV fundraiser have been announced over at Chez Pim. Head over and see if your name is on the list...the long list...of winners. (I didn't win lunch at Arpege, but if the winner wants to take me, I can certainly free up some time and pencil it in on my calendar.) This year, a whopping $91,118 was raised, and if you're the lucky winner of the KitchenAid Mixer, Ice Cream Attachment, and signed copy of The Perfect Scoop (prize EU17), get in touch with me so I can arrange to get you your prize!
I'm going to be giving a couple of radio interviews this weekend. You can find out details on my Schedule page. Listen in!
Here's a few things from around the web that I've enjoyed this week:
Can the $11,000 coffee maker brew up a decent cup of Folgers? I give it a month. Tops. No, that wasn't me lying on the floor of that goth bar with an empty glass of absinthe in my hand... Makes me want to go back to Istanbul. Saddest note of the week. Another American chocolate-maker emerges. And a favorite American candymaker is back behind her stove. Paris' dirty secrets are open to the public. And the lines are huge! Take your first nude swim in Paris...it's on the house! Are adding spinach to brownies and avocado to chocolate pudding ideas worth (allegedly) copying? A billion dollars is a whole lotta carrot-flavored chapstick. Getting to the bottom of your mixer. Finally—a game where there aren't any losers. ...now that's my kinda game!
January 9, 2008 |
Comments (19)
When I was in Méribel  And just about every person ordered a nice hunk of Beaufort. And since they were in front of me in line, being France, of course each person had to have a 5 minute conference with the saleswoman about how to cut it, where they wanted it cut, exactly how much to lop off, if the other hunk on the shelf was better than the one they were getting, did they have another one in the back?...etc...etc... The person in front of me scared me a bit when he requested a chunk that were as huge as a baseball mitt. It barely fit on the scale! Naturally when it was my turn, it took me all of 1.3 seconds to tell her what I wanted and I ended up with a nice-sized piece as well—albeit of a more modest size—and could barely wait until I got home and dug into my chunk. Continue reading "Beaufort d'été" »
January 7, 2008 |
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 Every other week I'm forced to leave my modest little apartment because my housecleaner comes. I split since it's pretty small and there simply isn't room for the two of us to co-exist. So I leave and let her do her thing, whatever it is. Oddly, it seems to take her an inordinately long time to clean it. A neighbor once told me she said my apartment was "...very messy." But I don't think that's the reason, since I'm not really messy at all. I've seen messy, and my apartment ain't it. Perhaps she's been pilfering my chocolate stash and when I leave, she slips into my bed, flips on the tv for an hour or so, and armed with a nice box of assorted chocolates on her lap, takes une petite pause. During that time, although I usually begin with lofty plans to spend those few hours at a museum or do something cultural, invariably I end up at the movies. This afternoon I went to see Gone Baby Gone, which was particularly devastating and quite a difficult film. Paris is a great place to watch a movie: usually people take them seriously and no one talks. After the film, there were plenty of sniffles as the whole audience seemed to have been as moved by the film as I was. When I left, I walked by my apartment, noticed the lights still on, and decided to stop in the little café I like to frequent. Continue reading "Monday Night Pizza" »
January 6, 2008 |
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I don't know about you, but I'm a bit ga-ga over anything miniature. And when it's miniature Paris pastries?  These are super-tiny replicas of some of the desserts and pastries from Pierre Hermé. I love the little details...they are just too cute—trop mignons!
Paris Airport Transfers (Charles de Gaulle/Roissy) January 6, 2008 |
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Here's a list of the various ways for visitors to get to and from the city of Paris from Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), where a majority of international flights arrive and depart from. In 2008, the airport is undergoing a much-needed renovation, so give yourself a bit of extra time to catch public transit and find your way around once you're dropped off. They've also added an extra security stop (passport control) before you can enter the satellites and duty-free shopping area, which you need to pass before you get to the gate area, lounges, and x-ray screening. Even though they've made the airport a bit easier to navigate, it's still confusing and things aren't always where you might think they'd logically be. On my last trip, a group of us loaded with luggage followed the signs to the airport from the RER station—which led to a solid brick wall. Ouch! Depending on traffic, the ride can take anywhere from a minimum of 30 minutes to 1 hour or more. Because schedules, fares, and hours of service change frequently, I suggest you check the website of the mode of transit you prefer for the most up-to-date information. Oh, and if you want to be cool, most people call Charles de Gaulle Airport 'Roissy'.
The RER is fast and economical, and doesn't depend on traffic patterns so even if you're traveling during rush hour, it pretty much runs on schedule. The RER B line, the one to De Gaulle, travels through some dubious areas on the outskirts of Paris and I've heard third-hand reports of pickpockets and trouble, but haven't experienced any of them firsthand. As always when traveling anywhere, be cautious, but not paranoid. Continue reading "Paris Airport Transfers (Charles de Gaulle/Roissy)" »
January 1, 2008 |
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 For the holidays this year, I decided to take up a friends offer to visit their family in Méribel, a village way high up in the French alps. As you can see, it's a spectacular place. And I'm not just talking 'gorgeous sunsets' or 'charmingly quaint' spectacular. I mean, Méribel was mind-blowingly, insanely hallucinante. Seriously, I wasn't prepared for the awesome beauty of it all. Although I haven't strapped on a pair of skis in over thirty years, there I stood, at the top of the mountain on my first day on skis in decades, ready to slide down.   Let me tell you—skiing isn't one of those things that you get more comfortable with as you get older. *sigh* Especially when you're with a group of skiers that include some crazy teenagers who, at the top of a particularly steep run, simply point their skis in the straight-down position, and shove off with their poles and a banchee-like "On y va, Daveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!"  And off they'd go...
For 2008...Definitely A Good Omen January 1, 2008 |
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