A woman who writes highly-regarded bread books recently contacted me. She was coming to Paris, and wanted to ask me some questions about various bakeries and their baguettes, specifically, which I liked. I wrote her back and told her that when you live in Paris, you buy your bread from the local boulangerie (there are four within a block of my apartment) rather spending thirty…
When I lived in America, it was rare to find leeks. Some of you out there in the states are probably thinking; “Leeks? Aren’t those the fancy onion-like things at the supermarket that look like overgrown scallions?” Well, yes.
The “Toffee Buzz” Clif bar that I picked up in the states (as a travel emergency ration) versus Salted Butter Caramels from Jacques Genin that my houseguest left for me. I don’t think I need to tell you which one won. But if Jacques is willing to add a salted butter caramel energy bar to his list, I’m going to stock up on those instead,…
When I moved to France from San Francisco, I worried about what every San Franciscan worries about— “What am I going to do without burritos?” For those who aren’t familiar with San Francisco-style burritos, these bullet-shaped tummy-torpedoes are rice, beans, salsa, and meat all rolled up in a giant flour tortilla and eaten steaming hot. I don’t want to antagonize the burrito folks, but being…
Yesterday was Jeudi noir, or Black Thursday, where pretty much everyone who works in the public sector, and many others, took to the streets across France. It was a general strike, not just for one issue in particular, and reflected the frustration that people are feeling about their country and their President, Mr. Sarkozy, who is proposing (and implementing) the dismantling of a lot of…
The yogurt aisle in any French supermarket is the largest, longest, most well-stocked aisle in the store. (Wine, I think, runs a close second.) While there’s a disconcerting number of dubious treats there (coconut macaron or lemon madeleine-flavored yogurt anyone?) the simplest varieties are wonderful. I’m hopelessly boring, but I like whole milk plain yogurt, which is my afternoon snack. I eat it with dried…
Tomorrow is the official start at les Soldes, the twice-annual period when the French government allows stores to discount merchandise. It usually last four weeks, although for the past couple of months, a few scofflaws have been marking things down discreetly anyways, flaunting the law in these cash-strapped times. The area I live in is the Bastille, and it was once known as a hub…
[Note/update: Due to requests for my Bûche de Noël recipe, above, I’ve included it in my book, My Paris Kitchen.] I couldn’t let the year end without a little reportage about Christmas this year. You heard about my last-minute scramble to find the World’s Most Expensive Pastry Bag, which is now safely stored away in my Safe Deposit Box for next year. There’s a joke…
Today I turn fifty. Excuse my French—but holy crap! I’m sure you’ve heard this a zillion times before, but I have no idea where all the time went. Believe me, when it happens to you, you’ll say it too. Did I really go to college for four years then travel around Europe for another year after that? Did I really work away in restaurant kitchens,…
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