Weekend Links

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Plum season seems to have wound down for the year – sniff…sniff – but I’ve spied a number of lovely heirloom (or à l’ancienne) apples and pears at the markets, along with grapes (for sorbet), pears (for poaching, roasting, and baking into red wine tarts), which will go great with the amazing crème d’Isigny I discovered on my trip to Normandy. Yes, I’m hooked, but eat that insanely-good stuff in microdoses. Although the word “addictive” gets used a lot, my empty crème jars are proof that Houston, we’ve got a problem.

I’ve had my head down this month, working on the final round of book edits and proofs for my next book. But like many writers, I was thwarted by the internet. Here are a few things that kept my mind (unfortunately) wandering from my work…

-How to make those elusive, creamy-soft Japanese chocolates at home. (Food52)

-French women chime in on the 35-hour workweek. (Refinery 29)

-Finnish grocery stores have a “happy hour” to fight food waste. (My Modern Met)

-The great Dionne Warwick warbles Walk On By on the roof of Maison de la Radio in Paris, circa 1964. (YouTube)

-French employee dies during an, um...indiscretion, on a business trip. His company is liable. (BBC)

-Notre Dame’s Toxic Fallout. (NYT)

-And you think cooking is hard? JJ Goode, ace writer of cookbooks, talks about cooking with one arm, which he adds is especially a challenge when you’re using it to hold one of the kids while cooking. (Taste)

-LA Times restaurant critic critiques a chef accused of harassment – and his food. (LA Times)

-Archived, but still funny: How can a couch suck so much? (The Awl)

-I’m not one for cute animal videos but this little thief busted for munching away at someone’s garden is adorable (The dodo)

-Table for one? How to enjoy dining alone when you’re traveling. It’s something I’ve yet to master. (Travel + Leisure)

-Churn up your own “Butter of the Gods,” aka: homemade cultured butter. (Janet Fletcher)

-Watch the futuristic new water taxis zoom across the Seine in Paris (CBS)

-I want this house.

-Extra-excited about the re-release of The Last Course by pastry icon Claudia Fleming, long out of print… (Amazon)

-Chef Paul Bocuse makes Œufs pochés à la beaujolaise. (YouTube)

 

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17 comments

    • Heidi Husnak

    “Houston we’ve got a problem” implies a need to immediately fix. I think you are safe simply to enjoy. Great links. Thanks.

    • Kay Harden

    Rats. Checked on your new book and it doesn’t get released till March. It would have made a great Xmas gift for my sister. If only you weren’t distracted by so many interesting links or taking out time to gorge (xx that word, substitute snack), on the cheesy stuff I can’t spell.

    • Heidi

    crème d’Isigny What is this? Like yogurt? Sounds delish. How do use it?

    • Linda

    Just love your link list. And especially love the Frank Lloyd Wright home! Thanks.

    • David
    David Lebovitz

    Kay: When a book contract gets signed, there’s a deadline (yikes!…) and a release date, which is usually a few years later. All that stuff, like editing, photos, proofing, design, etc. take time. I also increased the book by 30% adding a lot more recipes and photos…so it’ll be worth the wait! : )

    Heidi: It’s crème fraîche made with the spectacularly good (and ultra-thick) cream from Normandy. It’s nice for baking and cooking, but pretty great on its own with berries or fruit, too.

    Linda: Thanks. I love that FLW house. Some people said it’s too small, but I think it looks perfect.

    • Carolyn

    Great links, David! Going to try making that wonderful sounding butter. On the FLW house, if it was yours, you might have to lay off some of the crème d’Isigny! Did you see how it opens?

    • Sarah N-J

    Thanks, David. LOVE the groundhog.

    • Karen

    I hesitate to eat purple coq au vin. . . purple eggs are simply a bridge too far! The ground hog, however, adorable in Someone Else’s garden!

    • Susan Riggs

    I love your posts! Too bad I’d rather eat it than cook!

    • George

    I loved the 35 hour week article. Did not know about the exemption for cadre level employees or of the link to extra holidays. Thanks!
    How do you find employee benefits or assurances in France compared to those working in the U.S .. do they make any difference to your working life? Or is it the healthcare system that makes the biggest difference? (I’ll spare you a question on tax).

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      If you work for a company (are salarié) you get very good benefits and vacations, but people who work for themselves (indépendent) don’t get paid vacations and you pay for your own benefits. So there’s a lot of motivation to work for a company ;)

      The French health care system is mostly excellent. Like anything, there are pros and cons but generally speaking, the system is very good and you don’t have to worry about getting health care or paying for care. And everyone is covered, so there are no uninsured people.

    • Stacey

    Having just picked a peck of those fall apples you mention, I had a thought that led me to your old post on making the perfect caramel… and then here. Caramel apples are delicious; candy apples are delicious. Why not a hybrid: a hard-crack caramel apple? Would it work? Would you suggest something other than a a large batch of caramel made per your perfect caramel instructions, and then dipping instead of pouring?

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      I haven’t made them in large batches but I’ve used straight caramel to make caramelized lady apples, which are small apples. I did an online Google search and saw recipes for candy apples on the internet so you might want to check one of those out, too.

        • Stacey

        Thanks for the reply! Yes, I’ve definitely made candy apples before, and caramel apples, just not the hybrid I’m imagining, with the hard, crackly coating of a candy apple, but a caramel flavor. Candy apples I’ve made are just plain sugar flavor, or some people flavor them with cinnamon red-hots. Did your caramelized lady apples have a hard, crackly coating, not the soft, chewy one that caramel apples more often have? How did you (or how would you) do that? Using the same technique as in your old ‘perfect caramel’ post?

    • Margaret

    Have you ever eaten the Œufs pochés à la beaujolaise? They don’t look good, but I bet they are :)

      • David
      David Lebovitz

      Yes, I have, and it’s delicious (if done right.) The color isn’t the most photogenic; cooked red wine turns a ruddy color that’s not as appetizing as it tastes, but it’s something I enjoy from time to time.

        • Fernanda

        It looks super weird, and I am always up for new ways to prepare eggs. Do you have any tips?

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