I remember with curiosity, walking by Comme à Lisbonne shortly after it opened. The shop was merely a tiny storefront that featured Pastéis de nata, the famous tartlets from Portugal that are often served by the platter since it’s often not possible to stop after eating just one. Interestingly, a number of bakeries in Paris do make pastéis de nata – some good, some just…
Susan Loomis has lived in France for over twenty years, starting off in Paris, then moving with her family to an old house in Normandy that they refurbished, a story which she recounted in her best-selling book, On Rue Tatin. I’ve spent a lot of time with Susan at her home, cooking up a storm, then enjoying a wonderful meal afterwords, either outside on her…
By now, just about everyone is familiar with Parisian macarons, those little almond meringue sandwiches pressed together with a creamy filling, which are now available far and wide. But if you go to neighborhood bakeries in Paris, you’ll find another kind of “macaroon” – Rochers à la noix de coco, which, because the French are fond of abbreviations, is often shortened to rochers coco. They’re…
It always curious to me when I see French breakfast radishes in the states. I know that’s the name for them, according to seed packets and so forth. But I’ve never seen anyone in France eat radishes for breakfast. Yes, the French do eat a lot of radishes. (In fact, they were one of the first things I wrote about on the site after I arrived in…
Aside from a few crêpe stands here and there, Paris isn’t a city known for street food. And malheureusement, that Pierre Hermé truck isn’t open for business…although wouldn’t that be nice. (However if it was, I would probably race around my house in search of spare change every time I heard it coming toward me, like I did when the Good Humor ice cream truck…
Living in a foreign country means that everyday tasks, from going to the bank to buying a bunch of bananas at the supermarket, can be a cultural minefield. (I’m still smarting for being berated by a Monoprix cashier for not having exact change a few days ago.) Although it can be an exhilarating adventure, it’s easy to feel isolated and stressed when adjusting to life…
Misc. thoughts, notes, and links from around the web… Links I recently read several excellent articles online about food writing. So much has changed in the last few years, and like most mediums, newspapers, magazines, blogs, and websites continue to evolve. How to Blog The editor of Boing Boing discusses the current state of blogging and offers a fresh perspective and tips. Advice from Every…
I’m not going to say it’s the top reason I live here, but one of the main reasons that I live in France is because of the cheese. It’s not just that I like cheese – which I do very dearly – but it also represents something that France has held on to, and still defies modernization. You just can’t make Comté or Bleu de…
I don’t usually venture out Sunday mornings because after years in the food business, I’ve learned that the one day I was sure not to be working would be Sunday. (I’d eventually made it my sole criteria when choosing where I’d work that I’d only work in places that were not open on Sunday, or for breakfast). I also didn’t think that it was fair…
Join me on my Spring 2026 book tour for my latest book, The Great Book of Chocolate
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