Archive for April, 2009


Behind the scenes at Poilâne bakery

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

 
Forget the baguette. It’s a modern invention that traditionalists scoff at. No, France’s ancient bread is a large, round, sourdough boule. And perhaps Paris’s most famous traditional bakery is Poilâne, the legendary shop with a tragic family history, whose master bakers still create each sturdy, slightly tart loaf by hand. On a recent morning, I was lucky […]

French food news: 1,001 Ways to eat rice in Paris, organic veg delivery, kindness of strangers and friends

Monday, April 20th, 2009

 
Bonjour, mes amis and happy Monday! So, what’s going in this last week’s French food news? Well, Le Figaroscope must be taking their editorial cues from my rice-addicted mother, because their round-up is devoted to “Le riz dans tous ses éclats” (Rice in all its glory). The winners include:
Best riz au lait (rice pudding): Atelier […]

Cooking for one

Thursday, April 16th, 2009

I wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but indeed it is. The blues can strike, even if you’re in Paris. Of course, in French, they call the blues “le cafard,” which means “cockroach” and is oh-so-elegantly Kafka-esque. Even depression is elegant in French.
Me, I’ve had “le cafard” ever since my husband, CK, left this morning, […]

French food news: Easter chocolate, best Italian in Paris, and Seville oranges

Monday, April 13th, 2009

Bonjour mes amis and happy spring! Look who decided to waddle into the Jardin du Luxembourg? That’s right a pair of duckies (photo above), who quacked so close to my chair, it was as if they were professional duck models! Alas, by the time I unearthed the camera, they had already wandered to the lawn (they’re […]

Dining Out and About (Paris): French fast food

Wednesday, April 8th, 2009

   
As much as I love France, I admit that lunching here can be a little limiting. Aside from baguette sandwiches, paninis, and salads of grated carrot or tabouleh, there aren’t that many options for lunch-on-the-run. Ah, but then I discovered Bar à Soupes et Quenelles. 
At first glance it’s just a soup bar, which is great […]

A year in a French market: What’s in season?

Monday, April 6th, 2009

At a recent dinner party, somewhere between the cheese course and dessert, that age old question arose again. 
Are there no seasons for fruits and vegetables anymore?
“When I was young, we didn’t have any green salad during the winter,” said the woman across from me, poking her fork disapprovingly at a leaf of mâche. “Only endive. For […]

French food news: Paris fish restaurants, Sichuan chilies in Washington, and some pretty pictures

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

Bonjour, mes amis, and welcome to another edition of French food news! What’s going on in the French food media this week? In honor of April 1st, Le Figaroscope has a round-up of fish restaurants. Why, you may wonder, celebrate fish for April fool’s day? Well, in France, the 1st of April is known as poisson […]

A year in a French market: Stinky cheeses

Thursday, April 2nd, 2009

Believe it or not, I spent my first few months in Paris buying only three types of cheese: chèvre (goat cheese), Brie de Meaux (which I now know is a town near Paris) and comté (similar to Gruyère). Why? Well, I like these cheeses a lot, but I wasn’t trying to satisfy a craving. No, mes amis, […]