French Cuisine

One of the things that most excited me most about coming to Stockholm was to visit Pärlans Konfektyr. The moment I heard about it, I knew I had to go. I mean, a small shop that makes artisanal caramels, in one of the best dairy-producing countries in the world, with a wink-and-a-nod to traditional Swedish charm? Count me in. So I asked if I could come and watch them make caramels. When I walked in, I got the usual cheerful Swedish greeting, and I realized I was surrounded by caramels in an array of flavors – some traditional, others less-so, and some beautiful jars of sauce which, after I tasted a sample, had me seriously consider risking getting busted for trying to smuggle a few home in my carry-on. I didn’t, although I’m sure the agents at the airport would have been very, very happy to confiscate them! The beautiful logo, the warm welcome with a lilting “Hej!” (“Hi!”), the rows and rows of wrapped caramels, and jars of sauces with “l”, “J”, “Å” and Ö”-heavy names I could barely pronounce. Judging from the steady stream of customers – many with kids in tow (and towheaded kids, at that – after all, it’s Scandinavia), it seemed to be an obligatory stop in the neighborhood. After a few moments of admiring everything, the folks at Pärlans invited me into their pristine kitchen and I felt an air of happiness as the workers diligently cut up butter, boiled up sugar syrups, measured out fruit purees, and were hand stamping wrappers for caramels. Continue Reading Pärlans Caramels...

Eating and travel are lots of fun. Hopefully when you hit the air – and the road – with friends, there will be a lot of hits. But inevitably, you do run the risk of a few misses. En route to a remote part of Sweden, we drove for a while, seeing nothing but trees, remarkably blue skies, one or two clouds, and a car-free road in front of us. But soon our tummies started rumbling. We had hoped to pass a charming little place on one of the picturesque little lakes that we kept driving by, dreaming of platters of fresh fish caught that morning with a bowl piled with new potatoes, slick with Swedish butter, dill sprigs, and crunchy flakes of salt. Alongside we might sip a locally made beer. Then finish up with a bracing cup of good Swedish coffee to send us back on our way. Continue Reading Smörgåstårta...

You might expect me to wax rhapsodic about the array of sheep’s and goat’s milk cheeses, or gush about the intensely flavorful charcuterie, or rave about the freshness of the just-caught fish, but no. I’m here to extol a pastry. (And if you think about it, is that really so surprising after all?) Upon entering Ajaccio’s Boulangerie Galéani (for no discernible reason the only bakery there mentioned in any of the guide books I read) on the first morning of my weekend there in late May, I was met with the sight of these tempting allumettes aux amandes. Sure, we picked up some of the supposedly great canistrelli (like a smallish scone or thick shortbread cookie, but barely sweet and extremely dry), and some awesome cheese tarts made with the local brocciu (fresh sheep’s cheese, similar in texture to ricotta), but the allumette was the star of the show. Imagine a thick twist of  puff pastry, probably made with salted butter, dunked in sweet meringue and sprinkled with salted almonds, then baked until crisp and caramelized. Alternately flaky, tender, crunchy, sweet and salty, it was truly one of the most surprising things I’ve eaten in quite a while. We visited other bakeries during our stay, and sampled many delicious things – mostly on the savory end of the spectrum, now that I think about it: turnovers filled with cheese, onions, and Swiss chard, sausages wrapped in croissant dough – but never saw another allumette aux amandes. So my recommendation, if you’re ever in Ajaccio, is to visit the Boulangerie Galéani, skip the canistrelli (which were pretty unimpressive) and the bread (I didn’t see a single good baguette the whole time I was there), and load up on these sweet-and-salty delights. Of course, the setting in which we ate this pastry could have something to do with it. After hiking up and around a gorgeous peninsula… …we sat down to a picnic lunch high on a cliff overlooking the Iles Sanguinaires… …which probably made everything taste better. On this day in 2008: Nick’s Provençal Eggplant - a delicious ragoût, which I’m excited to make once eggplant comes back into season…hopefully only a few more weeks now. Originally published on Croque-Camille.

Even though we come from different worlds – my life (in some ways) depends on gluten, and her life (in some ways) depends on avoiding it. But Shauna of Gluten-Free Girl both share a common love of cooking and baking. and that’s good enough for me. (I’ve never asked her, but I hope she feels the same.) We met several years ago when I was in Seattle. At the time, I didn’t know much – actually, anything – about gluten-free eating…but it was interesting to see how recipes and life could be adapted to eat in a different way without feeling deprived. Much had to do with cooking with real ingredients and when you have an intolerance, you pay more attention to your diet and how you are feeding yourself. And it’s pretty hard to argue with that, no matter what you need, or choose, to eat. Continue Reading Lemon Yogurt Cake with Apricot-Cherry Compote...

When I was in Paris in April, it was the start of asparagus season and every restaurant had asparagus on their menus. A few had soups and a few more had asparagus salads, but the hands-down-just-about-everywhere dish was some varation on asparagus with a soft egg. This version had some herbs and a scattering of Pamesan shards. Others had jambon iberico. Some chefs wrapped each stalk in pancetta or prosciutto and roasted them until the pancetta was transparent. And here's the thing: They were all great! And now we're getting the first local asparagus in Connecticut and I'm making asparagus and egg early and often. In part it's a celebration of asparagus's arrival and in part it's the manifestation of some usually well-repressed hoarding instinct: I know they're going to be gone soon and so I'm trying to get as much of them as I can ... now! If you're an asparagus neophyte, here's a how-to tip sheet with information on buying, storing and cooking the spears. It includes a recipe for Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto from the talented Russ Parsons. I'd love to know if you get local asparagus where you live and what you're doing with them. LMK.

There are a number of “have-to” lists in Paris, places where people just have to go while they’re here. Often people have limited time, and I hear ya, so I might suggest the departments stores on the Boulevard Haussman, Printempts and Galeries Lafayette (although even since Printemps started charging €1,5 to use the restrooms, I’m inclined to go to the Galeries Lafayette, just on principle.) Some of the well-known chocolatiers and pastry shops have kiosks in those stores, so you can hit the “big names” in one fell swoop. If that’s your thing. For those wishing to shop on a smaller scale, there’s La Graineterie du Marché at the excellent Marché d’Aligre. It’s the only outdoor market in Paris that’s open every day, except Monday, and in the center of the market, you’ll find José Ferré tending to his lovely, old-fashioned dry goods shop. Continue Reading La Graineterie du Marché...

I'm always game for a new address, and when John Talbott wrote his highest rated review of the year and called this new table "some of the most interesting cooking since Ze Kitchen Galerie" and Condé Nast Traveller proclaimed Manger as the "best new restaurant in Paris", how could I resist?Located in the same part of the gentrifying 11th as other foody shrines Septime and Bones, this long and lofty restaurant is spacious and luminous, the staff (many comprised of unemployed people learning the restaurant trade) friendly and welcoming, and the menu, from thirty something chef, William Pradeleix who worked with Darroze at the Connaught and at a Jean Georges outpost in Bora Bora, is nicely turned out, fresh innofensive food for the arty bobos that filled the dining room (3à something PR chicks giving the maitre d' the bise, 50 something photographer with his teenage Justin Bieber mopped stagiere in tow..). Apparently a few high ranking Michelin star chefs have given their input, the Plaza's Michelak has remote controlled the dessert menu, and produce is top notch, but it just didn't hook me: the daily starter of carpaccio of foie gras terrine with strawberries and tiny fava beans was, fine, but unremarkable, the foie gras just a touch boring, the mackerel with corn, mango and coriander served with a side of pilaf rice acceptable, but I just couldn't feel the whizz bang talent my esteemed colleagues detected. And although they are doing good things for people in need, I'm on ze fence with this one, and Pradeleix is no Ledeuil. Maybe they need a bit more time..

It’s arguable whether Paris is a “cutting edge” city. With a rich culinary tradition, change comes slowly (and sometimes requires a little coaxing), and the arrival of kale is no exception. Although we can now get kale sporadically in Paris, thanks to The Kale Project, I was fortunate when a friend came to Paris bearing the fruits (or leaves) of crinkly denseness. In a “be careful what you wish for” moment, I’d overdosed on kale when it became available at my ruche, because I just couldn’t help myself from buying any and all of it, fearing I’d never see it again. Yet as much as I like it, it was a bit of a hard-sell with Parisian friends who weren’t as enthused about the tough, rugged greens sautéed in garlic and chili flakes, as I was. Continue Reading Kale Chips...

This Sunday, June 9th – I’ll be at La Cuisine cooking school from 2 to 4 pm signing books and hanging out. The venue is located at 80, quai de l’Hôtel de Ville (map) and you’re welcome to stop by and say hi! There will be copies of The Sweet Life in Paris, The Perfect Scoop and Ready for Dessert in the US and UK editions. Parked alongside will be Henri from Glazed, with his ice cream truck, scooping up his intriguing and fabulous flavors. More information is at the Facebook Event Page, and you are welcome to RSVP there – although not necessary. See you on Sunday!

   5.6 Le Petit Pan, 18, rue Rosenwald in the 15th, 0142.50.04.04 (Bus = #95), closed Sundays, was featured in Le Fooding as a "Néobistrot, Tapas et pinchos, Terroir" and that, indeed, it is.  And it is popular, and it is crowded, and it plays tennis loudly over the TV (at least today during Roland Garros - today's top reading was 78.5 dB), and it had either stools at a comptoir or a metal chairs at a common table, and it overflows into the street with convives my age sipping white wine and snacking charcuterie.  Now this is at lunch; my guess it that at apero/tapas time things get even crazier (in a nice way mind you).                           The food is not fancy-smancy (like yesterday at Es), it's straightforward good product, well-prepared and nicely presented.  My companion, who's lived/visted here since age 7, had the terrine de campagne and I had the deconstructed avocado, shrimp and mayo - both better than ordinary.                             T hen he had the quite acceptable beef tartare and I, the Montbeliard sausage with quite fine green lentils.               It was the sort of day, uncertain whether it's winter or summer, you do want dessert, so he had the rice pudding with a drizzle of caramel and I had the crumble tart tht said it was paale-straberries but sure tasted of rhubarb to both of us. With a bottle of quite acceptable Pinot/Gamay from the Côtes d'Auvergne (one problem - unless you have binoculars there's no way you can see what the bottles are behind the bar from which you have to choose), no bottled water and 2 coffees (3 E for two versus 5 E each yesterday), our bill was 69 E. Go?  Certainly not a destination restaurant but a harbor in the storm if you live anywhere nearby.