janvier 2009

Carrying on with the Tour de France of scrumptious edibles, next stop is Bordeaux. Call me stir-crazy, but I'm having a bloody good time (j'ai peut-être la bougeotte mais qu'est-ce que je me poile). Cannelés belong to a long tradition of making fiddly little cakes with improbable ingredients that almost get you arrested at customs. These obscure delicacies combine the exquisite chewiness of a crêpe-like batter with the unrivalled crisp of a beeswaxed (not bikini-waxed) crust. Heady aromas of vanilla, rum and lemon zest hug your... [Lire la suite]

Easiest post ever. I'm jumping on the five-minute bandwagon. The consensus requires me to tell you to go buy the book (Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking). Or borrow it from a friend. You make the basic white dough, you shape it something fancy, you get rave reviews from your roomies (vos colocs sont emballés). Win-win.  A smidgeon of French-imported raspberry jam (un chouia de confiotte) is all you need on warm bread. At heart, we know we can be low-maintenance.... [Lire la suite]

Today in the Uncanny series: my life in a giant cake cooling rack careful with those stilettos

In the wake of my Alsacian themed recipes, let's stay up there in Northern France, with one foot across the border, in Belgium. Now you may not be a big offal buff (un mordu d'abats), but oxtail is really not that bad. A few words of caution: when buying the pieces of meat, make sure you only take the part closest to the back of the animal (ie the meatier ones), and not the long skinny pieces that only have bone in them. You cannot get ANYTHING out of those bits, believe me I've tried. You can probably make broth with it, but... [Lire la suite]

On my short vacation to Paris (visiting family, eating myself to death, etc. - routine), I took advantage of a sunny morning to do a bit of shopping in the legendary culinary cavern, Dehillerin. It's right in the city centre, in the first Arrondissement, next to the Halles, the Rue Montorgueuil, and the Louvre. Agrandir le plan Do pay them a visit if you go to Paris, they have EVERYTHING in terms of cooking utensils. No foodstuff, but pretty much anything you can think of that has a use in the kitchen. That's were I got my... [Lire la suite]