David Lebovitz's Blog, page 125

Eggplant Caviar

I'd not heard of Eggplant Caviar (caviar d'aubergine), until I moved to France. I'm not sure why that was—perhaps in the states it's called something different when I was served it? Could it be labeling laws, so I wouldn't confuse eggplant seeds for fish eggs? Or did I just have my head in the sand for too many years and only saw the light when I moved away?

Whenever I had eggplants lying around, I always made baba ganoush or moutabal. But eggplant caviar is even easier to make and...

Cornmeal Cookies (Zaletti)

If I had to name one food that I couldn't live without, chocolate would be right up there. Salted butter is on that short list, too. Seeded bagels, California dried apricots, black and white cookies, osetra caviar (if money, and sustainability, were no object), lobster rolls, French fries, and really good fried chicken would also be on that list. Not as fancy as some of those things, but just as good, another thing that I can never seem to get enough of is crunchy cornmeal.

And the...

Le Garde Robe and Spring

After my recent lament about the state of bistros in Paris, where I noted that the wine bars in Paris often had the best food, when my friend Rochelle who owns Chefwear was in town this week, I wanted to go somewhere casual, where we'd be assured of good, honest food.

So we agreed to meet at Le Garde Robe, one of my favorite wine bars in Paris, which serves mostly natural wines. Another plus are the charcuterie and cheeses they serve by the plate (€12 for a platter of each, or you c...

Classic Salade Niçoise

There were various responses on my Strawberry ice cream recipe, requesting a retraction of the moniker ice "cream" since it didn't have cream in it. And a respected food writer pointed out that pumpkin was obligatory in Soupe au Pistou. I, too, know that folks will sometimes call something hot 'chocolate' even though it was made with cocoa powder instead of chocolate. And have been served fried onion rings that were actually broken circles, not neat, closed rounds of onions. And don't get me ...

Bistro Bummer

Always on the lookout for classic French bistros, a friend and I recently stopped at Au Petit Riche. I'd eaten there before and found the food decent, but I remember the company a little better than the food. I was dazzled by the stunning interior and the conversation, which should have been a tip off since I rarely forget anything I eat that's good.

Many Americans have become more astute about dining and want to know where the ingredients are from, how they are handled, what part of t...

Doing an Internship in France

Many people who embark on professional cooking careers, or just interested in having an experience in an French kitchen, are interested in coming to France to do an internship, called a stage.

I posted on Twitter, to find out how people got their stages in France. Here are some of their responses:

"I walked in and asked."



"...sent in a cover letter, followed up, and had a contact."



"Emails and phone calls. A lot."



"Got the job by applying to dozens of patisseries and...

le Week-end

I always seem to have the supreme misfortune to draw the letter W when playing Scrabble in French, as there's barely one-quarter of a page in the French dictionary devoted to words that begin with that letter. (People use "Wu" for Chinese money; although I allow them, it's not in the French dictionary so I'm not sure that's in the official rules.) In spite of their high-value, I always am irked when I pull that dreaded W tile.

But I'm not a Scrabble expert, plus the fact the French have ...

The Hottest Restaurant in Paris

A lot of us étrangers (and there are some pretty étrange étrangers here..) bemoan the lack of heat and spiciness in the ethnic fare served up, because a good number of the locals have a hard time dealing with the heavily-spiced dishes that our all-American constitutions have no trouble handling. We, The People, have cast-iron stomachs and have become a nation of full-tilt eaters, relishing and exalting things that we can take to the extreme.

One thing I miss sérieusement is la cuisine...

Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream

I was thinking of having "If you change the ingredients in a recipe, results will vary" tattooed on my forehead, but there wasn't enough room. (Although if my hairline keeps receding at this rapid pace, it may happen sooner than you think.) When I used to teach classes, folks were always wanting to tinker with recipes, especially ice cream, replacing the cream with what-have-you. Or to replace the sugar with something else. I'm not sure why, because I spend an inordinate amount of my life ...

Soupe au Pistou

It's no secret that I'm not a fan of soup. (Well, if it was, it's not anymore.) I just feel odd ordering it in a restaurant, since I'm paying for a bowl of glorified liquid. And I rarely eat it at home, since when I want to eat, I want something more substantial as a meal. And if I eat it as a first course, then it takes up valuable real estate in my stomach for something more interesting.

However since moving to France, I've seen the value of soup—on occasion. Such as in the dead of ...