David Lebovitz's Blog, page 132
February 10, 2010
Sweet and Crispy Chicken Wings
I'm always a little late to the party. For example, last week, the Super Bowl festivities took place. But honestly, I have an excuse. Actually I have a few. Since I don't live in America, there isn't much enthusiasm for American football around here. When I tried to explain the concept of the grandeur of Super Bowl Sunday to Romain, he gave me that typically blank stare which is sort of a signal to not even bother with an explanation, because it made my head hurt thinking about it.
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February 9, 2010
The ActiFry
Because I'm the jealous type, when I read about the ActiFry on Alec Lobrano's blog, a machine that uses new cooking technology to create crisp fries and other foods with virtually no oil, I immediately wanted one, too.
Normally I'm not one to hop on the bandwagon and rush out and get a new gadget, especially when my apartment is bursting at the seams and if I put one more thing on my kitchen counter, I'm going to wind up cooking on the floor.
(Or worse, in another room, which a c...
February 7, 2010
The Truffle Market in Lalbenque
Even though we live in a globalized world, I'm always surprised by how many people want to make or eat anything, and everything, no matter where they live. Whether or not it makes sense.
Take Parisian macarons. In the last year or so, they've become the new cupcake and not a week goes by when I don't get a message about someone freaking out and wondering why the top of someone's batch of macarons cracked, or where someone can get real, honest-to-goodness French macarons in Podunk.
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February 4, 2010
Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread
I'm probably not the sharpest knife in the drawer, because about a decade ago, I met two guys who were planning to start a bean-to-bar chocolate company in America. And I remember thinking, "Hoo-boy, are these nut-jobs going to lose their shirts! Who in America cares that much about chocolate?"
Fast-forward to a few years later, and Scharffen Berger chocolate became a huge hit, challenging, and changing the way Americans thought about chocolate. It was eventually sold for a...
February 1, 2010
Truffle Hunting
It's not all fun and frolic—and chocolate—around here. Aside from dealing with banks that limit access to your own money, or scratching your head when the France Telecom representative tells you that it's going to cost you a mere €465 to keep your mobile number if you change to another one of their other phone plans (although it was a stretch to even get there; his first response was, "Yes. It is not possible"), believe it or not, there are some less-than-pastoral things about life...
January 29, 2010
Sugar-Crusted Popovers
I'm not one to easily back down from an argument, especially when it comes to anything food-related. (Well, except about whether brownies should have nuts or not. That's just something I just can't get worked up about, as much as some people do.) Recently I was having a bit of a disagreement with someone particularly stubborn about the role of fat in cooking.
I believe fat is fine, but should be used where it makes a difference. For example, milk is better in hot chocolate than...
January 26, 2010
January 21, 2010
Salted Butter Caramels
I had a little dilemma recently. I had a half-jar of crème fraîche to use up before I left for a vacation on the beach. I'd been thinking about making caramels with it, but I also knew that I would be slipping on a swimsuit within a few weeks. And left alone in my apartment with an open jar of crème fraîche was not a good idea.
So what did I do? I hemmed and hawed about it, until I channeled my grandmother, who would have flipped out if I tossed away the rest of the crème fraîche. ...
10 Common Ordering Mistakes People Make in Paris
The other night I was sitting at Le Garde Robe, minding my own business, trying to get down a glass of natural wine. Being seven o'clock, naturally, in addition to being thirsty, I was starving, too.
And the lack of food (and sulfides) must have started affecting my brain because I started thinking about how I often hear tales from visitors, such as when they told a Parisian waiter they didn't eat meat and shortly afterward, were presented with a plate of lamb. Or they ordered a...
January 19, 2010
French Onion Dip
A few weeks ago, I made plans to meet my friend Terresa in Pigalle, to check out a new épicerie (specialty food shop). I don't know if you're familiar with Pigalle, but the area has a certain well-deserved 'reputation' and if you're a middle-aged man walking around by yourself in the evening, casually looking in the windows of the cafés and bars, don't be surprised if a very scantily-clad woman tries to catch your eye back, and catch your fancy. And a few euros.
My friend was late, so ...
