David Lebovitz's Blog, page 134

December 28, 2009

A l'Etoile d'Or



bonnat bars



You get a little lazy living here. At least I do. And because I'm not as spry as I used to be, if someone proposes a trip that's more than one métro change away, I usually find a way to opt out of it. Arrondissements that are far, far away, like the 15th or the 17th, may as well be on the outside of the périphérique (or l'hexagone, for that matter) and I haven't stepped foot in the likes of them in years.



One place that's worth going out of my way for is A l'Etoile d'Or, and I broke m...

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Published on December 28, 2009 17:27

December 27, 2009

I Have 51



j'ai 51 ans





In French, if someone asks you how old you are, you respond, "J'ai 51 ans", which translates to "I have 51 years." It one of the quirks of grammar between the languages, which don't always intersect. In English, we do say, "I own _______" (fill in blank with something of which you have global, all-encompassing command of), which is a popular phrase, one that I haven't been able to translate to French friends.



(I recently said on Twitter that "...Karen Carpenter owns the Christmas...

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Published on December 27, 2009 02:45

December 23, 2009

Stop the Stuffing!



The other night I was standing on the métro and found myself face à face with a little affiche advising me, minding my own business as I rocketed below Paris, that it's not alright to eat Mr. Ed. Then on Tuesday, I was taking a stroll through the thirteenth, on my way to have lunch with a friend in Chinatown, and came across a sign pleading a stop to the practice of le gavage, the forced stuffing of ducks and geese to make foie gras.





stop the gavage!





A lot of Americans think that all the French are...

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Published on December 23, 2009 15:44

December 20, 2009

All-New Menu for Hope 6 Items + Chocolate Treats!



We're in the final week, the home stretch, of Menu for Hope 6 and I'm thrilled that so many of you have generously bid on items for this important charitable event. It's amazing that when so many people contribute even just a small amount, just $10 a person, collectively we can make a major impact.



However since I am committed to making this the best-ever year for Menu for Hope, so I've rounded up some additional, extra-special surprises in addition to the other fantastic European and UK...

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Published on December 20, 2009 14:40

December 18, 2009

Stollen



stollen sliced & ready





I rarely make bread for reasons that should be obvious: it's hard to justify spending the day at home mixing, kneading, and baking bread when you live in a city where there's likely at least four very good bakeries within a two block radius. Unless, of course, it's the middle of winter and the idea of braving 0º temperatures is less-than-appealing.





stollen dough in mixer stollen ingredients





Before the deep-chill set in this week, the previous week I was going to my dentist, and stopped in at the nearby Kayser bakery (one ...

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Published on December 18, 2009 15:21

December 17, 2009

Shameless Groveling

Alright, folks. We're about halfway through Menu for Hope 6 and we're almost at the $20,000 mark. Thanks to all of you who contributed to this incredibly worthy cause!





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However being an overachiever (in spite of what a therapist, or my editor, might say), I think we can do better. Like, a whole lot better. So just to remind you, here's a list of a few bid items that you should hop over to the FirstGiving site and bid on immediately.



Or there is a super-awesome, easy-to-use Donation...

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Published on December 17, 2009 09:33

December 16, 2009

Improved Lemon Curd



Did you know that there is no such a thing as a Meyer lemon anymore? Well, at least not as we know them. Officially, they haven't existed for about fifty years, when a virus attacked the Meyer lemon trees and they were banned in the United States.





juicer





Then in 1975, a new, "Improved" Meyer lemon tree was released that was virus-free, and people began planting them in backyards in America. And in Paris apartments, too. (More on that, later...)





squeezing lemons butter





Some think that the now-extinct Meyer ...

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Published on December 16, 2009 06:53

December 13, 2009

Menu for Hope 6: Europe & United Kingdom



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Welcome to this year's European and UK edition of Menu for Hope 6, where you can make an online bid in an effort to raise money for the United Nations World Programme's Purchase for Progress program, which assists low-income farmers to raise crops and support their local economies.

This is our sixth year raising money and in the past, we've topped $92,000. With your help, in 2009, let's take it over that mark!

There are some truly amazing prizes, gathered from across Europe and the UK...

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Published on December 13, 2009 14:09

Signed Collection of David's Cookbooks: Menu for Hope 6



Have you been searching for copies of my first two cookbooks, Room for Dessert and Ripe for Dessert, only to find out that they're now out of print?



David's Books



Released in 1999, Room for Dessert had recipes for over 100 of my favorite desserts. Ripe for Dessert followed the same winning formula for easy-to-follow recipes, with a focus on using fruit.

Both books were photographed by Michael Lamotte, and Room for Dessert was a finalist for the IACP Best Baking Book of the year.

So if you've been trying t...

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Published on December 13, 2009 12:52

December 11, 2009

Holiday Snack Mix



pretzel & nutmix



I gave this recipe out a year or so ago on the site. But because it's so easy to put together, I made it yet again last night, to have as a little nibble with some white wine before dinner. And we couldn't eat it fast enough. (And almost didn't have room for dinner.) It's adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris. So for those of you who might have missed it, I'm bringing it up from the archives as you might want to make a batch for an upcoming get-together, too.



bretzels toasted nuts blog


It's really simple to make...

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Published on December 11, 2009 18:36