David Lebovitz's Blog, page 134

A l'Etoile d'Or

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...

I Have 51

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...

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.

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

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...

Stollen

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.

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 ...

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!

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...

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.

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...)

Some think that the now-extinct Meyer ...

Menu for Hope 6: Europe & United Kingdom

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...

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?

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...

Holiday Snack Mix

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.

It's really simple to make...