David Lebovitz's Blog, page 24
November 9, 2019
Weekend Reads
Thanksgiving is (kinda) just around the corner and you can check out this round-up of Thanksgiving Recipes here on the blog. Rather than getting all stressed out, though, maybe think of making less…and having more fun. As a French friend once told me, “We don’t go out to eat for the food. We go out to be with our friends.” Another friend in Paris told me that when she entertains, she serves only three things, which may not pan out for T-day spreads; I can skip the marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes…but not the turkey, stuffing, purée (mashed potatoes), and cranberry sauce.
Every November I get asked by a few people, “What do the French do for Thanksgiving?” Since it’s an American holiday, I don’t think they want to be in the mishigas of cultural appropriation, sp they’re fine to let us have it, and don’t do anything to celebrate. That said, some butchers in Paris stock whole turkeys (pro-tip: Stay away from butchers in upscale neighborhoods. The prices some of them sell them for are insane), and go to a regular butcher shop elsewhere. Even better, if you order in advance, some butchers may be willing to put the turkey on the same rôtisserie they use for roast chickens, to cook for you, which is a godsend if you have a petit apartment oven.
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November 7, 2019
Sain Boulangerie
I was expecting something a little different when I took a stroll over the Sain boulangerie, a bakery I’d heard about, which was on my list of bakeries in Paris to visit. My friend Romina of Les Madeleines bakery was is in town, and she’s always up to visit new places, or places new to us, so I arranged to meet her there. I figured we’d walk into a place with polished glass showcases, brass-tipped racks of breads, and a line-up of attractive pastries. Instead, we found an unassuming neighborhood spot, not a shop where the pastries were displayed like jewels, whose pastry counter was right on the sidewalk.
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November 4, 2019
Bacon Jam
One thing that’s great about the European Union is that it helps me explain the United States to Europeans. America is so big that France could fit inside Texas, and explaining the difference between California and Tennessee could be compared to the wide expanse between two diverse cultures, and like Denmark and Greece.
I didn’t grow up eating food from the American south; in New England we had lobsters and corn-on-the-cob, not collard greens, okra, and sorghum syrup. (Although once I discovered the latter, I saw – or I mean, I tasted, what I was missing.) Still, it’s not something I know much about, although I do get amused watching people get really worked up over a teaspoon or two of sugar in cornbread.
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October 31, 2019
November Book Events with Michael Ruhlman and Elaine Sciolino
This Friday, I’ll be in conversation with award-winning writer Michael Ruhlman at Archestratus books in Brooklyn on November 1st, from 6:30 to 8:30 to celebrate the release of his new book, From Scratch.
Michael’s opus to home cooking extols the virtues of mastering basic cooking techniques, which means doable recipes for the perfect roast chicken, as well as traditional cassoulet, the ultimate BLT (with home-cured bacon, for those who want to give that a go), Thai curries, and chocolate profiteroles. There will be time for a Q+A with Michael, whose opinions and observations are always interesting, and sure to provoke some lively discussion. (I promised him that I would pepper him with challenging questions about everything from authenticity, to making crème anglaise with cream.) For more info about the event, and to sign up, visit the Archestratus bookstore website.
On November 12, Join me in a chat at the Chelsea Market in New York with Paris resident Elaine Sciolino to celebrate her new book, The Seine: The River That Made Paris, which follows the famed river’s path, which intersects, organizes, and defines the city of Paris.
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October 28, 2019
10 tips for a tasty weekend in Biarritz
Biarritz had been on my travel bucket list for as long as I can remember. In my 20s, working the office grind in London and going for days without seeing any discernible sunshine in winter, I dreamt of buying a van and moving there to surf the endless waves and drink Ricard (pastis) around a beach bonfire. Instead I stayed in my safe job and displayed the surfboard my friend left behind our sofa in the living room (being Australian by birth, it is a shame that I cannot actually surf).
When I finally got around to visiting the ship had well and truly sailed on the camper-van fantasy, however it was still very easy to embrace the surf town vibe that Biarritz offers. Built on the Atlantic coast with a view to the Pyrénées, in the French Basque countryside, it is around 35 kilometres (22 miles) from the border with Spain. There’s a vibrant food scene and the town is a mix of high-low with luxurious boutiques (there is a Hermès boutique just behind the seafront) and chic homeware stores next to surf rental outlets and oyster shacks.
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October 23, 2019
Goat Milk Ice Cream with Goat Milk Caramel Swirl
A friend recently sent me a link to an ice cream recipe that used cornstarch, rather than eggs, as a binder and thickener. That prompted me to think (and write him back) about an ice cream-making technique I learned about when writing The Perfect Scoop. Talking to Faith Willinger, an expert on Italian cuisine, she told me that some Italian ice creams (namely in Sicily) are thickened with starch rather than eggs, because it was so hot in the summer, that people in the south of Italy didn’t want to the richness of egg yolks in their gelato.
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October 22, 2019
Last Call Book Event in New York City, SOLD OUT
On Wednesday, October 30th, I’ll be in conversation with Brad Thomas Parsons for his brand new book, Last Call: Bartenders and Their Final Drink and the Wisdom and Rituals of Closing Time. Brad is the James Beard award-winning author of Bitter and Amaro, and we’ll be talking about his spirited writing, cocktail culture, as well as taking questions. And yes…there will be Negronis* for all!
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Last Call Book Event in New York City, This Wednesday
On Wednesday, October 30th, I’ll be in conversation with Brad Thomas Parsons for his brand new book, Last Call: Bartenders and Their Final Drink and the Wisdom and Rituals of Closing Time. Brad is the James Beard award-winning author of Bitter and Amaro, and we’ll be talking about his spirited writing, cocktail culture, as well as taking questions. And yes…there will be Negronis* for all!
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Last Call Book Event in New York City & Book Giveaway
On Wednesday, October 30th, I’ll be in conversation with Brad Thomas Parsons for his brand new book, Last Call: Bartenders and Their Final Drink and the Wisdom and Rituals of Closing Time. Brad is the James Beard award-winning author of Bitter and Amaro, and we’ll be talking about his spirited writing, cocktail culture, as well as taking questions. And yes…there will be Negronis* for all!
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October 17, 2019
Twentieth Anniversary of the Blog!
I know I should have baked a cake, or rather, someone else should have baked a cake. But no matter. (Okay, so it matters a little…) I’m happy to celebrate the blog turning twenty this month!
I’m not sure how the twenty-year mark snuck up so fast, but it did. Who knew when I started posting a bunch of random thoughts, ramblings, and recipes online in October of 1999, that I’d be doing it this long. But here I am.
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