David Lebovitz's Blog, page 31

L’Appart, now available in Paperback!

The story was a long time in the making, from deciding to plant roots in Paris, to finding an apartment and tackling a renovation. As often happens, things didn’t quite go as planned. There were obstacles to overcome and I had to expand my French vocabulary. (Who knew there were so many different words for sinks?) There was one too many trips to Ikea, the true relationship-tester, and the story took plenty of twists and turns along the way. And today marks the release of L’appart in paperback, the story of it all.

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Spiced Honey Cakes

I always wonder, when I open a cookbook, what recipe is going to jump out at me? I sometimes head for the dessert chapter first, but since man (and everyone else) can’t live by dessert alone – unfortunately – so I scan everything, from appetizers to main courses. I’m often drawn to cookbooks on French foods, of course, but also Spanish, Portuguese, and the areas in between, including the Basque region and Catalonia.

If you’ve been to Barcelona or that part of the world, you know what an exciting place it is. There are amazing beaches and museums, as well as eateries, tapas bars, and food markets. The region is known for its Michelin-starred restaurants, including El Bulli, which was possibly the most famous restaurant in the world, until it closed.

But most Catalan food is very approachable, making use of the very fresh fish and seafood that’s available, as well as Arbequina olive oil, sherry vinegar, garlic, and smoked chile powder called pebre vernell. Crema catalana is a lemon and cinnamon-scented version of crème brûlée, and from a new book about Catalan cuisine, I learned about these little honey cakes that make a nice berenar, or afternoon snack.

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Sandrine Chappaz Chocolate

A couple of weeks ago, I took a trip to the Savoie, a region of France that was once a dukedom of Italy. As you travel through France, especially away from the center of the country, you see more influences from neighboring countries, such as in the Basque region, where cornmeal and chile peppers figure into the cuisine. In Nice, pistou and socca from Italy are laced in soups, and are local snacks, respectively. And in the Savoie (Savoy), there’s vermouth, polenta, and cheese-filled ravioli, known as ravioles du Royans.

But the most legendary product from the region is Chartreuse, the powerful, complex green liqueur that’s been made by monks in the mountains for over four hundred years. No one knows quite what’s in it, but I needed to make a pilgrimage back to the distillery, which I had first visited over twenty years ago.

You can’t visit the actual distillery anymore, but you check out the aging cellars, the tasting room, and – of course – the all-important gift shop.

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Favorite Newsletters

Hoo-boy, a lot has changed in blogging since I started. Back then, people relied on RSS feeds to read blogs. Something changed, and now it’s social media and direct email notification that readers use to connect.

I used to think newsletters were adding yet another – sigh – email to my Inbox. But now I find myself looking forward to my favorite newsletters showing up in my Inbox, and I feel like I’m getting a personal message from someone I like, with news, tips, links, recipes, and more. That’s due to the engaging way people write their newsletters; since they’re not going out for the world to see, people tend to share other aspects of their lives that are a little more personalized.

Sally from My Custard Pie did a write-up of her favorite newsletters called 10 Email Newsletters that Make Me Eager to Check My Inbox, which included my newsletter (thanks, Sally!) so I thought I’d share some of my favorites, too.

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Peanut Butter Paprika Cookies

There isn’t quite a word for “pie” in French. Tourte describes a double-crusted, enclosed pastry of some sort, but isn’t quite the same as pies in the States are. Like dishes from other nationalities and cultures, pie represents a tradition to Americans. Pies are a dessert we looking forward to baking when fruit and berries come into season, and they are an essential part of our holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas, as they represent something greater than two pieces of dough with fruit baked between them.

While classic pies will never be out of favor, a new generation of pie makers are mixing things up. There are my pals at Butter & Scotch, mixing booze and butter, The Art of Pie is a guidebook to making the basics, and I just got a preview of The New Pie by two non-professional piemakers that are shaking up the pie world.

So I was intrigued by Sister Pie, which sort of blew me away when I opened it. This pie book is different. What’s new about pie? Plenty, it seems.

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Grilled Baby Back Ribs

People don’t associate French cooking with grilling. But if you go to any neighborhood festival in the summer, out in the countryside, there’s invariably a grill covered with sausages, including merguez, lined up and sizzling away, as well as a broche with something turning on the spit, being lapped with flames, roasting to perfection.

Another thing that people don’t know, including me, was that you can cook baby back ribs in less than 30 minutes, ending up with tender ribs using a grill pan – no fire needed! That’s an especially good thing if you’re a city dweller and don’t have access to a grill, or it’s forbidden, as it is in Paris for safety reasons, which is understandable; the city has been through a number of rebuilds and doesn’t need another one.

The word barbecue in English comes from la barbe à la queue, or, from the beard to the tail, and what you see at those countryside festivals is often a whole beast roasting away, while people hover around, drinking wine, waiting until it’s ready.

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Le Petit Grain

A few months ago, I started following an interesting-looking Instagram account of a bakery in Paris that was making all their breads using natural leavenings, rather than commercial yeast. I didn’t know anything about it, but not only were they showing impressive loaves of just-baked breads, but they were also experimenting with croissants made with levain (sourdough). The results looked promising.

After they opened, I shot them a message, asking if I could come up and take a look. It was then I got a friendly note back from Edward Delling-Williams, former chef at Au Passage, who now owns Le Grand Bain, in the constantly evolving Belleville neighborhood. I didn’t realize he owned the bakery, which is just across the street from his casual restaurant, on what just might be the most undervalued sidestreet in Paris. (Which I’m certain, in a few years, will change.)

The street also boasts – something I’m just tossing out there – my favorite croissant in Paris right now.

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Bistro Pierre Lapin

People are impressed with (and a little envious of) the French and their relationship to food, especially a meal. So much so that UNESCO added the gastronomic meal of the French to their list of Intangible Cultural Heritage designations. The gathering around the table to eat is something most cultures engage in, of course, but it seems to carry special importance in France. A French friend told me that in France, people don’t dine out so for the food as they do for the company. Which it’s why its nice with the two converge.

There are plenty of places to do that in France, but you find them elsewhere, too, which we did at Bistro Pierre Lapin in New York. Inspired by the easygoing bistros of France, this West Village spot was founded by Harold Moore and Julia Grossman. Harold is the chef while Julia is in charge of desserts and drinks, two of my favorite things to focus on as well.

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White Negroni

While my computer is still in the shop (it’s going on week three…) I’ve been eking out posts while praying to the gods, or technicians at Apple, that I get it back soon. In the meantime, it gave me a good excuse for a cocktail.

It wasn’t just the frustration; as soon as I got 3-Ingredient Cocktails: An Opinionated Guide to the Most Enduring Drinks in the Cocktail Canon by Robert Simonson, I immediately took to the book since every cocktail only had three ingredients, most of which I already have on hand. So while the fate of my computer is unclear, I definitely know there will be more cocktails in my future.

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Plum Flaugnarde

Once again, I found myself with an overload of fruit. Sure, I like pears and apples, which show up at the market on the cusp of autumn. But I want summer to last as long as possible. So when I see good nectarines, peaches, and plums lingering at the market, I pack my market basket to the brim, carefully making sure the delicate fruits aren’t going to get bumped and bruised, and lug my beautiful bounty home.

Plums are right up there with my favorite fruits of all. French plums fall on the sweet side, like tiny, golden mirabelles and Reine Claudes, each bite filling my mouth with a sticky plum nectar, making me reach for another before I’ve even finished up the one I’m still working on.

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