Ann Mah's Blog, page 11

Where to eat in Burgundy

The very word Burgundy makes me drool a little, evocative as it is of silky, fruity, ruby red vintages. But as I discovered on my visits here, the region is large — and the Côte d’Or wine country comprises only a very small portion of it.

Cattle dominates the southern part of the territory, specifically herds of snow-white Charolais, known for their meaty flanks. When I saw these animals grazing on flat pastures, the origins of Burgundy’s signature dish — boeuf bourguignon, or beef cooked in red wine — became patently clear. Beef and wine. Wine and beef. They’re the region’s dominant products. Of course, there are many wonderful things to taste in Burgundy…

Where to eat in Burgundy?

My suggestions focus mainly on Beaune, the prosperous capital of the Côte d’Or wine region.

La Cuisine de Pépita (22 Faubourg Madeleine, Beaune, tel: 03 80 24 19 64) is a bright, cheerful restaurant with an accommodating staff. I enjoyed the “menu Bourguignon,” which offered Burgundy classics with a twist, including boeuf bourguignon sparked up with ginger and orange zest.

Ma Cuisine (Passage Saint-Hélène, Beaune, tel: 03 80 22 30 22) is a bustling bistro with a reasonable lunch formule. Though I missed the boeuf bourguignon — which seems to be offered only in the evenings — the salade aux gésiers was delightful, the earthy seared chicken livers contrasting with bitter mesclun greens. Don’t miss the ripe Epoisses cheese at the end of the meal; it practically ran off my plate. Reservations essential

Fromagerie Hess (Place Carnot, Beaune, tel: 03 80 24 73 51) is a gleaming cheese shop in the center of town. A wonderful place to stock up on Epoisses, fromage de Cîteaux, and other local cheeses for a picnic.

What to see in Burgundy?

Château du Clos de Vougeot was once the headquarters of the Cistercian order of monks who tended the sea of vines that surround the immense and haughty stone structure. Today the building is a museum and conference center, where you can catch a glimpse of the monks’ immense industry, evident in enormous 15th-century grape presses and cavernous fermentation vats. Warning: don’t come thirsty — not a drop of wine is sold here.

Maison du Charolais (43 route de Mâcon, Charolles, tel: 03 85 88 04 00) is a quirky museum dedicated to the history of Charolais cattle.

Where to sleep in Burgundy?

Villa Louise (9 rue Franche, Aloxe-Corton, tel: 03 80 26 46 70) is a charming hotel in Aloxe-Corton with quiet, wood-beamed rooms and beds made up with hand-stitched quilts. The breakfast is a little pricey (€15 at my visit) but delicious, with croissants, homemade jam and baked fruit.

Where to drink in Burgundy?

You could follow in Thomas Jefferson’s august footsteps, via my New York Times article.

*

Hungry for more? Today’s post is a companion to my new book, Mastering the Art of French Eating, a food memoir that Library Journal says “is sure to delight lovers of France, food, or travel.”

Curious? Order your copy here:

*Amazon

*Barnes and Noble

*Books-A-Million

*Indiebound

*iTunes

And more from the series, Where to Eat in France.

The post Where to eat in Burgundy appeared first on Ann Mah.

Where to eat in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie

At first, the idea of driving around narrow, twisty Alpine roads terrified me — especially in a Smart car (slave that I am to automatic vehicles) — but once I got there I found the highway surprisingly manageable — and the scenery utterly breathtaking. Out of all the places I visited in France, none was more stunning than the Savoie and the Haute-Savoie.

Even in the height of summer, the atmosphere feels slightly wintry here, with cooler temperatures, flash storms, and ski lifts rising above grass-covered slopes. In the warmer months, herds of wandering cows graze in these high pastures, climbing higher and higher to cheese-making chalets. Their attendant alpagistes produce giant wheels of Beaufort cheese from their herb-sweetened milk — the principal ingredient in fondue Savoyarde.

Fondue is considered a plat du pauvre, a way of using up bits of hard, cracked, or unattractive cheese. In fact, most of the region’s dishes involve some form of melted cheese, whether it’s tartiflette (sliced boiled potatoes layered with cream, bacon and Reblochon), or raclette (grilled cheese on sliced boiled potatoes). Are you sensing a trend here?

Where to eat fondue in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie?

Though I drove all around the region, I used the gorgeous town of Annecy as my base.

Annecy:

Le Freti (12 rue Sainte-Claire, Annecy, tel: 04 50 51 29 52) is a restaurant specializing in cheese, especially fondue. In the summer (which is when I visited), they move the tables outside to a charming village square, bringing out extension cords for raclette and sterno burners for fondue. The fondue, by the way, is delicious (even in a heat wave), creamy and rich with a boozy winey finish.

Fromagerie Pierre Gay (47 rue Carnot, Annecy, tel: 04 50 45 07 29) is a beautiful cheese shop run by a Meilleur Ouvrier de France where you can buy all the ingredients for your own fondue. As the owner, Pierre Gay, says: “People ask me where to eat the best fondue. I always tell them it’s at home. Chez vous.” He also carries a small selection of local Apremont wine.

Courchevel:

Le Bistro du Praz (Le Praz, Courchevel, tel: 04 79 08 41 33) has a pretty wooden terrasse covered in flowers where I enjoyed a diet Coke and a very correct tartiflette. A nice to place to take a break.

Where to sleep near Annecy?

Le Clos du Lac (50 route de la Corniche, Veyrier du Lac, tel: 06 20 60 04 58) is a lovely, modern bed and breakfast located in the small suburb of Veyrier du Lac, about 15 minutes by car or boat (!) from Annecy. The spotlessly clean rooms, which are in an annex off the main house, feature stunning views of  Lac d’Annecy and — surprisingly — air conditioning. I loved this place.

*

Hungry for more? Today’s post is a companion to my new book, Mastering the Art of French Eating, a food memoir that Dorie Greenspan, author of Around My French Table, calls “a delicious adventure.”

Curious? Order your copy here:

*Amazon

*Barnes and Noble

*Books-A-Million

*Indiebound

*iTunes

And more from the series, Where to Eat in France.

The post Where to eat in the Savoie and Haute-Savoie appeared first on Ann Mah.

Where to eat in Alsace

The far eastern border of France is home to Alsace, a region that combines two cultures — French and German — into one of its own. During my travels there, I kept hearing shopkeepers switch between French and the local dialect, Alsatian — which is linguistically close to Swiss German — snapping from one to the other without batting an umlaut.

Indeed, this Germanic influence had spread throughout the local culture, from the long-necked bottles of Riesling and Gewürztraminer to the soft salt-studded pretzels hanging from hooks in the bakery, the yeasty sweets like Kougelhopf, the thin-crusted flammeküeches, aka tartes flambées (pizzas garnished with crème fraîche, onions, and bacon), and the cozy local taverns known as winstubs. And, of course, there’s the region’s signature dish, choucroute garnie, a mound of sauerkraut heaped with generous cuts of cured pork and sausage, a carnivore’s delight.

Where to eat choucroute garnie (and, more importantly, tarte flambée) in Alsace?

Alsace is a big region. My suggestions focus on Strasbourg and environs, as well as the town of Krautergersheim, aka the Capital of Choucroute.

Strasbourg and environs:

Au Pont du Corbeau (21 Quai Nicolas, Strasbourg; 03 88 35 60 68) is a winstub so adorably cozy and dim that dining here feels like going back in time. Unlike many restaurants, which serve factory-prepared sauerkraut, the choucroute here is house-simmered, cooked for hours with wine and subtle spices, served with modest cuts of smoked pork belly and a peppery sausage. Lovely and traditional.

Porcus (6 Place du Temple Neuf, Strasbourg, tel: 03 88 23 19 38) is a combination charcuterie and bright and modern lunch spot. Though their choucroute is factory-cooked, the real stars of the show are the sausages, prepared on-site — especially the award-winning knack, or hot dog, fresh and snappy.

L’Epicerie (6 rue du Vieux-Seigle, Strasbourg, tel: 03 88 32 52 41) is the perfect place to stop if you’ve had your fill of choucroute. The menu offers a variety of inventive tartines, topped with all sorts of different cheeses and/or charcuterie. I loved the tarte flambée tartine, spread with crème fraîche, onions, and lardons. There’s also a nice selection of local wines by the glass.

Le Marronier (18 Route de Saverne, Stutzheim, tel: 03 88 69 84 30) is an old farmhouse converted into a jolly, sprawling restaurant, located in a village/suburb about 25 minutes from the heart of old Strasbourg. Locals come here in big groups to share generous mounds choucroute garnie, as well as endless streams of delicious, thin-crusted flammeküechens. Kid friendly.

L’Aigle (22 rue Principale, Pfulgriesheim, tel: 03 88 20 17 80) is where I ate my very favorite tarte flambée (out of many, many tartes flambées). The pie, baked in a wood-burning oven, was a contrast of snappy, slightly singed crust against tangy cream, and luxuriant salty-sweet smoked bacon. You’ll need a car (or lots of taxi fare) to get here from Strasbourg, but the sprawling, family-friendly tavern is worth a visit.

Krautergersheim environs:

Le Freiberg (46 rue du Général Gouraud, Obernai, tel: 03 88 95 53 77) is a sweet, wood-beamed winstub in the adorable village of Obernai where the wooden chairs have hearts cut out of the back, and wine is served in green-stemmed glasses. I enjoyed the (admittedly, somewhat odd) tarte flambée with choucroute — a pizza spread with crème fraîche, onions, bacon, and sauerkraut.

Charcuterie Muller (130 rue du Général de Gaulle, Rosheim, tel: 03 88 50 22 55) is mecca for choucroute home cooks, with its lavish selection of housemade sausages and smoked meats (and, even, seasoned ground liver for making poached dumplings). The staff is exceptionally patient and informative.

Marc Kreydenweiss (12 rue Deharbe, Andlau, tel: 03 88 08 95 83) offered me a lovely, impromptu wine-tasting session, after I got horribly lost and confused one winery for another. I loved their whites, beautiful and flowery with a brisk mineral finish, poured from elegant, long-necked bottles.

I ate many choucroutes garnies in Alsace, but none compared to the meal I enjoyed with the Truchtersheim cooking club, a group of six, lovely women. They welcomed me with broad smiles and delicious, home-cooked food — Granny’s choucroute is always the best, of course — and regaled me with tales of growing up in Alsace. Here are a few photos from an unforgettable evening:

We began with home-baked kougelhopf, a slightly sweet yeast cake.

In the kitchen, behind-the-scenes choucroute preparation (cooked on a wood-burning stove!).

À table! La choucroute and my heaping plate.

One of many desserts.

The Truchtersheim cooking club.

*

Hungry for more? Today’s post is a companion to my new book, Mastering the Art of French Eating, a food memoir that Library Journal says “is sure to delight lovers of France, food, or travel.”

Curious? Order your copy here:

*Amazon

*Barnes and Noble

*Books-A-Million

*Indiebound

*iTunes

And more from the series, Where to Eat in France.

The post Where to eat in Alsace appeared first on Ann Mah.

Mastering the Art of French Eating — NYC book signing tomorrow!

I’m so excited to present Mastering the Art of French Eating in New York City tomorrow, Saturday, 10/26! If you’re in the area, please join me for a book signing and cheese tasting. Here are the details:

When: Saturday, October 26, 2013, 4.30-5.30pm

Where: Ideal Cheese Shop — 942 1st Avenue (at 52nd Street), New York, 10022

What: Book signing, dégustation de fromage, and talk about  French food. Books will be for sale, thanks to the wonderful Posman Books.

As they say in French, venez nombreux! I would love to meet you — and there will be free cheese!

Bisous,

Ann

The post Mastering the Art of French Eating — NYC book signing tomorrow! appeared first on Ann Mah.

Where to eat in the Languedoc

The name Languedoc is a bit of ancient history, a remnant from the days when France was divided into provinces instead of administrative départements. After the French revolution, Toulouse became part of the Midi-Pyrénées and the rest of the territory formed the Languedoc-Roussillon. But even today, this area — Cassoulet Country, the cradle-shaped territory where the dish was invented — is still known as the Languedoc, a sun-warmed expanse of farmland with medieval hill towns that rise in the distance.

Cassoulet has achieved almost mythical status among French food lovers, a hearty stew of sausages, duck confit, pork sausages, and white beans cooked for hours in a traditional terra cotta vessel until lush and velvety. The culinary lexicographer, Prosper Montagné, proclaimed the dish “A god in three forms: God the father is the cassoulet of Castelnaudary, God the son, is that of Carcassonne; and the Holy Spirit is that of Toulouse.” In my research, however, I found the recipe hailed from one place and one place alone: Castelnaudary. Everything else seemed to be inspired by this version.

Where to eat cassoulet in the Languedoc?

Toulouse, Castelnaudary and Carcassonne are connected not only by cassoulet, but also the 17th-century manmade waterway, the Canal du Midi. Here are suggestions for all three places:

Toulouse:

Le Colombier (14 rue Bayard, Toulouse, tel: 05 61 62 40 05) has been preparing the same cassoulet recipe on the premises for over a hundred years, with housemade sausage and goose confit. It’s a generous portion with lots of meat and silken beans, strongly scented with nutmeg.

Castelnaudary:

Hostellerie Etienne (Route Nationale 113, Labastide d’Anjou; 04 68 60 10 08) is like a modern inn, with tile floors and generous windows. Locals and tourists alike stop here for the cassoulet, which arrives bubbling from the oven, salty, plush and meaty. Rumor has it, the Grande Confrérie du Cassoulet de Castelnaudary — a society formed in 1972 to defend and protect the dish — meets and eats here. This is cassoulet to swoon over.

Carcassonne:

Restaurant Robert Rodriguez (39 rue Coste Reboulh, Carcassonne, tel: 04 68 47 37 80) lies in the more modern section of town, at the foot of the ville haute, or old city. Full disclosure: I haven’t eaten here. But I visited the cozy, cramped dining room and interviewed the chef/owner, Robert Rodriguez, who waxed enthusiastic about his cassoulet, cooked for hours with housemade duck confit and pork sausage. If you try it, I’d love to hear your thoughts, d’accord?

Where to sleep and shop in the Languedoc?

Château Coquelicot (250 route de Castelnaudary, 11400 Souilhanels-Castelnaudary, tel: 06 42 74 55 90) was once the village school and then the town hall, but today the sprawling, gracious mansion has become a charming bed and breakfast run by a Belgian couple, Frédéric and Françoise Bernier. Each room is named after a different perfume — a nod to Madame Bernier’s former career in scent; I stayed in “Angel,” spacious and lovely, decorated in shades of blue and black. Along with breakfast, the Berniers offer a table d’hôte — that is, you can join them for the evening meal, usually three generous courses, prepared by Madame.

Poterie Not Frères (11400 Mas Saintes Puelles, tel: 04 69 23 17 01) is, perhaps, my favorite discovery from my entire year of research. It’s a family pottery business, started in 1830, the modest atelier housed on the banks of the Canal du Midi. Inside, the owners — two brothers and a son/nephew — spin earthenware bowls on foot-operated pottery wheels. They’re making cassoles, the traditional vessel used to cook cassoulet, forming each spout by hand. My only regret is that I couldn’t carry more pieces home.

*

Hungry for more? Today’s post is a companion to my new book, Mastering the Art of French Eating, a food memoir that Peter Mayle, the author of A Year in Provence, says is “very elegantly served. A really tasty book.”

Curious? Order your copy here:

*Amazon

*Barnes and Noble

*Books-A-Million

*Indiebound

*iTunes

And more from the series, Where to Eat in France.

The post Where to eat in the Languedoc appeared first on Ann Mah.

Tuesday dinner with Patricia Wells

As a new parent, dinners have become rather rough and ready in our house — most nights, even defrosting spaghetti sauce feels like a lot of effort. But soup is always soothing — especially as the days grow shorter — so when I discovered Patricia Wells‘s super fast zucchini and fresh basil velouté, I raced to the market to buy the last of the local summer squash.

As you probably know, Patricia is an American journalist, author and teacher (I’ve always wanted to take one of her cooking classes) who divides her time between Paris and Provence. Her cookbooks are among my favorites for simple, fresh and healthy French cuisine — and I was delighted to discover that her newest, The French Kitchen Cookbook (in stores today!), offers many fast recipes, perfect for weeknights. (It also has gorgeous photographs, recipes for cozy winter braised dishes, and an exciting chapter on sorbets — I’m dying to try the fig and the chocolate honey.) Today, I’m thrilled to welcome Patricia and share a few of her quick cooking secrets and a recipe from her beautiful new book.

On her all-time favorite fast dinner:    

We are huge pizza fans and that’s on the menu with great regularity. We always have tomato sauce and we make our own bulk sausage for pizza and freeze that in eight-ounce containers.

In an emergency: 

I freeze soups, daubes, etc in “just for two” containers so we always have something to eat when I don’t have time to cook. Especially when you are cooking for two, make enough for the freezer.

On “creative freezing”:

I have found that you can freeze mozzarella so you can have that on hand just in case the stores are closed. I also slice my homemade sourdough bread and freeze in Ziplock bags six slices at a time so we can always have fresh bread when we want it.

On her favorite fridge staples:

Eggs, mozzarella, Parmesan, lots of mustards, hot sauces, yuzu juice, cottage cheese.

And in her pantry:

Lots of dried, ground hot peppers (Espelette and Aleppo are my favorites), jars of marinated artichokes, canned cubed Italian tomatoes, a variety of crackers, individual squares of dark chocolate.

On her favorite quick recipes from The French Kitchen Cookbook: 

Soups

Zucchini and basil velouté

Yellow tomato soup

Cucumber soup with avocado

Winter pistou

Pizza

Instant, thin-crust pizza with mozzarella, artichokes, capers, and olives

Pasta

Penne with tomatoes, olives, artichokes, and capers — like a pizza in pasta form!

Zucchini and fresh basil velouté

Adapted from The French Kitchen Cookbook by Patricia Wells

*Note from Ann: I loved the velvety texture of this healthy, pureed vegetable soup. You can serve it cold or hot — I chose the latter, paired with the book’s tomato and mozzarella tartines (accidentally singed) (documented on Instagram).

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, peeled and cut into thin half moons

2 pounds zucchini, unpeeled and cut into a 2-inch dice

1 quart chicken stock

1 bunch fresh basil leaves

Salt and pepper

In a stockpot over low heat, warm the oil and sweat the onions until softened and translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the zucchini and chicken stock, and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or until the zucchini is soft and cooked through. Roughly chop the basil and add it to the soup. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth and velvety. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

The post Tuesday dinner with Patricia Wells appeared first on Ann Mah.

Where to eat in Provence

With its abundant sunshine, fields of lavender, pin-cushion goat cheeses, and floods of rosé wine, Provence is the stuff dreams are made of. For six summers in a row, we vacationed in the Luberon region, renting a stone house at the edge of the village of Bonnieux. I spent my mornings buying bright-skinned produce at local markets, my afternoons by the pool reading Tintin books, and my evenings sipping rosé wine and cooking. It was heaven.

Alas, the house — which belongs to a friend — is now on the market, and for the past few summers, we’ve vacationed elsewhere. But I still dream of Provence, especially the food — the sun-warmed fruits and vegetables, fragrant soupe au pistou laced with olive oil, and — along the coast — the region’s famous bouillabaisse. I miss it so much, even sorting through my photos for this post made me tremble.

In case you’re lucky enough to visit Provence, here are some of my favorite food places:

Where to eat in Provence?

Provence is a huge region and I’ve been lucky enough to explore many corners of it. I’ve arranged this list of my favorite restaurants by location.

Bonnieux and environs:

La Gare de Bonnieux (Bonnieux, tel: 04 90 75 82 00) is housed in the village’s former train station. Now converted to a restaurant, it’s one of those institutions that everyone seemed to know about, except me (for a long time) because it’s a little hard to find. The lunch formule offers entrée-plat-dessert — start at the cold buffet, move on to the plat du jour (osso bucco, for example, or petits farcis — those adorable Provençal stuffed vegetables), and finish up with a wedge of goat cheese drizzled with olive oil, or a scoop of ice cream. Casual and fresh. Also, kid friendly.

Pinna (Route de Buoux, Chemin de St-Massian 84400 Apt; tel: 04 90 74 39 60) is an Italian take-away shop and the best place to stock your vacation rental’s kitchen. Almost everything is homemade, from the canned sauces, fresh pastas, lasagnes, breadsticks, raw-cured ham and handmade ravioli — many of the ingredients are even raised on-site. I love their truffle lasagne and their homegrown melons are like sweet perfume.

Bonnieux’s annual soupe au pistou fête (for specific information, check the Comité des fêtes de Bonnieux Facebook page) takes place every year, around the August 15 assumption holiday. If, like me, you’ve always longed to taste this gorgeous, seasonal soup — traditionally prepared by granny’s loving, patient hands — this is the perfect opportunity. Everyone gathers at picnic tables in the village square for a lazy afternoon of food, rosé, and a game of boules.

Scaramouche (Cours Aristide Briand, Céreste, tel: 04 92 79 8 82) is an artisanal ice cream shop in the tiny village of Céreste. The flavors are inspired by and drawn from Provence itself, and the ice creams and sorbets use local products — fresh spring strawberries, late-summer apricots, sheep’s milk yogurt, etc. Full disclosure: Scaramouche is owned by a friend, the writer Elizabeth Bard, author of Lunch in Paris, and her husband.

V Comme Vin (Place du Septier/Place Carnot, Apt, tel: 04 90 04 77 38) is a terrific wine shop in Apt, specializing in local bottles. The sales staff is friendly and knowledgeable — and has wonderful recommendations for the area’s rosés and reds.

Marseille and the coast (bouillabaisse country): 

Chez Gilbert in Cassis (Quai des Baux, Cassis; 04 42 01 71 36) serves up a bouillabaisse that will make you swoon — a deep, layered, thick soup adorned with chunks of sparkling fresh fish that melt in the mouth. Pricey but worth the splurge.

Chez Fonfon (140 rue du Vallon des Auffres, Marseille; 04 91 52 14 38) is a classic Marseille address with classic bouillabaisse — faultless, if a little formal.

Nice:

Oliviera (8 bis rue du Collet, Nice, tel: 04 93 13 06 45) is both an olive oil boutique and a restaurant serving simple but wonderful food: plates of sliced sweet tomatoes, vegetable-stuffed courgette blossoms, lasagne layered with baby zucchini, tiny ravioli stuffed with slow-cooked beef daube. Like an accomplished sommelier, the owner selects regional olive oils to match and enhance different foods.

*

Hungry for more? Today’s post is a companion to my new book, Mastering the Art of French Eating, a food memoir that Peter Mayle, the author of A Year in Provence, says is “very elegantly served. A really tasty book.”

Curious? Order your copy here:

*Amazon

*Barnes and Noble

*Books-A-Million

*Indiebound

*iTunes

And more from the series, Where to Eat in France.

The post Where to eat in Provence appeared first on Ann Mah.

Where to eat in Lyon

Lyon takes eating very seriously, as befits a town that proclaims itself the capital of French gastronomy. Here, traditional restaurants are called bouchons, casual places that have existed for centuries, decorated with bric-a-brac and lace curtains, where the tables are covered in paper and strangers sit elb0w-to-elbow.

The typical bouchon menu usually features a few classic dishes: salade Lyonnaise (frisée lettuce strewn with bacon and topped with a poached egg), pickled herrings, or clapotons (sheep’s trotters) to start; andouillette, tablier de sapeur (a sort-of chicken-fried tripe), tête de veau (poached calf’s head), or quenelles de brochet (a fluffy fish dumpling) to follow. The cheese course is often Saint-Marcellin — aged until fragrant and runny — or cervelle de canut, literally “silk-workers’ brains,” a farmer’s cheese blended with herbs.

Where to eat in Lyon?

Chez Hugon (12 rue Pizay, Lyon, tel: 04 78 28 10 94) is my favorite bouchon, a mother-son enterprise with nonchalant ambiance (fluorescent lights, paper napkins) and classic food prepared faultlessly. Try the poulet au vinaigre — chicken in a creamy sauce heightened with a splash of vinegar — or the divine quenelle de brochet, as light as a cloud, served in a puddle of langoustine sauce.

La Hugonnière (13 rue Neuve, Lyon, tel: 04 78 28 58 79) is a new offshoot of Chez Hugon, featuring more flexible hours (they’re open on Saturday) and a similarly delicious menu. For dessert, I loved the housemade moelleux au chocolat, a pudding-like chocolate cake encrusted with hot pink, crushed pralines, served warm from the oven.

La Voûte Chez Léa (11 place Antonin Gourju, Lyon, tel: 04 78 42 01 33) is more of a restaurant than a bouchon, and I found their quenelle a bit stodgy. But the salade Lyonnaise here is exceptional, a pile of frisée leaves tossed with lardons, garlic-rubbed croutons, and a coddled egg gently broken so that the soft yolk trickles into the crags of lettuce and bread.

Café des Fédérations (10 rue du Major Martin, Lyon, tel: 04 78 28 26 00) is a classic bouchon that has existed, as its sign proclaims, “depuis bien longtemps.” At €19.50, the set lunch menu is perhaps the greatest bargain left in France, its three courses offering a generous array of appetizers (local charcuterie, thinly sliced head cheese in vinaigrette, smoked mackerel pâté, lentil salad), a main course (the usual suspects: tablier de sapeur, steak, quenelle), cheese or dessert. Some criticize La Fédé for being too touristy, but when the atmosphere is this charming and the food this tasty, who really cares?

Plum Lyon (49 rue des Tables Claudiennes, Lyon) is a cooking school (not a restaurant) run by an American, the charming and knowledgeable Lucy Vanel. She’ll take you shopping in the city’s famous markets, bring you back to her home/teaching kitchen, show you how to prepare classic Lyonnais dishes, and lunch with you in her cozy dining room. The cheese board is especially exciting, laden with rare and delicious discoveries.

Where to sleep and shop in Lyon?

La Chambre d’Hugo (23 rue Victor Hugo, Lyon, tel: 06 18 38 27 68) is an eccentric chambre d’hôte housed in a classic Lyonnais apartment. There is just one guest room, elegant and serene, decorated in shades of pale grey, with linen curtains and beautiful parquet floors.

Mama Shelter Lyon (13 rue Domer, Lyon, tel: 04 78 02 58 00) is the latest outpost of the Philippe Starck-designed chain. The throbbing bar downstairs thumps late into the night, but the guest rooms are like cocoons, quiet with crisp white sheets and down comforters. Though the location is a bit far from the city center and space is cramped, prices are fairly moderate.

Marché Saint-Antoine (Quai St-Antoine, Sunday-Friday), which sprawls along the Saône River, is a gorgeous melange of fruits, vegetables, cheese, flowers, roasted chickens, and other produce that will make you want to rent a vacation apartment and cook and cook and cook.

Au Petit Vatel (1 rue Pierre Cornaille, Lyon, tel: 04 78 52 11 45), a traîteur owned by two brothers, Frank and Michel Vaivrand, is famous for their quenelles, dumplings made of soft, eggy, choux pastry that’s been beaten with pureed fish, traditionally pike. Cooked in advance, quenelles are considered a form of charcuterie — buy them prepared and puff them in the oven at home for a fast and decadent supper. (Lucy Vanel’s blog has a gorgeous photo essay on the quenelle-making process.)

*

Hungry for more? Today’s post is a companion to my new book, Mastering the Art of French Eating, a food memoir that Peter Mayle, the author of A Year in Provence, says is “very elegantly served. A really tasty book.”

Curious? Order your copy here:

*Amazon

*Barnes and Noble

*Books-A-Million

*Indiebound

*iTunes

And more from the series, Where to Eat in France.

The post Where to eat in Lyon appeared first on Ann Mah.

Where to eat in Brittany

Brittany is a region of fresh breezes, rocky coastline and green pastures, a contrast of lush farmland and wild sea. It’s also extremely vast, too big to visit in its entirety over a weekend, or even during a two-week vacation. But if, like me, your focus is on food — specifically, Brittany’s signature butter-crisped crêpes  – then you should head west, to Finistère, a département famous for its fine, lacy pancakes.

In Brittany, a savory crêpe is actually called a “galette,” and it’s made of blé noir –buckwheat flour — which has a pleasantly rough, nutty, graininess. Fillings vary wildly, from ham, cheese, and egg (the famous “complète”), to andouille (another tripe sausage), to tender leeks cooked in cream. Traditionally, however, Bretons eat their galettes plain, brushed with salted butter, accompanied by a bowl of lait ribot, or buttermilk — and that’s my favorite way to eat them, too. The word “crêpe” refers to dessert — a sweet, thin pancake made of white flour, drizzled with chocolate sauce, or honey, or salted butter caramel, or — well, the possibilities are endless.

 

Where to eat crêpes and galettes in Brittany?

There are crêperies scattered throughout Brittany and it’s hard to find a bad one. My suggestions focus in and around Quimper, the capital of Finistère.

Au Vieux Quimper (20 rue Verdelet, Quimper, tel: 20 98 95 31 35) is located just off Quimper’s renowned Place au Beurre (butter square) once the town’s dairy-fat marketplace, now transformed into Crêpe Central. The dining room has lace-covered windows, tables and chairs in honey-colored wood, and ceramic bowls filled with hard cider, while the menu features delicate buckwheat galettes stuffed with gut-busting combinations like bacon, cheese, and mushrooms cooked in cream.

Chez Mimi (Rond Point du Moulin du Pont, Route de Bénodet, Pleuven, tel: 02 98 54 62 02) is in a small village near Quimper, a cheerful spot with a thatched roof and casual dining room where locals gather to tuck into a weeknight “galette complète” (ham, egg, and cheese), and schoolchildren clap their hands and exclaim over a “bonne beurre sucre” — a simple dessert crêpe brushed with salted butter and sprinkled with sugar. Try the housemade gros lait, a thick, tangy, yogurt.

Crêperie l’Epi d’Or (19 route de Quimper, Pleuven, tel: 02 98 54 88 32) dishes up buckwheat galettes, paper thin with edges like fine lace. The menu offers an array of fillings, but I loved my plain galette, at once crispy and chewy, savored with a bowl of buttermilk.

Ferme de Kerheü (Kerheu, Briec, tel: 02 98 57 92 67) is not a crêperie, but a local organic farm that produces beurre de baratte, butter made from soured cream and seasoned with coarse, gray sel de Guérande. This soft, salty, tangy butter has a flavor reminiscent of toasted hazelnuts and is the secret to a truly delicious crêpe. If you’re lucky enough to find the farm (I got horribly lost), stop in and buy a few sticks to bring home.

Where to sleep and shop in Brittany?

Manoir de Lanroz (282 chemin de Lanroz, Quimper, tel: 06 86 43 45 93) is one of my favorite bed and breakfasts in France, housed in an gracious family manor that resembles a castle. The rooms are decorated with antiques, windows offer views of a sparkling lake, breakfasts are generous, and the owners, Monsieur and Madame de Brommer, are exceedingly kind.

The Armor Lux factory store (21-23 rue Louison Bobet, Quimper) offers an array of Breton mariniers (striped shirts) in more variations than you could possibly imagine. Prices are a little more expensive than you’d expect from an outlet shop, but the classic blue-and-white with three-quarter sleeves is irresistible (they even make them for babies). The perfect place to indulge your inner seafarer.

*

Hungry for more? Today’s post is a companion to my new book, Mastering the Art of French Eating, a food memoir that Peter Mayle, the author of A Year in Provence, says is “very elegantly served. A really tasty book.”

Curious? Order your copy here:

*Amazon

*Barnes and Noble

*Books-A-Million

*Indiebound

*iTunes

And more from the series, Where to Eat in France.

The post Where to eat in Brittany appeared first on Ann Mah.

Julia Child’s kitchen and a giveaway

This Thursday, I was supposed to travel to Washington, DC to talk about Mastering the Art of French Eating at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The book discusses my admiration of Julia Child — as a home cook, student of French cuisine, and fellow diplomat’s wife — and I was excited and incredibly honored to give a talk at her kitchen (which is a permanent installation at the museum). Alas, due to the government shutdown — and subsequent closure of the Smithsonian — the event has been postponed.

Of course, I’m disappointed. Still, considering the thousands of Federal workers currently without a paycheck, I’m not complaining.

And then I thought — instead of presenting the book in DC, perhaps I could present DC to the book?

GIVEAWAY!

Thanks to my publisher — and in shutdown solidarity — I’m delighted to be giving away three copies of Mastering the Art of French Eating to currently furloughed Federal government workers!

Here’s how to enter: Leave a comment below telling me:

1) Where you work as a Federal employee

2) A one-word reason why you’re interested in France. (For example: “wine,” or “existentialism,” or “Louis Vuitton” (that’s two words, but still).

3) For a bonus entry, tweet: “Food! France! Love! I entered to win Mastering the Art of French Eating by @AnnMahNet http://annmah.net/?p=4860″

Contest ends Tuesday, October 8. Winners will be selected at random. Please spread the word!

*

Here’s a roundup of book news from around the web:

A new breed of wine bars in Paris (NYT Travel)

Leaning out à la Francaise (Newsweek)

What I really think about andouillette (and an excerpt) (Bon Appétit)

The most underrated French dish (and my recipe for salade Lyonnaise) (Food 52)

Lovely post on A Cup of Jo

My book’s gorgeous Golden Retriever spokespeople (Lost in Arles)

My Ode to Provence (French Word-a-Day)

Wonderful reviews from Chez Loulou, Eat Live Travel Write, and Food Nouveau

The post Julia Child’s kitchen and a giveaway appeared first on Ann Mah.