Ann Mah's Blog, page 26
October 27, 2011
L'Ambassade de Bourgogne
After recent trips to Burgundy, I've become an amateur (fan) of Burgundy wine — that is to say, I am wildly enthusiastic though I know very little about it. A bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing.
And so, I was recently delighted to discover L'Ambassade de Bourgogne, a new, pocket-sized bar in Paris devoted to the wine and products of Burgundy. The menu offers a bevy of Burgundies by the glass in both red and white (4-16.50€), from both the Côte d'Or and elsewhere in the region. Regional snacks are also on offer, including jambon persillé (a terrine of ham seasoned with parsley) and gougères (cheese puffs, unfortunately served cold). There are also plates of charcuterie and cheeses — with selections to accompany red or white wine — including the region's famous fromage: Epoisses, Chaource, and Citeaux.
The staff is friendly, patient and generous with their (considerable) knowledge. And the ambiance — with its marble-topped tables and Thonet chairs (the kind I covet) — feels relaxed and intimate, the kind of place that could turn an amateur of Burgundy into an expert, providing, of course, you drink enough wine.
L'Ambassade de Bourgogne
6 rue de l'Odéon, 6e
tel: 01 43 54 80 04
October 24, 2011
El Bulli on film
El Bulli, the Holy See of post-modern, molecular gastronomy, closed in July. All hail El Bulli. In case — like me — you never had the chance to travel to Roses in Catalonia (just south of the French border, on Spain's Mediterranean coast) a new documentary presents a year in the life of the restaurant.
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress starts in the culinary laboratory in Barcelona as Ferran Adrià and a small team of chefs fiddle with vegetables, liquid nitrogen, pressure cookers, juicers and vacuum bags, in their quest to create new dishes. It then moves to the Costa Brava, documenting the restaurant's annual opening (El Bulli opened for service only six months out of the year), and capturing the kitchen's tension and concentration.
The film does little more than observe its subjects: Adrià and his two faithful head chefs, who seem to gleam under a perpetual sheen of nervous sweat. The true star of the show — and the only character that's developed — is the food. We watch a plate take shape from idea, to experimentation, to success — success that is defined by the approval of just one person: Adrià.
With little dialogue and no interviews or narrative — and with a running time of 1 hour, 48 minutes — this is a movie that could appeal to only the most dedicated of food voyeurs (of which I am one — I was fascinated from the first shot). As the movie ended, I felt like I'd actually eaten a meal at El Bulli; I left the theater with the same over-stimulated, overstuffed, skeptical bewilderment as one of Adrià's diners. El Bulli: Cooking in Progress is a long, unguided glimpse into the process of a culinary wizard — one who may or may not be from Oz.
What do you think of molecular gastronomy, mes amis? Was El Bulli "the most influential restaurant of our time" (as proclaimed by Time magazine)? Or was it another case of the emperor's new clothes?
P.S. Watch the trailer above and see additional clips on the film's website.
P.P.S. Do you have El Bulli fatigue? This hilarious Slate article talks about the IAAEBP ("I ate at El Bulli piece") and gustatory one-upsmanship.
October 20, 2011
Cookbooks
I love, love, love cookbooks. I love new cookbooks, which present fresh ideas, techniques and flavor combinations. I love old cookbooks, which are like a time capsule, a window into the domestic lives of another era. Browsing a used bookshop in Beaune last week, I couldn't resist the two charming volumes above.
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And then, I got to thinking — what are your current favorite cookbooks, mes amis? What are you cooking from right now? What recipes do you return to again and again? What books do you hope to purchase or receive as gifts? I'd love to hear your latest finds!
October 18, 2011
Fall foliage in Burgundy
Last week I went to Burgundy for a few days. Though the purpose of my trip was to eat research boeuf Bourguignon — I'm saving tales of wine-braised beef, garlicky snails, and liquid Epoisses cheese for a chapter in my new book – I also spent a lot of time driving (over 620 miles in four days!) and marveling at the tints of gold, bronze, and red creeping across the leafy landscape.
Yes, mes amis, fall has arrived — at least in the wine region known as the Côte d'Or.
Further south, on the Charolais plain, things are a little greener, with some hints of rust. By the way, those white dots in the distance are the region's famous Charolais cattle.
I first visited Burgundy in March 2010 when the weather was decidedly snappier. I was delighted to return under more clement temperatures — and to stay again at the Villa Louise, a cozy hotel in Aloxe-Corton (a village ten minutes from Beaune), with red-and-white stitched quilts and a ragtag black cat.
I remembered the kitty from my last visit and, judging from his interest in me at breakfast, he remembered me, too — or at least the scraps of ham that I surreptitiously fed him under the table.
When you eat boeuf Bourguignon for four days in a row, you have to plot the rest of your meals very carefully. Happily, the kind ladies at the Villa Louise indulged me, preparing light breakfasts of whole wheat toast, homemade jam, and baked apples, which allowed me to spend the rest of the day indulging in braised meat, runny cheese, buttery mashed potatoes…
…And wine, wine, wine and more wine.
Villa Louise
9 rue Franche
Aloxe-Corton
tel: 03 80 26 46 70
October 13, 2011
Household gods in Pompéi
Wandering through a new exhibit on Pompeii at the Musée Maillol a few weeks ago, I couldn't help but imagine life as an ancient Roman housewife. Hundreds of objects from everyday life are on display, from perfume bottles and heavy-linked woven gold necklaces, to heart-shaped cake tins and terracotta bottles used to store garum, a salty fermented fish condiment similar to today's Vietnamese fish sauce.
One of the most poignant aspects, to me at least, were the statuettes of household gods found in the lararium, the small shrine present in every home. There were two types of domestic guardian spirits in ancient Pompeii: the Lares, who protected the house and everyone in it (including slaves), and the Penates, who looked after the welfare of the master and his family.
The Lares were linked to their physical location — if their family moved, they stayed behind. The Penates, however, were linked to the family, following them wherever they went.
As someone with an itinerant lifestyle (which I'm writing about here), I would love to collect my own Lares and Penates, one god to guard over our current home, the other to travel and protect us as we move around the world.
Pompeii: An Art of Living runs until February 12, 2012.
Musée Maillol
62 rue de Grenelle, 7e
tel: 01 42 22 59 58
(Middle photo from ecormany; bottom photo from mmarftrejo.)
October 10, 2011
Lengué, an izakaya in Paris
I've heard izakayas described as Japanese pubs, which is an apt comparison if the pubs you frequent offer cool damp towels to cleanse your hands and serve chilled sake and small plates of gyoza, instead of pints and chicken and chips in a basket.
Recently, I was delighted to discover an izakaya in Paris, a bento box of a place in the 5th called Lengué. On a recent visit, we enjoyed a series of small plates washed down by beer, sake, and refreshing yuzu-soda and shochu cocktails. (Shochu is a type of Japanese distilled liquor, similar to vodka.)
The food, like these fried vegetarian dumplings, is simple, even homey, if your home is a tiny Tokyo studio apartment. And yet it also achieves the unique quality of being exactly what you want to eat at exactly the right moment.
Take, for example, these chicken meatballs. Tender and savory, glazed in a sticky, salty-sweet yakitori sauce, they were a satisfying counterpoint to a chilled Asahi beer, or tiny earthenware cup of perfumed sake.
Or, this dish of sauteed girolles in an earthy mixture of butter and soy sauce, which demonstrated the Japanese enthusiasm for seasonal ingredients, and paired beautifully with my sharply tart yuzu cocktail.
The dining room is furnished with a small counter, several high tables, and stools, which create a casual atmosphere. Lengué is a convivial place to share a meal with friends, to sip a cocktail (or two) and order (and reorder) a series of small, bright, salty bites. The attentive staff encouraged us to order food in waves, like tapas; you could also try the 28€ tasting menu.
Lengué
31 rue de la Parcheminerie, 5e
tel: 01 46 33 75 10
P.S. Read a blog post about Lengué (in French) from Table à découvert.
October 6, 2011
The new, new protein
Would you (knowingly) eat bugs, mes amis? No, me neither, but reading a recent issue of the New Yorker, I was gripped by an article on entomophagy, or insect consumption. Fans of creepy-crawly cuisine view bugs as a new source of protein, an alternative to meat with a very, very small ecological footprint.
As the article says, much of the world eats bugs, including witchetty grubs in Australia, tarantulas in Venezuela and grasshoppers in Oaxaca, Mexico. When I lived in Beijing, fried scorpion on a stick was a popular snack at the Night Market, but I always dismissed it as touristy, created for the shock value and little else.
I'm not sure the article convinced me to head to the nearest bug supplier to pick up a bag of crickets. But it has made me curious about trying certain insects like escamoles, or ant's eggs, a Mexican delicacy since the Aztecs. How about you, mes amis? Would you tuck in to a plate of butter-browned mealworms?
Read the New Yorker article here, and then watch a fascinating behind-the-article video with journalist Dana Goodyear.
P.S. I noticed that one of the chefs featured in the article, Laurent Quenioux, will be a contestant on the upcoming season of Top Chef Texas.
(Top photos via loupiote (Old Skool), bottom photo via trendzilla.)
October 2, 2011
Travels with spatulas
For me, traveling is really just an excuse to eat new foods, so I was especially excited to research this article on cooking schools in Europe, which appeared in the New York Times on Sunday.
Which world cuisine are you interested in learning more about, mes amis?
P.S. I'm participating in a travel writing panel, tomorrow at 7.30 pm, at the American Library in Paris. I would love to see you there!
(Photo from the New York Times.)
September 29, 2011
Oh, sweet city of light
Bonjour, mes amis! I'm so excited today to share a glimpse of an enchanting confection of a new book, PastryParis by Susan Hochbaum. It's perfect for those who love Paris and pâtisserie (that is, tout le monde).
As the book's subtitle says, "in Paris everything looks like dessert." Author and graphic designer Susan Hochbaum has cleverly juxtaposed the city's sweetest treats with its iconic architecture, landmarks, and urban and artistic details. From gas caps to the dome of Sacre Coeur, nothing has escaped her sugared lens.
But the book isn't merely empty calories! In the back is a pastry guide, providing les bonnes adresses (+ telephone numbers and métros) for all the models pictured.
Isn't Paris sweet, mes amis? What's your favorite pâtisserie? I love éclairs au chocolat and financiers.
Susan will speaking in Paris at WH Smith on October 20, and signing copies of her delightful book. For more details, or to learn about other signings in the New York City area, visit her website.
(Photos courtesy of Susan Hochbaum.)
September 27, 2011
Talk on travel writing
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a travel writer, mes amis? I love visiting beautiful destinations for work — but when I'm on a reporting trip, I also spend a lot of time searching for free Wifi and trying to eat light breakfasts without offending anyone.
I'm thrilled to be discussing all this and more at a panel on travel writing next Tuesday, October 4, at the American Library in Paris. Together, Canadian travel writer Lisa Pasold and I will be discussing the pleasures and pitfalls of our work.
Here are the details:
Tuesday, October 4, 7pm
Travel writing panel with Lisa Pasold, moderated by Clydette de Groot
American Library in Paris
10 rue du Général Camou, 7e
Métro: Ecole Militaire, Alma-Marceau
tel: 01 53 59 12 60
If you find yourself in Paris next week, I would love to see you! And, as I prepare my notes, I would love to know: What questions would you like to hear us answer?
