French people often drink apéritifs before dinner, but rarely cocktails. Americans who come to Paris are often perplexed when the waiter asks them: “Vous desirez un apéritif?” and a few minutes later, they’re handed a glass of red Martini & Rossi instead of the straight-up, dry martini that they thought they had ordered. And another heads-up: tourists are equally perplexed when the check arrives and…
Well, it’s the end of July and Paris has, at long last, warmed up. It’s actually so warm here that—get this: a few Parisians actually went out without scarves tied up around their necks! While we’re all enjoying the Parisian sunshine, I took a stroll around Belleville, a lively multicultural neighborhood in Paris where there are lots of Paris Pas Cher shops; huge variety stores where…
With summer in full swing, I’ve noticed some interesting ice cream and sorbet recipes popping up around the web. Here’s a few scoops that are keeping people cool this summer… Plum Sorbet (Simply Recipes) Homemade Ice Cream Drumsticks (Baking Bites) Vegan ice cream (Vegan Ice Cream) Pineapple Ginger Sorbet (Mark Bittman) Spaghetti Ice Cream Granny Smith Lemon Grass Sorbet (delicious:days) Semolina Halva with Turkish Ice…
I had big plans for this cake. I bought these gorgeous apricots, packed them up to take out to the country last weekend to make a cake. I planned to pick some rose geranium leaves to flavor the batter, and I was going to bake it and serve it proudly forth. Except someone decided to use my perfectly-ripe apricots to make some jam, and the…
Even though I live in a small apartment, I’m not especially good at keeping it tidy. I’m fairly neat and organized, which is essential when living and working in the same space. But I’d rather spend my time baking brownies than scrubbing sinks, if you can believe it. Jeanne is my housecleaner and she comes every other week. (Except during her eleven-week summer vacation.) The…
Rochoux’s caramel-filled chocolate bar. At the shop, they advise you that after you’ve started it, to store it upright to prevent the caramel from running out. That is, of course, is based on the assumption that there’s going to be any left over in the first place. John-Charles Rochoux 16, rue d’Assas (6th) Tél: 01 42 84 29 45 (Map) Related link: John-Charles Rochoux; Parisian…
Because of all the changes in the Paris coffee scene, I’ve been updating this post regularly as a good number of places have opened in the last few years in Paris, that focus on well-crafted, artisan coffees. It’s been a wonderful revolution taking place, as many people – some French, others from Australia and the United States, have been conscientiously been upgrading the quality of…
For a number of years, this forum has been a place to ask questions about ice cream making. However after hundreds of questions, everything that could be asked and answered about ice cream making has been said. So comments have been closed and if you have a question, you can use the search feature on your browser to scan the comments. I’ve learned a lot…
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