And how do I know it’s spring? Could it be the trees that are blooming, or the sun desperately trying to poke through the gray, cloudy skies? Might it be the luscious, ripe strawberries with verdant green stems at my market? Or could it be that it’s no longer just the hearty non-smokers occupying the outdoor tables in the cafés, but everyone, hoping to catch…
One of the things I promised myself when I moved to France, was not to buy cheese in the supermarket. It’s not that you can’t get good cheese there. You can. But if people continue buying cheese at the supermarket, eventually les fromageries will lose business and disappear, which would be a terribly sad thing for France. And even sadder for me, since I’d probably…
Here’s a little round-up of some of the inspiring (and unusual) ice cream flavors that folks have been churning up… Brian goes nuts with Gianduja Gelato. Clotilde goes for simplicity with her lightning-fast Super Simple Nutella Ice Cream. Deb’s Butterscotch Ice Cream looks scooper-duper! Ricotta and Honey Ice Cream from Melissa sounds like a perfect match for the summer fruits just around the corner. The…
I was wrestling with coming up with an agave-sweetened chocolate cake that was delicate yet oh-so luscious, and tasted so insanely chocolaty, almost over-the-top, that no one would be missing a dang thing. Unfortunately I didn’t have much time—or success, and after re-washing my cake pan and mixer bowl one too many times, I gave up for good. (And no requests for the recipe in…
An American pal said to me the other day, “The French like carrot cake. You just can’t tell them what’s in it first.” Indeed, I remember making an all-American dinner for some friends and when I’d mentioned “carrot” cake coming afterward, the look on their faces was like, “WTF?” One mouthful, and of course, they loved it. But then again, you could slather cream cheese…
I’ve been a little lax in my duties around here reporting on chocolate. In my defense, I’ve been sidetracked by bacon, seaweed, and kimchi. But man cannot live by chocolate alone, even in Paris. Speaking of chocolate, when I was doing research for my chocolate book, it was challenging to find people to talk about what they do. I met with one representative from a…
Last week, I was making my weekly ice cream deliveries to the vendors at my local market, which was especially necessary since my freezer was super jam-packed and begging for relief. (Which you may have seen when I inadvertently bared-all in my kitchen slide show.) When I stopped by to drop off a pint to my pal Régis, who sells salt at the market, I…
…it’s a challenge to get through to the person you really need to speak to on the phone. …the amount of documentation you need seems excessive. …when there’s a screw up, there’s no one to complain to. …all the workers act like they can’t be fired—because they can’t. …you’re sure the folks up ahead of you are getting better treatment. …there aren’t nearly enough bathrooms.
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