I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been asked the age-old question: “How did you start cooking?” My usual wise-guy answer? “Well, I turned on the stove and put a pan on it.” In reality, I probably should acknowledge a debt of gratitude to Anna Maria Albergetti who got me on this whole obsessive measuring-thing, hawking those carefully delineated bottles for mixing up Good…
You might recall I recently posted the question: Is American Food Better Than French?* There were some very thoughtful comments on both sides of the piece de monnie, but in the post I laid a bit of blame on the French zeal for creating trendy food at the expense of sourcing local, fresh, and seasonal ingredients and I picked on les verrines as a current…
How does one explain, in a few short paragraphs, something that’s such a critical part of Italian life, like gelato? If you’ve spent any time in Italy, it’s hard to look anywhere and not see an Italian balancing a cono di gelato in someone’s hand. Everyone, from suave businessmen in Armani suits to grandmothers chatting on a stroll with friends—all eat gelato. Like the concentrated…
One of the biggest cultural differences between the French and Americans is the acceptance of public nudity. I don’t think I need to tell you which side I’m on: I’m a big proponent of it. As long is I get to keep my clothes on in public. But for others? Allez-y, mes amis! In spite of their alleged laissez-faire, free-wheelin’ attitudes, San Franciscans are not…
Heather reveals the the secrets of Vélib’, Paris’ new bikes which roll out this weekend. Paris Mayor Seeks Welcoming Parisians. If I only had a grill… This weekend I’m going to discover the Hidden Kitchen of Paris. A potty-mouth comes clean. 2 Terrific Travel Tips: How to avoid a pickpocket in Italy (and elsewhere) and what to do if your wallet gets stolen. The…um…most…er, ah…unusual…
I’ve been getting a certain amount of questions about homemade ice cream, which I’m going to answer here over the next several weeks. I’m going to start with the number one question folks have been asking: Why does homemade ice cream gets harder than commercial ice cream in their freezer? And what can be done to prevent it? Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream (click for…
There’s a new face in the Marais: Gérard Mulot. Sure there’s lot of shoe shops, sunglass boutiques, and questionable “art” galleries in the Marais. But there’s a dearth of bakeries and pastry shops. So imagine my surprise and delight when one not-particularly-good bakery near me closed (the surprise part), then re-opened the other day as…Gérard Mulot! (the delight) For those of you who don’t know…
Way back when, after I arrived in France, I wanted to also be in the south of France, in Provence, and I did go off on the lookout in Paris for a large, sturdy mortar and pestle to make all those Provençal favorites, like garlic-laden aïoli and soupe au pistou. I didn’t know what a mortar and pestle were called in French at the time, so I went…
One of my good friends, who’s been living in Europe for the past eight years, announced the other day that he’s probably moving back to the states. Thinking about it, he probably… …won’t have to get all dressed up to go to the store to buy a hammer or a sponge or a pencil. …won’t have to wear clothing that actually fits. …will have to…
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