Maybe more than Americans, French people do like marshmallows. A lot. You see them in bakeries and pastry shops, often in long strands, on display either in lengths, or tied into knots, often stored in apothecary jars. It’s a tradition that goes back, before the advent of gelatin, when marshmallows were made with mallow extract which was (and still may be) considered good for your…
A story on CNN talked about how former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, was not bourgeois, noting that he didn’t grow up in a rarified family and as the (American) commentator exclaimed…“He didn’t grow up eating pâté!” I thought that was pretty funny since meaty pâtés and rillettes aren’t upscale delicacies in France, but are considered everyday fare. And some of the best pâtés I’ve had…
I’ve received a number of questions about cooking classes in Paris recently. If you’re coming to Paris and would like information about cooking classes, whether you’re looking for professional or classes geared towards the home cook, you’ll find a comprehensive list that I put together at: Paris Cooking Classes You can use the links provided to find out which are taught in English and/or French,…
If G. Detou didn’t exist, I couldn’t live in Paris. Seriously. The overstocked, but impeccably neat shelves at G. Detou do indeed have everything, as the name implies in French (J. Detou is a play-on-words, meaning “I have everything”.) But when you’re someone like me that does an inordinate amount of baking, plus loves…and I mean loves…to discover new and unusual foods and chocolates, a…
Many times I’ve been with friends and family in Paris and we’ll go into a food shop. Now I’m not picking on anyone in particular, so if you think I’m talking about you, I’m not. Think of this as a composite of lots and lots of people. And I’m sure I’m guilty too, so I’ll toss myself in that mix. I’ll show people something, say…the…
Parisians don’t celebrate Halloween. There’s no trick-or-treating, no garish displays at le pharmacie, no need for mothers to warn their kids about razor blades in les pommes, no teenagers tp-ing the trees by the Seine. And there’s no candy corn. But we do have pumpkins. Lots of them. And that’s how I’m celebrating Halloween this year. I love roasting and eating pumpkin, and I don’t…
While I wait for my life (ie, my television and internet) to return to normal….(although I’d be happy if they’d just return. period)…I left my perch in the Wi-Fi equipped Place des Vosges long enough to have a really nice dinner at Mon Vieil Ami, that I thought I’d recount. I was going stir-crazy sitting at home and was so bored that I almost had…
After dinner at a friend’s apartment this weekend, they rolled out a sizable wheel of cheese to eat before dessert…which since moving to France, has become my favorite course of the meal. But usually you present one or a few selected cheeses, not a big round. Nevertheless, they slapped it down in the middle for the table where the host took a hunting-type knife, started…
Join me on my Spring 2026 book tour for my latest book, The Great Book of Chocolate
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