23/11/2009

On reading//articles of interest for the weekending November 22

Art Nouveau exhibit @ Musee d'Orsay

Hiya. I used to post links to articles of gastronomic and culinary interest but then I stopped for a reason unknown to me (butter and cream clouded my capacity to read perhaps).

Homework:

A loving tribute to Gourmet’s Thanksgiving issue(s). [Oregon Live]

Exploring Paris & her culinary delights via a 19th centuray guide. [NYT]

Animal, Vegetable, Miserable – a great Op-Ed piece. [NYT]

10 foods that flopped. [Mental Floss]

Sad. Don’t eat Bluefin tuna. [NYT]

An oldie but a goodie: why one chef vanished after cooking for the greatest chefs in the world. Plus an amazing menu. [Chicago Tribune]

Reviews of New Food. [McSweeny's]

GG, out.

16/11/2009

Bisous//from the design files

fauchon_planit

Ohhhlaohhhlala rah rah ohhh mamaaaa

Terribly bored by Fauchon products. Terribly in love with their design & packaging.

11/11/2009

Mucho Gusto//Gusto

I often find myself in the same place over and over again. No particular needs ever draws me there, I don’t know anyone there and I can hardly tell you the address. But, somehow, I land there safely ever time.

In the heart of Paris there lies a rather large culinary shopping district in the the heart of this area lies a very special place, Librarie Gourmande. I have traveled a good part of the world and have yet to come across a bird are special and as rare as this bookshop. Librarie Gourmande carries books in every language (though most are in French)  from almost every part of the world ranging from traditional French cuisine and pastry to food sociology and literature. You can even buy food calendar’s, magazines and gourmet books for kids. I’ve seen baguette pens and magnets, aprons and muffin tins. Everything a gastronomical me needs. A gem indeed.

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My new favorite food journal

I also found my new favorite source of gastronomic literature at Librarie Gourmande – Gusto. I bought this back issue about women in the kitchen/at the table for 10 euro. It’s published in French with an English translation a cote. I’m not sure if they are publishing anymore as the last issue I found was from 2008. Sadness ensues…

A bit about Gusto:

“Initiated by IEHCA, The European Institute of the History of Food Culture, gusto reports on the annual round table discussions held in Tours which bring together the leading players in the field of cuisine, not just those that create it but those that reflect upon it. Within this framework, the magazine plays an active role in the French procedure to request that French cuisine be recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage.”

Librarie Gourmade
90, Rue Montmartre
75002 Paris
Metro: Bourse

01/11/2009

The art of pastry//another reason to love Paris

“The fine arts are five in number, namely: painting, sculpture, poetry, music, and architecture, the principal branch of the latter being pastry.”
Antonin Carême (1783-1833)

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hunters bounty

When three food writers come together to discuss the art of Parisian Pastries for an hour, you can bet that most people in the audience will be planning an excursion to the best pastry boutiques Paris has to offer armed with a list, a map and an empty tummy. Or, maybe that was just me.

In the span of 3 hours, I got back together with Pierre Herme (we broke up in June due to my impending addiction to the Isphahan croissant), re-connected with Laduree (we parted ways in June due to lethal doses of macarons) and found new love with Ble Sucre. Please see photo exhibits A-D:

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Doomed romance: Pierre Herme's Isphahan Croissant

Isphahan: a combination of rose jelly, raspberries and litchi. I ate them almost everyday, until I had to quit. Still, she is the most amazing croissant I’ve ever had.

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Chestnuts, Violette & Chocolate, Rose and Vanilla macarons from Pierre Herme

Considered the most modern and innovative patissier, Pierre also makes the best macarons in Paris.  With crazy flavor combinations and special edition macarons which are available for a limited time, he’s certainly one-of-a-kind.

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Laduree's Fig Tart

House of Laduree (as I like to call it), born in 1862, is one of the oldest pastisseries in Paris. Furthermore, the art of pastry is one of the oldest crafts in France which lends the explanation as to why the French are so obsessed with their pastry.

Laduree holds a very special place in my gastro-heart as its windows could rival Cartier for the lavish colors and decor. It is a jewel unlike any other. Willy Wonka has nothing on Laduree kids.

*This fig tart was so fresh and luscious and just a pleasure to look at. The French do know beauty.

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Bergamot macaron by Laduree. Nail polish "Madrid" by Movolo.

This is one of my favorite flavors – bergamot – also seen in Earl Grey tea. Look at the color…vivid…the taste? Tart and sublime.

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Violet Gateau from Ble Sucre

My last stop was a small and rather new pastisserie & boulangerie in the somewhat out of the way, 12th arrondissement – Ble Sucre.

Highly suggested by David Lebovitz, Ble Sucre is located on a very charming street off of Square Trousseau.  The shop is is owned by Fabrice Le Bourdat who trained under Gilles Marchal of Hotel Bristol, clearly this was not going to be an epic fail.

Though known for the madelines, I chose to break away from the mold and eat their violet gateau. Floral and velvety, this little piece sat in my fridge for 2 hours before I could no longer resist her temptations – and that was after eating the macarons, fig cake and croissant.

Paris can be everything and anything to anyone: beautiful, cold, chic, unrelenting, delicious, extravagant but there is one thing we can all agree on: it is, most certainly, sweet.

Laduree
21 rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
Metro: St. Germain-des-Pres

Pierre Herme
72, Rue Bonaparte
75006 Paris
Metro: St. Germain-des-Pres

Blé Sucré
Square Trousseau
7, rue Antoine Vollon
750012 Paris
Metro: Ledru-Rollin

28/10/2009

what is means to be original//Child, Julia

I was browsing old Julia Child clips and came across this very special, very original, very “Julia” clip of her outstanding improvisation skills.

Only an original can outshine someone as quick as Letterman.

Legend.

13/10/2009

Food Inc.//How on earth did we get this far

You need to watch this movie. Irresponsible behavior on the part of consumers, Big Food companies and *cough* the government have made America sick, fat and stupid. I said it. You read it.

Food Inc, is an honest look at something that should be simple, but is eerily complex: where our food comes from. The film dives into the illusion of diversity in our supermarkets where 90% of products are made from corn and most poultry and beef cattle are fed…corn; and where the picture of “farm fresh” is all smoke and mirrors. How did we get this far and what can we do about it? It’s about time that someone made a film exposing the realities of industrial agriculture and the current sorry state of health we are in because of it.

Watch on my sistahs and brothas. This is one documentary you quite literally can not afford to miss.

FYI: I didn’t get to see this when in came out in June b/c I am in Paris and yes, i finally found an illegal way to download it. SHHHH. DVD out Nov 3rd. Holler.

07/10/2009

Housekeeping//best of food videos

I laughed. I cried. I noticed the refined knife skills and talking dog. This makes me want to cook Japanese food and note that Cooking With Dog has quite the large fanbase. Only in this universe kids, only in this.

03/10/2009

Since no one asked//25 questions for a New Yorker.

new-york-city-at-night.325192353_std

I’m going through a period of NYC withdrawal. Don’t get me wrong – I am in love with Paris but being from New York, well, it’s easy to miss and easy to leave. So, here we have 25 wonderful NY’er questions posed to yours truly and answered as honestly as possible.

Who’s your favorite New Yorker, living or dead, real or fictional?

Gordon Gekko. He embodies everything that is right and wrong about NYC.

What’s the best meal you’ve eaten in New York?

Babbo. Transcendant beef cheek ravioli and delicious wine list. Tacos from La Superior. Oh and coffee from Joe’s (in NYC, coffee is a meal).

In one sentence, what do you actually do all day in your job?

I am a student of life and food.

Would you still live here on a $35,000 salary?

There’s no where better to live when you are poor.

What’s the last thing you saw on Broadway?

Phantom. Classic. I love me a grand, over -the-top show. It satisfies the little gay man inside me screaming to get out.

Do you give money to panhandlers?

No. I feel like a bad person now that you asked. But you never know what they are going to do with it. I prefer to give back by volunteering.

What’s your drink?

Let’s not talk about that now. I’m hungover from too many martini’s.

How often do you prepare your own meals?

Everyday.

What’s your favorite medication?

Aleve and a Diet Coke. Cures anything from hangovers to, um, what?

What’s hanging above your sofa?

In Paris: photos my friend Natasha took of NYC.

In NYC: prints of Paris, photos of my family.

How much is too much to spend on a haircut?

As long as you look and feel good, priceless.

When’s bedtime?

Weekdays, 1230am. Weekends, no comment.

Which do you prefer, the old Times Square or the new Times Square?

C’mon! Old! New York is about grit and it’s slowly getting away from that. The grime, the grit, the hardships nurture creativity and art and without those things, we wouldn’t have New York City.

What do you think of Donald Trump?

Nice coiff.

What do you hate most about living in New York?

The weird smell in bodegas. Smoke + old fried food + cat + something indeterminable.

Who is your mortal enemy?

The last drink.

When’s the last time you drove a car?

I’m a New Yorker, I don’t even have a license.

How has the Wall Street crash affected you?

I moved to Paris and went to Le Cordon Bleu right when things got bad. It was awesome life timing.

Times, Post, or Daily News?

Times. Always. Especially the food section on Wednesdays and the Sunday paper. Nothing like waking up to find that 10 pound paper and flipping through it with some coffee. Though, I must confess to reading Page Six every now and then.

Where do you go to be alone?

Home.

What makes someone a New Yorker?

Being born here. Duh. (attitude!)

29/09/2009

inspired//from the always files…

Because...

Because...

Always. Be. Inspired. Influenced. Energized. If we weren’t, life would be boring.

Photographer Steven Klein captures fantasy, metal, Hollywood and something dark…

14/09/2009

baby there’s no other superstar you know that i’ll be//your paparazzi

stop hitting on me.

stop hitting on me.

no. i'm sorry, i don't love you.

no. i'm sorry, i don't love you.

no. i'm busy on Friday night.

no. i'm busy on Friday night.

Tom. Tom and Eric.

*feeds on eye candy (aka mandy) sighs*

They’re biblical. Like the three wise men but hotter.

XO.