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One Soufflé at a Time and The Paris Gourmet- Book Reviews

November 25, 2013 by Renee

As a lover of all things French, I was happy to receive these books on my doorstep last week. One, a memoir of a life fulfilled dream featuring a  move to Paris and running a culinary school, the other a guide to many restaurants, shops and even some recipes and travel tips to enjoy around Paris and to prepare you for your next visit.

One Soufflé at a Time: A Memoir of Food and France by Anne Willan with Amy Friedman

Founder of the world famous La Varenne Cooking School—originally located in Paris and then later in Burgundy, Ms. Willan has trained chefs, food writers and home cooks alike.

One Soufflé at a Time is the life story of Ms. Willan as well as the story of her interactions with some of the food-world’s best—including Julia Child, James Beard, and many others. She writes from her English girl roots in Yorkshire to her move to France, and how she overcame the male dominated world of French cuisine to start and run her own culinary school in the late 1970’s.  Willan’s warm and funny personality shines through and shows a different, more approachable side of traditional French cuisine.

This lovely book, although mostly memoir also features fifty of Ms. Willan’s favorite recipes, from Coquille St. Jacques to Chocolate Snowballs and includes some of my favorites, Gratin Dauphinois and Pistou. You will often earmark pages to return to just so you can keep reading her narrative.

Ms. Willan shows her tremendous courage, her downfalls and her resounding strength all the while making this memoir truly fascinating, entertaining and authentic right from the first page. She has certainly led a life full of food and adventures and her unique and lively voice resonates through her writing style.

I quite enjoyed this book and I think you might too. Now I have to go back and cook some of the recipes I marked!

One Souffle at a Time

 

The Paris Gourment by Trish Deseine

This guide book will lead you from arrondissement to arrondissement where Ms. Deseine notes all of her favorite foodie spots in Paris.  From restaurants, hotels, and bakeries to markets and even places to purchase kitchen wares, she shows the readers “her Paris” in this lively round up.  This is a fun, lighthearted book featuring the characteristic Flammarion graphics- trendy, bold and colorful.

Although I think Ms. Deseine left out some major spots in her listings, (the Marché de la Bastille for instance only appears as a side note with a list of places open on Sunday and not at all in the section of Markets), I do think she covered a great deal and I know you can’t possibly list every wonderful place in Paris. There really are too many!

It’s certainly a pleasurable read and perfect for anyone visiting Paris for the first time or the tenth time. It’s chock full of tips and information, sure to make any food lover happy.

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Disclosure: I received a copy of  each of these books to review. As always, the thoughts and opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links to my Amazon Store.  So if you buy the books, I’ll make a few pennies. 

Filed Under: Kitchen Sink, Cookbooks Tagged With: Anne Willan, Cookbook Review, NaBloPoMo, Trish Deseine

NaBloPoMo- Savory Cocktails

November 6, 2013 by Renee

Savory Cocktails

I’ve really been into cocktails lately. Actually,  since I had an amazing G&T in England back in March. Followed by a visit to a gin bar and my first Pimm’s Cup this past summer.  I also had some amazing cocktails at Maria Loca and Le Mary Celeste in Paris and have even made a few at home. So it was really a nice surprise when Savory Cocktails by Greg Henry, author of the blog SippitySup,  arrived at my door. Just in time to make some for Thanksgiving!

With almost 100 distilled beverage recipes, Henry creates an adventurous array of alcoholic delights.  His recipes have you using everything from classic liqueurs to innovative homemade bitters. Each of the recipes offer a glimpse at an era of elegant sophistication. They are stylish and complex-flavored cocktails. Serious beverages that are seriously good.

The book is broken down into chapters where the focus is on sour, spicy, herbal, umami, bitter, smoky, rich, and strong. As with any cookbook, each recipe demands a bit of preparation and time…these are not just cocktails to be thrown together at the last minute.  There is a certain passion behind infusing flavors and creating your own simple syrups or bitters. Be prepared to invest the time needed for each one well in advance. Despite all this, these tasty tipples are well worth the wait.

With it’s moody yet glamorous photography, the book could easily entice you to try and make all of these beverages at home. Or, better yet, head to your favorite bartender and have them recreate these for you. You won’t be sorry!

The first recipe I tried actually comes from Linda Miller Nicholson, author of  the blog, Salty Seattle, who contributed it Savory Cocktails. A spicy, refreshing Green Gargoyle. With cucumber, cilantro and jalapeno, this is a sassy, South of the Border sipper!

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And because I have a new affinity to Pimm’s, I could not pass up the opportunity to try the Pimm’s Cup Up. This pumped up version of a traditional Pimm’s Cup adds a bit of zing with ginger and ginger liqueur. Plus the ribbons of cucumbers just adds an extra flair. I could drink these all day.

Savory Cocktails-5129-3

Admittedly, I did not choose to make my own syrups or bitters this time. But the list of cocktails I’d love to make from Savory Cocktails is long and I imagine I will delve into the infusions at another, less hectic time in life- or when I really want to impress! Like Thanksgiving. Or New Year’s.

Whether you are new to the cocktail scene or a seasoned pro, this book is among the “must haves” for your home or bar library. It’ll have you shaking up, stirring and muddling your own Savory Cocktails in no time!

Cheers!

Click to buy the book! It would make a great gift this holiday season for your favorite bartender…at home or otherwise!

Savory-Cocktails-Greg-Henry

 

Disclosure: I received a copy of the book to review. As always, the thoughts and opinions are my own.

PSA: Please drink responsibly! Don’t drink and drive and never get into a car with someone who does. Buckle up. It saves lives. And by all means, take a taxi if you have had too much to drink! Better yet, stay home and make your own!

 

Filed Under: Drink, Kitchen Sink, Cocktails, Cookbooks Tagged With: Book, Book Review, Cocktails, NaBloPoMo

Goat Cheese and Strawberry Tartine-French Fridays with Dorie

June 7, 2013 by Renee

Goat Cheese and Strawberry

Goat Cheese and StrawberryAfter a bit of hiatus (I have been traveling and working a lot since I’ve been home!) I am back to participating in French Fridays with Dorie. We’ve actually made a few of the recipes to catch up already and will be posting those soon. But we could not be happier for the ease of this week’s recipe (Is it really a recipe?). Making this simple Goat Cheese and Strawberry Tartine was a good way to inch back into this routine.

I already had strawberries on hand as I am also making jam this weekend. We usually have a package of goat cheese and balsamic is a staple. The only thing that was missing was a baguette. Any excuse for buying a baguette is a good one, but the fact that I still have a few cans of pâté from France is an especially enticing reason.

We sliced a few pieces of the bread and grilled them dry. Then we added the goat cheese, strawberries and a dash of pepper. Finally, we drizzled a bit of balsamic over them and served them as hors d’oeuvres for late afternoon tea party.

This dish would also be a great brunch tray passer. The sweetness of the tender strawberries combined with the balsamic was balanced perfectly by the creamy, tart goat cheese and bite of the black pepper. A fabulous marriage of flavors.

This was super easy to prepare- just like many of the dishes in Dorie’s book.  You can (and should!) buy the book and cook along with us. It’s great fun! Every Friday we make a new recipe. Looking forward to next weeks! For details and to see how others are recreating the dishes from this awesome book, check out the FFWD site.

Buy the book:

greenspan

frenchfridayswithdorie16

 

 

 

Don’t forget to enter to win a set of 3 OXO Good Grips Graters! 

Filed Under: Eat, Kitchen Sink, Appetizers, Breakfast & Brunch, Cookbooks, French Fridays with Dorie Tagged With: Dorie Greenspan, French Fridays with Dorie, Goat Cheese, Strawberry, Tartine

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Chicken Parm… a nice family dinner. Can’t beat Chicken Parm… a nice family dinner. Can’t beat comfort food! #dinner #family #familystyle
Totally forgot to post the cut of my soap here. It Totally forgot to post the cut of my soap here. Its been very busy and I’m like a whirling dervish in all different directions. On the food front we made some favorites-Chicken Marbella that sustained us for a week and also a Corned Beef and Cabbage dish because it is March after all. But it was good to have the comfort foods we love and old standards as they provide the most contentment when it’s chaos everywhere else. Regular work and then some wholesale orders and getting the line poured for our Spring/Summer scents. And helping others with a few website issues. And kids. Thankfully, it seems to all be under control now and I’m really happy to be busy. All good things! 

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Traditional Sunday Roast with Yorkshire Puddings a Traditional Sunday Roast with Yorkshire Puddings and roasties. Even though it wasn’t Sunday. A favorite. 
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Wishing everyone a safe, healthy and very Merry Ch Wishing everyone a safe, healthy and very Merry Christmas! From all of us to all of you!
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Chicken Piccata for dinner. Love, love, love the l Chicken Piccata for dinner. Love, love, love the lemony white wine and caper sauce. A favorite! #dinner #chicken #lemon #yum
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Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! We are Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! We are so grateful for each and every one of you! However you spend your day, may it be filled with love and deliciousness! 
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#thanksgiving #gratitude #love #friends #family #delish
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Margez, falafel and hummus with some gyro and roas Margez, falafel and hummus with some gyro and roasted carrots for dinner. Quick and easy for a Wednesday that should have been a Thursday. #dinner #whatdayisit #sotired
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Braised short ribs with polenta. Sunday dinner is Braised short ribs with polenta. Sunday dinner is served. #polenta #shortribs #dinner #delicious
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