Entries tagged with 'French'
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Photograph from Wikimedia Commons Literally speaking, tomme is French for "wheel of cheese." Unsurprisingly, this not-so-descriptive term is used to refer to a wide array of cheeses, many of which are of medium size and weight and made in the mountains of the Haute-Savoie in France. Across the border, the Italians make a related cheese that has a similar name: toma. But can we get any more specific? Do tommes share any unique qualities that separate them from other varieties?...
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“I once dated this dude who worked as a trapeze artist in the circus.” “Really, like Ringling Brothers?” “No it was like one of those traveling carnie things. He was getting really annoying and I wanted to get rid of him, so when he asked me what my bedroom fantasy was, I told him I wanted to dress up like Pluto.” “Like the planet?” “No, like the Disney character.” “Oh my god. I wondered how you’d dress up like a planet?” Like any good bistro, Cyrano’s located in the bowels of the Wells street canyon in the shadow of Chicago’s Merchandise Mart is a cozy affair. Sometimes so cozy, you hear your fellow diner’s conversations, like the one above, loud...
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Ms. Glaze, an American female chef working in a 3-star restaurant in Paris, gives the hilarious French lesson you never learned in high school: how to talk like a French chef. Just don't practice this lesson outside of the kitchen—it involves a lot of expletives. [via Elise]...
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Of course those are Pierre Hermé macarons. I hope you enjoyed reading this week's macaron posts as much as I enjoyed writing and doing research for them. And by "doing research" I mean "eating a lot of macarons." Here's a round-up of the posts in case you missed any of them: Monday: Introduction to French MacaronsTuesday: Where to Find MacaronsWednesday: How to Make MacaronsThursday: Interview With Macaron Specialist Dorie Greenspan In a related Talk topic, Sandro asked, "People just pretend to actually love macaroons, right?" My answer would be, "No, I'm quite sure I love them. But maybe I should eat another one just to be sure." For more macaron goodness, check out Carol Gillot's latest post on Paris...
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The basic equation for a macaron reads like so:
1 part cookie [ground almonds + egg white + sugar] + 1 part filling [buttercream, ganache, jam] + 1 part cookie [ground almonds + egg white + sugar] = 1 complete macaron [happiness]
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Wandering Chopsticks has a great post on buckwheat crêpes that starts off with a trip to a friend of a friend's favorite Parisian crêperie—the directions going something like "In the Latin Quarter by the Saint Michel metro, past the Easy Internet, look for the Tunisian bakery but don't go inside the bakery, there's a window on the outside corner where they make crepes. But you don't want the old guy, or the really young guy, but the third guy."—and ends with a short video demonstration of how to make some without a griddle or crêpe pan. I myself prefer sweetened wheat flour crêpes (crêpes sucrées) to those made of buckwheat (the savoury crêpes salées, or galettes), but will never...
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Lynn of To Short Term Memories made these lovely macarons for herself after teaching a cooking class. One's filled with dulce de leche and the other with kaya, a rich, creamy jam made with coconut milk, eggs and pandan leaf most popular in Singapore and Malaysia and usually served spread on toast. I do not know how I will continue to exist in the world today knowing I cannot have these in my mouth!...
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Paul Bocuse, champion of nouvelle cuisine and a celebrity chef well before the present era of Food Network stars, published a cookbook of simple French recipes 25 years ago that's coming out in a new edition on April 24th. He says, "Simple fare is, in my opinion, the best-the kind that I love to prepare at home for my family and my friends," and so each of the classic 220 recipes—from mustard sauce to rhubarb jam to beef bourgignon—in Bocuse In Your Kitchen was carefully chosen and is explained step-by-step for the home chef, with an accompanying glossary of terms and techniques. Amazon is currently taking preorders for $19.77 (34% off). [via Eat for Victory] Previously: Happy 80th, Paul...
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Sheryl Cababa of Crispy Waffle has been making a lot of quiches lately as presents for all her friends who've just had babies and don't have time to cook. She says, "I don't know anyone who doesn't like quiche, and honestly, who doesn't like an all-butter pastry crust? I have two options here: one with bacon, and one with spinach and mushrooms for those that don't dig meat. But, you can basically use any savory ingredients that you would use in an omelet-- it'll all taste good."...
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Xanthe Clay of the Telegraph goes to Paris to learn how to make the perfect soufflé: "Depending on who you listen to, a soufflé is the riskiest dish of all to cook, or something so easy an eight-year-old could throw one together. The truth, as ever, lies somewhere in between. Soufflés are simple, but they do require an under-standing of the engineering of the dish to be a success." Clay includes five recipes, instructions on how to properly prepare the egg whites, tips on picking the right dishes as well as a short list of good things to add to either savoury or sweet soufflé bases....
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