New York Times How does a serious eater justify a tour of Paris chocolatiers? In the New York Times, Amy Thomas pedals from shop to shop. There's no way she could have burned off all those chocolates, but it's the kind of rationalization I would use. Where did she pedal? Patrick Roger, Michel Chaudon, Pierre Hermé, Christian Constant, Jean-Charles Rochoux, Pierre Marcolini, and Michel Cluziel. Thomas actually quotes the great Paris-based food blogger and pastry chef David Lebovitz, but in typical Times style the piece doesn't link to Lebovitz's blog, which has an incredibly discerning and passionate Paris chocolate section. My guess is that Thomas used David Lebovitz's blog as the jumping-off point for her story....
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If you're in Paris, today is the day to visit Pierre Hermé and grab some free macarons, along with help raise money to treat rare diseases. (And if you don't live in Paris, don't even try to find anything as good as Pierre's macarons; you will fail.) To celebrate the third-annual Macaron Day, Pierre Hermé shops are offering three free macarons plus a special raspberry chocolate macaron to raise money for Fédération des Maladies Orphelines (an organization dedicated to treating rare diseases). To donate money to the organization, buy one or more red macarons. I recommend shooting for "more"—besides that it's for a charitable cause, any excuse to eat lots of macarons sounds good to me. Previously Introduction to...
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By Robyn Lee | When one of my friends told me to eat a green macaron for her in Paris, she was probably referring to those of the pistachio flavored kind. Instead, the first green macaron I ate during my vacation was flavored with the fatty squeezings of olives and a hint of vanilla, borne from the incomparably distinctive kitchen of Pierre Hermé who I believe makes the best macarons in Paris. What did it taste like? Well...olive oil, if it had the texture of a solid, creamy ganache surrounded by lightly chewy macaron cookies. The first bite was oddly delicious, but after getting over the not exactly surprising shock of, "Oh my god, this reallllly tastes like olive...
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Luxury in a glass by Betty Hallock of the LA Times: A verrine is an appetizer or dessert that consists of a number of components layered artfully in a small glass. (The word verrine refers to the glass itself; literally it means "protective glass.") Intriguingly composed, they're a study in textures, flavors, colors and temperatures. A beautiful glass might be filled with a layer of mushroom flan, sautéed wild mushrooms, a julienne of prosciutto, parsley gelée, wild mushroom emulsion and topped with a potato and prosciutto galette. Another will have clementine and mint syrup, fresh clementines and a gingerbread "crumble." American chefs are just starting to catch on to the verrine. But in France it's a culinary trend that's...
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