bleudauvergne

Thank you for that -

When the going gets tough, the tough get the blackeyed peas and okra. If you don't find them nearby, you need to target your search a bit more carefully. You must go to a shop that sells African dry goods. When Okra is in season, you can sometimes find it fresh supplementing the stock. It is very expensive. If you can make due with canned, the import shops normally have it - look for any derivative of the word gombo (the French word for okra) on the label. They put a slice of tomato in the can or jar, which sometimes takes up as much as 25% of the volume. Buy more than you'll think you need. For collard greens, these are sometimes available under the name of brocoli fresh at the market, described by the vendor as 'brocoli francais'. Don't be fooled, it's the real thing.

Inspiring. Exhilarating. Gorgeous. Thank you for taking me there.

I understand that some meats call for larding against the grain while some are best larded with the grain. Why? Any thoughts?

Nope, I usually use the Pam to create a non-stick surface in the pan when baking cakes, that's all, but it's worth dispatching messengers coming from stateside with it. Actually the first time I tasted Pastis I thought it was Sambucca!

Ah yes, we have one of those - a horrified (horrified that I would ask for PAM) friend brought it to me and it clogged up within a couple of weeks. I think it may have been the grade of oil I was trying to use. I should probably clean it out and put some kind of neutral oil in it. Yes, propellants. It's not aerosol or anything, is it? It doesn't seem like it, because it doesn't spray like an aerosol. So much easier though to spray a pan instead of grease it when you have very little counterspace. The alcohol evaporates. I have this thing about greasing the pan, it was my job when I was little and I hate to do it. We found good foil (ALBAN ALU brand heavy duty) but no luck on the plastic wrap. We also bring Cheddar from NY home. Some things just can't be replaced. What do I take home? Cheese. By the wheel. Lots of that. Baking chocolate. Wine. Less now than before, since I find people are happy with local wine and it doesn't make it worth the effort, really. The best wine experience is to come here and drink it.

I'll add again that I ask for PAM, which comes in handy here and there in the kitchen. It was not available a couple of years ago and I haven't checked to see if it is available now. Now that you mention it, John, horseradish is now on my list because I still have yet to find the fresh root, anywhere. Apparently it takes over people's gardens so they don't want to grow it either. Hey, what's Misto? Something I should be hankering after?

I've never been to Biarritz but the Tourist Bureau Website is quite beautiful. Anyone else been?

I think a similar product might be what we know as Canadian Bacon, ptipois. I have found that here in France, this product is also heavily sugar cured as well. There are three kinds of poitrine to choose from, one being fumée, the next being salée, very similar to salt pork (perhaps a bit less salty) and then poitrine fraiche, which is the fresh uncured cut. They all have their uses. The poitrine fraiche, for example, can be used in a number of dishes where the smoked or salty taste is undesirable, for example in the Beouf a la Bourguignonne. Many recipes for this dish that have been adapted for the American home kitchen involve the step of reducing the smoke taste and salt content by parboiling bacon or salt pork. Here you can go straight to the unsmoked fresh version which is used to lard the meat. Once you've gotten started in your French kitchen, even when you are preparing French dishes you know well and have cooked before arrival to France, it's always worth a look at a few French cookbooks to make sure you're not 'adapting' something that doesn't need to be adapted!

It has got to be cayenne. (the kick part) ... ?

Lets start with one of the most important ones. Bacon is not bacon in France. What you'll get if you go searching for the actual word 'bacon' is some cured ham, it you're lucky enough to find anyone who knows what it is at all. What the American expat is really looking for is poitrine fumée. I believe this may be known in the British Isles as streaky bacon. This is sold by the slice directly from the smoked side cut from the butcher (that tastes the best and is normally the best price), or at the grocery store, found in two forms. Lardons, which are cubes of this type of bacon are sold sealed packets in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, and also sold in slices that looks like the bacon packaging we see at home. This will vary in quality. The Reflets de France brand does a fine pine-smoked thin sliced Poitrine Fumée for grocery store standards, but it is very expensive. You might try picking up a pack and taking it home to compare with quelques tranches fines of your butcher's poitrine fumée. When you're cooking with poitrine fumée there are two things to keep in mind. The rind, which is actually the skin, which should be cut off if you're not stewing for hours, and the patch on one end (note along the right end of these slices) where you'll run into the bones. With some practice, you'll come to realize where these are and how to best carve around them.

Living abroad always involves a whole slew of gastronomic discoveries and adventures that go along with our day by day learning experiences. It's a known fact that once the glory and exhileration of actually getting to a foreign country subsides, there will be - up days - and down days. Inevitably on the down days we're all faced with the need for some good old down home comfort food, and on the up days we want to share our country's best and brightest dishes, the ones that we really must share to make someone understand how our home country's food is spectacular, beautiful, wonderful, even. In the eyes of an expat in France, simple things like baking powder, corn meal, even blackeyed peas, flour or bacon can be confusing and upsetting when you've first arrived here. I've been in contact with several eG members who have plans to or have already moved to France. I'd like to start this thread in light of a really super blog entry by eG member David Lebovitz, who lives in Paris, where he tackles some of the most pressing issues facing the home baker. His advice can be found here. I would like to take that topic and expand it with food related experiences and advice from people who have come here to France to live. For 2 weeks or 20 years, exchange student or in exile, from any foreign country, no matter how long or how long you plan to stay here, share with us your discoveries. Some of our French members will also have valuable advice to give and perhaps a story or two about how it might have been the other way around. Lets not be afraid of bringing up the most mundane examples and advice - I remember that when I first got here, even the most obvious 'duh' things were big discoveries.

I so agree with this as well. But I often wonder if the "fat is a disability" contingent is keeping this from happening. The issue seems to be that saying fat is caused by overeating and lack of exercise is taboo. Obesity is is genetic, a disease, etc., but you don't bring it on yourself through learned bad behavior ( ). ← I'm not sure that anyone would try and block giving children a good education about food, no matter what their theories on the causes of obesity.

The closest to American brown sugar I have found comes from Daddy, both light and dark. While type 65 flour is a bit closer to whole wheat flour, type 55 gives good results for home baking cookies. For brownies, type 45 is fine. Cakes in which you mix things in the batter need a type of 55 at least. Using 45, whatever you've got floating in the batter will sink. The key to getting cookies from melting into puddles is to chill the dough! Further to David's note on mineral oil I was sucessful in finding mineral oil at my pharmacy. What you have to do is ask them for 'huile de parrafin' which is what we'd call mineral oil. Oatmeal can be found at health food stores, but for 'Quick Oats' like the kind you'd use for oatmeal cookies, look for ready to eat cereals. The best substitution for Philly cream cheese is the farmers' 'fromage frais' (not to be mistaken for the liquidy 'fromage frais' that comes in pots like yougert or the faiselle suspended in liquid.) This is the one that comes in strings at the market and looks like fresh chevre - but is cow's cheese. This is the perfect substitution when you are making cheesecakes, for instance.

The other day I was dining with friends in a small cafe and our neighbors lit up en masse while we were in the middle of our main course. It wasn't very nice, especially since there was a non-smoking sign - I think this may be an issue for a long time to come, I'm afraid.

Analysis on French radio this morning - the hay used to bed the turkeys was stored in an uncovered area outside, and they are suggesting that it was the medium for the transmission of the disease to the flock. As for the NYT article, it seems to paint quite an accurate picture - except that for the agricultural fair, it wasn't chicken althogether that was not allowed, but live chicken displays. A number of politicians ate cooked chicken at the agricultural fair. We're still eating chicken and eggs and we'll continue to listen to reports. Unless the vets stop doing their job, I'm going to trust what they say about safety.

My niece volunteered to make dinner and prepared this chicken dish for us just a couple of days ago! We are on the same wavelength with you in New York! Wow! I just love your blog

It is a nice start.

Come now, no one bothered to read the exerpt linked to in post no. 1? Click From the exerpt: Ptipois is most likely right when she says this thread is beginning to trail on.

And how dare that fishmonger wear rubber boots and a big rubber apron just like a real fisherman on the deck of a fishing boat? He looks so rustic, and look how he picks up the fish, just like he fished it out of the ocean. Fraud, I'm telling you, frauds, every one of them.

Wow what a great beginning! I'm happy to be visiting New York vicariously!

Saveurs No. 146 - February / March 2006 Amuse Bouches La Chronique de Vincent Noce: Vincent Noce’s commentary on Molecular Gastronomy. Agenda: Salon for Celebrations: Vivre en Fetes, 24-26 March, Palais des Congres d’Antibes-Juan-les-Pins. Jolie truffes, 17-19 Feb, Colloquium for French truffle producers, St. Paul-Trois-Chateaux. Ca Pique! 4-5 March, Tasting and learning about sea urchins, Mans. Encore en Bresil, 10-26 February, Lemon festival, theme: Brazil. Nice and Menton. Repas au Sommet, until 30 April, Exposition of menus, examples of set tables of famous diplomatic dinners throughout history. Musée du President Jacques Chirac, Sarran. 1,2,3… Morbier, 13-9 March. Festival of Morbier Cheese, taste and compare the 30 different Morbiers in production today. Brut ou Doux? 19 February. Cider: Tastes and demonstrations at the fete du cidre du Haut-Anjour à l’Hotellerie de Flée. Bigarrures, 26-27 Feb. Weekend in celebration of the famous Herrault bitter oranges of La Caunette. Epoque: Delicious English biscuits, Food storage for brown bagging it at the office, Demets, a cute restaurant for lunch, Bordeaux producers publish a list of affordable wines, Retro chocolate teddy bears, A seminar on the truffle for the general public, Oeneolunch, a weekly event with sommeliers to learn from. Valentines gifts for Foody Fashion Victims, Local delivery of chocolates and candied fruits, New Wave charcuterie: facon Morteau, Montbellieard, Lyonnais, Diots, the new fashion in sausage. La table du mois: Benoit, rue St. Martin, Paris 4e. En vogue: Le Kiosque, place de Mexico, Paris 16e / Chez Jean-Michel, rue Colbert, Tours / La Place, av. De la Vallée-des-Baux, Maussane-les-Alpilles / Le Temps de Vivre, place de l’eglise, Roscoff. / La Laiterie, ac de l’Hippodrome, Lambersart. / Le P’tit B, rue de Vaugueux, Caen. À lire: Epatez Vos Amis: Learn to make pasta. La Petit cuisine des fees: The little food of faeries. La Cuisine Ducasse par Sophie: Sophie, the home cook, takes on Ducasse’s recipes. Pot-au-feu & Cie: Winter stews in the traditional style. Carnet de recettes d’une blonde fauché: Recipe book of a blonde who down and out and broke! Tout nouveau tout bon: Tube tendance: Tubes of vodka, chocolate, etc. New line of essential oils for cooking. Caramels in retro packaging, Maille mustard goes retro in limited edition ceramic pot, Monoprix gourmet does a tasty new nut sauce for pasta, Old Dutch Master cheese from the Netherlands now available in France, Alter eco makes their take on Nutella with the bonus of equitable commerce. Sejour à la carte: Barcelona. Spreadsheet of hotels and restaurants, guide recommendation, things to see, etc. Escapades: Town of Hauteluce, La Ferme du Chozal. Les Maldives, Taj Excotica Resort and Spa. Features Cocottes. Series of recipes for your heavy iron cooking pots. - Photos Valéry Guedes, Recipes and stylism Valéry Drouet. Daube de boeuf à l'orange Poires au pain d'épices Porc aux abricots secs Lotte braisée aux oignons et au sesame Navarin créole Invitation: Summer in Australia. While we’re freezing to death, the Aussies are surfing, sunning, grilling and eating in the garden! - text Véronique André, photos Donald Van der Putten Poisson aux noix de macadamia Pudding à la banane Seasonal variations. Easy, rapid, and original, what more can we ask from these 8 recipes on the combo theme, for the weekend, during the week… - Photos Pierre-Louis Viel, recipes and stylism Valéry Drouet Rémoulade de céleri, pomme et haddock au curry. Cake au champignons et au Reblochon. Jambonneau croustillant et navets au vinaigre Dos de cabillaud rôti aux épices Crumble banane aux spéculoos Fondant sablée aux pommes caramélisées Alain Senderens: Six months after having pinned on his third star, looking back at the story of Alain Senderens, before his ascendance to spearheading the new Nouvelle Cuisine. Texte Vincent Noce, Photos Enzo Minardi Carré d’agneau a la javanais Fondant au Coing, sirop, d’épices Trop choux! Cauliflour (choux-fleur), green cabbage, pommé or broccoli, there are so many varieties in the cabbage family that we can use it in our menu every day! Text Dominique Lesbros, Photos Jérome Bilic, recipes and stylism Valéry Drouet Salade de chou rouge à l’orange et aux noix Salade de chou blanc à l’indienne Velouté de chou fleur au cerfeuil Effilochée de pintade au foie gras au chou Rôti de lotte au lard et chou romanesco Gâteau de choux de bruxelles au lard Quel lascar de Homard ! Lobster fisherman is an authentic odyssey. André Creach, fisherman off the coast of the l’ile de Batz, takes us on his boat to bring up the nets. Also, questions on bisque, how to choose your lobster. Text Dominique Lesbros, photos, stylism and recipes Jean-Françoise Mallet Chair d’homard en salade aux agrumes, vinaigrette au miel Tartare de homard et graines de grenade aux herbes fraîches Homard sauté aux nouilles chinoises Voyager Halte en pays de cocagne : Do you know about this place ? This dreamy land of abundance is as real as it gets. Situated in a historical corner of the Tarn that cultivates the finer things in life. (with carnet de route) Fois gras poêlé aux radis roses Pigeonneau farci aux petits légumes Courgettes farcies au veau de cocagne Crème brûlée au thym et a la cardamome Angkor – Le mystère khmer : Fascinating palaces of the ancient Khmer empire with nourishing waters of Lake Tonlé Sap, the magic of Angkor, Views of today’s Cambodia. (with carnet de route) Bouillon khmer de poisson-chat à la citronelle Salade de pomelos a la khmer Sauté de porc aux haricots verts longs Rome en cinémascope : Roman vacation, Dolce Vita, l’Eclipse, or Nous nous sommes tantes aimés (what’s the name of that movie in English, Folks ?), all of Rome is cinema’s plateau, delicious and bewitching. Gourmand Travelling. (with carnet de route) Tripes aux fèves et aux cèpes Maltagliati aux courgettes et palourdes Crème brûlée à l’aubergine et safran Blancs d’Anjou de voluptueux liquoreux : in the Loire valley, the king is named Chenin Blanc. Discover a captivating region and the golden appellations that are still little known : Coteaux-de-Layon, Quarts-de-Chaume, Coteaux de l’Aubance and Bonnezeaux. (with carnet de route) Cuisiner Chicory, a little taste of the north. Aside from its ravishing taste of grilled hazlenut, chicory possesses virtues that you must discover. Mousse à l’ail, vinaigrette à la chicorée et chips de bettrave Chutney’s soft side. To give a little youth to the grand old classics of cuisine or for effortless special effects, chutney is your essential ally. Chutney betterave carotte Chutney aux dates, noisettes et piment Marmelade d’oignions rouges Gelée de citron à la menthe Chutney ananas abricot Two new recipes around maple syrup. Crème de panais aux échalotes confites et sirop d’érable Bouchons aux noix, dattes et sirop d’érable Black is Beautiful An all black meal that sparkles (and is cooked by a brigade of women all white as snow and pale as mid-winter ghosts. –ed.) Rougets Poêles, sauce a l’encre de seiche et riz aux champignons noirs Tapenade noir sur radis noir Figues noirs caramélisés au cassis Coté caves : Well set tables, pleasure of the senses, celebration of the palate, let us guide you to some good bottles. This month recommendations good bottles with price range and winery information for : Pessac-Leognan Blanc, Coteaux du Languedoc, Rivesaltes, Chablis, Sante Estephe, Cotes du Luberon Rouge, Margaux, Lalande de Pomerol, Vin de pays de l’Herault Blanc, Monbazillac, Beaune 1er Cru. Coté Alcools : Bourbons, pure and single malt Scotch and Whiskeys… Panorama of world in movement. Commentary and price range on : Aberlour 15y, Bowmore 17y, Talisker Distillers Editions, Glenfiddich 15y Solera, Glen Deveron 10y, Jonnie Walker 15y Green Label, Lagavulun 12y Special Release, Nikka pure Malt Whiskey, Redbreast 12y, Blanton’s Original. Cuisine et Tendance : Printemps breakfast bowls, MV prestige tube for tea, novelty tea steeper, La carpe infusion machine, Alessi coffee service, Mariage Freres Shanghai tea pots, Pylons designer breakfast appliances, Resonances mechanical juicer, TVs psychedelic sauté pans, Resonances teapot with votive candle warmer, Sabre butter knives, AGA retor stove inspired by the 60s, cuisinart toaster, fortunat shaped egg poachers and milk mousser, La Carpe cereal dispenser, Cuisinart egg-addict egg cooker that cooks your egg exactly to order, La chaise longue breakfast station. Selected recipe cards (from bulleted recipes above). (please PM bleudauvergne with corrections)

I'll second Laidback's suggestion of a lunch or dinner at Cafe Constant.

Julia Child's nephew edits her memoire, and a recount of her exasperating experience at the Cordon Bleu is recounted in this exerpt in the NYT. Excerpt from J. Child's Memoire I for one, will add this book with pleasure to my library.

Especially at the end of the market people begin haggling, Pan. Starting about 11h30 some hard bargains can be driven. I learned this a few years ago during a particularly difficult time when I had to stretch a measly 50 francs over a week of meals for long enough to learn some valuable lessons about getting by. Necessity is the mother of invention.