Ptipois

Not a knock-off, it was not invented in Lyon but in Haute-Ardèche, in a little village surprisingly called Saint-Félicien. It is slightly fattier and creamier than saint-marcellin but is in the same family of cheeses and has the same geographical origin. Both cheeses used to be made from goat's milk.

Saint-félicien (a larger version of saint-marcellin) used to be made of goat's milk, but not anymore. And chaource is the older of the two. Perhaps the posts should be moved to a new thread since neither of the cheeses are chèvre.

There is no such thing as a pork merguez. There are such things as spiced chipolatas. (And there is utterly no such thing as a halal pork merguez.) Merguez is lamb, or beef and lamb, and spices, which should include niora chilli pepper.

Not that I want to defend a priori the roadside vendors (who are perfectly able to sell n'importe quoi to gullible tourists and even gullible nontourists), but crate and box recup is an everyday practice with fruit and vegetable growers and "producteurs" sell their stuff in Spanish or Italian crates all the time. It all depends on the state of the boxes: if obviously they were opened for the first time, like unwrapped and clearly straight from Holland or Spain, then the stuff was not from their land. But a crate or even a box printed with Spanish or Italian or Dutch brand names proves nothing in the case of market producers or even roadside vendors. Not that I want to prove the vendors innocent. Not at all. I haven't seen the TV show. But I have grown to question the competence and honesty of much TV investigation even before I question the honesty of the objects they focus on. And I know that many French people are lousy shoppers and can't tell a home-grown tomato from a Dutch-grown tomato when it is sitting in a recuperated Dutch crate. So I suspect that the TV people can't be better shoppers than the average.

The handful of "producteurs" is the usual ratio in a Paris market. There are also "semi-producteurs" like Thierry at the Monge market, who does sell the products from his farm and rounds them up with bought stuff (tomatoes when his are not in season, globe courgettes, watercress, etc.) that is always carefully chosen by him. In France this is perfectly all right. When I ask him "did you grow these?" he will always tell the truth. Another vendor at this market is my friend Mr. Zamba, who sells potatoes. Now although most of his potatoes come from Brittany, ile de Ré or Noirmoutier, he can be considered a producer because he does sell a special type of potato that he had created especially for him and grows somewhere in the Essonne. Everything else is not his production but this one is. He also sells some outstanding malinké mangoes from Mali (a great orange-fleshed mango that does not get stringy when ripe) and no less outstanding pineapple from Bénin. Which he hasn't produced but he went to Benin to establish trade relationships with the growers. So the situation is very different from what is called a farmers' market in the US but that is the way markets go here. Going back to the "producer ratio" at Paris markets it may be interesting to note that this ratio is sometimes more generous in suburban markets, especially in vegetable-growing suburbs like Saint-Denis and parts of the 78 (Yvelines). The quality of producer stalls in the Eastern suburbs (Le Perreux, Nogent-sur-Marne, Vincennes) is remarkable.

Frites may come in all thicknesses, from a thin 6-7 mm to an oversized 2-3 cm. They will always be called frites. Historically the thin frites (4 to 7 mm) are called "pommes allumettes" and the larger frites "pommes pont-neuf". They are all frites. The important thing is to proportion the thickness of the frites to the texture of the potatotes. Now that oversized, irregular-cut fries are the trend, I notice the frequent mistake of using mealy potatoes for that. In fact the finer the texture of the potato (charlotte, belle-de-fontenay, large ratte), the thicker the frite can be. Mealy potatoes like bintjes are meant for thin, crispy frites.

One thing should be clear and, judging by the difficulty I had to get the message home, it is not easy for US people to accept it. The concept of "farmer's market" is not French. It is completely American, there is nothing of the sort in France. The closest things are the odd marché biologique, a few "marchés de producteurs" where everything is strictly regulated (and you'll get only stuff from producers there, period), or theme markets that are held in very definite places and have sometimes been around for centuries (like the garlic fair in Billom, the "foire à la sauvagine" (game market) in Montferrand…) Apart from those examples, a French market has a little of everything, some producers (who are not required to sell only stuff they have grown), some bio stalls, some fruit and veg stands selling excellent products from local production, some other selling stuff from the wholesale market, some cheap clothes and shoes, some tourist junk, etc, etc. There is no obligation to cater to any idea of purity. The way to tell which is what is 1) to look at the chalkboards, which are supposed to give you all necessary information, and 2) to ask directly questions about what comes from where, in case it is not on the chalkboard. The vendor is legally bound to give you a sincere answer. This does make market-going a bit tricky for people who do not speak French, for they have to rely on the immediately visible and that's sometimes where the tricks are played. But trickery on markets is a detail, not an institution. An advice I would give is: rely on your own knowledge of products and their quality. If you know what a good turnip or healtly lettuce looks like as compared to low-grade, "industrial" vegs, you should know your way around.

Slunch was probably not modeled after Flunch but it certainly reminds you of it in an irresistible way. Slupper sounds fun, and not worse than slunch, did you make it up?

What an ugly word — I wouldn't be caught dead using it. Can't they just say high tea or, in French, collation (which is the proper term for an informal meal served between 5 and 10)? Or even goûter dînatoire which is just the same thing? But they can't say that because if they do, there goes the new trend. Some publishers are always eager to launch books about new food trends even before they're out and tried. There is always the danger that the trend doesn't actually take flight. I was proposed by one of my publishers to write a book on "cafés gourmands" (i.e. a gimmicky way of serving cutesy sweet things with coffee) instead of the more serious book about coffee I had in mind. I'm glad I refused, the trend apparently did not last more than two weeks. (Oh, come to think of it, nevermind what I just wrote. I'm going to launch a new trend myself, say for instance brinner? A compromise of "breakfast" and "dinner" for people with a very irregular lifestyle and loose sense of timing. Cool, I think I've got something, let's see if it grows corn…)

La Nuit blanche is one of those incomprehensible Parisian events when everybody seems to be out in the street and nobody can seem to get in anywhere. It is an artistic event and not food-related at all. This year (4-5 oct. from 7 PM to 7 AM) the focus is on the train stations and churches. Not on restaurants. Maybe next year?

Well, this is not because I want to try a variety of places. It is just that the places I mentioned do interest me more than the current buzz. I like "innovative" cuisine but it is not my favorite (and by the way it is not really a style, it's a feeling). Actually if you want great French food in the exact sense of the term, hot young chefs in Paris are not what you are looking for. They do not represent "great French food" but a certain style of increasingly internationalized, stylized cuisine — exciting as it may be. Apart from the use of local produce there is very little that differentiates a hot young chef in Copenhagen, in Paris or in Singapore. They all make espumas and dashi, they all include foie gras here and there, they have all discovered the finger lime. As France goes, this is particularly true in Paris. "Great French" is represented by the bistrot, néobistrot, brasserie, traditional restaurant trend and by some starred chefs but it is rare that the "promising young chefs" do offer anything specifically French. Which explains why I tend to prefer those who work in the regions, because they are somewhat still attached to the land by a few strings.

Yes, indeed. I have the former mayor's book and it is probably the sturdiest literary reference on niçoise cooking. On that subject, Médecin could be trusted.

Well, I wrote "not that I know of". I am far from knowing all the young talents in Paris. I would not say things are stagnant, they probably are if what you're looking for is hot young chefs, but not if you just want to eat well. But as a general rule, in Paris, I prefer other types of cooking (bistrot, brasserie, regional, Asian, Maghrebi, etc.) over much high end dining and I am no longer very interested in "innovative talents" unless they are graced with a strong, poetical personality, which is the case of Spring and Daniel Rose. When I come across what could be described as a "promising new talent", eight times out of ten it is in the regions, not in Paris. As a matter of fact many of the most promising young chefs picked by the latest Omnivore guide are not in Paris. Still I think there are interesting young Parisian chefs, like Daniel Rose, Petter Nilsson, Inaki and a few others. And sometimes the map has to be updated, for instance I have been warmly recommending Le Pré Verre until recently, and negative recent experiences have led me to stop recommending it, much to my disappointment. Paris is a difficult place. Some nice restaurants eventually turn bad (Comptoir de l'Odéon syndrome). About Sa.qua.na, they do offer fixed menus but you can tell them in advance what you can eat or not.

I haven't studied the subject of bœuf bourguignon very carefully, I must say. I only know that it does have regional roots (like other rural-style wine-simmered dishes like daube, gardiane or coq au vin), that its style was probably defined in the early 19th century, that it was very big in France in the 70s and early 80s, that it has sort of fallen from grace since then (as has most regional cooking except Southwestern and Provençal), and that it still seems to be popular in the US, at least by name. Fresh pasta as a side dish for bourguignon is a rather recent fashion (early 1980s) but there are traditional occurrences of gnocchi served with daube de bœuf in niçoise cooking, which is an example of pasta served as a side dish in an Italian context Pasta is OK to mop up the sauce but apart from the gnocchi with daube (which is a heavenly combination, especially with a true daube niçoise flavored with dried cèpes) it does not really go well with that kind of stew. I still think the only thing to serve with a bœuf bourguignon is any potato-based side dish.

Another eGulleter and I dined at Mon Vieil Ami a couple of weeks ago, and couldn't report with quite as much enthusiasm. I suppose my dining companion will be kinder than I am but I found the food to be very average, on the verge of sloppy at times. I had the pea soup with gambas and it didn't even taste of peas (gambas were OK though). Desserts are unspeakably bad but they have been so since the place opened. Given the quick turnover of cooks and chefs in a Paris restaurant or bistrot like this one, I suppose one could call that consistency.

Well simply I think the reason for Spring being medium-priced is that it is more in the néobistrot category, with a tiny dining-room, no ambition whatsoever to walk on the path of what is called "fine dining", and a highly personal philosophy. As for your recommendation, I think you should try Alexandre Bourdas at Sa.qua.na in Honfleur, but I do not see anyone fitting your description in Paris, at least no one that I know of.

I am a bit puzzled by your post. If 'authenticity' is not what you are concerned about, what is it exactly then? So they served pasta as a side dish because Julot requested it. It may be wrong, but in this case it should be explained why. It is perhaps possible that they should have, firstly, refused, then flogged him and kicked him out of the trattoria, but I fail to understand what principle exactly would have justified that. (As for ketchup with frog's legs, this is actually an idea, and could be interesting as long as frog's legs were deep-fried real crispy. I think garlic and parsley should be left out in this case.)

Well I'll say it would entirely depend on 1) the foie gras and 2) the fish. As a matter of fact, last Saturday at the gala dinner of the Grands Crus classés de 1855 served at the Chambre de commerce in Bordeaux, our first course was a Pressé de foie gras de canard and anguille fumée (smoked eel) prepared by Thierry Marx. It was heavenly. I am with Julot on this matter; if he says the trattoria is good, I am pretty sure it is, notwithstanding the "authenticity" factor which in this case is pretty relative. The French like so serve pasta as a side dish. I believe this trattoria in the suburbs of Paris is quite entitled to serve pasta as a side dish on request and still be self-respecting.

For the average Parisian diner that I am, and for thousands of others like me, it is certainly not peanuts. And I'm not particularly in the underprivileged category.

The menu at Spring is not particularly cheap as Paris restaurants go. There are plenty of cheaper bistrots and restaurants in Paris that are also excellent but they don't offer the same thing. Spring has a style and is very unique as I said above. Perhaps you should try it before you try to explain why it is successful.

Ah, at last an opportunity to disagree with Julot. I think Daniel Rose is an exceptional chef, that there is true grace and art in his cooking and in his style, and he rates very high in my book. High enough for a Michelin star in my opinion, but I'm not the Michelin and I think the Michelin is not tailored for that kind of grace. Not the right formatting — they wouldn't get it. His 16-couverts restaurant in the 9e is not pre-booked three months ahead for nothing. And this is not Le Comptoir, he has no need for childish booking strategies to appear desirable. (Going to Sa.qua.na tonight, tomorrow I'll tell here how much of a future French star I think this one is.)

For Camdeborde it's too late I think. He is far past the period of his life when the "star race" could have taken place, as a matter of fact it did take place but he kept out of it. Anyway no Michelin in their right mind would think of giving him a star for whatever he is doing now. If he wants a star (and I am not sure he does), he should consider a slight (<-- euphemism) change of policy.

Well, navets (nahvay) are turnips. Navettes (nahvett) are Marseille cookies made and eaten in early Spring, starting at the Chandeleur. They are quite easy though. Basically they are unleavened or slightly leavened cookies based on, say, 3 eggs, 70 g soft unsalted butter, 280 g flour, 1 tbsp orange flower water. Some people will add a little baker's yeast or a pinch of baking powder (adding any yeast will make them navettes provençales, not navettes de Saint-Victor). Mix all ingredients except flour, add flour gradually, mix well, spread thickly, cut into strips then roll up each strip into a long cylinder. Cut each cylinder into 7-cm lengths, pinch each navette at both ends to shape them and slit each one down the length using a sharp blade. Let rest for 3 hours at room temperature. Bake at 220 °C until golden and firm, let cool, keep in airtight jar. Navettes may be glazed with egg wash before baking. They can also be eaten dipped into a glass of muscat.

I would vouch for Mauro Colagreco at Mirazur for instance. I'm not sure about Daniel Rose, not that I think he wouldn't deserve it but if he did it would mean the Michelin has undergone some sort of cultural revolution. I'd also mention Petter Nilsson at La Gazzetta but I don't think he "eats that sort of bread", as the French saying goes. Philippe Delacourcelle at Le Pré Verre (if we don't lose him to the Japanese, which is unfortunately what I fear), but he won't get one, again not for quality reasons but because he made it clear that he would not be playing the power game. Inaki Aizpitarte, why not? Though he is not always up to his own standards he sure has potential. Just a few that cross my mind right now.

Yes, Camargue rice is quite recent, and not very good quality at that. However the consumption of imported rice in France since the 70s has increased dramatically, but no new-traditional recipes I can think of (actually some of the "traditional" uses I mentioned above could be all the new-traditional there is to describe, i.e. I'm not sure rice has been served with armoricaines for a long time). All sorts of rices are now available in supermarkets. Yesterday in a TGV (where I never buy anything to eat unless I'm going to collapse) I was served a cutesy and quite offending microwaved black plastic cocotte which contained some sort of beef stew, described as "Camargue-style", a term which obviously alluded to the mushy rice that filled the vessel, thinly covered with a few slices of beef and unpeeled green and red peppers. The whole thing, including the use of rice with a beef stew, had definitely a 2000's feeling.