zeitoun
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Posts posted by zeitoun
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I ran across this list of coffee names that may take some of the guesswork out of ordering. I have no idea if these are traditional or defined by law.
café express: 7cl water for 7gm ground coffee
café allongé: 14cl water for 7gm ground coffee
café américain: 20cl water for 7gm ground coffee
café noir: 14cl water for 14gm ground coffee
café noisette: 7cl café express with a teardrop of millk
café créme: 7cl café espress with 4cl of milk; also called a petit café au lait
grand créme: 14cl café espress with about 7cl of milk; also clled grand café au lait
There is also café serré which is a concentrated version of half the size of an traditional expresso.
I did two or three summer stints while in high school in a popular italian trattoria in Paris. For some reason, Italian tourists always ordered café serré or caffè ristretto as they called it.
It seemed to me that serving a French regular expresso to the average Italian was like serving a café allongé to the average French. Is this true?
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Besides the regular homous bil tahine, many variations are also possible. Some people like to add spiced ground meat on top of homous and eat it with arabic bread.
I normaly judge the quality of a middle eastern restaurant by the quality of their homous bil tahine, it doesn't involve complicated ingredients but is all about balance between chickpeas, tahini and lemon (which if you are really fussy about is not always easy to achieve
). In many homes, people will like to add their little touch to this classic dish to make it a little different, I have seen people add orange juice to it, I like to add a little yogurt to make it creamy.I also love dried chickpeas as snacks which is very common in some parts of the middle east. They can be prepared in many different ways and this website (click on the chickpeas section) gives a good idea of what is available.
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If it is my recipe I promise to post it here for everyone.
I did publish a charmoula dressed eggplant in Saveur back in 1994, and I remember the photo was on the upper left side of the page, but it was alone on the plate.
Even if it's not, please, please find that recipe you published in Saveur anyway...
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What is a charmoula?
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I can't think of a town around the Mediterranean where food isn't sold on the street--- to be eaten on the street.
Although it is not sold on the street technically, your remark makes me think of the Pissaladiere which is very common in Provence, it is in my opinion another example of the simplicity and beauty of French cuisine.
Pissaladiere is nothing but a French Provencal interpretation of pizza with olives, onions, garlic and anchovies amongst other things.
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For books on good old French homecooking in French, I would recommend the books of the late Ginette Mathiot or the books of Francoise Bernard.
There is also the more rustic (and comic sometimes) Maïté who published numerous books.
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That's the thing too. We sit down to eat. In Seoul you'll see people just standing in front of a stall eating. In America people walk while eating.
You're right, what really shocked me when i first came to live here was the amount of people on the streets you'll see munching and walking at the same time, amazing!!
Good thing you mentionned crepes that I forgot about and beignets (I guess the french counterpart of a doughnut) which I believe you can still find sold on the streets of Paris, they are good examples of classic "French fast food".
How about "gauffres" (waffles?) which for many years were found in "kiosks" throughout the various Parisian parks. And in the winter another favorite Parisian quick snack is roasted chataignes (chesnuts) which you will see many vendors roast on top of custom made steel drums and sell on the streets.
So the French do snack after all!!
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It's fork and knife food. The first time my wife went to France she noticed immediately that we eat even French fries with forks. The closest I can think of to "street food" are those North African and Middle Eastern owned kebab and couscous places. I think those might be the most casual. I enjoyed street food in Algeria and Korea, but I just can'y imagine French food in this context. I mean what would we serve? We eat open faced sandwiches with a knife and fork for crying out loud.
This is true however, even if snack culture in France is certainly not comparable to other countries in terms of variety, it does not mean it doesn't exist. The snack "par excellence" in France is still the one you could find in your corner Boulangerie for instance. There is a common misconception here in the US that your traditional viennoiserie is just breakfast food. In France it actually is more than that. Croissants, pains au chocolat, pains aux raisins, pains aux lait, chaussons aux pommes which you can find at every French street corner practically, also constitute a typical light snack that the French will eat throughout the day. In addition, there is a tradition almost evolving around the French "quatre heure" (four o'clock snack) which for many kids in France who are coming out of school (and grown ups coming out of work) will often consist of a viennoiserie of some sort. For a more substantial lunch type of snack, there is the classic and ubiquitous baguette sandwich of jambon/saucisson beurre, jambon fromage, thon crudites... I do not recall ever seeing one boulangerie that does not sell it.
When I was living in Paris I have seen quite a few frenchmen/women sitting on a park bench for lunch savoring a jambon beurre, without a knife or fork
.This is a "french fast food" concept that still hasn't taken hold here in the US.
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Leave it to the French to create a shape that intensley bores some and fascinates others for the simplest of preparations.
Correct, and the most famous case in point:
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In the France forum I will get a plethora of responses from people who have had interesting experiences with regards to that dish.
For me the cooking process involves a certain element of story, and in many cases, this forum is where that story is. There are people here who can and have contributed so much by the simple virtue of a common intensity of experience with regards to things culinary in this country.
I think this explains very well why we should also post cooking related matters on the France forum. There is more to a dish than just a recipe. By discussing French cooking in the France forum, members who do not know much about it are given an opportunity to learn in a context that goes beyond what we may read or know through cookbooks.
I also agree with Chefzadi's point that there is much more to French cooking than we may think. Food culture and cooking styles in France are divided into a myriad of sub regions that often differ drastically from one another. I think the France forum is a better venue to have those discussions than the cooking forum.
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zeitoun - i loved ari nieminen's food at firebird (he did cook meatless meals us though) but couldn't see how it would fit into cafe des artistes so never went. i think he is a very talented chef but am probably going to sit water's edge out, too. hope he finds the right place in the city soon, i would love to see him do more personal, as opposed to "an institution" type of cooking.
I haven't eaten his food at firebird, and given the path he is currently taking, I also think that he hasn't quite found his niche yet. Like you, I hope he opens his own restaurant soon.
I actually got to chat with Nieminen a few months ago after a cooking demo he was having at williams sonoma in the Time warner bldg. Just by talking to him, you could tell that the man has talent, he is also extremely amiable. My wife really liked him!!!
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Ok, so I'm going there next Monday at 9:45 with several other EGullet members. In fact our party of four will be entirely EGullet members. My question is about the wine pairings. How much does it cost to pair wines by the glass? Is it just priced as they pour each glass, or is there a set price for the complete pairing? Can you work with them to keep within a set budget? Maybe I want wines paired by the glass, but I only want like four glasses instead of nine. Does anyone know much about the whole "wine program?"
Please let me know what you know. Thanks.
I believe the pairing with the 9 course tasting menu is usually set at $150, when I was there the staff at Per Se didn't make it seem like we had an option for less (that is if we wanted all our courses to be paired with a different wine).
One other option you may want to consider is to order half bottles instead of going with the pairing. Per Se has a great half bottle list in the $60 to $100 range. We were also four on the day I went and we ended up spending about $400 on wine for a selection of 5 half bottles.
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I had not yet written down my tip, when I heard the other couple mention their tip of 15%. Rather than embarass them or the waitstaff, I left 25% on mine.
I generally do this if I find myself in a similar situation.
I figured that if I am already spending $200 or $300 on dinner, it won't kill me to fork in an extra $10 or $15 just to make everyone happy.
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The Lebanese brands seem to be pretty good. Not because the Lebanese make the best version
, but because industry is more established over there, then say Algeria. The Lebanese brands seem to be the most available in the states.I like the LEBANESE made Cortas or Al Rabih brands over here, because the Lebanese do make the best version
.Seriously though, whenever I can I try to get the stuff straight from my grandma's stash. she has wonderful rose bushes and uses the fragrant roses to distill her own "ma ward". The smell of the stuff cooking is unforgetable. Unfortunatly, and obviously, only a small quantity is produced from several kilos of roses so supply is limited.
Elie
I also use the same brands (for the same reason Elie stated above
).I would love to know what is the basic method behind preparing rose water. It is just one of those things that I always took for granted. Provided that it requires as you said a serious amount of roses, I don't know why I never thought it could be made at home from scratch, what is generally used to make ma' ward the petals only? the buds?
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Another wonderful hot sauce is the Armenian chili paste that is so ubiquitous in Lebanon. It is consumed by those of Armenian decent and Arabs as well. My grandmother always has a stash of the stuff and adds it to lots of things including the Lahm Bi Ajeen filling.
It is easy to make, basically frying red bell peppers and spicy red peppers in oil and cooking it down to a loose paste consistency. It is sometimes dried on the roofs in the sun resulting in an even firmer result. In the late summer months in Beirut you can count on seeing several roofs covered with trays of the drying paste....
How is it called in arabic?
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Re: " 360 " ....Brooklyn's First Ever Restaurant Week
The borough's inaugural "Dine In Brooklyn" restaurant week begins this Thursday, April 15th and runs through April 22nd. Diners will enjoy three courses for only $18.98. '360' is on the list
On my list too, thanks for the info
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Interesting, i am actually not familiar with this.
If this appears in Southestern Turkish cuisine then logically it should have crossed the border futher south (and opportunites for this to happen were plentiful in the past 500 years!!
) I'm curious to know if this is also used in some parts of Syria, Lebanon, or other countries in the region...
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Well, if i may add a few suggestions for a frenchified version of mana'ich, (a thing or two i grew up with as a french lebanese
):For all of these, zaatar is intially mixed with olive oil, i like mine to "run" somewhat so i add more oil than usual:
zaatar on an open baguette toasted,
zaatar on pain de mie toasted
zaatar stuffed in croissant warmed in the oven
zaatar on puffed pastry baked (my favorite)
And for the stuff i learned here in the US:
zaatar on pillsbury crescent dough.
*Now i was highly dubious about this one until my step mother from lebanon came to visist us here and made this for breakfast. Trust me, it is phenomenal..*
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I have had Lahm bi Ajeen served as an open-faced pie - we called it Lebanese pizza.
it is also known as "sfiha".
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For an added layer of flavour
Zeitoun's description of this technique
can be used. My maman sometimes did this as well.In a separate pan, heat chopped onions and garlic and chopped cilantro in a fair amount of olive oil, let cool and add lots of lemon juice to it (depends on how sour you like it, i like mine really sour) + salt/pepper. The lemon/oil mixture is combined with the cooked lentils before it is served and voila...My maman would probably add all the indgredients for lentil soup pretty much at once. Whereas I saute the aromatics first, than add the rest of the ingredients in steps according to how long they take to cook.
I'm sure this:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil2 medium onions, diced
2 fresh small chili peppers, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups dried lentils
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoon tomato paste
1 carrot, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 1/2 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch dice
3/4 cup green peas
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste.
is already lots of flavor!!
What kind of consistency and texture do you look for in this soup? How much liquid is needed generally?
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Indeed it does sound good, thanks Chefzadi, I'll definitely try this recipe, hopefuly this week end.
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Thank you Zeitoun!
It is an amazingly delicious and simple soup, just left the table and felt an urge to let you know we appreciate the recipe. I started it off with lentils and meat stock and went along all your guidance. The proper chard leaves weren't enough so I added some big fresh Turkish spinach leaves. What I liked most is that there is what I call "layers" of great taste to it. My family is very happy because I made enough for the next day or two.
Boaziko
I'm glad you liked it!!
Again, this is a slight variation from a classic lebanese recipe which i learned from my dad. The "extra layer" of scented olive oil is really what makes this dish great, and this is certainly not my idea, it is an essential step in making a classic "adass bi hamod".
As we say in Lebanon, Sahtayn!!!!
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Sounds a bit like what you might get a hotel as part of a breakfast spread in France. I don't recall all the details of exactly what is served but it's along those lines. I saw pastries, butter, confiture, ham, fruit, yoghurt, etc...
That's right, a sort of hotel style "ptit dej" at noon instead of 8am.
Do you know if brunch is common outside of Paris or is it a Parisian thing?
Ordering coffee
in France: Dining
Posted
And yes, i forgot to mention that part, I must have heard this a hundred times!!!!