RandyB
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Posts posted by RandyB
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As a dedicated, but amateur, French pastry chef, I have bought a lot of cookware, molds, etc., made by the company Matfer. I shlepped many things home from Paris, bought at all the stores mentioned here (Mora, Simon, Bovida, and BHV). The first three are my favorite toy stores in Paris, and the shops G. Detout (pastry supplies) and Epicerie de Bruno are close by in the rue Tiquetonne. Then I made a useful discovery.
There is a North American distributor with almost the entire Matfer line, sold over the Internet at significantly lower prices than in Paris.
It is less fun than shopping here, but a real savings.
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Ptipois, I accept and appreciate your comments. I am really not knowledgable about teas and spoke only of the service I received. It was loose tea, by the way, not tea bags; putting the samples in plastic was my own error.
Incidentally, speaking of flavoring teas, the one I mentioned that Maître Tseng said was drinkable she also criticized for being flavored. She said flowers had been added but that a much better quality of the same type tea would have achieved its flovor without adding the flowers.
Do you have any more information about the new tea house near Hôtel de Ville that you mentioned a while back? The apartment I am in is off rue St. Paul, an easy walk to there.
Thanks.
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Ptipois, I was sorry to read of your dislike of the service at Trois Thés. A year or so ago I had a wonderful experience there. I went in with some tea samples about which I knew little. A friend had brought them back from a trip to China. She said they were sold to her as high-end teas and she got them for me as a gift.
I had brought small quantities in baggies, as well as photocopies of the original packaging. The first salesperson couldn`t help me, but asked Maître Tseng to come out. She spent nearly 20 minutes with me discussing my samples. This was even though (1) I had degraded them by bring them in baggies and (2) the packaging was not descriptive, i.e., it was poems, etc.
Maître Tseng examined two of my samples and said they were very cheap teas, as well as being stale. The third one she said was in decent shape and then she brewed it. It was nothing special, although it was at least drinkable.
This was my first visit to Trois Thés and I felt incredibly well treated by the owner herself, particularly since I was not even in the process of buying something.
I do agree with you about Mariage Frères. I've never been impressed with them.
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Felice, the Envoyé Special story on bread really was fascinating. Thanks for posting the link.
Now I'm going to run out to my favorite neighborhood boulangerie "Au levain du Marais" for a baguette and a croissant.
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I'm curious about the preferences some of you have for Guittard. I assume you're talking about the little disks they sell for cooking. I haven't tried those because I've never been impressed wth their bars.
Now, I'm not sure of what follows because it comes from memory, but I think the last time I saw Guittard in cooking block sizes at Whole Foods, the ingredients list included milk fat. I'll recheck the next time I'm at WF - I'm don't want to criticize Guittard if my memory is faulty.
Using milk fat to replace some cocao butter would be a sign of a pretty low class chocolate. Also, the total fat content may have been lower than brands like Valrhona or Callebaut, signifying a poorer quality for ganaches and such. Couverture chocolate should be at least a third cocao butter, regardless of the total percent of cocoa solids.
I generally use Valrhona chocolate in cooking because it's wonderful, and ends up being pretty cheap at Trader Joe's. They sell 100g bars for $2.69, which works out to $11.84 per pound. At any given time, TJ will have a varying selection. At best, they have a milk and four different dark chocolates.
Finally, on the subject of how dark a chocolate to use. I took a class with the Maison du Chocolat in Paris to make a chocolate tart. They used mostly a 64% dark but added a small amount of milk chocolate to the ganache. (If anyone wants exact amounts, I can pull out the recipe.) MdC mainly uses Valrhona. However, they can get custom couverture chocolate from Valrhona that isn't sold to the public. This isn't just specific blends. They get Valrhona to spend longer on some of the processing.
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As I feared, although Alléosse has received some Abbaye des Citeaux, they refuse to sell me one before it is properly aged in their caves. I begged, to no avail. I guess that is the sign of a fromager justly proud of maintaining his quality.
The good news for the rest of you, if you want to try a delicious and hard-to-find cheese, is that you will be able to get it some time soon (I`d call) at Alléosse. Here is the description on the Alléosse website:
Hand making by the CISTECIANS (twice per week), with cow’s milk Abaye de Citeaux, this cheese which looks like to the ROBLOCHON is rather milder than the majority of washed-rind cheeses. The BURGUNDIAN’s richness of the grasses gives to this latter its single savour: A great moment at the time of its tasting.
And for the Cabri Ariègois:
The CABRI cheese is surrounded by a bark of spruce (as the Vacherin of Haut-Doubs) which maintains the structure of the cheese. At the beginning of the affinage process, the cheese impregnates aromatic elements of the bark, to find at the end of its affinage, a balance between goat savour and balsamic expression. So that these savours balance perfectly, it will take at least a month.
This cheese has a mountain aspect with its crust of ochre colour and its soft smell of resin and cave. Its white paste is unctuous and features melting texture with a tender and typified taste.
The website cheese catalog has photos and descriptions of 118 cheeses. It`s a good reference source in itself.
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What I understand is that the monastery has a small list of regular customers they supply. Alléosse is apparently on their list, as they get the cheeses at various times. It is somewhat unpredictable because production is very limited. Other cheese shops, like my second choice la Ferme St. Aubin on the île St. Louis, used to be but isn`t currently on the list. So they will only get the Abbaye des Citeaux if there are some extras that the regulars haven`t ordered. Boursault in the 14th just pointedly said no and gave me a look that didn`t invite further conversation. (I was speaking French, so that wasn`t the problem.)
Alléosse is expecting an order, but they say the cheese usually needs a little time in their caves before they consider it ready to sell. So they won`t tell me until tomorrow if I can have one.
And I appreciate the kind words about Seattle, which I agree with. Unfortunately, I hear from friends back there, the glorious 7 weeks I`ve been here in Paris have been some of the stormiest and rainiest autumn weeks in many years in Seattle.
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That said, the amazing Epoisses, aged Comte, and Roquefort I triple Ziplocked and stowed in my suitcase almost made up for losing the foie gras.
And Alléosse has promised to have a Cabri Ariègois ready for me tomorrow to take home to Seattle. Alas, they cannot be sure of having an Abbaye des Citeaux, or rather one that they would consider being sufficiently affiné to sell. This is a difficult cheese to find anywhere, as so little is made and shipped to Paris. I may just settle(!) for a Reblochon.
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Mafter is owned by Mora. Check the Mafter website for history. Perhaps the shapes you are looking for are no longer made? Perhaps available under a different label but the same product?
I have the Matfer 2006 catalog, 480 pages! I took it with me when I went shopping. Mora had by far the biggest selection. They said what I wanted was part of a relatively new product line and they were only slowly replacing their old stock. Of the four stores I mentioned, they were the only ones who offered to order it for me. The problem was that I'm leaving on Saturday and I won't back for several months.
The good news is that I finally thought of Amazon.com. They didn't have what I wanted, but from other Matfer products I found a seller in North America who buys directly from the Matfer/USA distributor. I ordered exactly what I needed using Matfer catalog numbers (plus a few more things, of course) for delivery to my home in Seattle. Most prices were a little less than in Paris, after figuring in the exchange rate. The site is: http://www.culinarycookware.com Shipping is free on orders over $100. Otherwise it's $9.50.
Margaret is right that the French Matfer site has an interesting history, but other than Mora, all other retail stores mentioned are out of business.
Last point, if anyone is interested: What I wanted was tartelette molds in Exal, Matfer's brand of multiply-coated, non-stick aluminum. The older ones are Exopan, which is steel coated with teflon.
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I have been to Dehillerin, Mora, Simon, and Bovida looking for certain Matfer pastry molds. None carry the specific ones I want, although each does carry Matfer products.
Anyone know of other, similar stores that might have a good selection of Matfer pastry-making supplies?
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When you do get tired of cassoulet, and if you are a bit to the west near the Tarn, there is a wonderful, little hotel on the crest of hill in the middle of nowhere that also has a great restaurant. It's called the auberge de Cabaretou.
My wife and I found it several years ago when we were tired, hungry, and pretty much lost. We needed a place for a night, but once we saw our room and the multiple varieties of mushroom dishes in the restaurant (it was late October), we stayed for three nights. During the day we watched furtive French families with big baskets sneaking into and out of the forests nearby.
This is family run, not fancy nor expensive. It least, it wasn't back then. Nor did they have a website then.
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I was finishing the Toussaint vacation week on the île de Ré. (Oyster speciales No. 2 for 5 euros/dozen, but that's another story.) I wanted to spend a day in Fouras birding in the marais. Friends suggested I stay in Rochefort at the hotel de la Corderie Royale (royal ships`ropemaking center). This was a 3-star hotel where very pleasant doubles cost 75 euros and singles cost 58 euros. They didn`t mention the restaurant in the hotel, but that's where I ate.
Omigod, it was great. Started with an amuse bouche which was a shot glass of warm green pepper soup with a froth of red pepper. Entrée was Royale de foie gras en nage de châtaignes, à la fève de Tonka. Rich soup/sauce with fois gras, puréed little chestnuts, beans of Tonka (never heard of those).
Main course was Moelleux de cabillaud en deux façons, l'une en brandade, l'autre rôtie, courgette au thym. This is cod two ways, pureed with potatoes and cooked in a small cake, and roasted, along with tiny courgettes flavored with thyme.
Next course was a plate of cheese or the local specialty, a jonchée. Imagine the roller used in making suchi rolls in a Japanese restaurant, but instead of thin bamboo it`s made of marsh reeds. That is rolled to hold together a sheep or goat cheese with the texture of firm youghurt, flavored with almond & laurel, and opened onto a plate. They were out of this, so I opted for a lovely, simple green salad that was very lightly dressed.
Dessert was Passion aux deux chocolats and sorbet yaourt, which should be self-explanatory except it was more like four chocolats, and the inside of a passionfruit.
If I knew how to include photos, I`d post the entrée, main dish, and dessert. They were all beautiful, as well as superbly prepared. There were other choices for each course, which I did not describe.
Finally, the incredible bottom line: 36 euros. Local wines they suggested were 5 euros by the glass. There were bottles, too, of course. And the service was delightful.
This was one of the most enjoyable meals I`ve had in France in years.
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Why not call Thanksgiving store in the Marais (4th) to see if they have cranberry juice? Meanwhile, I was surprised to see fresh, bagged cranberries (probably Ocean Spray, but I don't remember for sure) at my local greengrocer a couple of weeks ago. This is on rue St. Antoine just west of rue St. Paul.
I just checked. They have cranberry juice and fresh cranberries. On rue Charles V. The restaurant is on rue St. Paul around the corner.
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Why not call Thanksgiving store in the Marais (4th) to see if they have cranberry juice? Meanwhile, I was surprised to see fresh, bagged cranberries (probably Ocean Spray, but I don't remember for sure) at my local greengrocer a couple of weeks ago. This is on rue St. Antoine just west of rue St. Paul.
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I can't believe how timely this thread is. Just today I was invited to share an apartment some French friends have rented for a week for the Toussaint holidays. It's in les Portes on the Île de Ré, a place I`ve never been before.
I`ll get to suprise them with my insider knowledge of island restaurants.
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Quelle surprise… Not! When I was there in 2003/4 we had some problems as well.
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I don’t know who the current French teacher is (was) but we had someone named Mireille whom we all liked a lot – very cool. I just can’t imagine what could prompt them to fire a French teacher. Mystère et boule de gomme.
I agree, it’s a bit early in the year to drop the French instruction. However, I know that most of the chefs have a fairly good command of English – at least enough to flirt with the girls… (sorry, couldn’t resist a little jab). The French portion of the program was valuable but to me, the most important things were learned “on the job.”
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Bon chance.
P.S. Randy, if you get an update please let us know what’s going on.
Apparently it isn't the French instruction, but the teacher. The students must start with a new teacher after the Toussaint holidays. They get little enough instruction in French as it is and the bilingual sections have students with varying first languages. Nonetheless, it's better than dropping the French altogether.
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No, I believe you're quite right. The école Ferrandi is highly praised and has a very good reputation. That is the one French culinary students would attend, and definitely the one I would attend if I had the time and the money.
I'm told by an American student currently at this school that it is in turmoil. The French-English teacher was dismissed, the school wouldn't hire another one, and it has also announced that henceforth all tests and classes will be exclusively in French. Were it later in the year, it might be less of a problem for the foreign students.
Last week there were protests and meetings going on. That's the last I heard. I'm expecting an update today. Maybe it's all been resolved. Or maybe we'll be seeing "manifs" in the streets around the school.
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I arrived in Paris three weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon, after the local shops had closed. Some recent guests in my family's apartment had left in the freezer a Picard goat cheese and spinach lasagna.
Having heard about, but never tried, Picard, I gave it a go. Yeech! I think it should have been called Goat Cheese Glop with Bits of Spinach and Noodles.
At home I always cook fresh dinners, but often eat frozen meals at lunch in my office. I would say that an Amy's frozen lasagna, basic but also organic, is a significant level above Picard. So is Trader Joe's lasagne.
Perhaps on my next winter visit I'll try some frozen Picard ingredients, but never again a frozen dinner.
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Oh, yes. Casaluna's menu is 16.50 for 2 courses, 21 or so for 3 courses. A decent and appropriate Corsican house wine can be had for 5 per glass.
We had a lovely meal today. A simple but generous green salad with bacon and Corsican cheese, and many different greens to start. We both had the same plat, a fricasée de seiches in a rich, dark Corsican sauce whose name I did not recognize. This was delicious. The cuttlefish were perfectly cooked, not the least rubbery.
We shared a Corsican dessert that was sort of like a creme caramel, but lighter and lemon flavored. Very good.
The service was very good, and friendly. We were forced to drink two complimentary liqueurs each after our coffees. The decor was very pleasant, , and it was relatively quiet. We were seated in a smoking section but no one was smoking near us.
Thank you for the suggestion. I think this is a real find for the price.
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Stupid question about the cheese: do you have to specifically request the cryovac packaging from the Fromagerie? If so, can any one enlighten me to the appropriate French phrase?
Thanks in advance.
Steph
"Emballé sous vide" or "en plastique sous vide". However, any shop that is upscale enough to have a vacuum machine for tourists will also (1) have a sign announcing it, and (2) speak enough English so you won`t need my translatiion.
Here`s some background information, too:
Several years ago I had a long conversation with a knowledgable USDA inspector at Chicago customs. She clarified the confusion over rules for importing cheeses. The reason there`s nothing on the USDA website is that the one rule is from the FDA, and well hidden in their site.
The rule is that cheeses made from raw milk must be aged for 6 months before being brought into the US. As far as I could learn, this is because of a disease that hasn`t actually been seen as a result of eating cheese for decades, and then there were only a few cases, not in the US. I think I found the rule under a commercial import category, although technically it would apply to individuals as well
She said the USDA doesn`t enforce the FDA rule, although Customs could. However, it would be a rare customs official who understood exactly what the rule was. (Thus, the unpredictable behavior of Customs officials mentioned above.) She said there shouldn`t be any problem importing cheeses, although she advised me that smelly cheeses could be more of a problem - practically if not legally.
So what I have done on at least a half dozen trips is have my cheeses very well packed and I declare them as "aged cheeses." I have never had this questioned at Chicago or Dulles customs.
Most recently I`ve been having my cheeses vacuum packed. Ferme St. Aubin on the Ile St. Louis will do it for you. My favorite cheese shop, Alléosse on rue Poncelet near pl. des Ternes, doesn`t have a vacuum machine. However, if they are not too busy they will take you to a nearby butcher where, for the trivial price of the plastic, they will vacuum pack the cheeses.
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Bardet's Point Bar sounds great but isn't open Mondays. Drouant is, well, a bit above the budget. Casaluna also sounds great, so that's what it will be.
Thanks,
Randy
from Paris
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It's my turn on Monday to treat a friend who usually takes me to lunch at Grand Colbert when I'm in Paris. I'd like to find something in that price range and area (near where she works), perhaps even with better food if not the unmatchable decor.
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It was not an easy choice, but I ended up with A Grand Affaire. They were fantastic. I worked directly with Monica Newby, the owner. She helped with the menu as well as planning the overall party.
We started wtih one of their standard menus ("Northwest Feast") and my comment that I loved pastry. We then revised the menu by email, phone, and in person at our home, where the party was to take place. We increased the mini hors d'oeuvre selection to three, each with a different pastry:
Spanikopita - phyllo stuffed with spinach, feta, garlic, and oregano, plus an herbed tzadziki sauce
Chevre Puffs - puffed pastry bouchees filled with French goat cheese and sweet red peppers drizzled with a port wine demi glaze
Smoked Salmon Scones - crème fraice-cream cheese spread with pacific alder smoked salmon lox served atop an onion-chervil miniature scone
As a pastry fan and amateur baker, there would be nothing more disappointing than heavy or soggy pastry, no matter how good the filling or topping. However, each pastry item was different and each pastry was wonderful.
We also moved the crab and artichoke dip from part of the main buffet to being an hors d'oeuvre. The problem with this move was that there were no leftovers of the dip! Had it been part of the main buffet, with so many dishes, it wouldn't have all disappeared.
The other pastry item was a Brie en Croute, layered with fresh basil, wrapped in puff pastry, baked and served warm with French baguette. How many of these have you seen at events served in a bread-like dough? Not here! This was real puff pastry, light and flakey. And the fresh basil was a wonderful addition I had not seen before. The crust was so well done that reheating the bit that was left over the next day crisped it up again very nicely.
This is getting so long that I won't list all the main course dishes. To some extent they track the Northwest Feast menu, with some changes and some lighter sauces.
The chef and server provided were very professional, and the whole process was smooth as could be. A Grand Affaire was great.
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Macrina's is the choice. I spoke directly with a pastry chef who was very accomodating with my special requests. We decided on custom, 4-layer chocolate sheet cake, with two raspberry and one ganache filling layers, and a chocolate butter cream frosting. All bittersweet chocolate, of course.
Fran's no longer does custom cakes, or even large ones.
Cookbook or cookware shops in central Paris
in France: Cooking & Baking
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I agree completely, Braden. But in any case, if one is not familiar with the dreaded "H.T." on the price tag, you will be surprised at that cash register when the VAT is added. I assume that the value added tax is the reason why prices over the Internet in the US/Canada for French cookware are cheaper than buying in France.
I was actually in that neighborhood today with an American couple I met at a dinner Saturday night nearby. I was showing them G. Detout and Bruno, although unfortunately Bruno is only open Thurs-Sat, and these folks leave Paris tomorrow. This was after a tour of the boulangerie Veronique Mauclerc in the 19th. It is one of the few with a wood-fired oven, and she says she is the only woman baker in France to have one in her bakery.