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I'd really like to try my hand at making macarons. As an absolute beginner, what would be a good procedure to follow?

I just borrowed a copy of James Peterson's "Glorious French Food" from my local library, and I'm pretty excited about the range of recipes and the bits of kitchen science sprinkled throughout the pages of the book. I believe it was first published back in 2002, and I am wondering if fellow eGullet'ers have tried any of the recipes in the book? If you've read it, what do you think of it? There's an old thread about the book here TDG: Is Glorious French Food Glorious? that's quite interesting to read. I would very much like to read the book review by Suzanne Fass, but I haven't located it online yet. Perhaps someone can point me in the right direction? Thanks all!

I have been on a duck confit jag for the past few months; can't get enough of it. I have been thinking about making cassoulet, which, from my reading, is classically made with Tarbais beans. at $15/pound + shipping, they seem a bit on the expensive side. What are acceptable alternatives and is there a significant difference between Tarbais beans and any recommended alternatives? (Hope I don't set off a holy war between believers and the rest of the world...!) Thanks Ken K

If there are any bakers out there looking to get your hands on French type 55 flour, here is a source. This is the flour the French use to make their famous baguettes. http://www.lepicerie.com/catalog/category_447_FINE_FOODS_French_Flours_Organic_page_1.html

I'm planning to attend pastry school in France at the end of this year but there are so many to choose from. After some research, I've narrowed it down to three schools: 1) Le Cordon Bleu 2) ESCF (Ecole Superieure de Cuisine Francaise) - Ferrandi 3) ENSP (Ecole Nationale Superieure de la Patisserie - in Yssingeaux) Are there any recent grads from the pastry arts programs above who can share how their experiences were and if they know how the schools compare against each other (eg. strength of teachers, curriculum, practical vs. theoretical time, reputation, intership opportunities, etc.) (I did look into Lenotre but my french is not strong and the program requires a significant upfront deposit with the application which I'm not too keen on.) Thanks

I need to find the best (or the top, say 3 or 4, best) butters in France. Artisanal or industrial producers welcome. I am writing an article on butter, but beyond the 2 very common that are imported here in Brazil, don't know any other. Thank you all.

When we were in Paris in March we had dinner at Le Petit Pontoise where we had a wonderful tatin d'artichaut. It had (I think) eggplant and possibly tomatoes under the artichokes. I would like to recreate it but I am unsure how to deal with the eggplant. I was thinking maybe brushing thick slices lightly with olive oil and broiling/grilling. Any ideas? TIA

I have registered at the French Pastry School in Chicago for one of their continuing education courses "Pastry Camp" next week. Just wondering if anyone has taken one of their classes and what their experience was. I'm really excited about the class, but a little nervous as well since I'm a home baker with no profressional training.

I'm translating a recipe from French to English. Here are some terms for which I have no translation other than literal. If there are other meanings, I'd appreciate a translation from those in the know: 1. "Sucre glacee." (Is this frozen sugar, or a specific type of sugar?) 2. "Beurre fin." (Is this just high-quality butter?) 3. "Couverture de chocolat amer." (It does not specify a cocoa %; should I asssume that "bitter chocolate couverture" is 99/100%?) Thanks. u.e.

I found two quart jars with Confit of Toulouse sausages cover in oil that have been in the spare refrigerator. I am fixing to convert it into a curing chamber for some fermented sausages and wonder whether I should keep or toss these sausages. Paula's book says they will keep for two or three months, but I think it's been closer to six. Thumbs up....or down?

I would like to know where I can find shops selling specialties of the Basque region in Paris. Thanks a lot.

Hi all, I'll be heading for Toulouse and Bordeaux for some time off in a little while, and I thought I would go looking for some equipment for my home kitchen while I'm there. I'm mainly thinking about tins and moulds for brioche, Madeleines, cannelés etc. I could order these online (they're hard to come by in my part of the world), but shipping is usually quite significant for such orders... Besides, I'd love to browse a well stocked boulangerie/patisserie store while in France. So, to my question: Does anyone here know any markets or shops in Toulouse and/or Bordeaux (or in the vicinity) where I could obtain such moulds? I've tried my hands with Google, but since my French is still... ehm... shaky, I didn't make much progress in the search... Any pointers and advice greatly appreciated

I have been trying to find an authentic Tarte D'Alsace recipe lately, but nothing I have made has come close to the ones I enjoyed as an exchange student living in Strassbough about 15 years ago. Any help on this subject would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Dan

was invited to a dinner party first time for us at a "dinner club".... we were invited late and all courses are spoken for, so I would like to bring a cocktail... something i can mix up (for the most part) ahead of time and something that will serve around 20 folks...needs to have a french origin in some way... any good variations on a french 75 you can think of? something more creative? something with a good story...? definetly want something in the "classic" side or some variiation there of... figured i could pick your brains... party is in 10 days thanks in advance shanty

I will be in Europe with my family this summer (July 19-31) and my son and I would like to take a short (2 hours to one day) cooking class. We'll be based in Brussels but will be making day trips to Paris, etc. I have looked at Le Cordon Bleu but they only have one class during that time frame and it frankly doesn't sound that interesting. Any other suggestions?

I got an e-mail today talking about David's new book - it was a pretty quiet day on the internet so I read the e-mail all the way to the bottom - and saw a link for this French Tart Dough. Well I must say it intrigued me - I've been looking for a crust to use with my caramelized red onion, balsamic vinegar and bleu cheese tarts. My standard tart dough bakes up too puffy and leaves very little space in the tiny tart shells for the filling. This looked like it might make a nice thin crust and from the pictures looked like it would blind bake without the need for anything lining the shell. So I changed the recipe a little - I used half lard, half butter and cut back on the sugar to about 2 tsp. It was cool enough to work with very quickly after mixing. I took small walnut sized pieces and used my little wooden tart tamper dipped in some flour to press them into the tart molds. I pricked the bottoms with a small fork, and baked them for about 12 minutes at 350º F. For a first try, these were wonderful - nice thin pastry - no shrinkage. Perhaps a bit thick on the bottom, but I think that's just a matter of a smaller piece of dough. I made a small batch of lemon/lime curd with the one lemon and one lime I had in the fridge and served the tarts for dessert with a spoonful of curd. So next time around for savory tarts I'll cut the sugar back to 1 tsp and use a bit less dough per tart. This dough is so quick and easy - I highly recommend you give it a try. I can see it will be useful in a variety of applications - the full butter version would be great as the base of a simple fruit tart.

I was sure that I had started a discussion on what cheese one could find in France to use when making cheesecake, but I can't find it even though I've searched diligently. In any case I got a good answer from Pti. Use Kiri since Philadelphia is difficult to find outside of Paris. I tried that and it worked perfectly. Only problem was that it seemed to take forever to open all of those small packets of Kiri. I've never seen Kiri packed in anything except those small wrapped morsels. Yesterday I tried a new tack. I went to our little Friday market and bought 4, 100 gram blocks of a very young local chevre. These worked perfectly! This was an uncooked cheesecake, lemon in this case, so I added a packet of powdered gelatin to the lemon juice and heated this until it dissolved. A cookie crust was baked, the chevre mixture went in and then it rested in the fridge for several hours. Due to my diet I used Splenda instead of real sugar. The result was great. Our guests loved it. The only thing I would change for next time is that I would add more gelatin. I thought the cheesecake was just a bit softer that I would have liked. We live & learn.

Our town has had a bike tour for about 15 years and this year scored a major coup by having a competing race fold due to loss of sponsorship (Chrysler), and obtaining a multi-year deal for a major sponsor of their own. The result is that we'll have one of the largest and most prestigious races in the country, and one that international racers come to because it is a great training race for the Tour de France. With all of that, I want to honor our visiting teams by making Paris-Brests. From all that I can tell, its just a choux ring with pastry cream filling. Easy enough. But has anyone seen any unique recipes or designs that might be helpful? Thanks.

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone has information on the history of orgeat: Is it specific to one region in France? Are there regional differences in recipes? Does anyone in France still make orgeat from scratch? Any information would be much appreciated. Thank you!

I just ate some morteau sausage for lunch - it was lightly-smoked and I got if from the cooked meat counter of selfridges, but it seemed pretty raw... are you supposed to cook it? If so I might be in trouble.. would someone please clarify (quickly! i might not have long left...)

Anyone have any luck with different hollandaise techniques using the siphon? Like cooking the yolks sous vide, hydrocolloids, etc. I'm looking for a mousse that won't move (like whipped cream, shaving cream, et.) and won't break when warm (obviously). Thanks for any help.

I have searched and think no similar topic has been discussed here to this date. I'd be interesting of hearing about which supermarket-available products you find good enough. I'm speaking about basic cooking products as well as prepared and ready to eat items.

We have really really been enjoying "The Complete Robuchon" by well, Robuchon. The recipes we have tried have been delicious, get prepared within a reasonable amount of work, and have a wonderful delicate and complex flavour. The only real flaw is we probably can't make over 1/2 the recipes due to ingredients issues, though we do sub some. I have the urge for more. A recent CI article complaining about the 11 pages on omelet making in Julia Child's book ("Mastering the Art of French Cooking" I think) gave me a pretty strong urge to buy that book; I could really dig a book which is willing to spend 11 pages on omelets. So, I am looking for a modern-ish book on french cooking that focuses on technique. For reference, one of my favorite books in this style is "Sauces" by Patterson; that is, ideally, the kind of book I'm looking for. I think Child's book *might* be the one, but my primary concern is it's age; modern tastes tend to prefer things with a little less fat (well, ok sometimes). Does it hold up? Is there another book which I should consider? Would one of the english translations of Escoffier be a good idea? I'd like a book without *too* much focus on stuff I can't buy, although I am resigned to have at least 25% (maybe more).. Your suggestions are appreciated!

The US Government recently announced that it will triple the already high 100% duty applied to the import of Roquefort cheese in retaliation for the European Union's refusal to import hormone-fed beef. Is it fair to tax one particular product--although high taxes were levied on hundreds of other products as well, but from what I have read, the famous bleu is the only one with a 300% tariff--in order to punish Europe for not wanting hormone-fed beef? An Article from the Times And another from Time

Before the holidays, I thought it would be worthwhile to get my knife professionally sharpened. The only place I know of is near Alesia, which is absolutely the wrong side of town. Any recommendations for the Right Bank? Maybe one of the kitchenware stores--A Simon, Bovida, etc. Thanks, Shira http://www.lespetitpois.blogspot.com