I’ve heard a renowned French cook say recently that it was much harder to prepare high-class dishes only with vegetables. I thought he actually wanted to say: any high price for vegetarian food was justified. The three star chefs of Paris put price tags on carrot or celery salads nowadays that are nothing but shocking.… [Read more…]
October 14, 2010
Have you ever tried to wrap a beef fillet in a salt crust and bake it in the oven? If not, I highly recommend doing it. First of all, it’s a nerve-wrecking adventure, second, if you get it right, you’ll be able to serve a world-class meal: meat so tender and regularly cooked that you… [Read more…]
October 13, 2010
Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside – everybody loves roast chicken but it’s a trickier task than many home cooks think. In the end it all depends on the correct positioning of the bird during the cooking process. I know a lot of people who simply put their chicken on the back, on… [Read more…]
October 12, 2010
…make a beautiful dish when treated with respect and care. Be humble! These mushrooms are a precious gift, they need your full attention. In your cookbooks you’ll find many highly contradictory recommendations on how to cook them. I’d say, frankly, that most recipes have got it wrong. To me, there’s only one question when it… [Read more…]
October 6, 2010
Just in case that you have missed it: the fishing season for scallops has been opened officially this week – since Monday the yellow-coated heroes are out on the sea for you in Normandy, in Brittany to get aboard what the French so nicely call coquilles St. Jacques. For the fishermen, scallops mean pure money. In… [Read more…]
September 25, 2010
A slice of fresh bread spread with a rich, creamy, comforting liver paté can make a beautiful supper as long as you avoid the pre-packed “French” supermarket fare. Just do it yourself! It’s easy, it’s ten times better and it makes you feel good and skilled. Here’s a perfect home-made Parfait de foies de volaille: What do… [Read more…]
September 23, 2010
…in order to peel them, please! When I check my recipe books for “how to peel tomatoes” I find a lot of bad advice and many wrong suggestions. “Sink them into boiling water for 10 minutes” – Jesus Christ! After that they’ll have a consistency of slubbery sludge. You want to peel a tomato? Well,… [Read more…]
September 7, 2010
…from Du Pain et des Idées for instance, a quite famous bakery at the crossing of Rue de Marseille and Rue Yves Toudic, only a stone’s throw from Place de la République. I didn’t know it, actually, I just walked by the other day and the beautiful things on display caught my attention. Have a look:… [Read more…]
July 6, 2010
…that’s what French people say when they sit down in a bistro like Astier in Paris, a picturesque little restaurant complete with chequered tablecloth, l’ardoise (that’s a chalkboard) and even original Laguiole knives on display tucked on the wall. The experienced traveller could shy away and with good reason: beware, this could be a tourist… [Read more…]
July 4, 2010
…by cooking them in grey, coarse sea salt – you won’t regret it (even if you don’t understand what “turn two giltheads into salty dogs” means). It’s a very simple, yet delicious dish, I guess the idea is Italian, originally, but you can find this preparation in places like southern France, too. The fish is… [Read more…]
June 25, 2010
…while fumbling with marinated chicken strips in order to get them on skewers somehow. It IS ugly but you’ll be rewarded with nice food. I’ve seen a street vendor once in Jakarta who prepared his stall for lunchtime. In my memory HE managed to put the pieces together without getting his hands dirty at all… [Read more…]
June 24, 2010
…for all people who like to bake their own tarts and cakes. It’s nothing else in fact than little bone-shaped morsels made of ceramic and produced only for weighing down your shortcrust pastry while baking it “blind”, which means: before really filling it. People have weird business ideas, don’t you think? I’ve been offered the… [Read more…]
January 8, 2011
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