Wednesday, August 25, 2010

What I Ate in London

I think I ate a crawfish sandwich on brown bread every day in London from Pret A Manger, but this looks like a BLT from Marks and Sparks.

Did I eat rashers of bacon for breakfast?
Up the whazoo

Greens and salads are hard to find when you're traveling but I had this healthy dinner at artist Ian Siddaway's. His wife, Lydia is a chef. Every artist needs a chef for a wife/husband in my opinion. All applications will be given careful consideration.

One of you told me to go to Sketch Parlor for tea and thank goodness for that. I ordered a 'jellied' dessert by Paris chef Pierre Gagnaire, which according to the BBC Food Programme is very in now.

You told me to go to Kensington Gardens Palace for tea. I did as I was told. Very nice indeed.

You did not tell me to go to Afternoon tea at Fortnum & Mason. I did that on my own by going up too high in the elevator. Very high in the pocketbook too.

Ottolenghi haven't I raved enough about the place? Are the Passion Fruit meringue tarts still available or did you gobble them up?

OK, my favorite place to eat in London (and has been for years) is FOOD FOR THOUGHT in Covent Garden 31 Neal street.
 
I'm including the times for next trip so I won't show up and find them closed.

It's very informal, very small - just a few seats. And French girls were sitting nearby - always a good sign.

AND VERY good! Plus you get lots of those hard-to-find salads.

Almost everyday I ate a Grannie Smith apple from Pret A Manger rather than

These potato chips at the Chunnel station. I tried a bag for research purposes called, 'Chedder N' Onion'. All I tasted was potato - no chedder, no onion. It must be me.
Here's a shining example of the hair bow worn on a giant pin from savvy French jewelry company, N2. They have a stand in Galeries Lafayette as well as a new concept store on 3, rue Bourg L'Abbe, 75003. I bought an all-macaron bracelet that is 2-die-4, even though it has no French bows...
BONJOUR FRENCH BOWS (again)!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Bonjour Madeleines

I was looking for Madeleines

I'd given up finding these quelle ordinaire quotidien dunking cookies

Until I come home and blewup a counter shot to find these perfect golden shell biscuits They have absolutement rien de tout to do with the grand La Madeleine btwAnd everything to do with a young girl named, Madeleine de Commercy, who saved the day according to Tartelette. Depend on her to include an excellent recipe in her cookie tales...
I always flirt with the Mini Madeleines de Bretagne at Le Bon Marche, especially the caramel au beurre madys, but restraint occasionally kicks in for me...
Fauchon are not only the maitres of the almighty Paris eclair, but of the madeleine as well. They have beautiful tins of mini-madeleines, which I did fall victim to (for research purposes bien sur)... They also offer individul madeleines in at least 7 different flavors!


You can buy the whole set in a gift box or just one framboise.
I gave French girl the contents of the tin, except for two to paint. So far niente as they say in Brasil..


Why do some people think French Girls don't cook?


This is a BIG erreur. There are literally tons of adorable cookery books everywhere you turn in Paris. Plus they're in full color and relatively inexpensive, say 5-9 euros...


Which brings me to the tale of French Girl. Arriving home from work at 10 pm, she was in a tizzy. She'd forgotten she was to make THE MADELEINES for the office party the following day. Eeek!
JAM The pots and pans flew. I mainly watched and later washed-up.No wonder French Girl has 18 jars of jam in the Frigo! They're used to flavor her office soiree madeleines. Ah ha!
They came out perfectly though I can not tell you on her recipe-un mystere...
Here's an homage of sorts to the madeleine transformed into a chocolate Easter sculpture at The Paris Ritz.
I have too many times shown no restraint with the crumby madeleines in the Metro vending machines. Fortunately I usually lose my money rather than gain calories.
BONJOUR MADELEINES!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Saudade Do Brasil

Did you see Eat Pray Love yet?

It will make you want to catch the next flight out for Bali...

It made me want to run back to Brazil... And not just because Javier Bardem (who is Spanish) plays such a terrific Brasileiro. But the EAT PRAY LOVE soundtrack has at least 3 Brazilian songs that break your heart.9. Samba Da Bençáo / Bebél Gilberto 4:47
10. Wave / João Gilberto 4:42
12. 'S Wonderful / João Gilberto 4:11

Especially if you went to Brazil 5 times in the '80's and haven't been back...
About a week ago I went to see FELA and they insist the audience get up and dance, which is alot like being back in Brazil again...



Even
Francois Simon of Le Figaro is talking about Brazilian food this weekend, so maybe the stars are aligning and trying to tell me something? The food in Brazil is unbelievable! The fruitas! OMG You can get avocado milkshakes on most street corners in Rio, while hanging out in your bikini... And the meat! I don't eat much meat anymore, but in Brazil, I would eat it everyday... You put a kind of salsa on the meat called Brazilian vinegrette...
miam-miam
Wendy said...In 2006, I met Carla daudt, a girl who studied patisserie in Paris and now sells macarons here in Rio! The result of this was that in marriage I contracted a table full of macarons instead of the traditional pastries. It was a success! So I went searching in the bottom of my closet for the one lone souvenir left from my 5 trips to Brazil... This tiny vintage' bikini which hasn't a snowballs chance of fitting me anymore. BUMBUM IPANEMA is still in business though... Can we arrange an exchange BUMBUM?
I don't think I ever had the nerve to wear this anywhere. Not even the crazy beautiful beaches of Brazil...
I do think I could fit into Gisele's flip flops though...
Maybe Rio sometime in January..?
Bom Dia Adriana, Pedro-Paulo, tudo mondo
Tudo Bem
If you're PB Brazilian reader give a shout-out!
Obrigada!
Saudade do Brasil pronounced (so-dag-ji) a Brazilian word for a feeling of nostalgic longing for something or someone that one was fond of and which is lost...

Friday, August 20, 2010

Rooftops of Paris

"Je peux resister a tout sauf a la tentation"
Oscar Wilde
Translation: I can resist everything except temptation..
Paris if full of tentations...
And one of the hardest to resist...
Is getting your nose out of the windows/leche-vitrines...
At street level...
And looking up...
At the glorious roofs of Paris...

It usually takes me...
A full week before I can tear my eyes away and look skywards...
Thank god for artist Fabrice Moireau's newest sketchbook, Roofs of Paris
Evidently Moireau perches himself on the rooftops to make his drawings, something I could never do.
I was lucky to see his exhibit last April...

At least I got my nose right up against them if I can't always take it away from Paris windows...
Lovely to see his drawings as well as watercolors and if you can't get yourself to look up, you can do so in his book...
Why is it when I look skywards...
I see Paris dogs...

This one and I had a little tete a tete...

There are worse things than just seeing what's right in front of your nose I suppose...
BONJOUR PARIS ROOFTOPS!