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Posts Tagged ‘food’

  1. Me Day

    January 23, 2012 by Audrey

    So, as I mentioned in my previous post, yesterday was my birthday. I wanted the celebration to be simple and sophisticated. And it was.

    First, I woke-up to a white Philadelphia. It made me smile. My “Indian name” is Birthday In The Snow… A long story for another post some day.

    Second, I treated myself to a movie: The Artist. And it was a perfect balance of beautiful picture and incredible acting. Just laughed a little bit when I was able to hear Jean Dujardin’s French accent in the only spoken line he has in the entire movie. Cute.

    Third, K. and M. took care of my birthday dinner: some tofu/pineapple/collard greens concoction (M. is vegan) that was a delight for the taste buds. Funny that I actually happen to really like Tofu, and I’m not sure they even knew that.

    Mr. J.J. was in charge of my birthday dessert, Creme Brulee. Second year in a row, I think it’s starting to become a tradition. I’m wondering he’s going to make that happen next year.

    It was a small dinner at home, just 5 of us, and it was wonderful. We cracked open a bottle of Veuve Clicquot, left-over from New Year’s Eve and had conversation about sex, death and nuclear pipes. What’s not to love?

    Next and final pit-stop was at R2L, and its fantastic view of the city. There, a dozen of my friends gathered around a dessert plate (playing second serving with desserts here, don’t tell anyone), gesture of the establishment and their adorable Sales & Marketing Manager.

    I realized several things last night:

    1. I couldn’t have been better surrounded than by the people that were there. They’re the friends that stuck with me through good times and rough patches.

    2. I have a LOT of girl friends… Gentleman, they’re such an amazing group of ladies… It you don’t snag the single ones quick someone else will!

    3. My tolerance to SideCars is highly improved – which I’m grateful for. The day my tolerance for brandy/bourbon/whiskey-based drinks will be directly proportional to my love for them will be a happy day.

    So, here we are, the beginning of another year. It’s going to be a fantastic journey!

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  2. Post Christmas Candy Canes

    January 16, 2012 by Audrey

    Candy Canes as a Christmas tree ornament is something I discovered when I moved in the U.S. They have not been very popular in France until the past few years. Even now, the “Candy Cane” look & feel might start to rise (see my sister’s Christmas tree on the picture) but the candy itself rarely makes it to the branch.

    I wondered about the idea of using food as an ornament and what happens to those Candy Canes after Christmas is over… Not really something you can nicely box and save for next year. Trash? What a waste! I love the idea of candy canes on my Christmas tree but I want to make sure it recycles in some ways…

    So I did some research. And guess what: it does recycle!

    Among the many ideas offered by Chef Sarah Mentzer on her blog At Home For Dinner, one seem to be a perfect continuation in the everything-red traditions: from Christmas to Valentine’s Day! “For Valentine’s Day, unwrap two mini candy canes and place on a baking sheet in the shape of a hear. Bake at 350 degrees F for a couple of minutes until the stick together. Cool and remove with a spatula. Cute on top of a frosted cupcake if you use the mini candy canes.”

    Many other ideas on her “Cleaning out the Fridge: Leftover Candy Canes” post!

    Do you put real candy canes on your Christmas tree? What do you do with them after Christmas? Please don’t respond “eat them all”…

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  3. Ode to Hot Cocoa

    January 10, 2012 by Audrey

    Heaven is for when your soft whipped cream touches my lips
    Opulent is for your rich texture and your spicy flavors
    Tasty are the hints of vanilla and cinnamon

    Crazy is how I feel about you on a cold winter day
    Optimistic is how you make me feel after I drink you
    Captivated by warmth, well being and childhood memories
    Of you deliciousness one more sip I will take
    And close my eyes in happiness.

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  4. Christmas cookies

    December 23, 2011 by Audrey

    France. Sweet France. Christmas with the family and my young nephews; 2 and 4 1/2 years old. Of course, as soon as I arrived I was the dedicated baby-sitter… Except that, well, I’m not much of a baby-sitter and I don’t know what to do with 2 little boys. So, going against my mother’s advice, I decided to start a cookies making workshop for M. Bought cookie cutters in all different shapes and food coloring… For the rest, I left it to the Internet and its fabulous collection of recipes.

    I decided on the following: Sugar Cookies from Delish.com and the Ornamental Frosting from TLC. It was not as easy as I thought it would be to find something easy that didn’t involve crazy ingredients (like meringue powder) or that meant another trip to the store and I was not in the mood.

    Day 1: Baking

    I guess it’s when you’re making them yourself that you realize that cookies are pretty much simply and obnoxious amount of butter and sugar…  Playing with the dough was fun and M. enjoyed all the shapes of cookie cutters. We decided to go with a star, a shooting star, a Christmas tree and what we think is an angel. According to my sister one of the shape we didn’t use was actually a Santa… Oh well, guess our imagination was limited on this one…
    It took me a couple of batches to find the right thickness, the right over temperature and mode. At the end of Day 1, we had 3 dozen cookies that were acceptable enough to be decorated. And I was exhausted!

     

    Day 2: Decorating

    It’s a actually a good thing that M. was not here today to play with the food coloring. I discovered something: food coloring COLORS… everything… starting with my fingers. Ok, well, I’m not the best artist when it comes to playing with colors. So I called for help… MOM!!! Thank god, my mother is the painter of the family and she ended-up having fun with it, which was not a guaranteed win when you know how much she dislikes baking. It took us about an hour. I applied the large first layer, and armed with a syringe, she did the extra stuff. It still doesn’t looking anywhere professional but for a first time (for both of us) I think we did ok. My grandmother was really happy (with all the sugar – because yes, frosting is nothing more than more butter and more sugar) that we were going to have homemade cookies and that made my day.

    Now, I’ll have to try some but believe me when I tell you that I’m SERIOUSLY looking forward to get back on the treadmill after the Holidays! If you know any good recipes, whether it’s for the cookies or for a lighter version of frosting (and maybe less grainy too, smoother), please shoot them my way, I might give them a shot for Easter!


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  5. Lessons from the pros: Wine

    November 29, 2011 by Audrey

    With the Holidays around the corner, wine selection is crucial, whether you’re hosting or simply bringing a bottle to a dinner party. I asked my friend, Delphine Evenchik, ISG certified Sommelier and Co-Owner of Vintage wine bar, and Time Restaurant, to give us her advice on the wine question.

    Holiday Season is a season of social activities, which wines would you recommend to have at home to be a good hostess for impromptu guests?
    I would recommend wines with more spicy flavors (vanilla, clove, cinnamon, caramel, toffee, fried fruit, etc…) and a bigger body. For white wines: Chardonnays from France or California, Muscadet or even Torrontes. For red wines: Malbec, Bordeaux, Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, Cotes du Rhone…

    Turkey, ham, Holiday desserts… what are the safest pairings?
    Wines aged in Oak barrels will have aromas and flavors of cinnamon, vanilla, licorice, nutmeg so that’s always a good pairing with Holiday food. Personally I will have on my table bottles of Rioja (Spain), Bordeaux (France), and Super-Tuscan (Italy). And for dessert, we wil drink some Montbazillac (France).

    What should a good guest bring to Holiday dinner invitations?
    I would bring a digestif liquor, or a dessert wine because most likely the host will have already picked the wine.

    When choosing a wine in the store, what are the 3 things that we should be looking for?
    Provenance, label, price.

    Any tricks to avoid next day headaches after drinking too much wine?
    No… unfortunately.

    If those words of advice triggered any more questions, feel free to put them in the comment section and I’ll make sure to ask Delphine.

    Category Eating & Drinking | Tags: ,, | No Comments

  6. That’s the way we do it

    November 25, 2011 by Audrey

    Another Thanksgiving in now behind us, as many are heading full speed toward Christmas via the long lines of Black Friday shopping.

    This year again, for what I believe is the 4th year, I spent Thanksgiving at my friend S’s. Most people have families to go to that day, some of us don’t. And then we create one. The Thanksgiving of the misfits, of the ones with no place to go, where the door is always open and the food always abundant. Truth is, many, after their family affairs, prefer to end their Turkey day with us.

    Someone confided yesterday “The food is better here.” No doubt the food is good. We have several home cooks (it’s a potluck-style Thanksgiving) and a professional Chef working the kitchen.

    Entertainment is provided during the entire day by an army of cats & dogs, plus a few board games: a live version of Words With Friends (oh wait, what? Scrabble was created in the 50ies?) and a, new to me and oh-so-hilarious, one: Apples-to-Apples.

    It was a warm & fuzzy day.

    “Thank you consequence
    Thank you thank you silence”
    - Alanis Morrissette

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  7. All things Pumpkin

    November 10, 2011 by Audrey

    When I stopped by at my local Starbucks (please do not lynch me) this morning for a little Pumpkin Spice Latte treat, I noticed that the Holiday beverages were out: Egg Nog Lattes and other Peppermint Mochas and realized that pumpkin season is almost over… It’s more than time to pay a tribute to all things pumpkin!

    Pumpkin Spice Latte:
    Starbuck might have been the first one to launch this decadent drink but you can now find them pretty much in every coffee shop. I take mine “skinny”: skim milk, no whipped cream; because I’m a firm believer that less is more, and it’s plain delicious like that.

    Pumpkin Bread & Muffin:
    These sweet, moist and flavorful treats taste just like Fall to me and it’s a real challenge to limit myself to a couple servings per season.

    Pumpkin Beer:
    I had an opportunity to try Pumpkin beer this year at one of those Harvest Festival that kept my September weekends busy and it was delicious. Not being a beer connoisseur myself, I suggest you refer to The Ultimate Guide to Fall Pumpkin Beers for more details on which brewery does what and where. All I’ll say is “Try it!”

    Pumpkin Pie:
    This one comes a little later, and I generally try to wait until closer to Thanksgiving to give in…  Fall is definitely an obstacle to defined waist lines. Recipes will pop up all over the web very soon… I would actually love to hear about your favorites. I want to take one home with me and share the pumpkin pie love with my family in France.

    And everything else: pumpkin soup, pumpkin smoothies, pumpkin ice-cream… What am I missing?

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  8. Fall Harvest Festival

    October 17, 2011 by Audrey

    Fall Harvest Festival at the Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia, PAIt is one of those Saturday mornings, the weather is still nice and my agenda is totally empty. Nothing. I’m staring at iCal and it is a beautiful pocket of emptiness. Freedom to choose to do or not to do anything that comes to my mind.

    So I decide to wander toward the Reading Terminal Market Harvest Festival. Fall is a great excuse here to bring out the hay, put pumpkins everywhere and on everything, play some bluegrass music and call it a festival. There are some of those every weekend in Philly. Each neighborhood has its own: pumpkin carving for the kids, pumpkin beers for the grown-ups, everyone rejoice. Although, now that I come to think of it… pumpkin carving IS a lot of fun, even for a grown-up like me. Maybe an idea for later…

    The Reading Terminal Market is one of my favorite place in Philadelphia. I’m not being very original here. I don’t think I ever heard anyone say how much they disliked the place. It’s the foodies version of Disneyland. Best way to experience it is walking through the (very) crowded aisles, smelling the food (a mix of cinnamon buns, fresh backed cookies, BBQ ribs, and stir-fried rice, just to name a few), watching people (possibly running into a few you know, as I said, it’s a popular place), and shopping for exceptional stuff. I don’t go to the Reading Terminal Market very often: my waistline and my wallet would throw a fit.

    This time, I’m going very French: demi-baguette from the Metropolitan Bakery, 3 different French cheeses from the Downtown Cheese, some organic produces, shrimps and a piece of beef sirloin. All I need now is a nice bottle of red wine and some good company.

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