Owner: La vie in English URL:http://lavieinenglish.blogspot.com/ Join Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 09:40:48 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: Food blog of a French woman living in South of France and loving America. Come and check Babeth's French or more exotic recipes as well as restaurants or cookbooks reviews always with pictures. Site statistics:Click here
Cabbages wedding between Roma and Bruxelles 2008-03-07 12:38:00 Note: French version is on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaAs promise I'm proud to announce the come back of Brussels sprouts on this blog. This time our tiny veggy teamed-up with a very chic fellow: Romanesco broccoli.This vibrant bright green veggy with its spiral pattern is the living proof of fractals just like snow flakes.It makes very classy decorations in a plate and its smooth texture is like silk in your palate.Here a sautéed veggies' wedding
:Ingredients: (serving 2)-1 cup of basmati rice-miso broth-1/2 cup of lardons (stripped bacon)-1/2 Romanesco broccoli- 6 Brussels sprouts-Brussels sproutsDirections:1- Bring water + miso broth to boil. Add the rice.2- Wash the veggies, trim their ends and remove the yellow leaves. Quarter them.3- Cooked
Endroit, lounge bar in Antibes 2008-03-06 09:53:00 Note: French version is on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaAfter a flower-menu base restaurant, a wine bar and the best Italian in Antibes here a great lounde bar address.L'Endroit (the place in French) is a trendy lounge
bar where Antibes' happy fews gather, located in the old Antibes village (la vieille ville). Well until last week it was only a bar. I discovered that you can also have diner there. I was having a drink with friends after diner -by the way l'Endroit gave you some great stuff to nibble on: veggies and dips- when my friends P and C suggested that we just forget about our pizza plan and stay for diner.Well the food really came as a surprise! We had duck with ... vanilla ice-cream, very unusal but my palette really enjoyed that mix
Husband in the kitchen: Apple Tarte Tatin 2008-03-05 10:38:00 Note: French version is on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaAs far as guys go, I am pretty average when it comes to the kitchen: I don't cook a lot and I keep it simple. I have few specialties and I tend to do them over and over. One of these is Tarte Tatin, the reversed-caramel-apple-pie. When I moved in with Babeth, I moved my tools, my snowboard and my pile of useless electronics as any self-respecting guy would. But I also contributed a Tarte Tatin pan to the household. As I was sharing a house before, I didn't have much in terms of cooking ware, no pots, no skillets, but I had a Tatin pan. Go figure. So here it is: the delicious yet simple Tarte Tatin recipe! Ingredients:- 5 big Apple
s (I like the "Pink Lady" type because they don't disintegrate Read more:Husband
Poets' liquor 2008-03-04 06:30:00 Important: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaPoets' liquor
is back on the shelves. I 'm talking about absinthe, the beautiful and ever-changing green color alcohol beverage that was very popular back in the 19th century.Painters, poets and writers were looking for inspiration with help of Absinthe fairy lady.Absinthe by Degas:The liquor was banned and surrounded by a lot of beliefs. It's supposed to be mysterious and addictive and mind blinder, but today with modern techniques the liquor is safe to drink -in moderation, but like any alcoholic beverages.What I really like is all the ceremonials around and the vintage touch of it. You need to have a special spoon and it's better to have the right glass and a little water fountain. You put the spoon on top of the glass with a sugar on i
[Daring Bakers] Julia Child's French bread 2008-02-29 08:58:00 Important: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaHere again I will be all about the secret society: the Daring
Bakers to name it.February challenge was a great one (but aren't they all great and challenging anyway?). This month recipe was the Julia
Child French
bread. Well yes the greatest, the goddess of cooking: Julia Child you read me correctly. When I recipe my secret mission I was reading -no kidding- her biography: Appetite for life. The other very challenging part of the mission was: French bread!!! As you may know I'm 100% French and living in France, so I know a lot about good and bad breads.Our hostesses for February are: Mary from "the sour dough" and Sara from "I like to cook"Here my bread:and the recipe:Pain Francais (French Bread)(From Mastering the Art of French Cooki
Heidi's crackers 2008-02-26 16:30:00 Note: French version is on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaDo you know Heidi
and her 101 cookbooks? She's the Californian woman behind 101cookbooks.com blog. She's sharing with her readers very original and healthy recipes and stunning pictures.I must recommend her poppy seeds pancakes, they're not FDA approved but they're Mathieu approved, it's even better. I didn't have buttermilk (kind of tricky to find here in France) so I replace it with a plain yogurt and half of the proportion of the buttermilk by regular milk.At the beginning of the year I bought on amazon her book: Super natural cooking, a great bible for organic cooking with a twist.I want to share on jewel of her book: her animal crackers, with my twists.-Japanese crackers-Provence cracke
Japanese crackers 2008-02-26 16:21:00 Note: French version is on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaTravel to Japan with the diet menu :-)Ingredients:-here the plain crakers recipe-poppy seeds-washabi-chips of nori (you can do it yourself with sushi sheets)-kosher saltDirections:1- Mix 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and a pinch of washabi.2-After following the plain crackers recipe directions (here), sprinkle on top of them some chips of nori and the salt mix. Read more:Japanese
Crackers with a smell of Provence 2008-02-26 16:16:00 Note: French version is on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaOlive oil and herbes de Provence
I bet you smell Provence already!Ingredients:-here the plain crakers recipe-olive oil-herbes de ProvenceDirections:1-After following the plain crackers recipe directions (here), brush some olive oil on top of the cut won-ton skins and sprinkle some herbes de Provence. Read more:Crackers
cinnamon-caramel vanilla-caramel crackers 2008-02-26 15:51:00 Note: French version is on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaHere the sweet version of those delicious crackers. They will be the best companions for your ice-creams, puddings or just a cup of fine tea.Ingredients:-here the plain crakers recipe-For the cinnamon-caramel
ones:-brown sugar-ground cinnamon-water-poppy seeds-sesame seeds-For the vanilla-caramel ones:-brown sugar-vanilla extract-poppy seeds-sesame seedsDirections:1- For the cinnamon-caramel gaze: mix 2 tablespoons of ground sugar with a little bit of ground cinnamon with few drops of water. You will have a gross thick mix.1-or- For the vanilla-caramel gaze: mix 2 tablespoons of ground sugar with 3 or 4 drops of vanilla extract. You will have a gross thick mix.2- After following the plain crac
Brussels sprouts guest star on winter savory muffins! 2008-02-21 05:58:00 Note: French version is on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaGirls from the 7th muffins day contest challenged me. I had to come up with savory muffins, cute and eatable (as I must add).I wanted to come up with muffins fully loaded with seasonal ingredients.I saw some interesting videos (mostly on the Today Show) and read recipes (see Heidi's one) about brussels sprouts. Well you may have the same unappealing souvenir of them, yep you had the same boiled ones at your school cafeteria, yeurkkk! Really not tasty.But in all those recipes I saw and read, brussels sprouts were not boiled just stirred, and that looked yummy and vibrant green not mashed and dark green like school cafeteria's ones.I wanted to try ,so as soon as brussels sprouts arrived on my f Read more:Brussels
, winter
Madeleines in memory 2008-02-20 01:38:00 Note: French version is here on La cuisine de BabethInstead of talking too much about the glacial cemetery last Saturday, I want to share again with you my grand mother's madeleines' recipe, recipe I featured here as my first one on this blog.Ingredients: (for about 30 madeleines)-the madeleine pan if you don't know where you can find this essential French cuisine item go here-250g of sugar-250g of flour-150g of unsalted butter-6 eggs- half of a tea spoon of baking soda (or levure chimique, the most famous one in France is in a pink paper package)- 1 tea spoon of vanilla sugar ( or vanilla extract)Directions:1- In a large saucepan under low heat melt the butter (it should never become brown), add the eggs and whisk.2- Remove from the heat, add the sugar and whisk. When the mix is plain and
Wine bar, Antibes 2008-02-18 06:24:00 Note: French version of this post is here on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaLast week we tried for the third time a new wine bar down to our place. It's located in the old part of Antibes in a charming street. From the farmer market you turn onto the bar à Absynthe's street and here you go!The wine bar itself is all gray, very trendy! Didn't they say gray is the new black ? hum :-) Anyway you enter a tiny old boutique, downstairs: wines on display, upstairs: the bar itself no more than 10 to 12 seatings.The wine is served with homemade finger food and you can order some more if you feel like it.Our wine, Sauternes one of my favorite, was served with foie gras mousse with gressinis (long Italian bread sticks) and some charcuterie.Bar à vin: Les Sen
I was tagged, 6 frivolous things about me 2008-02-14 12:38:00 Note: French version of this post is here on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaAt lunch time I received an email from my friend Anne, she tagged me."tagging" in blog-world dictionary is a friendly invitation to reveal 6 small things
about yourself.Here the great 6:1- Without my black coffee in the morning, no sugar, I'm not fully with the other human beings.2- I don't like to do the dishes, and our apartment is to small to have a dishwasher.3- Insects scare me.4- I looooooove chocolate.5- I have more than 10 nail polish bottles in my fridge.6- Laying on the beach bores me ... too bad I'm living at walking distance to sand beaches.Here the people I'm tagging:Fabienne: Eggs&MouillettesFanny: FoodbeamLoukoum: Beau à la loucheRosa: Rosa's Yummy YumsL
Ranting and raving about this pink atmosphere 2008-02-13 02:35:00 Note: French version of this post is here on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcoma Where am I heading to? I’m going to churn out a post about tomorrow… about Valentine’s day. No no I wasn’t brainwashed in pink. The sheer idea Valentine’s day makes me shrug in despair, it’s just a commercial event to sell more flowers and chocolate. They don’t fool me. I can’t stand it: -when you’re single it’s just a mean mirror of stupid-cute couples, making a fuss about giving and receiving flowers and chocolates. And God, all those fussy almost tacky pink heart-shaped decorations in every single shop? It’s way worst in the US. -and when you have that someone special, either you’re on the same line no overpriced flowers or chocolates just be Read more:atmosphere
Looking for a room in Brooklyn starting March 2008 2008-02-11 15:53:00 My dear friends one of my brother is going to New-York, Brooklyn
to be more precise to do a 6 months paid internship at an architecture studio.My brother, ok it's my brother, is non-smoking fun, creative and serious guy. He's looking for a room near F or G train for max $850 per month.If you have a room to rent or sub-let or know someone who is looking for a roommate, contact me at cuisinedebabeth[at]gmail DOT com or contact him.He created a web page for is room hunting, how creative is that? His webpage is here. Read more:March
In the search for cured pork with green lentils recipe 2008-02-11 06:52:00 Note: French version of this post is here on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaA wedding list is never really complete until it gets some cast iron cookware, at least over here in France. Since we received one of these fine Le Creuset cast iron oval pot on our list , we had to figure out a way to break it in in style with something worthy. My taste buds guided me toward the lentil-bedded cured
pork, a dish that brings me back to my childhood with the fondest of memories. You know in the movie Ratatouille when the critique eats the ratatouille and has a flashback to his youth? That's what petit salé does to me, it's my madeleine de Proust. My Grandmother used to cook it when we visited them on vacations out in their countryside home in Limousin and even
Baked potato or mister potato comes to the rescue 2008-02-08 15:02:00 Note: French version of this post is here on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaMy dear friends it's time to find a way to beat hoar frost. It's not really the time for fresh salads or citrus desserts but not at all, it's time for comfort food. Mister Potato came right into my plate to comfort and rescue me (yes I must admit I'm a chilly person). To reproduce at home you will need very few ingredients and it's totally safe. Pick a chubby potato , as big as your fist, some slices of raclette cheese, crème fraîche, scallions and sprouts. Since we are just among us let me unveil my secret and magic recipe which you could right away add to your kitchen black book.Ingredients: (for on comforting mister Potato)- 1 large potato- 2 tablespoons of crème fraî Read more:Baked
, comes
Guest post: Husband in the kitchen 2008-02-07 16:40:00 Note: French version of this post is here on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaGuest
post: Husband
in the kitchen Babeth's message: Today, my guy takes care of the cooking. For the Chinese New Year, he proposes a wok chicken ginger stir fry! As you can imagine, living with a food blogger is truly a delight, menus don't get boring and we talk a lot about food, tastes and techniques. Perhaps the only downside is that we sometimes eat cold because we have to take so many pictures before we can actually eat! ;-) But it's for a good cause... Nevertheless, I do have a couple of cooking skills of my own. As some may know, I am from Quebec, a land of potatoes and meat pies which also offers a surprisingly good variety of international products. I guess it's a s
Back from London! 2008-02-05 02:06:00 Note: French version of this post is here on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaI'm back from London where I spent the week-end with my family. We had a great time there and we survived the gusty and chilly weather. God it was freezing! Freezing but at least the sky was clear of any hostile clouds. We stayed in a nice hotel near Victoria Station, so we were very close to any touristic places. The week-end started hecticly, but a fire alarm at midnight on Friday. We all ended up on the street in pajamas waiting for the firemen. Luckily it was nothing.We started, filled with enthusiasm by Notting Hill, to browse antique shops on Portobello rd.In London museums are great: it's free and not crowded and of course they have masterpieces on display. We checked
Chandeleur versus Groundhog day ? 2008-02-01 05:14:00 Note: French version of this post is here on La cuisine de Babeth.London is calling! I'm going to London with all my family for my mother's birthday, so I need to discuss right now important food related events that will occur over the week-end. In France this week-end we are celebrating La chandeleur , basically in every French household crêpes (thin French-like pancakes) will be flying of the pans!And in the US , ok it's Super Bowl but also I'm pretty sure all Americans anxiously waiting for report from Punxsutawney on ground hog Day. More precisely from Phil, the groundhog. Punxsutawney Phil is the only true weather forecasting groundhog. The others are just impostors.There has only been one Punxsutawney Phil. He has been making predictions for over 120 years! On February 2, Phil co Read more:versus
, Groundhog
Super Bowl material: guacamole flan! 2008-01-31 09:53:00 Note: the French version of this recipe is here on La cuisine de Babeth.Hey, Sunday it's the big sport day, at least in the US! It's the Super
Bowl! Well to be very honest with you, I was never a big fan of football while living in the US, but I must admit I always watched the Super Bowl
. Not because of touchdowns or quarterbacks but for 2 reasons:1- it always a great excuse to come to a party or throw one, BBQ with beers and finger foods.2- for the never seen before tv ads.If you keen on have more info about the rules here's a great article.On internet there's a lot of Super Bowl recipes, starting with cookies or cakes, or finger foods. Even Heidi (great cookbook's author and food blog's author) post a little recipe: her guacamole
.Let me give you my own recommendation, finger food styl Read more:material
[Daring Bakers] Lemon meringue pie 2008-01-28 05:12:00 Note: French version of this post is on La cuisine de Babeth, here.The end of the month smells like contest in the kitchen and yes, you smelled it right: it's Daring
Bakers day! January's contest was a great one, especially for a girl with such a sweet tooth like me, it was a delightI was so excited to bake a lemon meringue pie.Well, I must share with you that I was a bit too excited and my first batch as shown below was not a success. Distracted as I am, I forgot to turn off the grill on my oven. The pie burned on top and didn't cook at all.I didn't give up and went back to my kitchen. So lo and behold: the great, the only: Daring Bakers' Lemon
Meringue Pie!Here the recipe:Lemon Meringue PieMakes one 10-inch (25 cm) pieFor the Crust:¾ cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm)
Help beat sarcoma! 2008-01-27 05:48:00 Note: the French version of this post is here.Well today no recipes on our plate, but let's talk about a more serious subject: sarcoma. Sarcoma are very rare cancers. Unfortunately when we say rare for a disease, we all know that it's also means less researches and exposure.I got to know sarcoma few weeks ago, one of my friends Nat just replied to my Happy New Year email with that line: for more news check BeatSarcoma.org. I did check that web site and that when and where I learned that she has cancer, sarcoma. I was deeply sad . I don't know what is happening but she is the second friends of mine, in their thirties, who is telling me since 01/01/2008 that they have cancer.I read a lot about sarcoma, I must admit that this word was new to me.I met Nat few years ago in California, in t
Best Italian in Antibes! 2008-01-26 17:36:00 Note: French version of this post is here.Just around the corner there's a small Italian
bistro with a nice "Boho" ambiance. None of the chairs or tables there are the same, but all from antic stores. You can see the owner, a petite Italian woman, driving around her Sunday ice-cream color Vespa. Her cute, truly Italian, accent has note of Italian vacations.Once in a while I cross the street and go for diner with friend there. We're always delighted: food is so good and pricing is reasonable.No pizza on the menu but pasta and meat. The special, not always written on the blackboard menu list, is a must have! Cold veal and tuna with mayonnaise, vitello e tuna to named it. If it's not on the menu it's worth to ask for it.Below the business card of Mamalu restaurant and a picture of vitel
Mustard salmon en papillote 2008-01-25 03:42:00 Note: French version of this post is here.After all the craziness and the non-sense calories wise and long-preparation wise in our plates and kitchens during the holiday season, let's go back to more simple and healthy cooking, would you?Also I should mention that the recipe I'm about to reveal will not create too many dishes to clean. I love that part.Let's be serious here and talk about the beneficial effects of salmon
and also restrictions. Salmon is an oily fish fully loaded with OMEGA 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins. If you're not been living in a cave for years you know that OMEGA 3 fatty acids are good for your health. But also with human pollution you shouldn't eat too much of oily fish, that's a shame - but true - and can be dangerous. Dioxins and PCBs (polychlorinated
Brussels sprouts and red quinoa cassolettes 2008-03-10 06:06:00 Note: French version is on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaTo end with honors and fireworks our epic series of Brussels
sprouts A-lister, After the first episode: mini-muffins, the second sequel: cabbages wedding between Roma and Brussels here the last sequel: Brussels sprouts quinoa cassolettes.Ingredients: (serving 2 cassolettes)- 1 cup of red quinoa-6 Brussels sprouts-Grated Parmigiano Reggiano-butter-celery salt-lemon juice-fleur de sel, or kosher saltDirections:1- Trim, wash and cut in quarters (or even smaller) the Brussels sprouts.2- Heat some butter in a skillet and the Brussels sprouts with celery salt and sauteed for 20 minutes at low or medium heat. (they should not become brown). Set aside.3- Cook the quinoa as advice on the box.4- Buttere
The ultimate brownie recipe 2008-03-14 11:45:00 Note: French version is on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaSpring got re-elected without any trouble. Spring is already working hard here in Antibes: birds are twittering and the delicate jasmine perfume lazily overruns the alleys of the city (a smell much more posh than the mimosa's one). Even with the return of colorful butterflies I was in desperate need for comfort, without any alcohol beverage help. My working from home status will lose one word ...I know 2 very comforting activities: buying a new pair of shoes and eating chocolate. This time I picked the second one. I turned to my Mum's brownie.Here, only for you the recipe:Ingredients:-6 oz of bittersweet baking chocolate-3oz of butter-6oz of sugar-4.5oz of flour-2 eggs-1 tbsp of almond purée
Making-off my first cooking video! 2008-03-19 06:34:00 Note: French version is on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaAt the end of February I was invited to shoot a video
clip, no not for the new rap music royalty but to prepare a recipe with the author of it in front of a camera. The video is part of a mini-serie for marmiton the first recipes directory in French. I used to browse trough it to find French classical recipes while I was living in California. So on February 23rd I jumped into my private jet, en route to Paris. The crew was really delightful, super pro and at the same time relaxed, no stress. I even at the chance to discuss photography, leica cameras and white balance with them.We were 8 in a Parisian apartment transformed for the occasion into a movie set. 1 journalist Cyril (the guy in the Read more:cooking
Happy macaron-day! 2008-03-20 14:45:00 Note: French version is on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaI have a huge announcement to make: today, March 20th is macaron's day. Pierre Hermé, pastry chef royalty, decreeted so and he didn't have to persuade us. Macaron is super chic, trendy and even posh. Kirsten Dunst alias Marie-Antoinette was on a macaron-only diet in Sofia Coppola movie.If you're in LA, check out Paulette macaron shop.So at Pierre Hermé's boutique, today he offers us 3 macarons, and you can buy a special strawberry-chocolate one. All the profits will be given to the French orphan diseases association.Check as well the beat sarcoma awareness post here.You can try macarons at home, check here (sorry in French, I need more time to translate for you my macarons' recipe in English Read more:Happy
Easter chump lamb with rosemary and roasted potatoes 2008-03-23 11:18:00 Note: French version is on La cuisine de BabethImportant: don't forget to check: Help beat sarcomaI wish you all an happy Easter
! We had a pretty classical Easter Sunday: our day started at the farmers market, then a visit to our butcher and baker. We went really early (that may not be early for you but for us it was) in order to be ready for 11 o'clock Easter mass. And today no way to be late for mass. In France it's quite a tradition to be late at mass, except for my Grand-Dad but he was in the Army so he's never ever late, a way of life. We even planned to arrive a bit early. On regular Sundays in churches all over France, even when really late you can still get a seats but not so for Christmas or Easter where you are quite likely to be left standing. Our church doesn't waive to that p
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