Recently, I browsed through Monocle's "travel top fifty," and I was intrigued by no. 24: Sprüngli Luxemburgerli. These pastries are a take on the French macaron but are said to be lighter and more airy. I am dying to try them! Currently, you can only purchase them in Zurich and, of course, Dubai.
I could not find a recipe online. So, I'm not exactly sure what makes them lighter than their French counterparts. However, I found a blog that contrasts the two. The cream center makes Luxemburgerli more airy than French macarons which can have jelly, caramel, or ganache in the center. They're also much smaller than French macarons. They're about the size of a quail's egg.
Luxemburgerli were actually invented in France by Camille Studer in 1967, and then, they were brought to Zurich. The name went through several changes: Baiser de Mousse, Gëback des Luxemburgers, and finally Luxemburgerli ("little Luxemburger"). When it comes to purchasing these luscious buttery sweets, you should head to Sprüngli Confiserie.
What would a dinner table be without its salt and pepper? They've become so ubiquitous in everyone's kitchen. However, we rarely wonder why. Both were heavily used in cuisine for hundreds of years, but so were several other spices. What made people focus on salt and pepper?
The story begins with salt. In Ancient Rome, it gained popularity as a condiment. Italians during the Renaissance served salted dishes at the same time as sugared dishes. It was not until the 17th century that the French created a salt-sweet divide. Salted foods were eaten throughout the meal because they stimulate the appetite. Sweet plates were served at the end; they satiate the appetite and shutdown our desire to eat.
It was in France that salt met its inevitable spicy partner, pepper. 17th-century Classic French cuisine, which developed at the court of Louis XIV, considered pepper and parsley as superior to the various spices imported from the Middle East. In fact, it viewed all spices as vulgar ingredients masking the true flavor of a dish. Pepper was the only spice acceptable. And, it eventually attained the same status as fine herbs which were thought to be more wholesome and exquisite. The French heightened the importance of pepper giving it the status it has today.
Several weeks ago, I wrote about the many ways to savor sherry wine vinegar. Banyuls vinegar is like sherry wine vinegar's more refined and delicate French cousin. Like Port and sherry wine, Banyuls is a fortified wine which means that alcohol is added to it. Banyuls vinegar develops a walnut flavor, taste of gingerbread and vanilla, and aroma of fresh plums after being aged in wooden barrels for five years. It comes from the Pyrenees, close to Spain. Like sherry wine vinegar, it makes a great vinaigrette. Where can you find this vinegar? You can purchase the vinegar online from French Food Exports, Honest Foods, and Gourmet Food Store. A while ago, I bought my favorite bottle of this stuff from Formaggio Essex in NY.
Roquefort Vieux Berger has long been one of my favorite blue cheeses. The second you take a bite into this luscious blue, you taste a gritty sharp saltiness that mellows out and transforms into a sugary fruity flavor evoking the aroma of ripened dates, grapes, and apricots. The flavors are gorgeously well balanced and the texture is superbly thick and creamy. It's the best Roquefort that I have ever tasted, because it does not overwhelm the palate and leave an unpleasant strong aftertaste.
Like all Roqueforts, Vieux Berger is produced from raw sheep's milk. It's aged in damp caves found under the village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, in southwestern France. Perhaps, its uniqueness can be attributed to the fact that it's the Roquefort produced on the smallest scale. Its name seems to pay tribute to the enduring tradition of shepherds leading their sheep on the the Causses, vast plateaux found in the Aveyron, near the village of Roquefort. "Vieux Berger" means "old shepherd."
How should one savor this sweet succulent blue? Besides enjoying it plain à la française, you can eat it on whole grain toast with a variety of different condiments. My favorite condiment to pair with Roquefort Vieux Berger is chestnut spread. You can even taste it with a bold chestnut honey. A mirabelle jam will bring out the cheese's fruitiness and minimize its saltiness. Suggestions on how to purchase this cheese can be found after the jump.
According to recent reports and contrary to popular belief, French people can, and do, get fat. In fact, the French government is worried enough about the problem that they're considering raising taxes on food that are higher fat, sugar, and salt.
According to this report on MSNBC.com, the French government has been worried about obesity, especially childhood obesity, for a while now. Some campaigns they've tried in the past have been to encourage commuters to take the stairs instead of the escalator and to put prominent warnings on junk food packaging.
With a huge hole in the state health care budget to plug,though, some officials want to put higher taxes on unhealthy foods. The question that remains to be answered is, what constitutes "unhealthy"? Will the new taxes, up to 19.6% from 5.5%, apply only to processed junk food with high fat and sugar contents? Or will Frances traditional high fat cheeses and foie gras be included?
These questions are yet to be decided, but I personally cannot see the French government slapping high taxes on traditional foods for which the country is famous. How will it look when the French can't even afford their own cheese? Not only that, as Elastic Waistband points out, taxes don't dissuade that many people from doing, or eating, exactly what they want. Do you think the French government will put high taxes on its traditional foods?
Over the past few years, as wine has undergone repeated studies, it has started to seem like the modern-day fountain of youth. According to its various supporters, it can fight off streptococcus bacteria, reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, and flush one's system with antioxidants. Still, all of these pale beside wine's greatest claim to fame: the so-called French paradox.
For years, scientists have wondered how the French, who have one of the most saturated-fat rich diets in the world, manage to have such a low incidence of heart disease. While they haven't been able to scientifically determine the mechanism at work, anecdotal evidence has suggested that France's impressive wine consumption might have something to do with the paradox. Recently, scientists at Hebrew University in Jerusalem have confirmed the link and have even determined part of its mechanism.
According to the researchers, when the body digests meat, particularly turkey and red meat, it produces two toxic chemicals, malondialdehyde and hydroperoxide. These compounds can cause cancer, inflammation, and heart disease. However, red wine contains polyphenols, a particular kind of antioxidant, that neutralizes the toxins and prevents their absorbtion into the bloodstream.
Ever since I returned from my school year abroad in Paris, I have been on a quest for delicate luscious creamy macarons. Unfortunately, every time I purchase them in the U.S., I am disappointed.
Why is it so hard to find decent macarons in the United States? The ones at La Maison du Chocolat are not bad. But, they're overwhelmingly chocolatey. Many times, they even taste too greasy.
Yesterday, I went to Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery in Manhattan and was jumping up and down with excitement when I saw macarons. They looked just like the ones I had at Ladurée in Paris. Except, when I looked at them closely, I noticed that the layer of cream in the middle was much thicker and heavier. A bite into a macaron from Bouchon Bakery is more like a bite into a heavy creamy delicious cake. Although it tasted quite excellent, it lacked many of the characteristics I love about the macarons I've tasted in Paris, mainly its lightness and slightly crunchy exterior and creamy interior.
Can someone recommend a shop where I can find a decent macaron?
This past July fourth, I celebrated Independence Day with family by concocting a drink inspired by an Italian Bellini. In a large champagne flute, I poured peach nectar and champagne. The combination created a heavenly delicate flavor and a wonderfully creamy textured drink. I used a wooden skewer to mix the peach nectar that beautifully settled towards the bottom of the glass.
Not only did the combination taste great, but aesthetically, it looked marvelous. The champagne sat on top of the peach nectar and assumed a light pink color. On the bottom of the flute, the nectar appeared bright red. I nearly hesitated to mix the two layers fearing that I'd lose the beauty of this cocktail masterpiece. Although I put the peach nectar in the flute first, you can do it in the reverse order. The pink colored layers would just be reversed. Next time you're entertaining, I highly suggest you make this drink.
As much as I love champagne, I think it was the gorgeous peach nectar that made this drink sublime. This artisanal nectar is produced by Emmanuelle Baillard in the village of Merceuil, in the region of Burgundy in France. Each bottle consists of 54 percent peach pulp. The rest is water and sugar. I highly recommend Baillard's various nectars.
What are some interesting cocktails you've tried recently?
I often think about cheeses according to where they're from. Lately, I've been trying different Ossau-Iraty cheeses. These sheep's milk cheeses come from the French Pyrenees between the Ossau valley and the Iraty forest, hence its name. They are produced from the milk of basco-béarnaise sheep, a breed that yield a limited amount of milk. My favorite cheese from the Ossau valley is Brebis Pardou.
Brebis Pardou's texture and flavor are flawless, because they are so well balanced. Biting into a piece of Brebis Pardou seems to transport you to a pastoral paradise with bright green rolling hills and statuesque mountains. It tastes wonderfully fruity without being overly sweet. The slightly nutty tang towards the finish gently tickles the back of your throat and leaves you craving more. Affineur Christian Pardou handcrafts Brebis Pardou in the age-old tradition passed down from béarnais shepherds. It is one of the few fermier style Ossau-Iraty wheels available in the United States. Suggestions on the best way to relish Brebis Pardou's complexity can be found after the jump.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization does a lot of things, including set international standards, disseminate new ideas, and "help build human and industrial capacities in diverse fields." One of the organization's most important functions, in my opinion, is to set and protect cultural heritages, which are determined by the World Heritage Committee.
The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO has a wide range of criteria they use to determine world heritages, and France wants to add its cuisine to that list. According to AFP, though, not many people think this bid is going to go through, especially after the committee rejected a similar bid from Mexico a few years ago.
Have you ever thought about real chefs, from high ranked restaurants, and wondered where they like to eat? Well, Bloomberg.com writer Richard Vines has answered.
He spoke to a multitude of well known chefs, mainly from London, and asked them what their favorite restaurants were. Did you know, for example, that Alain Ducasse loves a sushi restaurant in Tokyo called Sushishou? Richard Corrigan of Bentley's adores Gambero Rosso in San Vincenzo, Italy. Gordon Ramsay gave his choice, too, but you'll just have to read the whole story to find that out.
Most of the chefs on Mr. Vines list name restaurants in France as their absolute favorite. I'm not saying you need to jet off to France, Italy, Japan, or wherever, right now, but if you happen to have travel plans for any of those locations you may have just found one more point of interest to visit. I think a few of the restaurants mentioned have just landed on my "to visit" list.
My obsession for those heavenly creamy, crispy, sweet French pastries, called macarons, began when I lived in Paris. I would go to the Ladurée, the pastry-shop and tearoom, almost every week to sit down like an old woman and drink tea and snack on a macaron. Ah, the wonderful gastronomic moments spent at Ladurée! It deserves its own blog post.
Recently, I discovered another incredible pastry-shop in Paris, Pierre Hermé, where you can try some interesting flavored macarons, such as caramel with fleur de sel and passion fruit with chocolate. The tiny store, located at No. 72 rue Bonaparte on the Left Bank, almost always has a quick moving line started out the door. As you enter this chic pastry boutique, your eyes are automatically drawn to the many gorgeous fruit cakes on your left. And then, as you get further into the store, all your senses are overwhelmed by the beauty -- the fresh aroma of baked sweets and the stunning displays of various cakes and macarons.
My experience at Pierre Hermé was like a glance into heaven. By the time it was my turn to order, I was speechless. I had spent the entire time in line absorbing the smells and the delicious goodies instead of figuring out which macarons I wanted to order. One of the shopkeepers gave me a menu of macarons. I studied it closely and finally bought a box of 16. Check out my favorite flavors and more after the jump.
It is amazing how easy it is to find artisanal honeys in Paris. On my last trip, I found a store that not only offers a gorgeous array of honeys but also medicinal products made from honey, everything from throat lozenges to anti-aging moisturizing creams and soaps. From the second I entered Famille Mary at No. 35 rue Cler, the shopkeeper asked how he could help me and if I had any ailments. He pointed me towards a wall stacked with the largest variety of honey-made products I had ever seen.
The storekeeper at Famille Mary picks out specific honeys and honey-made items that address health issues relating to your specific body, such as stress, insomnia, blood flow, digestion, menopause, memory, vision, and weight gain. In essence, the store is a pharmacy full of sweet honey-made medicines developed in laboratories by doctors and apiarists (beekeepers).
Not only does Famille Mary create remedies to treat existing health problems, but it also concocts candies, pills, toothpastes, and syrups to prevent health ailments from arising in the future. The products are made with propolis, a natural resinous material collected by bees from tree buds. Propolis is believed to prevent cataracts and promote heart health. Three of the most bizarre medicinal products from Famille Mary can be found after the jump.
I am fascinated by Mimolette. This bright orange French cheese is the size of a bowling ball. Its appearance is breathtaking. It looks like a giant cantaloupe. After I first tried Mimolette, I was struck by its firm texture and sweet caramel-like taste. In addition, I was intrigued by its remarkable similarities with many of the aged Dutch cheeses I've tried in the past. And so, after looking into its history, I was not surprised that it was first produced to model a Dutch cheese, called Edam.
The history of Mimolette -
During the 17th century, Louis XIV-the Sun King-had both a cultural and economic plan for France. The goal was to decrease all imports and increase all exports. The theory was that it would benefit French economy, because other countries would be purchasing French products. Culturally, Louis XIV wanted France to produce the best of everything, from clothing to food. France was to become the European trend setter. How did these laws initiate and encourage the production of Mimolette?
Regions of France along the borders were culturally affected by the king's agenda. For example, in northeastern France, Flanders, people ate Dutch food. Their diet consisted of foods imported from Holland. In the northern French city of Lille, Edam was probably the most common cheese, the most popular at the time.
However, in response to Louis XIV's laws forbidding the importation of Edam, French people in and around Lille created their own Edam-like cheese – Mimolette. So what's the difference? The cheese is produced same way as Edam with the addition of annatto, a natural food coloring agent. Although they both have a spherical shape and same texture, Mimolette has a natural rind (no wax) and an intense orange color due to the annatto.
Berry jams are probably the most popular in the U.S. When it comes to jams, we rarely consider plums. I love plum jams because they have a unique candy-like sweetness that is tempered by a little acidity and a smooth texture. Below are three types of plums that produce exceptionally one-of-a-kind jams:
Mirabelles: If you have even the slightest sweet tooth, these plums are seriously addictive. Mirabelle jam has dark yellow colored chunks of juicy sweet mirabelle plums. Don't be surprised if you start eating the jam straight from the jar with a spoon. This jam is delicious on buttered toast. These plums are a specialty in the region of Lorraine in France.
Reines Claudes (Greengages): These green wild plums produce a vibrant orange-brownish colored jam. Eating this jam is like eating a decadent confection produced solely for royalty. Reines Claudes are cultivated in the United States, England, and France. The name "Reine Claude" originated from the 16th century in France and refers to queen Claude, the wife of Francis I. Its other name "Greengage" refers to the Gage family that brought the plums from France and cultivated them in England during the 18th century.
Quetsches: They look like large luscious deep purple grapes. Quetsche jam often has a delicate succulent sweet flavor. Quetches come from the regions of Alsace and Lorraine in France where they are used to make desserts and eau-de-vie, clear colorless fruit brandy. Try this dessert at home: Questche plum tart with walnut cream.
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Over the past few years, as wine has undergone repeated studies, it has started to seem like the modern-day 
Have you ever thought about real chefs, from high ranked restaurants, and wondered where they like to eat? Well, 
I am fascinated by Mimolette. This bright orange French cheese is the size of a bowling ball. Its appearance is breathtaking. It looks like a giant cantaloupe. After I first tried Mimolette, I was struck by its firm texture and sweet caramel-like taste. In addition, I was intrigued by its remarkable similarities with many of the aged Dutch cheeses I've tried in the past. And so, after looking into its history, I was not surprised that it was first produced to model a Dutch cheese, called Edam. 
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