It's pumpkin season and that means the pumpkin macarons are back in Trader Joe's freezers, along with about a million other pumpkin flavoured items throughout the stores... (OK, apparently, just 40 according to Tech Insider.) Trader Joe's is very committed to the pumpkinization of fall that way ;-) I'm not a huge fan of frozen macarons, though I've had these before and they're not bad (for frozen macarons...) They're ready to eat in about 30 minutes after you've taken them out of the freezer (though my friend Kaoru likes to eat them frozen too, almost like French mochi) so that's an option as well.) They're a bit on the soggy side, could definitely use a little more crunch but the pumpkin ...
Miam Miam
Pumpkin Pie Spiced Macaron at Malmaison
One more reason to love fall! PS: did you know that the second Monday of every month is #MacaronMonday at Malmaison? You do now ;-) Mention Macaron Monday on October 13, buy one macaron (pumpkin Pie Spiced or not) and get one free! Macarons are $2 a piece at Malmaison and typically sell in the following flavours: Lemon, Raspberry, Mixed-Berry, Pistachio, Salted Caramel, Toasted Coconut, Chocolate Hazelnut, & Orange. I can't wait to try this new seasonal flavour! ...
A Taste of South of France: Pissaladière
I've been looking to the food of South of France lately in my attempt to prolong summer as much as possible. In particular, I've recently rediscovered a dish I used to love: the pissaladière. Pissaladière is a classic dish from Nice. It's basically Southern France's answer to pizza. One of the key ingredients in pissaladière, anchovies, are unfortunately not the most popular in the United States. But I personally love the intense flavours and saltiness of the pissaladière and it's actually very easy to make at home. Only a few ingredients are needed to make a pissaladière: Caramelized onions (use 2-3 sliced yellow onions) Niçoise olives (use other black, preferably oil-cured olives if ...
Paul Bakery and Pâtisserie Opens Its Sixth DC-Area Location at Metro Center
I'm always excited when a new Paul bakery opens in the District but I'm particularly excited about this one since it's very close to my husband's office. I'm expecting fresh baguettes (Paul's breads are made daily from organic, locally sourced flour milled exclusively for Paul, without additives or preservatives) every other day from now on ;-) The new location at Metro Center (555 13th Street NW) is similar in design to the other 5 Paul locations around town, with bistro tables for 20 people outside (while the weather allows), and plush armchairs and tables for 30 inside. I'm sure it will quickly become a popular destination for office workers in the area! The menu is also similar to ...
Foodie Keepsake: USPS’ Celebrity Chefs Stamps
Just when I had almost given up on sending actual snail mail, the United State Postal Service announced the release of a pane of celebrity chefs forever stamps. The chefs honored are James Beard, Julia Child, Joyce Chen, Edna Lewis and Felipe Rojas-Lombardi. Pictured below is the Beard stamp, which was the first design to be released. The Postal Service will reveal the other stamp designs through its social media outlets (follow USPS on twitter, facebook and pinterest) leading up to the first-day ceremony in Chicago, Illinois on September 26. The selvage area will have a photograph of a large plate set on a white linen tablecloth. I can't wait to be stamping those on my lovely ...
Go Habs Go: Poutine Pizza for Game 7
I don't know who's been doing poutine's PR lately, but Quebec's classic dish has been ALL over the news. There was this poutine porn in Huffington Post last month. A poutine burger was NPR's featured Sandwich Monday recently. And then there was all the hoopla that accompanied the opening of Chicago's Big Cheese Poutinerie, a restaurant dedicated entirely to, you guessed it, poutine! Most recently, poutine popped up in this great Wall Street Journal article. The (Canadian) author, Adam Leith Gollner, laments the rise of enhanced poutine, topped with foie gras for example, arguing that poutine should remain, at its core, the greasy kind of dish that's consumed when cold or inebriated. Or both ...
Recap: Art and Soul’s Biscuit Bash
Last night, Art & Soul in the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel kicked off patio-season with a friendly biscuit competition benefiting Hospitality High, a preparatory high school for D.C. students interested in the hospitality industry. Good thing I recently traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, to brush up on my (American) biscuits because biscuit means two completely different things in France and in America. In France, biscuits are typically sweet, more like cookies. In America, they're more like bread. Either way, I would have enjoyed any event named biscuit bash!! With the assistance of students from Hospitality high, five chefs battled it out for the title: Jason Gehring of Menu MBK; ...
The Sweeter Side of Red Apron Butcher
Red Apron Butcher is a meat-lovers' heaven and I gave up meat for lent. So, understandably, I was a little hesitant to check out their newest location at 709 D Street, NW. But then the tweets and instagram posts starting coming in. About their tigelles breakfast sandwiches, their scones... and their macarons. Now I had to go ;-) Tiffany MacIsaac, executive pastry chef for the Neighborhood Restaurant Group, not only bakes all the bread for Red Apron's lunch sandwiches, she also bakes pastries for the shop, including scones, a raspberry jelly filled beignet and macarons. What makes the scones and macarons special is that they're made with lard from pigs butchered at the Red Apron ...
A French Twist on A Saint Patrick’s Day Menu
Let's face it, i'm too old for green beer and bar hoping. I'm also not Irish in the slightest ;-) But it's Saint Patrick's Day and I still wanted to do a little something for the occasion. So I did what French people do and had a few people over for dinner and served a not-so-traditional Irish feast... with a French Twist of course. Menu de la Saint Patrice Irish Onion Soup Guinness Glazed Lamb Chops with Irish Cheddar Cauliflower Gratin Bread Pudding with Irish Whiskey Caramel Sauce My inspiration was Guinness. The French use red wine in a lot of dishes, and I thought what can I make where I can sub Guinness for red wine? Plus, once I had bought a four pack I was determined to put it in ...
New March Flavours at Olivia Macaron
Peak bloom for the Cherry Blossom has been announced for April 8-12, 2014 and it seems SO SO far away. Luckily, some amazing spring flavours are popping up at Olivia Macaron to help us wait until Spring. There's a Cherry Blossom flavour, of course. Everything turns cherry blossom in DC this time of year, as well as a Lady Grey, Earl Grey flavoured macaron that sounds really good to me (love me some bergamot.) And then there's two boozy flavours: Irish Cream for Saint Patrick's Day, and Mimosa. ...
