Bagels in Paris

It's not exactly that I was craving a bagel.  I was walking in Paris, alone, hungry, and with half an hour to kill.  The air around me was viciously cold; I could feel it clamping it's jaws into my core.

Bagelstein

With the desire for a quick, inexpensive meal, and shelter from the cold, I ducked into Bagelstein in Le Marais.  Bagelstein is a French chain with the quirkiness of every French chain with American influence.  I had a simple poppy seed bagel with cream cheese.  The bagel just tasted like American bread, not awful, but not a bagel either.

bready bagel

After consuming this non-bagel, I was talking with a friend with lots of Parisian experience and she suggested that I try Bagels & Brownies.  The next day I ventured to Rue Notre Dame des Champs with my boyfriend to see what we thought.

At Bagels & Brownies, each bagel sandwich is named for a city in the United States.  I opted for the Phoenix and a brownie to go with it.  Of course, I trusted my dear friend's recommendation, even so, I was pleasantly surprised by this little shop's offerings.  My bagel had nice texture, the tomatoes and avocados added a hint of freshness, and the mustard brought the sandwich together perfectly.

Phoenix bagel at Jardin du Luxembourg

Brownie "marquise"

Je Suis Ici Pour Manger

The beginning of January has been eventful on the eating front.  I've had several friends here who have been enablers when it comes to my food habits, and it has been dreamy.

Pastries at Angelina

My recent food adventures range from experiences like trying to find my favorite American foods, to partaking in extravagant tea-time rituals.  

The first thing I thought about when I landed in Paris was where I would find peanut butter.  Okay, maybe the first thing I thought about was seeing my boyfriend.  But, I would safely say it was at least the fifth or sixth thing I thought about.  Peanut butter is to the American body as gasoline is to une voiture.  It is fuel and we guzzle it.  My local Intermarché does not sell the stuff.  The first place I found it was at Le Bon Marché in Paris.  Which, for those of you who don't know, is a foodie destination.  As such, it is absurdly expensive.  They stock Mississippi Belle in 18oz jars for more than 10€!  This brand is not even made exclusively of peanuts.  Later, I found some awesome organic peanut butter at Biocoop for a more reasonable 4€.  It may very well be the most delicious peanut butter I've tasted.  

The proof

My new favorite peanut butter

Obviously, I did not spend money on peanut butter at Le Bon Marché, but I did indulge in a few other little pleasures.  A portion of Pont-l'Évêque and a few squares of Valrhona.  On my way home, I stopped at my local Festival des Pains for a baguette traditional to eat alongside my cheese.  No words can describe how supremely French I feel with a baguette sticking out of my bag as I stroll along.  

Pont-l'Évêque

Alpaco, Abinao, and Caraibe remain my favorites

Have baguette; will travel

Last week, I had the pleasure of spending an hour or so at Angelina for a famous chocolat chaud with the lovely French-speaking Sarah.  Sarah lived in Paris to study and speaks French very well.  I even heard our server saying so.  The original Angelina is on Rue de Rivoli and contains a clean boutique and an upscale dining area.  Sarah told me that Coco Chanel, who lived at The Ritz nearby, took her morning nourishment in this beautiful dining room.  

Chocolat Chaud

photo by Sarah

The place was full and busy with tourists.  The chocolat chaud was 9€.  I'm no Coco Chanel; I can't afford a 9€ beverage each day, but the stuff was worth it.  I will be hard-pressed to find a better cup of chocolate.  Just to make sure that my body was completely full of sugar, I ordered a Mont-Blanc Chocolat as well.  If you're into chestnut and chocolate, follow my lead.

Mont-Blanc Chocolat

I've had a few other lovely food and coffee adventures and I'm sure that before another day goes by, I'll have even more.  

Boulangerie on Île Saint-Louis

Ceci et Cela

Since arriving in Paris, I've absorbed lots of things. From the downright humorous to the mildly amusing, interesting to unlikely.

Eventually, I will take photos with my DSLR, I promise.  The iPhone photos aren't forever.

But, this post will be a peek into my life here through random pictures.  If you aren't into non-professional photos, consider yourself warned.

I've made it one of my missions, while here in France, to try as much of the cheap chocolate readily available in supermarkets as possible and to report back on how it differs from American offerings.  Milka and Côte d'Or are what I've tried thus far.  These two options are under €2.  Côte d'Or is a Belgian brand owned by Mondelēz. My first purchase was their "L'Original Noir" which is one of the most sugary "dark" chocolates I've ever tasted.  The tablets are difficult to break and overall too big.  In terms of taste, design and quality I wouldn't give this one a high rating.  The Milka "Triple" bar had a bit more going for it.  The tablets are the right size and in each row there is a different filling, three total, thus "Triple."  At least I can say that this one was fun to eat.  

I have only spotted a few American candy bars around.  Yesterday, on the RER, I was next to an older, very thin French woman munching on a Twix bar.  I'm wondering if this woman has cornered the market, because I have not seen a solitary Twix bar in any store or vending machine.  It's also possible that I am not looking hard enough, because honestly, I don't care.  I'm in Paris.  Why would I want American candy?

This gateau was leftover from New Year's Eve and came from a supermarket.  It was a fairly decent strawberry mousse confection.  The gateau itself is not particularly notable, but there is a small story behind it that I find amusing.  

My host kids are in the habit of TURNING DOWN CAKE for dessert and asking instead for cheese or a banana.  

Upon further reflection, I actually totally get the whole cheese thing.

They sell this book at the Palais Garnier gift shop and I want a copy.

Some people I've taken tea with *cough* take a lot of sugar in their tea, 3-5 lumps.  Also, note how adorable the sugar packets are here.  I've seen all sorts of cute designs and rectangular prisms.  Too bad  I never actually use them...   

Bonjour à tous : Henrianna in France

In a few days, I will find myself outside of my comfort zone.  Christmas Eve will find me in an airport en route to Paris, France.

I know it will be strange to find my feet on the ground at Charles de Gaulle on Christmas morning and not on the familiar Persian carpets at my family home.

It will be odd to know that I won't see the Virginia trails for at least 7 months, that I won't see my nieces and nephew.  Much will be different.

Isn't it interesting how in this realm of "firsts" I am so very aware of "lasts" as well?  Knitted into life are yarns of contrasting colors.  Black and white, firsts and lasts.

So reader, I hope you will join me for this new adventure.  There is sure to be excitement, photographs of food, snippets of life, and thoughts galore.  Give me your wisdom, your suggestions, your requests.

 À bientôt

Anna

Gâteau aux Pommes (Apple Cake)

Autumn apples are ripe for the picking and ready for eating.  Did you go to the orchard and come home with more than you meant to?  Get creative with your baking this year.  Who said apple pie was all there is?

Last week, I mixed up a simple hazelnut cake batter and arranged some apple slices on top.  I used one of my favorites: Granny Smith.

Happy Fall Y'all!

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

This weekend my family celebrated my Gramps' 87th birthday.  My sister always remembered that Gramps' favorite ice cream flavor was butter pecan.  So, I asked if I could make some for the soiree.  I researched a few recipes and came up blank.  How is it that the internet has no satisfactory butter pecan ice cream recipes?  Come on, internet!  I mean, ice cream should not include sweetened condensed milk or copious amounts of cornstarch.  Real talk.

In my humble opinion, - okay...I'm not being very humble right now...- maple syrup is a great way to intensify pecan flavor, so my recipe includes a splash of Grade B.  And check out my post from last week to see how to make the pecans crunchy and buttery.

Ingredients

-5 eggs yolks
-16 oz heavy cream
-16 oz whole milk
-pinch of salt
-1 vanilla bean
-230 g (~1 c.) light brown sugar
-120 g maple syrup (~1/3 c.)
-desired amount of caramelized pecan pieces

1. Heat the cream, milk, salt and scraped vanilla bean in a medium saucepan to a simmer.

2. In a bowl, whisk together sugar, maple syrup and egg yolks.

3. Pour the hot cream mixture into the bowl over the eggs and sugar, whisking and adding only a little at a time until fully incorporated.  Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

4. Cook mixture, stir constantly with a wooden spoon.  Cook until any bubbles dissipate and the mixture coats the back of the spoon when a finger is dragged across it.

5. Strain and chill the ice cream base until cold.

6. Spin ice cream per the instructions on your ice cream maker.  Fold in pecans and freeze.

Pumpkin Cake Truffles

Chefs tend to be very conscious of food waste.  Of course, nobody likes wasting food, but in an industry where margins are already low, it's extra important to eliminate waste.

The last few years saw the rise of the "cake pop" or "cake ball."  These cute, bite-sized creations are just a baker's way of getting rid of leftover cake and frosting.  There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but you should know that as a home baker you are perfectly able to re-create these often pricey treats at a low cost.

All you've got to do is crumble together leftover cake scraps and frosting, roll it into little spheres and get some chocolate for dipping.  There is no exact ratio, just wing it.

Today, I used leftover pumpkin spice cake and cream cheese frosting.  Use any flavor combinations you like.  If you have these two ingredients left-over after a cake assembly, just freeze them until you're ready to use.

If you know how to temper chocolate: do it.  If not, no sweat, just keep all of your ingredients cool before dipping and store the finished product in the refrigerator or freezer so your chocolate shells don't get too soft.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Coconut

Some days it's just best to keep desserts simple.  Today I'm sharing an easy recipe for cookies with just one extra ingredient.  You don't need any fancy equipment; a bowl and a wooden spoon will get the job done.

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Coconut

-1/2 c butter, softened

-1 c brown sugar, packed

-1/2 c granulated sugar

-2 eggs

-1 tsp vanilla extract

-1/2 tsp baking soda

-1 tsp salt

-1 1/4 c flour, spooned and leveled

-1 c oats

-2/3 c coconut flakes, unsweetened

-1 c chocolate chips

1. Mix together the butter and sugar with a wooden spoon until fully incorporated and fluffy.

2. Add eggs and vanilla, mix until combined.

3. Mix in dry ingredients until almost incorporated, then add the oats, coconut and chocolate chips and stir until fully mixed.

4. Chill dough until firm.  Scoop onto a cookie sheet and bake in a 350F oven until golden, 10 minutes.

What's your favorite cookie add-in?

Pumpkin Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Buttercream

My sister and her husband asked me to make a cake for their son's 2nd birthday.  Of course, I'm happy to oblige.  It's always fun to make birthday desserts for them because they know what they like in terms of flavors, but give me some room for artistic license.  

In this case, they were thinking about a pumpkin cake.  We came up with the idea for a pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting and here is the result. 

I adapted this awesome recipe for the cake.

I figure one tier for every year of life.  I may have to discontinue this when he turns five.

Cake making can be therapeutic; it's nice to have a project with lots of steps that all come together for one show-piece of a product.

First things first, I whipped up a double batch of pumpkin cake batter.

Then I baked the cakes...

This cake is very moist, but it never hurts to add a little vanilla-steeped syrup.

Cream cheese frosting should just be the standard cake frosting, right?

Once I had my buttercream made, it was time to assemble.

Confessions: I had a little leftover cake.

Props to my nephew for having a birthday so I can exercise my cake muscles.