Paris in September Part I: Sweets

For a sweet tooth like me, Paris is a dream come true. Everywhere you look there are sweets: pain au chocolat, rocher, religeuse, macaron, pâte de fruit and the list goes on and on and on. So, although I've been to Paris for now the fifth time within the past 3.5 years, I've been able to try new and exciting places every single time. Paris just never gets old. 

Sébastien Gaudard
I had read about this patisserie in my newly acquired copy of Sweet Paris by Michael Paul. It's a beautiful shop along Rue des Martyrs with black and white tiled flooring and a strict policy regarding taking photos. I had my iPhone ready when the girl behind the counter forcefully said "No photos! You can take one from outside". When I asked why, she simply retorted "It's the policy". Well, my policy is to bring you mouth-watering photos to make your hearts smile...In this case, though, the photo above will have to do. The pastries all looked perfect and it was hard to decide on what to get. We finally chose a chocolate eclair, a millefeuille, a vanilla eclair and a religieuse (see photo below, from left to right). We took the pastries back to the room where we enjoyed them after our lunch at Noctudîne. The choux pastries were all fantastic, whereas the millefeuille could have had just a tad bit more of pastry cream in it. 

Jacques Genin

This confiserie on Rue de Turenne is a little like entering a doctor's office minus the feelings of anxiety. The styling is light and clean and almost feels sterile. This makes the beautiful fruit jellies stand out perfectly. As I usually find them too sweet, I didn't end up getting any. Instead I chose some rochers as well as some chocolate-covered praline batons. I asked for the flavors peanut and pistachio, but ended up with peanut and what seemed like peanut with some nut crunchies in it. They were good but perhaps not the best chocolate I've tasted in Paris. The confiserie includes a seated café area which may be worth trying although I didn't see any patisserie on display so I can't report back on what they offer.

Rose Bakery
Finally I made it to Rose Bakery! Ever since I started reading up on places to try in Paris I'd had it on my list but never was in the vicinity. We went to the location on Rue Debelleyme. I felt a little odd visiting a British bakery while in Paris but it was well worth the visit. Since we were there for breakfast we decided on less sweet options. We had a pear blueberry crumble cake and a blueberry bake with a cereal-like base as well as a fruit salad and cappuccini. The pastries and fruit salad were very fresh and tasty but the cappuccini were a tad too milky. I'd love to try their lunch items which include salads and quiches next time.

Poilâne
This is another Parisian bakery chain that's been on my radar since reading The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz. Just for the sake of trying it I got an apple pastry to go and, oh my, was it ever so tasty! The apples had just the right consistency and the cane sugar on top added a lovely sweetness  (see the largest pastry on the photo below). Too bad it was one of the last things I tried before heading back home otherwise I would have gone there every day for the rest of our stay!

Popelini
This is also a small Parisian chain right across from Poilâne on Rue Debelleyme which sells only cream-filled choux pastries. We decided on one filled with lemon, one with Madagascan vanilla and one with caramel (see top three pastries in photo above). I was a little skeptical at first as they looked a little like they were made on a conveyor belt, but they actually were very good. To my surprise I found the lemon one the tastiest. I usually prefer vanilla or chocolate flavors.

L'Éclair de génie
This is an eclair-only shop selling all sorts of different flavored eclairs. We went to the location on Rue Pavée. Since we were a little overwhelmed by all the food coloring we decided to just try one eclair in case it tasted fake. We got the vanilla pecan (see photo above), which was good, but it wasn't our favorite eclair we had during our trip. 

Blé Sucré
For breakfast on one of the days we tried this boulangerie on Rue Antoine Vollon. There is no seating inside so only go if it's warm enough outside or you want to have breakfast to go. Here we made the huge mistake of ordering coffee, in this case café au lait. Well, there was definitely lait in there, but where was the café? Although I'll probably have many Parisians beating me upside the head on this one, I have to say it: when in doubt, get your coffee at Starbucks! Although it's the slowest Starbucks service I've ever encountered, the coffee tasted more or less as expected. Oh wait, the whipped cream on my mocha was out of a spray can. What? I guess all the whipped cream is used to make lovely eclairs and fruit tarts. 

Stay tuned for my second post on where to get savory food in Paris.

Beet and Carrot Salad with Cilantro-Honey-Mustard Dressing

This blog as well as my German blog have suffered for far too long! Many things have happened in the last few months since my last posts. I don't want to go into detail but it involved a new job, a move to a new city and the completion of an online marketing manager class. So, very exciting things indeed! But there weren't enough hours in the day to spend time on my two food blogs. I just barely managed to tweet a little. And today I'm finally back to squawking! 

So many people loathe, despise and even outright hate cilantro, which is a problem considering it's used all over the world from Mexican to Indian cuisine and in between. I even recall a discussion among Facebook friends surrounding its alleged nastiness. That's how poorly it's liked. At Soup in Basel, where I often went for lunch in winter, they ask you before adding it as a topping to your soup just in case you're a cilantro-hater and would refuse eating your soup if dainty smithereens of cilantro touched it.  

But I have recently discovered cilantro as THE new ingredient for yummy salad dressing and maybe you will like it too once you try the recipe below. The dressing goes especially well with a carrot and beet salad, which are currently still in season, at least here in Switzerland, but the dressing also works well on lettuce and celery or little gem and avocado salads.

Beet and Carrot Salad with Cilantro-Honey-Mustard Dressing

Makes 2 side salads 

2 carrots (about 150 g)
2 beets (about 300 g)

1 1/2 teasp. mustard (I use the strong German mustard, Löwensenf)
1 teasp. honey (I use linden honey, which is mild)
2 tablesp. olive oil 
1 tablesp. red wine vinegar
4 sprigs of cilantro, chopped (about 2 tablesp.)
1 teasp. water
Salt and pepper, to taste

Wash and peel the carrots and beets and then shred them. For shredding I use my kitchen processor since it's really quick and it keeps your hands from turning beet red. Place the shredded carrots and beets in a bowl for mixing.

To make the dressing whisk all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over the shredded veggies and mix with a fork. It's easier than using a spoon. Enjoy! 

Eleven Madison Park in New York City

I first heard of Eleven Madison Park (EMP) when I saw their cookbook on display a few months back. One look at the beautiful photography and I was immediately intrigued.  Knowing I'd be visiting New York City I made a point to find a way to go there. I ended up getting a 4-course lunch at EMP as one of my birthday presents two months before the trip. It was the best meal I have ever had. 

At EMP everything seems to be perfect but not in a pretentious way. You enter and feel like something wonderful is about to happen and it actually does! The menu consists of 4 choices per course. The choices are merely an ingredient, such as asparagus or lobster, and make up the center of each dish. The rest of the dish is a surprise. Then to make sure the surprise isn't too big, the waiter asks you whether you have any food allergies or aversions. I told him no oysters, no semi-cooked eggs nor innards for me! When presented with such a sleek menu you almost feel bad saying no this, no that, but the waiter assured me there were far worse cases. One guest had a list of 15 items to not include in his meal and, props to EMP, they were able to come up with a menu excluding all those items.

I chose asparagus, plantain, morel and chocolate as my 4-course meal. The entire meal was truly outstanding. All flavors were perfectly matched, none of them overpowering the others and each dish had a number of different textures that went together beautifully. The dishes were teeming with freshness and the presentation was a feast for the eyes. My dessert was served with a tiny candle to mark the occasion of the lunch (see top photo). When I blew it out I messed up the dessert a bit. It was still pretty, nonetheless. The quality of the food and the service make the three Michelin stars EMP has well-deserved. 

The meal started out with an amuse-bouche of savory black-and-white cookies.  We were told they were a famous New York treat and finally the German word "Amerikaner" (=American) for a large black-and-white cookie made sense. The meal ended with a package of sweet black-and-white cookies to take home. Both versions were very good. 

Before we received the first dish from our chosen menu we were served several more amuse-bouches. 

Little toasts with diced apples or with quail egg and diced apples (for those who don't mind wobbly eggs).

Soup with mini herb bouquet. 

Smoked sturgeon sabayon. 

Fresh cow's milk butter. 

Fresh goat's milk butter.

Fresh, warm rolls.  

Cheesecake. 

Looking back my favorite things were the clambake, the cocktail prepared for us in the kitchen, and the egg cream. Maybe because they were all showy elements, something I'm not used to experiencing when visiting a restaurant. According to a recent New York Times article there's even more of a show to come to EMP. Restaurants do need to stand out from their competitors to be able to stay afloat.

Clambake: a bowl of clams, a steaming pot of clam chowder and miniature zucchini breads 

Cocktail: apple brandy, diced apple pieces, and pomegranate puree blown up into a ball with liquid nitrogen. We were told to break the pomegranate ball and mix it with the rest of the drink before taking a sip. For the making of this drink we were invited into the kitchen where we caught a glimpse of the kitchen staff working at their individual stations. What a sight! At any given point in time there are about 30 to 45 people working in the kitchen and almost the same amount of people out on the restaurant floor. 

Egg Cream: Orange syrup, cocoa-infused milk and seltzer with a splash of olive oil. So fun to watch and so delicious to sip.

At the end of our meal I received a slender box which contained a slip of paper saying Happy Birthday on it as well as two caramel and fleur de sel chocolates. Eleven Madison Park, you know what you're doing and you're doing it so well!

Boston Part 2: B & G Oysters and SoWa Open Market

A definite food must on the East Coast is seafood. Especially when you live in Switzerland, which is pretty far from any ocean's coast. The only thing going for the terrible hostel we stayed at was the proximity to Tremont Street where there are a bunch of restaurants to get your seafood fix. After reading good reviews, we chose to go to B & G Oysters on Friday night without having a reservation. We ended up getting seats at the bar, the only drawback of which was the jacked up air conditioning blowing down our necks. 

B & G Oyster's specialty, as their name implies, are their selection of fresh oysters, but I just can't get myself to slurp down a slippery glob of potentially food-borne-illness-laden saltiness. My friend ordered one and quite enjoyed it. I feasted on the bread and olive oil instead. For my main I had the American red snapper with baby carrots, fennel and yogurt puree, and pickled fresno chili. It was very good and fresh. My friend went with a Maine lobster roll with fries and bread and butter pickles. I had a bite of the roll and it was really delicious. Nothing like the mayonnaise dripping one she had tried at Faneuil Hall Marketplace earlier that day. And the fries, a seldom food I treat myself to since they often just aren't good enough to waste your calories on, were very tasty due to some herbs mixed into them.

Afterwards we had a drink just down the street at The Beehive, a fun place to hang out with a bar upstairs, and a bar and stage for performances downstairs. 

One of my favorite places in Boston was the SoWa Open Market on Sunday. There's everything from farm produce, to T-shirts with moustache themes (what's with the moustache craze in the US???), to food trucks (still a big trend in the US). We first checked out the farmer's market, then moved on to the shops in the buildings between the farmer's market and the food trucks and arts and crafts. We stumbled upon a bead shop called Bead + Fiber where I ended up buying some strands of stone beads to make new jewelry. Then we moved on to the arts and crafts and food trucks. We bought jewelry at the lovely stand of Freebird Designs. Stern Design Works also had some pretty cool jewelry including see-through pendants with miniature animals trapped inside. Unfortunately we were still full from our breakfast at Flour Bakery and Café so that we didn't get a chance to try food at any of the food trucks, but I did squeeze in a drink at Bon Me (a play on banh mi, the Vietnamese term for bread). The cool thing is you can cut the line if you're just ordering drinks and no food. I chose the Thai basil lemonade. It was really refreshing. 

Boston Part 1: Flour, Crema Café and more

Breakfast at Flour Bakery, Boston

Finally I made it to the East Coast. It only took 29 years! First stop was Boston followed by Washington D.C. and finally New York City, the mekka of food, all in two weeks' time. With more time I would've loved to have explored outside the cities. I will just have to go again!
This first Boston post is dedicated to one of my favorite topics: desserts and coffee. These are always a must, first to start the day and second to continue the day. 

The best bakery my friend and I visited was Flour Bakery + Café. Flour has three locations but we ended up going to the one in South End, nearest the hostel we stayed at. The first time we went I had a sticky bun--for me a typical American breakfast pastry and an absolute must-have when in the Unites States--and an iced latte. Both were very good. The second time we went there I couldn't resist the berry muffin top as I'd never had one before. It was also very good although a little on the oily and cakey side. If I hadn't been worried about my luggage getting too heavy I would've bought their cookbook Flour directly at the bakery. As luck would have it, I'm currently borrowing it from a friend. I will try a recipe first before deciding on ordering it online. 

Crema Café in Cambridge

Iced Mocha and
Coconut Macaroon

In Cambridge I got  a delicious iced mocha and coconut macaroon at Crema Café. From there we picked up some goodies at L.A. Burdick chocolates, a place my family had recommended from their trip there last year. The fleur de sel and vanilla caramels we got tasted good but were a little hard to chew. However, the presents I bought there (chocolate covered hazelnuts and chocolate penguins) resonated very well with the recipients. Afterwards we went on a Hahvahd tour, a fun way to get acquainted with the history of Harvard. 

Kilvert and Forbes

Quincy Market, which is a part of Faneuil Hall Marketplace, really is a tourist trap, offering so-so food for over-the-top prices, but you can get some good sweets there. I ended up buying a congo bar at Kilvert and Forbes. A congo bar is made of brown sugar, flour, chocolate chips and walnuts. Hard to go wrong there, right? It was rich, but delicious, a perfect pick-me-up to counteract jet lag on my second day. 

Pinkberry

Finally, Boston is the place I first tried the frozen yoghurt at Pinkberry. I'd heard mixed reviews about it before but I really liked it. It's a perfect little dessert (if you get the "mini" size---which most people do not get) that is refreshing and doesn't leave you feeling full.


Another place with good coffee drinks is L'Aroma Café and Bakery. I recommend the iced mocha. 

Acero Gelateria in Basel

Acero Eiscafé

Finding house-made ice cream in Switzerland, at least in the German speaking part, is not easy. You'd think the closer you got to Italy the easier it would be, but something happens between Germany and Italy and it's not the Röstigraben. It's more like the Ice Cream Abyss. This is very hard to deal with as a German-American. In the US you can get ice cream everywhere and there are loads of brands and flavors to choose from. I remember this one time during my last year at UCD while I was living in an apartment with three roommates we at one point of time had over 10 flavors of ice cream in our freezer! Those were the days...And in Germany every city has several gelaterias to choose from. The quality of those gelaterias is a different story, but at least there are options! 


In Basel, when you're really desperate for ice cream, your safest bet is to buy some at Coop or Migros. If your ice cream-must-have-attack (believe me, this does exist!) happens to you during the day and you're close to Sprüngli (Barfüsserplatz or SBB), then you can get their delicious chocolate ice cream-one of my favorite store-bought ice creams. My other favorite brand is Häagen-Dazs. The problem is that it's getting harder to come by in Basel. You can find it at Globus, but CHF 11.90 for one pint is just plain ridiculous. The other day I found it for CHF 9.90 at my favorite Coop Südpark, but there were only two flavors to choose from: Macadamia Nut Brittle and Cookies and Cream. Ironically, my favorite Häagen-Dazs flavor is Vanilla Swiss Almond but I've never seen it outside the US. If you're up for some swanky ice cream you can indulge in the magnificent ice cream at Teufelhof, where one scoop costs CHF 4.50. Their vanilla ice cream is to die for and makes their Eiskaffee almost totally worth the steep price of around CHF 15. They also have other seasonal flavors, such as rhubarb, which are very tasty.


Fortunately since last year there's ice cream to be found in Kleinbasel at the Acero Eiscafé (they also sell cakes and panini but I go there for the ice cream). Their flavors are constantly changing (they offer 12 flavors daily-check their website for the daily offering) and they sell not only regular ice cream, made solely with organic milk, as well as sorbet but also lactose-free ice creams made with organic almond or rice milk. I've already gotten ice cream there a couple of times during the last couple of weeks. Today I had fior di latte, straciatella and amarena. Of those three the straciatella was the best. My favorite flavors I've had so far are the chocolate and the amaretto. I've tried the ones made with nut milks before but still really prefer the regular dairy ice cream. The little courtyard in back of the café is nice to sit in but it feels a little cramped there so I prefer to take my ice cream outside and just a couple of yards away to the banks of the Rhine.


I heard rumors that Acero may have to close due to having too few customers. It would be such a shame! I can see, though, that they would have issues getting enough customers as the café is not easy to find and you have to walk all the way to the back of the café to get the ice cream. I'm sure if they sold it at the front window they'd get much more traffic. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that Acero will make it!

Fior di latte, Straciatella, Amarena

Today's flavors

Oriental-Style Chicken Salad and Rice Noodle Salad

One of my best friends once gave me a cookbook called The Cuisine of California by Diane Rossen Worthington. It has turned out to be quite the gem. Every recipe I've made out of it has been really delicious. The other day I was craving the oriental-style chicken salad. I still haven't found the right rice wine vinegar for the dressing (I use a rice vinegar meant for sushi, which is okay, but I believe there's better kinds out there) but the dish tastes wonderful anyways. Since I had leftover dressing I used rice noodles instead of chicken the next day to make a rice noodle salad. Rice noodles only take about 4-5 minutes to cook so it was a really quick dinner to make. 

Serves 6-8
For dressing
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon peanut butter
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of Chinese hot mustard (haven't searched for this ingredient yet)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons hot pepper oil (didn't use this, although I'm sure the heat would add a nice touch)
1/4 cup sesame oil


3 cups chicken stock or water combined with 1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pounds chicken breasts, boned
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
1 medium European cucumber, julienned
2 green onions, thinly sliced on diagonal
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro


1. For dressing: combine all ingredients except the oils and whisk well to combine. Slowly whisk oils into dressing until combined. Set aside.


2. In a medium, deep skillet or a large saucepan, bring chicken stock or enough water to cover chicken to a simmer. If stock doesn't cover chicken, add water to cover. Add chicken breasts and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on size, or until just tender.


3. Cool chicken in liquid. Drain chicken and remove skin. Shred by tearing meat into long, thin pieces (or slice with a knife, if desired). Reserve in a medium serving bowl. 


4. To toast sesame seeds, place in dry medium skillet over high heat. Shake until seeds turn light brown, about 2 minutes. Remove immediately from skillet. Reserve. 


5. Add cucumber, green onions, and 1 tablespoon cilantro to bowl with chicken. Add dressing and mix well. Taste for seasoning. Garnish with sesame seeds and remaining cilantro. 


May be prepared up to 8 hours ahead through step 3 and kept in refrigerator. Toss with dressing just before serving. 

Chocolate in London, Paris and Zurich

Wow, what a week! Within one single week I tasted chocolate in London, Paris and Zurich. Not bad, huh? But I'm pretty sick of chocolate now (I never thought I'd ever say that!).

Last weekend I was in London and was able to stop by the shop Melt in Notting Hill. It was a very cute shop with a small selection of chocolates and chocolate bars. Perfect, as too large a selection makes me suspicious as to the freshness of the products. I bought the dark chocolate bar with mint (which never left London), the dark chocolate with sea salted caramel bar (which didn't make its first night back in Basel) and the dark chocolate bar with orange (which I just took a nibble of and presumably will disappear within 24 hours). As the name suggests, these chocolates melt in your mouth, creating a very smooth and fresh feeling. Very tasty and definitely worth another visit the next time I go to London.

When my sister was in Paris a few weeks ago she bought me a bar of dark chocolate with orange from Jean-Charles Rochoux, a shop I had recommended to her from my last trip to Paris last fall. It was so delicious that I decided to stop by the shop again this past Wednesday while I was on a work trip to Paris. And I was not disappointed. I bought a chocolate bar filled with praliné and caramel and topped with almonds as well as a selection of little chocolates. All were very tasty and fresh, but my favorite was the raspberry one called "maraba". Raspberry and dark chocolate are a couple wed in heaven. Mmhmm. 

When I found out that the Salon du Chocolat was to take place for the first time in Zurich at the end of March I knew I would have to go visit. That's exactly what I did yesterday. There was a small number of exhibitors from Switzerland and other European countries, most of which I'd heard of before, such as Sprüngli, Cailler, Honold, and Beschle. After snatching free samples of chocolate Luxemburgerli and dark chocolate truffles from Sprüngli (and they taste so much better fresh!) I went to the Beschle stand, a chocolatier from Basel. I'd only ever tried their chocolate here and there and was excited to have the opportunity to try some different flavors at their stand. I tried dark chocolate and ginger, white chocolate and lassi, white chocolate with blueberries and almonds as well as dark chocolate with rosemary and lemon thyme and dark chocolate with pistachios and fleur de sel. The latter two were my favorite and I bought a bar of each. Normally I don't care for chocolate that has flavors usually found in savory dishes, but the rosemary and lemon thyme chocolate was really delicious and fresh-tasting. A palate-cleanser.