What could be more decadent than a leisurely lunch of veggie burger and fries at your lounge chair while poolside at the Coral Casino, the private club for residents of the glorious Biltmore in sunny Santa Barbara?
Piggybacking on my last post about Dehillerin, here’s a photo of my very first attempt at brioche, turned out of the mold I bought there. I must say I was quite proud of it. And even though it took two days to make and the calorie count is stratospheric, it was the star of a recent Sunday brunch. I used Patricia Wells’ recipe from The Paris Cookbook.
For foodies the world over, the grand high temple for culinary utensils is the storied E. Dehillerin. Julia shopped there (there’s a yellowing photo of her in plastic behind the counter), as does Ina, Eric Ripert, Chocolate & Zucchini, and a host of other famous chefs and writers. It’s not because it’s glamorous (it has the feel of a drugstore that time forgot somewhere in Iowa). Simply, it’s because they have everything. The famously indifferent staff will warm up once they understand that you know what you want. Don’t believe what you’ve read; they actually can be quite charming. But they are NOT going to hold your hand while you try to figure out which financier mold is right for you. While browsing will be irresistable, come with a list. Mine included brioche molds, black steel omelette pans, Opinel knives, and a Chateau Laguiole wine opener. When I asked Jean, who was assisting us, to show me where the charlotte molds were, he lead me down a dark faded aisle to a shelf whereupon sat about 15 choices, then calmly walked away. Who could have guessed that there were 15 different charlotte molds in the world? Jean was extremely knowledgable and explained in great detail how to season my black steel pan, as well as the difference in knives, molds, and other items. And while the prices are not cheap, and I had to endure a backache after schlepping loads of metal through two airports, it was well worth it. My omelette came out perfect.
Jean hamming it up for a photo
E. Dehillerin, 18 et 20 rue Coquillere/51, rue J.J.Rousseau 75001 Paris
Looking for a one-stop picnic supply? Look no further than fashionable Le Bon Marché, on the Rive Gauche, which houses the spectacular La Grande Epicerie, where you can easily find the most amazing breads, sandwiches, desserts, and products from all corners of the globe. After an impromptu al fresco lunch of the most delicious cheese and roast vegetable pressed sandwich in the charming park in front of the store, I did some serious food shopping. Bewildered by the cheese counter, perfect strangers generously offered their suggestions, as so often happens in France. I settled on a cheese I was unfamiliar with, Maroilles, an AOC cows milk cheese from the Maroilles region near Lille. The smell was extremely pungent, even wrapped in 3 layers of plastic. But the taste was divine; creamy, rich, buttery, with a balancing earthiness. It went deliciously with wine later that afternoon.
Selection of Butters at Le Bon Marché
Cheese counter
24, rue de Sèvres
75007 Paris – France
www.lebonmarche.com
A fantastic place to pick up trendy sandwiches and salads for the flight before heading off to the airport is BE, owned by fave chef Alain Ducasse. BE (from Boulangerie-Epicerie) is a gourmet breakfast place and deli with minimalist décor and amazing pastries, breads, sandwiches, salads, and coffee. It is very popular with the beautiful crowd for good reason; it is fresh, delicious, and organic.
BE: 73 Boulevard de Courcelles, 8th, M°Monceau, ☎ 01 46 22 20 20
Open Monday through Saturday, 8am to 8pm, closed August.
And finally, does anyone else see anything suggestive in this add for BE?
On March 23rd, participating Starbucks will be giving away a free pastry with the purchase of a beverage before 10:30am. Download the coupon here…
If you haven’t yet been to Culina at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, stop what you’re doing, go to Opentable and make a reservation now. You will not regret it. The newly remodeled restaurant bears little resemblance to the previous one. The interior space is beautifully decorated, bright, and modern. But I recommend asking for a patio seat. You’ll be swept past the crudo bar and onto one of the loveliest spaces for al fresco dining in LA right now. This is what you want Beverly Hills to feel like; comfortable and welcoming yet refined and elegant with a slight clubby feel. I was instantly at home when I took my place on an overstuffed banquette on a recent visit, the balmy evening air heavy with the perfume of orange blossom and night blooming jasmine. John, our server, was friendly and helpful as we studied the menu. The chef is Victor Casanova who has previously worked in Scottsdale, Las Vegas, and San Francisco. I decided on the ‘piccoli piatti’, in which one chooses three of many small plates as a starter. My piati consisted of fava beans with mint and pecorino, artichoke with lemon and rosemary, and eggplant with pesto and caprino (an Italian fresh goat cheese). All three were thoroughly delicious, but it was the fava beans which made me melt. Likewise the ‘mista’ salad consisting of ribbons of asparagus, raw artichoke, mushrooms, arugula, and lemon vinaigrette balanced the flavors perfectly and rivals the best carciofi salads in town (Toscana and Ago). We went straight for the pizzas. The charming manager, Kelly, came around to check on our dinner (a nice touch). With tongue in cheek, she told us that they were going to push Mozza’s pizzas out of the limelight. While I love Mozza, personally I prefer a thinner crust like Gjelina. Here they get it right; crisp, thinner than Mozza but still substantial, charred in places, and wonderfully flavorful. The tartufo (truffle) pizza was remarkable. Other menu items looked impressive as well; a tableside panzanella for two, arancini with truffle oil, spaghetti alla chitarra, a balsamic potato carpaccio pizza. The entire experience was wonderful. I can’t wait to return.
PUGLIA – The heel of the boot…
“Stretching out eastward towards Greece and Byzantium, Puglia, the heel of the boot that is Italy, looks more like wind-swept northern Africa or sun toasted Greece than any part of the rest of Italy. Nearly 500 miles of coastland wrap around a geological treasure trove of variation, from the craggy and hilly Gargano peninsula to the Murge, the high grassy plain that dominates the center of this region of wheat and olive farming, then south to the flat half moon of the gulf of Taranto.”
– Mario Batali http://mariobatali.com/exploreItalyDtl.cfm?rid=14
Please join us for a special experience of wines from the region of Puglia.
Pizzeria Wine Director Amanda Courtney will conduct an hour and half wine tasting/class that will explore the beautiful wines from this exotic region in Southern Italy.
PUGLIA: ITALY’S WINE CELLAR
$49 per person plus tax and service
Saturday, March 20th from 3:00-4:30-PM
Saturday, March 27th from 3:00-4:30-PM
Sunday, March 28th from 3:30-5:00 pm
Jack Warner Room, Pizzeria Mozza
Space is limited and will be booked on a first come, first serve basis.
Please call our confirmation line to book: 323.866.5300
Light antipasti will be served. Inquiries for dinner reservations welcome!
Toddrickallen dropped by the fantastic new Missoni flagship store in Beverly Hills yesterday to sip a little champagne and nibble strawberries with Angela Missoni, creative director, during their grand opening. The woven white facade and light-filled interior spectacularly showcase their distinctive patterned fashion. Many members of the Missoni family were in attendance as well as some celebs (Quincy Jones) and models, but it was the elegant and delightful Angela Missoni who charmed everyone with her sparkling personality. She confided to us that her luggage had been lost and she had been washing out the clothes she was wearing in her hotel sink! She even took time out to draw us a personal map of the best shopping in Milan and made us promise to email when we got there.
Angela Missoni and Friend
A very busy Menchie’s has just opened on Montana at Lincoln in Santa Monica. The self-serve palace of frozen yogurt appeared to be holding its own against TCBY across the street and Pinkberry only a few blocks up.
The Cesars are France’s equivalent of the Oscars. Toddrickallen was invited to the luxurious Hotel George V to honor a dear friend’s 70th birthday which ended up doubling as a private viewing party for the Cesars because the host of the party was the producer for the nominated film, La Premiere Etoile (The First Star). Unfortunately the film didn’t win, but that was the only disappointment in an otherwise flawless evening. The lavish hotel, one of Paris’ loveliest, was fantastically decorated with mountains of purple flowers everywhere one looked. The lobby and dining room were populated by the most beautiful people, all dressed to the nines. The soiree was held in the Salon Anglaise. The Georges V’s Michelin three-starred chef, Eric Briffard is a holder of an MOF, (Meilleur Ouvrier de France). He had created a vegetarian menu exclusively for us. The first course was a tarte fine aux champignons de saison marines, chutney d’aubergine legerement fume (seasonal marinated mushroom tart with smoked eggplant chutney). It was divine and full of flavor. The main course, risotto carnaroli cremeux, artichauts cuits et crus, tuile craquante au vieux parmesan (Artichoke risotto with parmesan tuile) was expertly executed. Rich and creamy, it had just the right bit of tooth to the rice. The satisfying umami kick of the parmesan tuile finished the dish perfectly. Fabrice Lecleir, the pastry chef, ended the meal with a wonderfully decadent chocolate mousse cake. The wines that were served were a Macon-Bussieres Domaine Saumaize 2008 and a Cote de Castillon Chateau Manoir du Gravoux 2006. After dinner, we danced to music spun by a DJ, and ended up in our friend’s suite with its jaw-dropping view of the Eiffel Tower. It was a perfect evening.
For me, no trip to Paris is complete without a visit to Laduree in Place de la Madeleine. It’s just sooo French. I love the tiny boite of a dining room with its antique paneled walls and tiny tables squeezed in so tightly that you’re in everyone’s conversation. Sitting at the tables are patrons right out of central casting; grand ladies dripping with pearls sizing everyone up over barely touched salads. The food is always wonderfully consistent. Readers may remember an earlier post on Laduree London, when I drool over the veggie sandwich. This time, I started with an amazingly creamy and rich butternut squash soup. For my main, I chose the black truffle souffle. which was thoroughly delicious. After dining, I headed straight into the crowded patisserie to stock up on cocoa powder, marron glacee, and the most spectacular pastries to nibble on later. There are a number of Laduree shops and tea rooms around Paris as well as in a few select countries, but this one, in the shadow of the magnificent Madeleine church, is always my romantic favorite. www.laduree.fr
Anyway, back to Paris… I love strolling along the Rue Saint-Honore: gaping at the amazing window shopping, peeking inside the grand high palace of snottiness that is the Hotel Costes, or dreaming of my future steamer trunk at Goyard. A fantastic place to refresh oneself is Jean-Paul Hevin Chololatier, at 231 rue Saint-Honore (www.jphevin.com), a tea room and pastry shop. The pastries and chocolates are to die for, and I stock up on bars of chocolates from places in the world that you never even suspected grew cacao. This time I settled on chocolate from Cuba. These bars of chocolate will, upon returning home, be turned into chocolate souffles and gateaux for guests at my dinner parties.
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On Saturday night, after a terrible meal of belgian endive salad with an odd fishy taste and oily pasta with over-cooked vegetables at the ridiculously noisy Villa Blanca in Beverly Hills, we happened by the Beverly Wilshire to restore our faith in restaurant industry. And who should I bump into, and I mean bump into, but Oprah Winfrey, who was dining there with Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, and Gayle King. After I embarrassingly blurted out that I loved her, she graciously took my hand, reassuringly smiled at me, and repeatedly told me, “Thank you!” She even refused to let go of my hand as she was pulled away by the rest of her party. Now, Angelenos work very hard at ignoring stars so as not to appear like tourists. However, I was gob-smacked! I know this sounds cliche, but there is something about her presence and the way she looked at me that made me feel like I was the most special person in the world to her. I’m still basking in after-Oprah glow.
First stop is always for coffee and pastry at Fauchon, Place de la Madeleine. Founded in 1886, the grand epicerie, patisserie, restaurant, and delicatessen, is a culinary masterpiece and foodie’s heaven. I return many times over my visit to Paris to refresh myself, shop for exotic products such as vadouvan, and purchase tantalizing gifts for friends back home. Fauchon’s blueberry confiture (jam) is a favorite petit cadeau for my stateside friends. Always wonderfully elegant, even the plastic spoons used to stir your coffee are Philippe Stark. In my whirlwind gastronimic tour of Paris, Place de la Madeleine, home to not only Fauchon, but also Hediard, Laduree, Maison de Truffe, and now Mariage Freres, is always ground zero.
Flying into Paris always fills me with that anticipatory internal tickle I experience when something truly exciting looms on the horizon. My head swims with the million or so things I hope to accomplish when there. To divert my racing mind, I watch the movie “Funny Face” on my IPhone. And while the improbable relationship between the aging Fred Astair and the pixie-like Audrey Hepburn has all the chemistry of a visit to a convalescent hospital, the glorious sight-seeing scene set to the song, “Bonjour Paris”, always thrills me and sets my mouth to watering over one of the most wonderfully vibrant cities on earth, Paris, France!
Cecelia Gannon of Donaghadee has long been know for her famous scones. Scones are an essential part of Irish tea-time. They are not the heavy, dry triangles one sees at Starbuck’s. Rather, they are always round, lightly crumbed and slightly sweet. Celia’s are a classic example of the Irish version of these wonderful treats. Her recipe is a simple and easy to remember ratio of 6, 4, 2. This recipe is a great example of how our grandmothers used to bake: Not by exacting and careful measuring but by instinct. Feel free to experiment and add in various other ingredients such as currents, orange zest, pecans, or whatever you want. Personalize the recipe and make it your own!
6 ounces of self-rising flour
4 ounces of butter
2 ounces of sugar
Mix together the sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until thouroughly incorporated. Mix an egg into an amount of buttermilk. Make a well in the middle of the four/butter mixture. Pour in the egg/buttermilk and using your judgment, use only enough to moisten the dry ingredients as you stir, stopping immediately when you have a ball of dough. Knead breifly. Flour a countertop lightly and roll out the dough until it is about 1 1/2 inches. Using a round biscuit cutter, cut out the scones and place on cookie sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper. Brush top with a beaten egg if you wish. Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 15 minutes. Serve with clotted or whipped cream and jam.
With a quick stop in Northern Ireland en route to Paris, we refreshed ourselves at Grace Neill’s Bar, Ireland’s oldest bar, established in 1611. The wonderful sevice, the hilarious ‘craic’, and the Guiness brownie were welcome cures for jetlag.
Toddrickallen 