May 2022 Newsletter

May is here!

It’s been quite a month! France had a pivotal presidential election last week that was highly contentious with implications that could have affected people and places from outside of l’hexagone, as well as us within. Although the war in Ukraine was a topic in the lone presidential debate, the cost of living and purchasing power were at the top of the list of concerns in France. Other issues included France remaining active in NATO, or not, a Frexit (which wasn’t discussed this time around but has been a looming topic - it’s not widely popular, so it wasn’t brought up), immigration, and various domestic issues.

The French are tough on incumbents. It’s been said more than once that France is a country that’s impossible to govern, and this was the first time a président has been re-elected in the past twenty years. Some breathed a sigh of relief while others are gearing up for a legislative fight in June, which could almost entirely change the composition of the government, while Romain (who’d been glued to the TV on election night) predicted future strikes and unrest. We shall see…

In other news, with the nice weather and Covid less on people’s minds these days, I’ve had guests here last month…and more on the way this week and next. Tourism is back, baby!

Depending on how you look at it, having guests in town means a lot of eating out. The “We don’t care…you decide!” response when I ask where visitors would like to go puts me in a bind because we usually go to the same two or three restaurants, or we eat at home since I like to shop and cook. My real big secret is that I don’t excel at entertaining. When I do, I cook and bake all day, and by the time guests arrive, I’m ready to sit down with a glass of wine and relax and wouldn’t mind others taking over from there.

I don’t know how people hang out with their guests the whole time, then have dishes of food magically appear minutes after they go into the kitchen to get dinner “ready.” Maybe because I was a restaurant cook, but I’m standing over the stove from the moment people arrive until dessert is served and Romain is offering herbal tisane to everyone, encouraging them to stay long after midnight.

I’ve had a bunch of friends come to visit, with six more on the way this week, so I’ve been eating out more than usual. I know I should probably be a more generous host and invite them over, but with physical therapy appointments for my shoulder, overseeing a renovation, a stuffed head from seasonal allergies, a few important administrative meetings, and trying to get a chocolate tart recipe just right for an upcoming newsletter (I’ve made it four times and think I’m close!), and learning how to use a new and better microphone system for upcoming podcasts, going out to eat seems to be the better option.

davidlebovitz

A post shared by David Lebovitz (@davidlebovitz)

With visitors coming and going, and eating, I’ve decided to take the plunge and buy my fourth bike in Paris to pedal off these meals. (Although what I really need is someone to decide on what restaurants to go to, and make reservations.) My last three bikes were swiped, but now bikes come with optional theft insurance since it’s def. a “known issue” around here. I’m looking at electric bikes, which are more steeply-priced (plus I want to add anti-theft insurance, which runs around €100/yr but seems like a good deal…), and they’ve become very popular in Paris. The city has a moderately priced e-bike rental program, Véligo, which starts at €40/month, intended to get people used to riding electric bikes, which has a rental limit of six months when, presumably, you buy your own. And Swapfiets offers something similar, with door-to-door delivery & free servicing of the bike, which I might try.

If you choose to buy, the government will reimburse you for 33% of the purchase price, up to between €400 and €600, so electric bike sales have become brisk. I’m considering a Vanmoof, although a few friends have folding Brompton bikes (the e-bikes, however, are quite expensive), and we’ve been checking out the Ahooga bikes, which are super-light, although I felt a bit unsteady on them. But Romain loved it as it folds easily and I have a hard time saying non to him.

The markets in Paris have been teasing spring and summer, and I was thrilled to find the first strawberries (shown at the top of this post) at my market in mid-April, which were pricey (€9,50), but I couldn’t help myself. Commenters scoffed when I scooped up another basket of strawberries a week later for €6,90, which some folks online thought was expensive. A gallon of gas in France is close to €8 (US$8.50) a gallon, and since I don’t have a car, I’m okay spending that on a nice basket of berries.

I’m also not feeding a family of six, but the conundrum is: How do people who grow good food and get it to us, get properly compensated for their work? I’ve picked berries and would charge more than 2 bucks for a basket of them if I was standing at a market and selling them.

In addition to strawberries, another thing I was wild to see was wild garlic, known as Ail des ours, or Bear’s garlic. It’s similar to ramps but botanically different, and I bought a whole case of it to make wild garlic pesto. It’s one of my very favorite things and the season is short, so I’m going wild with it until it runs its course. (The NYT has a lovely article and photo story of a man who forages wild ramps in Appalachia, which is unlocked.)

We’ve also been working on the apartment renovations and I posted part #4:

Paris Apt. part 4

There’s a lot to catch up on regarding our new l’appart, and the next installment (#5) will be my quest for, and the acquisition of, my appliances. A lot of people chimed in on what brands to get, and I kind of worked myself into a lather over them, until I finally just bought the danged things. I was told about supply-chain issues and delays and made the leap and got them all in one afternoon. So that’s that.

We ended up reconfiguring the place from the original kitchen design to give us more space. There was some fretting (sometimes people here aren’t so keen on change), but the owner of the kitchen design outfit showed up with a big smile, a confident stride, and a tape measure, and said everything was a-okay and pas de problème. Whew!

The wiring is now in place for everything, and we are getting ready to have the floors sanded. I spent a mini-fortune on kitchen cabinets so was hoping to save some €€€ on the rangements (storage), namely the wardrobes. I was going to go sur mésure (custom) until I saw the price so went to the Ikea kitchen and rangement design showroom, which just opened in Paris. However, for some reason, their magasin of kitchens and closets didn’t have any examples of their closet systems (??), which baffled me…but thrilled my contractor, who isn’t keen on assembling anything from Ikea.

I never dreamed I’d need a lawnmower in Paris (heck, I came for the chocolates and croissants…), but here we are. Romain has the green thumb in the family so is thrilled and has been cutting and trimming and planting away.

But he’s not the only one enjoying the yard. Our contractor likes it too…

Okay…allons-y, everybody…back to work!

(Including me…)

-David

Recent Recipes and Posts

Size is everything…at least when it comes to soufflés. Emily wrote up her sure-fire tips for making a perfect, no-fail soufflé in My Top Soufflé Secrets. Her instructions for making a lofty beauty like the one above will have your guests oohing and aahing, and they can be made in advance and baked at the last minute, so you can be better at entertaining than I am. And to top it off, everyone gets an individual warm soufflé, one that they don’t have to share.

The apartment renovation is chugging along while we deal with a few issues that sprung up (fortunately, no leaks!). From my quest for stainless-steel countertops, to induction vs. gas, those will be coming up in installment #4, at Paris Apartment part 4 (for paid newsletter subscribers).

I’ve been wanting to make Mafé (aka, Mafe) for ages and hit the multicultural shops in Belleville for peanut butter to make this West African dish. Tender chunks of chicken and hearty vegetables in a peanutty sauce accented with tomatoes, this brilliant stew can even be made vegan or vegetarian. This peanutty stew is going on permanent rotation around here!

Many (many) people have asked “Is it safe to come to Paris?” or questions like “Will we be able to come in August?” My crystal ball is in the shop, so I can’t say what the future will hold, but while infections were on the rise (and no one wanted to add any restrictions before the presidential election), things began trending downward, and cafés and restaurants are rebuilding their outdoor terraces again for the summer, and I’m seeing more tourists around town. For the full scoop, check out my post, Covid Update for Visiting France.

A trip to Burgundy gave me a chance to bake up a caramelized Orange Upside Down cake, an American classic that the French love, which I now have conclusive proof of: One dinner guest liked it so much that he made it at home the very next day, and sent us a picture!

My second podcast guest was Quentin Chapuis, co-founder of the French Federation of Aperitifs. We had a great time chatting about French apéritifs and some of the amazing Made in France apéritif snacks they sell in their shops, which include salted buckwheat crisps and chickpea socca chips. Tune in, and listen here.

I’m often asked, “What’s the best_____in Paris?” While it’s hard to give a definitive answer, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite places in Paris, from a routier featuring French truck-stop style cooking to my top jambon-beurre sandwich in town, as well as where to get cheap (but amazing) freshly shucked oysters and awesome cheeses. Bookmark the list for your next visit!

I collected over 200 bottles of French liquors and apéritifs when writing Drinking French, which I thought was a lot. (I need to have a big party at the new apartment and hire a bartender to serve it all up!) After I had Quentin Chapuis as a guest on my podcast, he forwarded me this video of a vintage spirits collector in France and his spectacular collection of French spirits. Wow…

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