À la mère de famille! Pictures of that amazing shop always make me nostalgic. I used to live just around the corner... Useless to say I was a regular customer. Now, I come there only once in a while, when I'm in Paris. But I've got their book! Which, by the way, is interesting, but their recipes are written "à la française", that is, much less detailed than yours, for instance, and lacking, of course, all possible useful tips & tricks, because you are supposed not to need them...
I think the kids took over the business and kept what was good about it (the traditions...) and updated a few things, but not too much - which is nice because a number of businesses here (Ladurée, The Grand Épicerie, etc.) do a big remodel, and they lose what made them special.
Yes, cookbooks here tend to be...um, less precise and a little vague on details. Some get translated but they often do quirky things; I've seen recipes translated into imperial measurements, that call for things like 5/9th of a tablespoon of cream, and using superfine sugar instead of granulated sugar. Superfine has it's place but it's hard to find in the U.S. and doesn't matter in things like poaching liquid : -)
I hope your new book is skewed more to savory than sweet. I am hopeless at desserts--my go to is vanilla ice cream topped with amarena cherries with biscotti on the side (which I can now make thanks to your recipe for crispy olive things in MY PARIS KITCHEN, I realized that recipe was for savory biscotti). I love your commentary on tourists. I feel like a tourist in my home city of Brooklyn, and I find that people treat me well or rudely depending. I think that is just about people. Some are wonderful and some are, well, you get it. Thanks as always for your beautiful commentaries.....
David, you touched a chord in me with the jambon beurre sandwich you mention. We live in little Door County, WI and Joel owns a small coffee shop there. He is from Brittany, and makes a few wonderful sandwiches, including jambon buerre. Best I have had since Paris. Filling and tasty. The baguette part is excellent. He has also started baking kouign Aman. I feel a little bit of France every time I stop in. I appreciate you mentioning these little pleasures in life!
Hello David, did you see where they have arrested a 63 year old man regarding the theft of the cheese. But guess what, he has been released pending further enquires. 🧀
David, thanks so much for your piece on enjoying the small things in life. It’s far too easy to become annoyed or angry with those around us who seem inconsiderate, in a rush or just plain rude. I try to do my best everyday to capture the joy of being alive. We are all very anxious here in the states, wondering what will transpire on Tuesday, Election Day. We are hoping for calm, peace and a declaration that democracy is alive and well. I’ll look forward to your book and by all means, keep us informed of life in Paris. I love all the photos, your descriptions of your adventures in the city and most of all the food you create or have experiened.
Hi David, love your newsletter and all the recommendations you make that I saved in google maps for our trip. We spent 8 days in Paris two weeks ago and I wanted to thank you for the recommendations you post on your website and in your newsletter. We had a food tour with La Cuisine Paris ( Aux Merveilleux de Fred! Kouignettes from Georges Larnicol), a ham sandwich Le Petite Vendôme, galettes at Breizh Café Montorgueil. I can’t wait to see your new cookbook! Oh and we’ve lived in CA for ten years this month and I still take pics at the farmers market, I cannot help it. 😀 Thanks again!
Lol… my husband did the same as you, only he received lamb livers, something he wouldn’t normally eat, ht he did say they were quite tasty. Thank you for the links, particularly the one about the cheese theft and how yo save yourself if choking. I ordered two copies of Sift for two of our grandchildren who love to bake. I will look forward to the time your new book is published, a bit of a wait, but I’m a patient soul.
I instantly thought of several smart-ass comments to make about the French being rude, but then I thought about the New French Wave, and Hugo, and Coco, and Gabin, and Dior, and Gaugin, and Piaf, and Cocteau - in the end I forgave them.
A friend of mine was in SF and he asked a transit employee a question, and the guy replied that he wasn't working at that moment, and called him "an as*hole." So there are rude people everywhere - Paris has a high concentration of what my friend Jane (in her book, The French Ingredient) called "alphas" and everyone wants to be in front of everybody else, etc...and it can be difficult if you're trying to do simple things, like, say...wait in line, and the person behind you is stressing out because they're behind you. But you just can't think about them ; )
Thanks so much for this newsletter. I feel like I have a longtime friend in Paris who is keeping me up to date on his goings-on. Good to know you are doing well! We'll chat next month? A bientot! (and no, I have no idea how to type the circonflex).
Dear David, I feel like I should start with this salutation as I feel you truly address us all as friends, and I if I was writing you a letter you’d get the Dear! What a delightful newsletter! You always make me smile and this time I laughed out loud at the thought of living like a local on holidays!
Looking up , and out, in your own neighbourhood is the best! We are a km from our own bay beaches , in Sydney, and it’s easy to forget the beauty just down the road.
When we bought our house 8 years ago, I brought along a new large LG French door refrigerator I just loved I bought for the previous home, a rental. It was too large for the built in space in the “new” kitchen, so I just put it at the end of our cabinets. Eventually the old refrigerator in that too-small space died. Rather than tear out the cabinets to try and fit my new refrigerator, and not wanting a hole in that space, I bought a new smaller version of the LG that fit. I quite love having two refrigerators in my kitchen, and don’t see how I could possibly live with just one!
The problem with having two (or more) refrigerators and/or freezers, is that you tend to fill them. But I'm constantly amazed when people tell me they freeze everything, from whey after making yogurt, to leftover birthday cakes. I usually can barely fit a coin in my freezer!
Thank you David for your wonderful November newsletter…there’s so much good stuff in it to digest….if you’ll pardon the pun.
On vegetables: The cabbages and cauliflowers are so huge they look like something out of a science fiction movie...that might rise up and eat YOU!
On language: On a very early visit to Paris when I believed I had a better grasp of the language than I actually did, I ordered with a great sense of bravado and confidence a dish called tete de veau, as I like veal and thought it would be a safe choice. Well, you can imagine my face when my plate arrived with a completely unidentifiable object on it. I was too embarrassed to show my ignorance and ask the waiter what it was, and thought I probably wouldn’t want to know anyway. So I cut it up and sort of pushed it around the plate to make it look like I had eaten some of it. A good lesson was learned that day about the need for language transparency.
On ham sandwiches:
Your photo of that sandwich left me speechless with yearning… absolutely worth a visit to Paris for…
Hi David, you said your new book will be out next fall. I'm not snarking here, but why does it take a year to be published, is that just how the process is? When will it be available for pre-order, do you know yet? Looking forward to getting it, love Paris Kitchen and my favorite is your little chocolate book! The chocolate sauerkraut cake is my favorite :)
Generally speaking, during that year there is a photo shoot as well as several editing phases for manuscripts, starting with an overall edit by the editor (then the author usually has a few weeks to work on those edits), then the book goes to a copyeditor, which takes them a few weeks to go through, and they fill the margins with lots (and lots) of queries, grammatical changes or suggestions, etc. then it takes 2-4 weeks for the author (me!) to go through those. Then the book goes into design and production, laying out the book and photos, deciding what goes on what page, etc. Then the book comes back to the author (me!) for another round of edits, just to make sure there's nothing missing...then it goes to a proofreader. During all this there are also production editors who deal with making sure that everything jibes with each other - the recipes are in the right place, if you refer to a recipe, they make sure the page numbers correspond, etc. Then it goes to an indexer...and then, it's off to the printer, which takes a while.
That's the short answer but there's a lot that goes on to get a book out : )
I work in publishing and we recently had a group of authors visit the office and learn about the different departments that help get a book into the bookstore: editorial, art, production, marketing, sales, etc. They were stunned at the number of people and the amount of expertise involved! It’s very fun and satisfying helping an author get their book into the world and publishing people are some of the most passionate and hardworking folks I’ve met. ☺️ Looking forward to buying your new book! Love your newsletter as always.
My publisher is now adding to books all the names of production editors, and so forth, to give them credit. In France cookbooks get produced pretty quickly, often in a few months.
I'm really fortunate my publisher, Ten Speed, takes a great interest in their authors, which is why I stay with them. They also want to have a good book and include me in all design and photo decisions, which is (very, very) rare...and I'm grateful to work with such talented people.
Great newsletter. Now I know why no Instagram shopping show & tell for awhile! Thanks😎
Instagram (and Facebook) decide what you're going to see via their algorithm. It's pretty irksome (and why I moved to a newsletter...)
À la mère de famille! Pictures of that amazing shop always make me nostalgic. I used to live just around the corner... Useless to say I was a regular customer. Now, I come there only once in a while, when I'm in Paris. But I've got their book! Which, by the way, is interesting, but their recipes are written "à la française", that is, much less detailed than yours, for instance, and lacking, of course, all possible useful tips & tricks, because you are supposed not to need them...
I think the kids took over the business and kept what was good about it (the traditions...) and updated a few things, but not too much - which is nice because a number of businesses here (Ladurée, The Grand Épicerie, etc.) do a big remodel, and they lose what made them special.
Yes, cookbooks here tend to be...um, less precise and a little vague on details. Some get translated but they often do quirky things; I've seen recipes translated into imperial measurements, that call for things like 5/9th of a tablespoon of cream, and using superfine sugar instead of granulated sugar. Superfine has it's place but it's hard to find in the U.S. and doesn't matter in things like poaching liquid : -)
I hope your new book is skewed more to savory than sweet. I am hopeless at desserts--my go to is vanilla ice cream topped with amarena cherries with biscotti on the side (which I can now make thanks to your recipe for crispy olive things in MY PARIS KITCHEN, I realized that recipe was for savory biscotti). I love your commentary on tourists. I feel like a tourist in my home city of Brooklyn, and I find that people treat me well or rudely depending. I think that is just about people. Some are wonderful and some are, well, you get it. Thanks as always for your beautiful commentaries.....
David, you touched a chord in me with the jambon beurre sandwich you mention. We live in little Door County, WI and Joel owns a small coffee shop there. He is from Brittany, and makes a few wonderful sandwiches, including jambon buerre. Best I have had since Paris. Filling and tasty. The baguette part is excellent. He has also started baking kouign Aman. I feel a little bit of France every time I stop in. I appreciate you mentioning these little pleasures in life!
Hello David, did you see where they have arrested a 63 year old man regarding the theft of the cheese. But guess what, he has been released pending further enquires. 🧀
Yes. They didn't mention the nationality but he was posing as a rep for a French supermarket chain: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg57yr2dqd2o
The first time I ever went to Paris I fell in love le jambon beurre. It is still my fave while visiting Paris
David, thanks so much for your piece on enjoying the small things in life. It’s far too easy to become annoyed or angry with those around us who seem inconsiderate, in a rush or just plain rude. I try to do my best everyday to capture the joy of being alive. We are all very anxious here in the states, wondering what will transpire on Tuesday, Election Day. We are hoping for calm, peace and a declaration that democracy is alive and well. I’ll look forward to your book and by all means, keep us informed of life in Paris. I love all the photos, your descriptions of your adventures in the city and most of all the food you create or have experiened.
Hi David, love your newsletter and all the recommendations you make that I saved in google maps for our trip. We spent 8 days in Paris two weeks ago and I wanted to thank you for the recommendations you post on your website and in your newsletter. We had a food tour with La Cuisine Paris ( Aux Merveilleux de Fred! Kouignettes from Georges Larnicol), a ham sandwich Le Petite Vendôme, galettes at Breizh Café Montorgueil. I can’t wait to see your new cookbook! Oh and we’ve lived in CA for ten years this month and I still take pics at the farmers market, I cannot help it. 😀 Thanks again!
glad you had a good trip!
Lol… my husband did the same as you, only he received lamb livers, something he wouldn’t normally eat, ht he did say they were quite tasty. Thank you for the links, particularly the one about the cheese theft and how yo save yourself if choking. I ordered two copies of Sift for two of our grandchildren who love to bake. I will look forward to the time your new book is published, a bit of a wait, but I’m a patient soul.
Her video was so good - I want her to be my doctor!
I instantly thought of several smart-ass comments to make about the French being rude, but then I thought about the New French Wave, and Hugo, and Coco, and Gabin, and Dior, and Gaugin, and Piaf, and Cocteau - in the end I forgave them.
A friend of mine was in SF and he asked a transit employee a question, and the guy replied that he wasn't working at that moment, and called him "an as*hole." So there are rude people everywhere - Paris has a high concentration of what my friend Jane (in her book, The French Ingredient) called "alphas" and everyone wants to be in front of everybody else, etc...and it can be difficult if you're trying to do simple things, like, say...wait in line, and the person behind you is stressing out because they're behind you. But you just can't think about them ; )
Thanks so much for this newsletter. I feel like I have a longtime friend in Paris who is keeping me up to date on his goings-on. Good to know you are doing well! We'll chat next month? A bientot! (and no, I have no idea how to type the circonflex).
Dear David, I feel like I should start with this salutation as I feel you truly address us all as friends, and I if I was writing you a letter you’d get the Dear! What a delightful newsletter! You always make me smile and this time I laughed out loud at the thought of living like a local on holidays!
Looking up , and out, in your own neighbourhood is the best! We are a km from our own bay beaches , in Sydney, and it’s easy to forget the beauty just down the road.
When we bought our house 8 years ago, I brought along a new large LG French door refrigerator I just loved I bought for the previous home, a rental. It was too large for the built in space in the “new” kitchen, so I just put it at the end of our cabinets. Eventually the old refrigerator in that too-small space died. Rather than tear out the cabinets to try and fit my new refrigerator, and not wanting a hole in that space, I bought a new smaller version of the LG that fit. I quite love having two refrigerators in my kitchen, and don’t see how I could possibly live with just one!
The problem with having two (or more) refrigerators and/or freezers, is that you tend to fill them. But I'm constantly amazed when people tell me they freeze everything, from whey after making yogurt, to leftover birthday cakes. I usually can barely fit a coin in my freezer!
Great NL this month, and esp. the video of the choking hack if by oneself.
Thank you David for your wonderful November newsletter…there’s so much good stuff in it to digest….if you’ll pardon the pun.
On vegetables: The cabbages and cauliflowers are so huge they look like something out of a science fiction movie...that might rise up and eat YOU!
On language: On a very early visit to Paris when I believed I had a better grasp of the language than I actually did, I ordered with a great sense of bravado and confidence a dish called tete de veau, as I like veal and thought it would be a safe choice. Well, you can imagine my face when my plate arrived with a completely unidentifiable object on it. I was too embarrassed to show my ignorance and ask the waiter what it was, and thought I probably wouldn’t want to know anyway. So I cut it up and sort of pushed it around the plate to make it look like I had eaten some of it. A good lesson was learned that day about the need for language transparency.
On ham sandwiches:
Your photo of that sandwich left me speechless with yearning… absolutely worth a visit to Paris for…
Thank you for reminding people to VOTE!
Excited for your new book! :)
lol!
Hi David, you said your new book will be out next fall. I'm not snarking here, but why does it take a year to be published, is that just how the process is? When will it be available for pre-order, do you know yet? Looking forward to getting it, love Paris Kitchen and my favorite is your little chocolate book! The chocolate sauerkraut cake is my favorite :)
Generally speaking, during that year there is a photo shoot as well as several editing phases for manuscripts, starting with an overall edit by the editor (then the author usually has a few weeks to work on those edits), then the book goes to a copyeditor, which takes them a few weeks to go through, and they fill the margins with lots (and lots) of queries, grammatical changes or suggestions, etc. then it takes 2-4 weeks for the author (me!) to go through those. Then the book goes into design and production, laying out the book and photos, deciding what goes on what page, etc. Then the book comes back to the author (me!) for another round of edits, just to make sure there's nothing missing...then it goes to a proofreader. During all this there are also production editors who deal with making sure that everything jibes with each other - the recipes are in the right place, if you refer to a recipe, they make sure the page numbers correspond, etc. Then it goes to an indexer...and then, it's off to the printer, which takes a while.
That's the short answer but there's a lot that goes on to get a book out : )
I work in publishing and we recently had a group of authors visit the office and learn about the different departments that help get a book into the bookstore: editorial, art, production, marketing, sales, etc. They were stunned at the number of people and the amount of expertise involved! It’s very fun and satisfying helping an author get their book into the world and publishing people are some of the most passionate and hardworking folks I’ve met. ☺️ Looking forward to buying your new book! Love your newsletter as always.
My publisher is now adding to books all the names of production editors, and so forth, to give them credit. In France cookbooks get produced pretty quickly, often in a few months.
I'm really fortunate my publisher, Ten Speed, takes a great interest in their authors, which is why I stay with them. They also want to have a good book and include me in all design and photo decisions, which is (very, very) rare...and I'm grateful to work with such talented people.
Glad you like the newsletter! : )