2011 was quite a year – full of travels and culinary adventures!

In the course of 12 months, I spent time in Berlin, Scotland, San Francisco and New Mexico – not to mention Alsace, the Loire Valley, and Bordeaux. I’ve never traveled so much – and, uh yes, sorry to admit, written so little! I’ve been taking notes though, and here is the first in a series of posts on my travels and favorite foodie finds in 2011.

Berlin, I must say, was one of my favorite trips of the year. I remember watching the Wall come down on TV when I was nine years old and have since had a deep fascination with the city. When we arrived on a Friday night last November, it felt exactly how I had imaged – modern (most of the city was destroyed during World War II and has since been rebuilt), yet full of history.

We only spent a long weekend, so it wasn’t enough time to see and taste everything, but we took full advantage of the time we had. It helped having good friends to show us around and take us to their favorite spots. The first place we headed was the Winterfeldtplatz Market in Schoeneberg. It had a different feeling than Parisian farmers’ markets. For one, it was rather calm (no one banged into my heels with their caddy) and most people were just arriving at lunchtime (when markets here begin to close up shop). For two, there were lots of samples and yummy items ready to eat (we tried melted “käse” on bread and “apfelkuchen”, apple cake). People didn’t seem to be doing their weekly shopping, but going to have Saturday lunch and buy a few apples or whatnots. The funniest difference, though, were the little children – instead of nibbling on pain au chocolat, they were happily walking around with sausages. I’m serious – miniature chubby hands and huge slimy sausages!

Our friends also introduced us to some of Berlin’s innovative ways of preparing and serving food. Kochhaus (also in Schoeneberg), for example, is a one-of-a-kind grocery store that specializes in “ready-to-make” meals. Basically, several “recipe stations” are set up around the shop and at these stations you find every ingredient you need to make the proposed recipe (down to a teaspoon of spice). The directions are printed on leaflets for you to take home. It reminded me of paint-by-number, but for cooking. Check out this article in the New York Times: “A Streamlined Approach to Eating at Kochhaus”

While it was fun looking around this “walk-in-cookbook”, we also had innovation in restaurants to check out. That’s how we ended up at Vapiano for lunch one day. Though it has since gone international, the first spot opened in Germany in 2002. This is an Italian restaurant where you use a “clip card” (kind of like a credit card) to keep track of your bill. You hand over this card, order from a menu on the wall, watch your food being prepared before your eyes and then sit down to enjoy. I appreciated that the restaurant used fresh ingredients. I even saw one customer picking basil off a plant to sprinkle on his pasta – apparently this was allowed!

We also stumbled on the mittendrin restaurant/café where I had a “flammkuchen” (I like to translate this as a “flaming kitchen”) with spinach, feta cheese and olives. Quite nice.

Above all, one of our favorite spots was the Solar, a bar on the 17^th floor of a 1970s skyscraper. The view was amazing, the DJ excellent and the drink menu as long as a novel (I chose the raspberry mojito).

Last but not least, we ended our trip with a traditional German meal at Joseph Roth Diele (Postdamerstrasse 75). The restaurant is named after the 19^th century writer and was bustling on a Monday at lunchtime. The decor was warm and inviting, and the menu fully in German! Fortunately, we had our friends to translate. I got my fill of German spaetzle just in time to take the plane back to Paris that afternoon…

Though nothing to do with food, here are three must-sees while visiting Berlin:

- The Reichstag Dome (admission is free, but advanced booking required)

- German Historical Museum (you’ll spend hours here)

- East Side Gallery (the longest remaining stretch of the Berlin wall decorated with colorful murals)

Like I said, a weekend isn’t enough and I’m sure we left lots to be discovered in Berlin.

Any other recommendations to share?

Why buy mayonnaise when you can make it?

Yesterday, at lunchtime, I wanted to make an inside out (or outside in) tuna melt (like a grilled-cheese sandwich, but with tuna). Dilemma: I didn’t have any mayonnaise – and as most of us would agree, tuna simply needs mayonnaise. I knew the closest grocer didn’t carry the only store-bought mayo I’ve ever liked (Maille) and I wasn’t about to complicate my day trekking it down. I was hungry and just wanted to have lunch – simple.

So, I made fresh mayonnaise. In a matter of minutes.

It was one of those first daring days of spring, when anxious (and long-awaited) sunlight floods through open windows. Like I said, I didn’t want to complicate my day – didn’t want to find a recipe, didn’t want to measure any ingredients. Yet, I wanted homemade mayonnaise. I’ve been living in France long enough to know what ingredients one usually uses in mayo and also to know that you have to whip in the olive oil last, in long steady streams with your electric beater. Thus, I started by putting two egg yolks in a bowl and mixing in some mustard and a tad of vinegar. I added salt and pepper…then started pouring in the olive oil. Really fun, actually. I just kept beating until the mixture was thick, stopping to taste and add more of whatever I thought was missing. At first I went overboard with the vinegar, but it all worked out.

SO, no fuss. Just add, taste, beat, taste, beat…until you’re happy with it.

Shopping List

2 egg yolks

Dijon mustard

Red wine vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

I ended up with a whole jar (an old yogurt pot). Since it’s fresh, it has to be eaten soon. What could I make? Another tuna melt? Egg salad? Deviled eggs? French fries (mayo is often served with them in Europe)? Avocado and crab?

As usual, I’m finishing my blog post, hungry.

Next weekend, March 3-6, over 200 publishers will gather in Paris to present their cookbooks to professionals (March 3-4) and then to the general public (March 5-6). I can’t wait to go and check the collection of recipes and enticing food photography from around the world. Apparently over 50 nationalities will be represented.

The festival was launched last year by Edouard Cointreau (founder of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards) and continues this year with Alain Dutournier (Michelin-starred chef, Carré des Feuillants) as the President of Honor. There will be author signings, photography exhibitions, wine tastings, conferences….

For useful information in French (hours, vélib stands, etc.) and other interesting articles click here. Otherwise, visit the English site (and reserve tickets) here.

Vegetarian eggs Benedict has been a favorite family recipe for as long as I can remember.

Soft, toasted English muffins, freshly sliced tomatoes and avocado, perfectly poached eggs and rich, buttery hollandaise sauce make this recipe ideal for lazy Sunday mornings or special brunches. We would almost always have it on Christmas morning – and even on a few evenings throughout the year.

The secret to making eggs Benedict is timing. As a kid, I would survey the muffins while Mom would poach the eggs and one of my brothers would whisk the butter into the sauce. Back then, it was pretty much about team work. Thus my dilemma the first time I tried to make it all by myself in Pars. It’s taken my a few years to get the hang of balancing all the different steps and keeping necessary ingredients warm. This balancing act, in fact, has most recently led to an additional step and a thicker hollandaise than I grew up with back in Santa Fe. In order to keep my sauce warm one day when my eggs were a bit behind, I poured it back into the pan I had melted the butter in. Covered and away from the flame, there was just enough heat to keep it warm and thicken it slightly. Be careful though – if the pan is too hot or on a burner, the eggs will cook too much and you’ll get a yellow gooey mess.

The fun part about vegetarian Benedict is that you can add any vegetables you like. We’ve tried it with almost everything, from steamed asparagus to sautéed mushrooms, from spicy guacamole to artichoke hearts, or even leeks! Whatever you use, prepare it before you dive into the eggs and sauce – these should be saved until just before eating.

Since I grew up in a household where everyone knew how to make eggs Benedict, I never thought about an actual recipe until now. I’ve always made it from feeling – and this is probably the best advice I can give. I’ve done my best to give guidelines, but you’ll really just have to listen to your ingredients and adjust amounts and the order of the steps where needed. And, like I said, this one takes practice!

Here’s the suggested recipe for 2 people:

Shopping List

Your choice of veggies (tomatoes, avocado, asparagus…)

2 English muffins, sliced (or hearty slices of fresh country bread)

7 fresh eggs (4 to poach, 3 for the sauce)

1 to 1.5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2.5 tablespoons (35 grams) salted butter

Recipe:

Step 1: Prepare the veggies

Step 2: Put the bread in the toaster. Push the button just after putting the eggs on.

Step 3: Begin preparing the sauce by separating 3 egg yolks and placing them in a small bowl. (You won’t need the whites for the hollandaise, so either keep them to poach or set aside for another recipe). Squeeze in the lemon and stir (this slightly cooks the eggs).

Step 4: Poach the 4 remaining eggs by heating water in a deep frying pan and cracking the eggs into it when bubbles begin the form. Cook over medium-low heat. (Maybe it’s just superstition, but I always spread some butter at the bottom of the pan before adding the water.) They are ready when cooked on the outside and still slightly runny inside.

Step 5: Push the button on the toaster.

Step 6: Finish the sauce while the eggs are poaching by melting the butter and SLOWLY pouring it over the egg yolk/lemon mixture. Taste and add more lemon if desired. Keep warm as mentioned above.

Step 7: Decorate the bread with a layer of veggies, the eggs and the hollandaise. Sprinkle with a dash of paprika, pepper, fresh chives … anything to top off your balancing act!

Growing up, we ate eggs Benedict with orange juice – now I like it with a glass of refreshing white wine (at dinner time that is)!

Today’s my blog’s first birthday! In honor, I made a cake.

This was an adventure, considering I had never made a savory cake before. On my way home last Friday I was imagining exactly how I wanted it to turn out- and trying to figure out which ingredients (and in which proportions) would make it work best.

I didn’t want a dry cake- that was sure. I wanted it to be light, smooth and moist (while being cooked all the way through). I knew what I was up against and all the pitfalls I was likely to fall into. Moist. How can I make it moist? I wanted it to be like a yogurt cake- et voilà- there, in the late afternoon sunlight, I decided what I’d make- more or less a yogurt cake without the sugar.

I also knew I wanted it to be light- well, as light at a cake packed with creamy Roquefort cheese can be. So, I decided (for, I think, the first time ever) not to use butter because, with the cheese, it would just be too much. Instead, I opted for canola oil, which doesn’t have an overpowering flavor.

In the end, I was very satisfied with my blog’s birthday cake!

Shopping List

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cup canola oil

1 cup yogurt

1/2 cup grated gruyère cheese

3/4 cup Roquefort

2/3 cup walnuts

1 pear (cut into small pieces)

Recipe:

1. Mixed dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, sugar).

2. Beat eggs and mix in wet ingredients (oil, yogurt), in a separate bowl.

3. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix as little as possible so the cake will be light and airy!

4. Add the remaining ingredients. Still mixing as little as possible.

5. Bake in the oven at 350° F for about 35 minutes. The top should be slightly browned and the cake fully cooked (difficult to tell since the cheese will be melted).

Happy Birthday!

Want to know a kind of funny secret? I’d never, until this week, bought a fennel.

Since I’d never bought one, I’d never cooked with one either- until today. What an aroma fills the room as you slice into it! A sort of fresh, playful licorice. I made my two bulbs into four bowls of creamy fennel leek soup. We finished it off about half an hour ago, but I really wish we had more.

I was inspired by a “velouté” that I found in one of my French cookbooks.

Shopping List

2 fennel bulbs (chopped)

3 leeks (chopped, except for 1/2)

1/4 cup crème fraîche (or sour cream)

1/8 cup finely grated Parmesan (plus a little more)

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Olive oil

Freshly grated nutmeg

Gros sel de Camargue (coarse cooking salt)

2 bay leaves

Freshly ground pepper

Recipe (makes 4 bowls):

1. Prepare the soup: Sauté the fennel and leeks in a bit of olive oil, until translucent (like onions). Cover with water, add the bay leaves, sprinkle in some salt and grate in a dash of nutmeg. Cover and let simmer (medium heat) until the fennel is fully cooked.

2. Prepare the cream: In a small bowl, combine the crème fraîche with the lemon juice and let sit. (If using sour cream, do not add the lemon).

3. Prepare the leek topping: Slice the remaining 1/2 of a leek into small strips. Gently sauté them in a small amount of olive oil. Cook them very slightly, stirring regularly and removing them from the heat before they turn brown. Set aside.

4. Blend and combine: When the vegetables are cooked, blend them until “smooth” and then return this mixture to the pot. Add the cream and the Parmesan. Top with the leek strips, a bit of Parmesan, a grate of nutmeg and some pepper.

Serve with thick slices of fresh, grainy bread (perfect for dipping).

]]> http://thetomatoknife.com/2010/05/fennel-leek-soup-recipe/feed/ 2 http://thetomatoknife.com/2010/05/kefir-and-red-berry-smoothie-recipe/ http://thetomatoknife.com/2010/05/kefir-and-red-berry-smoothie-recipe/#comments Mon, 24 May 2010 18:01:02 +0000 Joy Anna Becvarik http://thetomatoknife.com/?p=1234 When I moved to college, one of the first gadgets I had to buy was a blender. Same thing when I moved to Paris. Growing up, every morning started off with the sound of fruit and yogurt whirling in the kitchen. I probably had a smoothie nearly every day or so- right up until I moved to France. Never did I have a hot drink for breakfast; tea, in my opinion, was reserved for evening and I didn’t know how to drink coffee.

Since we’re all products of our environment, my breakfast habits have little-by-little been influenced by those of the French. The typical petit déjeuner in France includes a hot drink (coffee or tea, but usually coffee) and some bread or biscottes (little dry, crunchy breads that we have yet to find in the United States) smeared with creamy butter and/or jam. On the weekends, breakfast branches out to fresh-baked goodies from the boulangerie. This straightforward routine, obviously, was an easy trap to fall into- especially since I’ve discovered the foam function on the coffee machine. Now, without a comforting hot drink, I just don’t feel like my day is starting out right.

That’s until the first hot days of summer arrive. Then, all I want is an ice-cold smoothie. Just for info, the temperature in Paris today was a very warm 29 degrees C (84 degrees F).

My newest obsession is kefir in my smoothies. This is a slightly tart, fermented milk- thicker than drinking milk, but thinner than yogurt. It’s made from milk (cow, goat…) and “kefir grains”- a bacteria and yeast culture. Originally from the Caucasus, kefir is known to be quite good for you, especially for your digestive system- thanks to the presences of probiotic bacteria. Best of all, it’s delicious in a smoothie.

My other smoothie obsession is bananas. All smoothies must have them. Trick: when your uneaten bananas start getting too ripe throw them in the freezer (just as they are) and keep them until you make a smoothie. To peel, run under hot water until you can easily take off the skin. I’d recommend putting a strainer at the bottom of the sink to keep the gooey peel from going down the drain.

This recipe makes 1 really big or 2 medium glasses:

Shopping List

1 banana (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup plain kefir

2/3 cup organic berries (blackberries, blackcurrants, wild blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)

1/2 cup orange juice

Liquid sweetener (honey, maple syrup, agave nectar) to taste, if desired

Blend and enjoy.

After avoiding the subject for way too long, I’ve signed up for French driving lessons. Unless your American license was issued in one of the 13 states (see below) that have a reciprocity agreement with France, you have to take both the written and driving tests once you live here permanently. That means drivers’ ed all over again.

Technically, one could sign up on their own for these two tests, but the catch is that you must have a car equipped with brakes on the left and right sides. On your own, you also have to register for the exams through the Préfecture- a process that seems quite daunting to me. The only real solution for those of us from the “other 37 states” is to go through a driving school.

Advantages:

1. The school takes care of the registration at the Préfecture.

2. You learn what is expected of you on the exams.

3. You learn all sorts of French vocabulary you’ll never learn in college (i.e. point mort = neutral, angle mort = blind spot). And, yes, all the references to death (mort) do freak me out a bit.

Disadvantages:

1. Expensive (at least 1,000 euros for the classes and exams).

2. Time-consuming (you actually have to study, even if you already “know” how to drive). The whole process takes several months.

3. Apparently, less than 60% of the candidates get their license on the first try (and in Paris, you may have to wait up to six months for another exam date!).

See why I’ve put it off for so long?

Short-term visitors and students in France can both drive on their American licenses- no problem. Foreign residents can drive on theirs for up to one year. For those who have the right to exchange their license, they must do it in these first twelve months- otherwise, all is lost and they have to take the lessons and tests. To date, these states are part of the agreement: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia.

One of the hardest parts about this whole process is finding a decent driving school. After quite a bit of research and a few visits, I ended up going with this school. These were my criteria:

1. Convenient location and open hours

2. “Reasonably” priced (haha!)*

3. A friendly vibe and professional atmosphere

*I chose a school with the best value for the money. For example, they propose unlimited classroom courses and three months access to their on-line lessons and practice tests (many schools didn’t offer this at all). I chose not to go with the most inexpensive schools, but a medium-priced and well-established one. Driving schools in Paris are more than abundant and the smaller ones frequently go out of business.

I’m actually having fun studying, especially when I ask people who already have their license the mock questions and they don’t know the answers. It’s not their fault. It’s simply that the test is difficult and not always straight-forward. The way the questions are formulated can be tricky and you have to learn to think like the test (makes me feel like I’m taking the SATs all over again). I’m also having fun putting to work what I’m learning by walking around Paris, pretending I’m a police officer. I give imaginary tickets to, well, pretty much everyone.

In order to give me test-studying energy, I started off the morning with some home-made muesli. Originally from Switzerland, it’s made of uncooked cereals and is extremely easy to make. The advantage of making it yourself is that you can choose whatever ingredients you want- and you won’t get stuck picking out dried coconut shavings, for example.

The three essential ingredients are:

1. Uncooked, very slightly toasted cereal flakes

2. Dried fruits

3. Nuts

I used a combination of five different cereals in equal parts. If you don’t find them already toasted, you can do it yourself. Be careful not to leave them in the oven too long- otherwise they’ll become too crispy, like granola. Muesli should practically be raw.

Toasting the nuts, like the cereals, brings out the flavor. I especially like adding slivered almonds. I grill them (without any oil) in a frying pan. Watch them very carefully, as they cook fast- I’ve burnt many a batch!

Recommended ingredients:

Barley flakes

Oat flakes

Rice flakes

Rye flakes

Wheat flakes

Small Sultana raisins

Slightly toasted slivered almonds

Combine ingredients and you’re done. Top with sliced banana for extra fuel.

I couldn’t pass this one up: a little jar of whole nutmeg seeds and a miniature grater.

Freshly ground nutmeg, I’ve just discovered, is simply stronger and much more aromatic than the pre-ground spice.

I found my little jar of noix de muscade in the spice section of the neighborhood grocery store and have been curious about it ever since. The nutmeg we traditionally use in cuisine (frequently used and highly regarded back in the Middle Ages by-the-way) is the ground seed of the (edible) fruit from the nutmeg tree. Another common spice, mace (macis, in French), comes from the same tree; it, in fact, is the dried red netting that covers the nutmeg seed.

In addition to being fun to grate, nutmeg gives a slightly sweet, rather nutty (surprise) flavor to dishes- I’ve used it in quiches and desserts, for example.

Happy grating.

]]> http://thetomatoknife.com/2010/05/freshly-grated-nutmeg-2/feed/ 0 http://thetomatoknife.com/2010/04/organic-cucumber-apple-salad-recipe/ http://thetomatoknife.com/2010/04/organic-cucumber-apple-salad-recipe/#comments Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:09:40 +0000 Joy Anna Becvarik http://thetomatoknife.com/?p=1170 I didn’t eat cucumber much before coming to France. Now it’s become a staple- and I usually have part of one hanging around somewhere in the fridge.

After farmers’ market on Sunday, I came home with an especially nice-looking, organic one that I mixed into a refreshing salad. Since cucumber doesn’t have a very strong taste on its own, I figured I could add whatever I wanted to my salad- and decided to try a savory-sweet combination. The sweet apples added a subtle, tart punch to the other ingredients and combined extremely well with the bit of red wine vinegar I drizzled over everything.

I also added some extra kick by throwing in a combination of freshly ground spices: black, white, green and pink peppercorns, plus dried coriander fruits and allspice (also known as Jamaican pepper). Pink peppercorns, by the way, are not really pepper, but dried fruits from the Baies rose plant (as it is often called).  Suggestion: put all the un-ground spices together in a pepper mill and use to flavor dishes (instead of just plain pepper). If you’re in France, you can cheat and purchase them already mixed together!

I topped it all off with some of the lemon thyme we’re growing in the window. Like common thyme, it’s nice for cooking and never overpowers the other spices. Unlike common thyme, this one really does smell like lemons.

Hint: Add the vinegar a little at a time, until it compliments the other ingredients- it shouldn’t be too strong, but abundant enough to create a nice contrast with the apples.

Shopping List

Cucumber

Apple (Jazz or Pink Lady, for example)

Belgian endive

Avocado

A few sprinkles of olive oil

A few drops of red wine vinegar

Salt

Freshly ground spices (see above)

Fresh lemon thyme

Directions:

1. Dice all fruits and vegetables and place them in a salad bowl.

2. Add the remaining ingredients to taste and toss with salad forks.

It’s that easy!