Paris
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A Pop-Up Paris Picnic Is Coming to New York - NYTimes.com
Three weeks ago, in the golden light of an early-summer evening, thousands of Parisians dressed entirely in white converged on two of the city’s most picturesque locations — 4,400 of them in the plaza at the cathedral of Notre Dame; 6,200 in a courtyard of the Louvre — for a feast that was neither advertised nor publicly heralded. They had brought along not only their own epicurean repasts but also their own tables, chairs, glasses, silver and napery. At midnight, after dining and dancing, they packed up their dishes, stowed their empty Champagne bottles in trash bags brought for that purpose, stooped to pick up their cigarette butts from the cobbles and departed. The landmarks were left immaculate, with no traces of the revelry of the previous three hours. This annual event, called the Dîner en Blanc — the “dinner in white” — is like a gustatory Brigadoon, equal parts mystery, anachronism and caprice.
David Lebovitz
When I lived in San Francisco, the baking community was a very friendly group and we all mingled easily. One of the people who I particularly admired and liked was Emily Luchetti , who was also a pastry chef and cookbook author. Her desserts were known for their stunning simplicity, which highlighted bold flavors as well as local ingredients, and whose recipes walked a balance between home-style and sophisticated. And even more importantly, she tends to like two of my favorite things – chocolate and caramel – and she uses them frequently. Emily’s newest book is The Fearless Baker , a book of 175 easy-to-make desserts that won’t intimidate anyone. I asked her if she would be interested in doing a guest post, and when she suggested something combining…you guessed it, caramel and chocolate brownies, I couldn’t wait to share the recipe with you.
My friends, Juan Sanchez and Drew Harre , who own three places that are among my favs in my Paris 'hood -- the restaurants Fish and Cosi (the original; Drew started it over 20 years ago and it's still just one place, not a chain, in the rue de Seine) and the wine shop, La Derniere Goutte -- now have a fourth, the newly sprouted Semilla , Spanish for 'seed'. Michael and I arrived in Paris Tuesday morning and that night we nabbed a seat at Semilla and had a dish that I would like to have every day that I'm here and then make every day when I'm not. It's listed on the menu under the heading "Plancha" (a flat-top grill) and described simply and accurately: Shiitake, roasted sesame oil. The mushrooms are cooked on the plancha and then finished with Asian sesame oil, salt, chives and a dribblet of olive oil. So simple; so fabulous! Then, as we were leaving, we ran into Michael Kennedy, owner of The Moose , a local sports pub that's always jam-packed with happy revelers.
Dorie Greenspan