Fraises et Tartines

Garden Update- July 2010

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:04:00 +0000

I'm always a little apprehensive about venturing out to my patio garden after a long time away. We do have a drip system now (thanks to my wonderful, handy husband!) so the odds of my plants shriveling away have significantly decreased. But you never know when a hoard of aphids will attack poor unsuspecting tomato plants! When we got home Sunday night I took a quick peak outside and everything looked okay...better than okay, in fact. We had a bunch of new cherry tomatoes popping up and a new little eggplant! The eggplant...plant?...also has a bunch of flowers on it, so hopefully there'll be more eggplants to come. I see eggplant parmigiana in my future!

This morning I snapped a few pictures of the tomatoes and eggplant to share:

Sweet 100 Tomatoes

Baby Eggplant

How to make limoncello

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:52:00 +0000

Once again, I have been neglecting fraises et tartines for far too long. Now that the school year is over and we're home from our various trips, I have no more excuses and so, here I am. Not that blogging has somehow become a chore, it just hasn't been a priority for, oh, the last 6 months (I suppose that much is clear). What I didn't realize prior to the vacation we returned from last night was how many people around the country (both known and unknown to me!) follow my blog. Over the last 3 weeks, we have been to 7 states (some just driving through) and seen friends and family along the way. I was a bit shocked but mostly humbled that at each stop along the way there was someone giving me a finger wagging and an "evil eye" for neglecting my blog for so long. I even got some, "My friend follows your blog and says you haven't updated in months!" Wow! Hopefully this will give me the kick in the pants I needed.

I thought that given my long absence, a guide to making limoncello would be an appropriate first post back, since this recipe is largely a test in patience. It takes about two and a half months to make, but the result is completely worth the wait. Strong, flavorful, smooth and refreshing, limoncello makes a superb after dinner drink.

To start, you'll need a large, 1.5 L, mason jar, 10 lemons, a 750 ml bottle of Everclear (get the strongest your state will sell you...here in CA that's 150 proof, but in New Jersey we found 180 proof, whew!), and a very sharp paring knife. Start by carefully peeling all the lemons. Make sure you don't have any white pith on the back of your lemon zest. This will make your limoncello bitter, and well, after two and a half months of waiting, that would be...bitterly disappointing. If you have pith on your zest, turn it over and shave it off with your knife. This is a labor of love, but it will be worth it. Once all of your lemons are peeled, put the zest in your mason jar, pour in the Everclear, and close it up. Now here's the hardest part....wait 2 months. I know it's long, but again, it'll be worth it! I usually use masking tape to label my jar with the date the limoncello is ready for step 2.

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2 months later...take your mason jar out of hiding and prepare a simple syrup. I usually use a 1:1 ratio of water and sugar but some people like it sweeter and prefer to use more sugar. This is really up to you and your taste so experiment! You'll want about 4 cups total of simple syrup so if you're using a 1:1 ratio, combine 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar in a saucepan and heat slowly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Some say that if you stir the simple syrup as it's dissolving you'll end up with a cloudy limoncello, but I'm not convinced. I'll need to experiment further with a side-by-side comparison and report back. Once your simple syrup is ready wait for it to cool completely to room temperature (another test in patience...good thing I gave you a ton of practice with 6 months between blog posts!). Once completely cooled, add the simple syrup to the steeping alcohol, leaving the lemon zest inside. Now you're in the home stretch but you'll need to dip into your patience reserves just a little bit longer. Wait 2 more weeks. Then strain out the lemon peel and bottle your limoncello. I like to use bottles from French Limonade, which you can buy at Cost Plus, Whole Foods, and BevMo, because they have the EZ tops. Drink the Limonade, wash the bottle and then use it for bottling limoncello. Once bottled, store the limoncello either in a dark closet or in your freezer. I prefer the limoncello cold, but without ice, so the freezer is perfect. With the high alcohol content, it wont freeze so you don't have to worry about putting a glass bottle in the freezer. Enjoy the fruits of your patience in the smallest glasses you have. Limoncello is very strong and is best enjoyed in small sips. Cheers! Or rather, Salute!

Brussel Sprout Chanterelle Pasta with Brown Butter

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 00:03:00 +0000

Okay okay, I realize how ridiculously long it has been since I wrote a new post. I apologize. I'm actually touched by all the nudges I've gotten from friends to update the blog. Makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

Before we get to the good stuff (the food, obviously) I should fill you in on recent exciting developments in my grad school/career as an SLP. First, I've officially graduated with my Masters Degree in Speech-Language Pathology. It has actually felt a little anticlimactic since I walked in the graduation ceremony in June, finished my student teaching in December, and had my degree post to the university website about a week ago. It seems like such a momentous accomplishment should be accompanied by more than a link on a website, but at this point, I'm just happy to be done.

The other good news is that I have a job! I'll be working as an SLP for a preschool for children with special needs- the same place where I did my student teaching. I'm thrilled about this, because I already know that the people and children at the school are wonderful. I know it will be a great experience! I get to start the job as soon as a little piece of paper (actually, an email) comes through- my credential. So until then, I've been trying to get things organized, start getting back in shape and simply enjoy the rest of my time off.

Alright, now on to the food porn. This dish was introduced to me by my supervisor at the aforementioned preschool. I believe she found the recipe in San Francisco magazine. It is simple and delicious...simply delicious! A huge part of what makes this dish so tasty is how fresh it is, so make sure your ingredients are at their peak of freshness. Especially the brussel sprouts- try to get them on the stalk; I promise you they will be better this way.

Ingredients:

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. shallots, minced
6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1/2 lb chanterelle mushrooms, sliced (or substitute shitake)
1 lb. brussel sprouts, thinly sliced
10 oz. fresh tagliatelle or fettuccine pasta (I opted for fettuccine, but I bet tagliatelle would be delicious!)
Grated parmesan
Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions:

Cook 2 Tbsp of butter over low-medium heat until it becomes light brown. Add the shallots and sage and cook until the shallots begin to soften (about 2 minutes). Turn the head up to medium. Add the mushrooms and brussel sprouts. Continue cooking until mushrooms and brussel sprouts start to soften (3-4 minutes). Turn heat off, and cover to keep warm.
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain but do not rinse. The pasta should be very wet.
Add the pasta to the pan with the brussel sprouts and mushrooms. Add the butter, parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. If the pasta seems dry, add the reserved 1/2 cup of cooking water. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Alyis N' Rose Cafe- Bean Pie & Carrot Pie

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:50:00 +0000

I discovered bean pie and carrot pie for the first time at the San Pedro Square Farmer's market. Generally when I shop at the farmer's market, I like to stick to the basics- veggies, fruits, eggs & sometimes meat. The cookies, bread, homemade tamales can definitely be enticing, but the high price tag usually deters me from making the purchase ($7.00 for a small bag of biscotti?? I can make that at home!). Plus, those items are usually not the healthiest, so I try to avoid them. Enter: free samples. One fine morning I was minding my own business, about to walk home from San Pedro Square, and a nice gentleman offers me a taste of bean pie. Hmm...I think to myself, bean pie eh? Unsure about this combination, but never one to turn down a new and interesting food, I accepted. The bite reminded me of a smoother, slightly more dense version of pumpkin pie. Next I tried the carrot pie, and found that it was even more like pumpkin pie than the bean pie...only slightly more...carroty? All in all, delicious. I decided I would break my "rule" and bring home some pie. And the consensus at home was positive as well. Give this pie a try (hey, that's a good little jingle, maybe I should go into marketing...).

If you can't get to the San Pedro Square Farmer's market on Fridays between 10am and 2pm, you can get this pie at Alyis N' Rose Cafe in Santa Clara, CA. If you need any more convincing, check out their great reviews on yelp!

Catch-Up...Last Week's Veggies

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:57:00 +0000

I haven't been the best lately about photographing and posting our veggies from Two Smalls Farms each week. Last week was a beautiful box, so I couldn't resist snapping a few shots of our loot. Here it is! ...including the huge red cabbage that I finally finished today! When my co-workers saw my lunch yesterday and today I definitely got a few "Wow...red cabbage AGAIN??" Good thing I love it!

Red Cabbage Salad

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:14:00 +0000

This is a pretty simple recipe, but I thought I'd share it with you anyway since it's a classic French salad. I've been reading Alice Waters and Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee, which has inspired me to write my recipes in a more stream of consciousness manner.

Start with a very fresh head of red cabbage and cut it in half. Then cut one of the halves in half. Keep one quarter of the cabbage out and put the remaining pieces in the fridge. Using a sharp knife or a mandolin, slice the cabbage very thinly, and then give the entire pile a few chops so that the cabbage slices are not too long to eat easily.

Next make the vinaigrette in the bottom of a salad bowl. Combine a few small spoonfuls of dijon mustard with a splash of red wine vinegar. I don't ever measure this so I can't give you specifics. I like to stick my nose in the bowl and smell to see if there's a nice mustard-vinegar balance. Add some salt and freshly cracked pepper. Next, slowly drizzle oil into the mustard mixture while beating it with a fork or whisk. I like to use a combination of walnut oil and olive oil. I find that if I use only olive oil, my vinaigrette comes out a bit too fruity. As you whisk in the olive oil, the mixture should emulsify. If you notice that the vinegar and oil are separating, slow down or stop the stream of oil and continue to beat the mixture. Once it begins coming together again, add a little bit more oil (again, I never measure...some people prefer a more vinegary vinaigrette- i.e. me- and some prefer more oily, it's up to you to decide what you like!).

Delicata Squash Macaroni & Cheese

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:27:00 +0000

Once again I've let several weeks go by between posts. This must be a sign that it's no longer summer, and I'm back to work. I'm loving my internship at the preschool, and I'm still cooking fairly often....just not taking the time to photograph and write about the food. I'm going to try to be better though!

This recipe was one I just had to post because Trevor loved it so much. A supposedly "healthy" version of mac and cheese, by Martha Stewart. I actually found the recipe on Kitchen Gadget Girl's blog, as she planned on cooking this up for her family after receiving a squash in her CSA box a few weeks ago. Seeing as we belong to the same CSA (Two Small Farms...a great option if you're looking for a local food source!), we also received squash in our box a few weeks ago. In fact, we've gotten some delicata squash, some butternut and a sugar pie pumpkin...and this is just the beginning of the fall/winter squash season (and I love it!). Winter squash are wonderful because they're so versatile, and you can save them for a long time before using them if you're overwhelmed with other more perishable veggies. Plus, they're so wonderfully comforting and bring about a strong feeling that fall has finally arrived!

The "Healthy Macaroni and Cheese" recipe from Martha Stewart calls for 1 small butternut squash, but you can substitute any winter squash. Kabocha would be great if you have one, but I had delicata squash, so I decided that would do the trick. As I mentioned earlier, my husband Trevor loved this recipe and would never have guessed that there was squash in the mix so I guess this is a good thing if you're cooking for a picky eater.

Ingredients for 6 servings:
1 small butternut squash (about 1 lb)
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp coarse salt, plus more for water
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound macaroni or shell pasta
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
4 Tbsp grated Parmesan
2 Tbsp breadcrumbs
1 tsp olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel, seed and cut the squash into 1-inch pieces. Combine the squash, stock and milk in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork (about 20 minutes). Spoon the squash into a food mill (or alternatively, smash with a fork), and puree the squash, milk and stock together. Add the nutmeg, cayenne, 3/4 tsp salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil and add salt. Stir in macaroni pasta and cook according to package directions for al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Add squash mixture, cheddar, ricotta and 2 Tbsp of Parmesan. Stir until well integrated.
3. Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray. Transfer pasta mixture to dish. Mix breadcrumbs, remaining Parmesan and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over pasta.
4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then remove foil and continue baking until lightly browned and crisp on top- about 30 more minutes. Serve immediately.

Sick gourmet?

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:28:00 +0000

Friday marked the end of my third week of my Student Teaching at a preschool for children with special needs. It has been a wonderful experience so far and, of course, the kiddos are absolutely adorable and mostly well-behaved. I've loved it so far. As I neared the end of week 3 and had not yet gotten sick, despite the dozens of children sneezing all over me, I thought I must have an immune system of steel. Friday morning I woke up feeling great, at 10am the runny nose started, by noon the soar throat was in full swing, and by Saturday morning I had a fever that lasted the rest of the day. Gosh these kiddo germs sure are strong!! Needless to say, I haven't had the energy or appetite to cook much these last few days.

Friday night, I did muster up the energy to make a sausage, potato and cabbage soup that warmed me up and upped my vitamin C (from the cabbage). Saturday was leftover cabbage soup for lunch and pâtes au beurre ("pasta with butter") for dinner. This morning, I'm starting to feel a little better, and suggested we have an omelet for breakfast. After all, we still have tons of veggies in our fridge that cannot be ignored!

Well my sweet sweet husband took charge (i.e. would not let me help with anything), and created an absolutely scrumptious omelet with cherry tomatoes, avocado, scallions, onion, turkey sausage and feta cheese. The sausage had a nice smokey taste and the feta was a perfect complement of flavors. The tomatoes were also a perfect addition. At this rate, I'll be better in no time! Thank you sweet husband.

Two Small Farms

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:47:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, we decided to try out a new CSA, after a recommendation from Kitchen Gadget Girl. Her photo of purple cauliflower pushed me over the edge, and I decided it was time to try CSAs again. We stopped using Eating with the Seasons earlier this year, because there wasn't enough variety of produce, and the quality of the produce was a bit unpredictable. We're only on week 2 with Two Small Farms, but so far, we're extremely satisfied. The value is phenomenal ($22/week)- great quality, LOTS of produce, plus they include one or two herbs each week. We're doing a 4-week trial right now, and honestly, I'm not sure if we'll continue just because we can't keep up with all the produce. But I'm definitely a satisfied customer.

Here is what came in the box last week:

We got: Carrots, potatoes, onions, broccoli, fennel, Serrano peppers, tomatoes, a sugar pie pumpkin, and a bag of lettuce mix.

And here is what we got this week:

And a view from the top:

This week's box included: Basil, golden beets, 2 heads of orange cauliflower, San Marzano tomatoes, scallions, bell peppers, a big bunch of chard, a head of romaine lettuce, and celery.

I'll keep you updated on whether we end up sticking with it. It's a wonderful program, I just can't keep it up if food is going to go to waste.

Coconut Lemongrass Soup with Tofu

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:28:00 +0000

I realize that many of my blog posts begin something like: "So I was at the farmer's market the other day, and found some amazing _____, which inspired me to make ______." But what's a girl to do? The farmer's market is my inspiration, so it's only fair that my dishes be based on my local finds.

This post is no different. One of my very favorite vendors at the San Pedro Square market on Fridays in downtown San Jose has a variety of Asian vegetables and herbs. I almost always have to pick up some Chinese eggplant, which is a longer, less spongy version of eggplant. I love the eggplant cut into long slices, brushed with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs, and grilled. Last Friday though, I went for some stalks of lemongrass. I'd been craving coconut lemongrass soup with Thai flavors, and was determined to make some.

I was going for Thai flavors, similar to Tom Kha Gai. But since I'd never made this before, I did a little research online, and based my recipe off of this site and this one. The soup I came up with is not a traditional Tom Kha Gai, because there are no Kaffir lime leaves, or galangal, but I did get a nice lemongrass coconut flavor, which was exactly what I was looking for. Even with the warm weather we've been having, this was a very satisfying meal.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp coconut oil
2 Carrots, cut into julienne
2 Anaheim bell peppers, thinly sliced
1/2 lb white mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 head broccoli, cleaned and cut into florets
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cans coconut milk
2 Serrano or Thai chili peppers, thinly sliced
2 stalk lemongrass, cut into 2-inch pieces and crushed
6 slices ginger
zest from 2 limes
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 package firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
juice from 2 limes
cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
1 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped (for garnish)

Directions:

Heat the coconut oil in a medium saucepan. Add carrots, and saute for 3 minutes. Turn heat to low, and add garlic. Saute for 1 minute.
Pour in broth and coconut milk. Stir in ginger, lemongrass, chili peppers, lime zest, brown sugar, fish sauce and Anaheim bell peppers. Simmer soup for 15 minutes.
Add tofu & mushroom slices and lime juice to soup and continue to simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Add broccoli and cook for another 5 minutes.
At this point, taste the soup to decide if it has enough heat for you. I used Serrano chilies (would have preferred Thai chilies), and the soup was not spicy enough for my taste. So I added about 1/8-1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper. Make sure to only add a tiny bit at a time, and retaste. You can always add more spice, but you can't take any away, so be careful!
Garnish with cilantro just before serving. Enjoy!

On waking up.

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:34:00 +0000

I'm not sure what's gotten into me recently. For the last month or so, I've been in a rut with my cooking and, as a result, with life in general. I can't pinpoint exactly why I lost my motivation for one of my passions (cooking...duh), but one day it was there, and the next day it just vanished. Poof! I think everyone goes through lulls in life, so I wasn't too worried about getting my foodie mojo back...it was just a matter of when. How many times would I open a new page in this blog and have absolutely no idea what I should write about? How long would it feel like a chore to put dinner on the table?

Well friends, today something turned around inside of me and I'm starting to feel myself wandering back to my kitchen, and thus to me. I'm starting to feel alive again. For those of you who don't understand how a "food rut" could affect someone so much, try to compare it to anything you are truly passionate about. We all go through these lulls in life. Maybe it's just a chance to regroup and realize why you fell in love with your passion in the first place.

So, in honor of my "awakening," I'm making lemongrass coconut soup for dinner and toasting with a glass of wine tonight. And to my readers (all 3 of you out in the blogosphere), I tip my glass to you. Here's to life's passions.

Grilled Lamb Steaks and Bell Peppers

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 17:45:00 +0000

The Campbell farmer's market has been growing and adding more and more vendors recently. Among them include a guy who sells raw milk (the same brand that you can buy at whole foods, but for cheaper!), a "live chocolate" vendor, and (my personal favorite) a grassfed meat seller! Oh happy day! Now I can buy my grassfed beef and lamb straight from a local ranch without having to deal with ordering in advance and picking up from someone's house in San Jose. I've done this a few times through Paicines Ranch, and they've been wonderful. It's just nice to have an option that requires less planning ahead. From what I understand, the grassfed beef from Prather Ranch (at the Campbell Farmer's Market) is local, but the lamb comes from a farm in Oregon. We've been getting the beef for a few months now, but decided to try the lamb this week. Trevor cooked up the steaks on the grill, along with some Anaheim bell peppers (also from the farmer's market), and all was delicious. I didn't get any pictures of the finished product, but here are a few of the ingredients from our simple yet tasty dinner.

Tarragon Chicken

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 15:27:00 +0000

After picking my parents up from the airport the other day, I left their house with a big bunch of tarragon from their garden. While it may seem strange to base a meal off of an herb, that's exactly what I was going to do. Should I make fish? Chicken? An omelet? Hmm...I settled on Tarragon Chicken, a popular French dish (called "Poulet a l'Estragon"). I had never made it before, and didn't have a recipe, but it's a simple dish and I had a pretty good idea of how to go about making it. Start with some shallots, butter, chicken, salt, pepper, white wine, tarragon (duh!), and finish the sauce with some creme fraiche. I called my mom just to find out if I was completely off base, and she named these exact ingredients! After doing a little celebratory jig and patting myself on the back, I got to work. If you're not sure what to make for dinner, give Tarragon Chicken a try- it's simple and tasty (my favorite combination)!

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
4 shallots, peeled & sliced
1 tbsp butter
1/2-1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
4 tbsp creme fraiche
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a nonstick pan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots and sautee for a few minutes, until they begin to soften.
Add chicken breasts. Brown the chicken on all sides.

Add the white wine. Sprinkle some salt and freshly cracked pepper into the mix.

Sprinkle 1/4 cup of tarragon over chicken and white wine. Cover, and simmer for 5-8 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

Once chicken has finished cooking, remove chicken from pan and place on serving plate. Remove the pan from heat. Mix creme fraiche into white wine and tarragon. Heat for another minute or two, just to warm the sauce. Do not allow the sauce to boil, as this may cause the creme fraiche to curdle.

Pour finished sauce on top of chicken. Sprinkle with remaining tarragon. Serve with rice or steamed vegetables.

Rhubarb-rose compote with strawberries and creme fraiche

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 15:40:00 +0000

This recipe came about on a whim, as most of my recipes do. On my weekly trip to the Campbell Farmer's Market last Sunday, my eye caught some rhubarb, which I decided would go well with the strawberries that I invariably come home with every week in the summertime. I didn't want to go with the typical strawberry rhubarb pie- with the hot weather we've been having, such a heavy dessert just didn't sound good. So I decided I'd go with a simple rhubarb compote, and dress it up in "post-production." The results were fresh and flavorful, with a nice balance of sweet, rich and tart flavors.

Ingredients:
3 stalks rhubarb, washed and diced
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp rose syrup
zest from 1 lemon
6 large strawberries (sliced)
3 tbsp creme fraiche

Directions:

Put rhubarb and a splash of water in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Add honey, and cook until rhubarb is soft (about 20 minutes).
Remove rhubarb from stove and allow to cool completely. This can be done a day ahead, with the rhubarb stored in the refrigerator over night.
Mix the rose syrup and lemon zest into the rhubarb compote.
Serve the rhubarb in 6 bowls. Top with sliced strawberries, a dollop of creme fraiche and lemon zest.

Now I want to know- What is your favorite thing to do with rhubarb?

Barcelona Restaurants

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 00:51:00 +0000

I've been meaning to write a post about the restaurants we ate at while visiting Barcelona for some time. As usual though, time has gotten away from me, and now it's been over a month since we left Barcelona. Good thing we took a business card at each of the places we went to!

Actually, part of the reason that it's taken me some time to muster up the motivation to write about Barcelona restaurants is that our food experiences there were not as impressive as I had hoped. Trevor and I both love seafood, tapas, paella...everything that you'd expect to eat in a seaside Spanish city. We did our research and tried to find the places with a good reputation for this or that Spanish staple, but time after time we were disappointed. Luckily, the atmosphere at many of the restaurants partially made up for what was lacking in quality of the food (but to someone who loves good food, atmosphere can never fully compensate for bad food).

La Tertulia: Bar-Restaurant; Rambla Poblenou 34, 08005 Barcelona
Our very first dinner in Barcelona threw us right into the Spanish nightlife culture. Our plane landed at 9:30pm, and by the time we got to the hotel it was 11:15pm...and we hadn't eaten dinner. Well this is not a problem in Barcelona (especially on a Saturday night, but really any day of the week). We ventured out to find a bite to eat (figuring we would have to walk a long way to find an open restaurant) turned the corner from our hotel and found at least 5 restaurants with large terraces outside and plenty of people still eating dinner. In fact, when we sat down at 11:30pm, there were several families who seemed to be just beginning their meal. It was quite a culture shock, even for me. In France, it's not uncommon to start dinner at 9pm, especially in the summertime, but 11:30 is pushing it. We had some beer and tapas for dinner, wanting to jump right into typical Spanish food. The dishes were by no means gourmet, but they weren't bad and everything was very reasonably priced (1.90 € for a beer! Not too shabby). We also weren't expecting amazing food here, since it was basically a bar with a terrace, and we were pretty hungry so this could have affected our opinion.
Overall: ★★★✩✩

Da Geppetto; Rambla Poblenou 27, 08005 Barcelona
This is where we went for breakfast every morning (and I use the term morning loosely), instead of paying 15 € each for breakfast at our hotel. The coffee was great, croissants were just okay (but when you've just spent a week in Paris, you have to give them a break), and the service was very personable despite the language barrier. The real kicker here was the orange juice- freshly pressed when you ordered it, and delicious!
Overall: ★★★★✩

Agua; Passeig Marítim de la Barceloneta 30, 08003 Barcelona
We read good reviews about this place in our guidebook and decided to give it a try. The atmosphere and decor was well done- modern and inviting at the same time. We were barely able to get in without a reservation, and had to settle with indoor seating. The terrace is right on the beach, so it's no surprise this is popular. Our server was very sweet and attentive.

We tried 2 tapas to start: fried artichokes and fried calamari. These were okay, but not great. A bit underseasoned, and the sauces they were served with were nothing to write home about. Next I had gazpacho and Trevor tried a meat dish. Now, to be fair to Agua, we probably shouldn't have ordered 2 fried tapas to start, especially knowing that I have a weak stomach for fried foods. We didn't finish either of the tapas, but I was already feeling full and a little ill before my gazpacho came. I think the gazpacho was good, but I honestly don't remember much about it (probably due to the queasiness). One positive here was that, quite appropriately, the water they served came in a beautiful blue bottle that I snuck home in my purse (don't worry, it wasn't a water pitcher that the restaurant had to buy...it was just a glass water bottle, like san pellegrino only prettier).
Overall: ★★★✩✩

Blue bottle from Agua, back home

Llantia Restaurant, C/ Brosolí 5, 08003 Barcelona
This little restaurant is located in the Born neighborhood of Barcelona. It's a little hole in the wall, and could definitely be missed if you're not looking for it. The atmosphere was very warm and romantic, with several different rooms and alcoves throughout the restaurant. The tables were all set up for 2-4 people, so I doubt they get many big groups to break up the romantic vibe. The service was very good, too. Again, though, the food was just okay. The tuna fillet I ordered was completely over salted and overcooked (think rubbery). The desserts weren't memorable (which I guess is better than memorable rubbery tuna). I wish I could recommend the food here, because it was such a cute place, but sadly, it just didn't cut it in my book.
Overall: ★★★✩✩ (for atmosphere, and not making me feel sick)

Lonja de Tapas, Pla del Palau 7, 08003 Barcelona

Finally a place we were enthusiastic about! After several disappointing attempts at good tapas, we decided to give them one final go. This place was in a plaza, with a nice-sized, inviting terrace. We split several tapas for lunch, and really enjoyed all of them. We topped it all off with a beer, and then espresso to finish the meal. Lovely! You might notice, this is the first place we took pictures of, because the food was actually worth photographing.
Overall: ★★★★✩

Pitarra Restaurant, C/ Avinyó 56, 08002 Barcelona
This was was such a disappointment. If you search "Pitarra Restaurant" on google, you'll find lots of positive reviews about the place, in Spanish, Catalan and English, which is always promising. The whole reason we went here was because I hadn't yet tried a Spanish paella, and I read several online reviews claiming Pitarra's paella to be the best. I was in Spain and determined to find a good paella! When we arrived, I opened the menu and went straight to the paella. I was surprised to see that it was a "starter," but figured it must be a small paella. I trusted that the restaurant would be true to the concept of a starter, and ordered veal cutlets as my entree. When the paella came, I was shocked to see that it was HUGE. Much bigger than I would have expected even an entree to be. I dug in, hoping that my all of my paella wishes would come true. The rice was well flavored, and not overcooked, as is so easy to do when making paella. But the quality of the seafood was so poor that it ruined the paella for me. The shrimp were so shrunken that their bodies & tails were huge on them, the scallops and calamari were chewy, the muscles were overcooked. I made a small dent in the paella rice, but knew that I had an entree coming, so I didn't go crazy.

Having seen the portion of paella, I guess I should have expected what was coming for the veal dish, but I didn't. Imagine 5-6 big veal cutlets- enough to feed a family of 4 in my book. I mean, these were bigger than American-sized portions. Plus, the dish wasn't very good. I ended up eating one of the veal cutlets, and stacking up the other ones into 2 piles, hoping it wouldn't look like I ate more than I did. Our favorite part of the meal was the wine, and the nice server we had a long conversation with in broken Spanish at the end of our meal. I was really rooting for this place, but it didn't live up to its reviews for me.

Overall: ★★✩✩✩

Tarantino; Baixada, Sant Miquel 4, 08002 Barcelona

On our last day, we spent the morning walking around the gothic area of Barcelona. We weren't particularly hungry for lunch (1pm is early for lunch in Spain), but needed to eat something before heading to the airport. As soon as Trevor saw Tarantino, his heart was set. Being a big Quentin Tarantino fan, how could he resist menu items like "Mr. Pink," "Sin City," "Pulp Fiction," and "Vincent Vega." I protested for a bit because the restaurant was dead empty. The decor was creative, with lots of posters from Quentin Tarantino's films everywhere, but I hate to eat in an empty restaurant. That's never a good sign. In the end, we compromised and ordered a "Vincent Vega" pizza to go, and ate it in a nearby plaza. The pizza was good, and I bet this place is really fun when it's more filled up. It probably picks up around 2-3pm...in true Barcelona fashion.
Overall: ★★★★✩

New domain!

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 16:58:00 +0000

I'm delighted to announce that fraises et tartines now has its very own domain!

http://www.fraisesettartines.com/

The old fraises-tartines.blogspot.com will still work, but you might as well update your bookmarks. I'm very excited, and look forward to lots of foodiness to come! (Hey, if Colbert can make up the word, "truthiness," I think I can do "foodiness"!)

Rustic artisan bread made easy

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:13:00 +0000

And now for something completely different (i.e. un-paleo)- bread! I think when most people consider a no-grain diet/no-sugar, the thing that they think they could not live without is bread. And I agree that bread would be difficult to give up, especially as a French-American woman. However, at the risk of sounding snooty about French bread, it would be much easier for me to give it up while living in the US than while living in France. Here in California, I just cannot find bread that's on par with the bread you can get at any boulangerie in France. I guess I'm just spoiled in the bread department. I'm told that things have vastly improved since my mom moved here almost 30 years ago, and I'm sure they have. Now you can actually find baguette, rustic loaves, and even pretty good imitation "Pain Poilane" at Trader Joe's (called, "Pain Pascale"). For the most part though, the good bread can only be found at more expensive stores or bakeries. For example: the day after I returned from Paris, I decided to stop at the Santana Row bakery, Cocola, to pick up a baguette to have with all of the yummy cheeses I brought with me. The baguette that would have cost me 0.90 € cost $3.00. Even with a poor currency rate, this was over double the price of the French baguette. PLUS, it wasn't good. Anyway, enough with the bready rant.

I have always been the type of person who tries to recreate things at home that would generally be left to the professionals (think, macarons). Bread is no exception. I've made many whole wheat sandwich loaves, but never thought it would be possible to make an artisan-type loaf without some serious research and time investment. Well the New York Times proved me wrong on this one. An article in November of 2006 featured a No-Knead bread recipe, adapted from a recipe used by Jim Lahey at Sullivan Street Bakery. I actually saw this article when it first came out, thought about trying it, and figured that this "no knead" phenomenon was probably too good to be true. So I never tried it out. I came upon it again in a William-Sonoma catalog and finally decided to take the plunge.

How can a loaf of bread be "No knead," you ask? Well here is the short answer: Gluten development is one of the necessary components in making bread. There are 2 ways of developing gluten. The first is by kneading the heck out of the dough, and the second is by waiting a really long time for the gluten to develop on its own. Most bread recipes use a combination of the two, and this one simply chooses the second option.

Since the dough for this recipe must rest for 12-18 hours during the first rise, I suggest making it the night before. Basically, all this recipe requires is a little more planning than a kneaded loaf. I won't repost the recipe here, since I really haven't changed anything from the New York Times article. The only thing I would suggest, if you plan on serving the bread with a savory dish, is to add some chopped up fresh rosemary (or other fresh herbs) when you're first mixing the dough. It gives the bread a nice flavor. Once you get a few successful loaves under your belt, try substituting some of the all-purpose flour with other types of flour such as whole wheat or rye.

Overall, I really must give a tip of the hat to Jim Lahey for sharing this amazing and incredibly simple recipe. My very first loaf came out perfect (a triumph I cannot claim for my other bread-making endeavors). He makes delicious bread accessible to anyone with a dutch oven and a little time, and for that, I say "Thank you!"

New and Improved!

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 01:26:00 +0000

Well, I finally figured out how to make my pictures larger in blogger. For anyone interested in how to do this, there's a nice tutorial here. I was getting so frustrated with how small my pictures looked that I considered scrapping blogger and starting over. Luckily, that wont be necessary now. I did make some changes, though, and would welcome any feedback or ideas on how to improve it further!

Since I spent most of today working on setting up various web things (like a new family website that will be up and running in a few weeks...hopefully), there's no food post today. However, here's a nice large photo of our strawberry plant. I can't wait to taste some home-grown summer strawberries!

Paleo Meal

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:06:00 +0000

Before I jump into the foodie aspect of this dinner, let me preface with a little bit of background information. I learned about the Paleo Diet earlier this year from a friend and neighbor, Richard, who has experienced impressive weight loss and fitness success by revamping the way he thinks about food and eating. Richard writes a blog about his paleo lifestyle at http://freetheanimal.com/, which includes a nice balance of information from recently published research & position papers and personal experience in the form of recipes, progress photos, and emails from friends and family who've also experienced positive results.

For a complete overview of what paleo eating entails you really should check out Richard's blog (nice overviews here & here), but I will do my best to give you a quick rundown. The basic premise is that, in the grand scheme of evolution, the amount of time that we've been agricultural people is about 2 seconds (approximation mine). This means that for the majority of human history, our ancestors have been hunters and gatherers. Things like grains, vegetable oils and processed sugars haven't been available to us, and therefore we are not as well adapted to eating them. A paleo meal (also called "primitive") usually consists of meat, vegetables, and some fruit (mostly fruits that would typically be gathered, like berries).

I know this sounds a lot like Atkins, but the focus is on eating real, unprocessed food, without counting carbs (or counting anything, for that matter). I find this all very interesting, especially given Richard's results, and those of our good friends Kevin & Joseph after going paleo.

Recently, Richard has given me several flattering plugs on Free the Animal. Apparently, I've inspired him to focus more on food presentation and photography on his "food porn" posts (and his hard work is paying off, because the food looks great!). We decided to get together for dinner after our trip to France, and I knew that I wanted to cook Richard and his wife Bea a paleo dinner so that I'd be able to feature Free the Animal here.

Deciding on a menu took all week and a bit of research. I changed my mind several times, including the day before our dinner, when the beef I'd planned on making didn't look as enticing as a beautiful fillet of halibut. But that's how I decide what's for dinner- pick what looks good at the farmer's market/grocery store that day- so I'm used to last minute changes. Here's what I ended up deciding on:

Chilled Tomato Soup with Basil-Infused Oil
~
Broiled Halibut Fillet with Parsley Lemon Butter
served with Pipérade
~
Paleo Raspberry Tart with Raw Whipped Cream

I was pleased with the results, and guessing from the reaction I received from Richard, Bea & Trevor, so were they. Below I'll break down each component of the menu and provide recipes for your viewing (and perhaps testing/tasting pleasure).

Parsley Lemon Butter

Ingredients:
2 pints heavy whipping cream
3 tbsp creme fraiche
2 tsp cheese salt (optional)
1 cup parsley (washed & packed)
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
zest from 1 lemon

Directions:

For the cultured butter: Pour the cream into a clean, earthenware bowl. Add the creme fraiche and gently mix with a clean whisk. Allow the cream to sit overnight in a warm room (about 75 degrees). The next morning, the cream should have thickened slightly. Pour it into the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment. Turn the mixer on low and allow the cream to mix until the solids (butter) separate from the liquids (buttermilk). (I didn't take any pictures of this part, but I'll make more butter soon and post pictures). Pour the buttermilk into a jar and save it for another use. Add ice water into the bowl with the butter and turn the mixer back on low. Pour out the water (don't save this time, just dump it out), and continue to "wash the butter" until the water runs clear. Once the water is clear, use the back of a wooden spoon to mix the butter by hand, trying to press out as much water as possible. Pour excess water out of the bowl. If you want to salt the butter, add the cheese salt now and mix it in. Congratulations! You've made butter!
Keep about half of the butter you've prepared for a different use. Put the other half in the bowl of a food processor (if you want to skip the whole "make your own butter step," soften 1 cup of butter and use it as your base for parsley lemon butter).
Add the parsley and lemon zest to the butter. Turn the food processor on. While it's running, add lemon juice in 1/2 tbsp increments. I recommend stopping the food processor a few times as you're adding lemon juice to taste the butter. You may like more or less acid.
Transfer the parsley lemon butter to small ramekins, cover with wax paper and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to use it. About an hour before you serve the butter, take it out of the fridge to soften.

Chilled Tomato Soup with Basil-Infused Oil

Part 1: Basil Oil

Ingredients:
2 cups basil (washed & packed)
1 cup olive oil

Directions:

In a small pot, bring a few cups of water to boil. Toss basil into the boiling water for 15-30 seconds to blanch.
Remove basil and pat dry with a paper towel. Coarsely chop basil.
Place basil and olive oil in a food processor.
Run food processor until basil is chopped and mixed with olive oil (this doesn't take long, maybe 10-20 seconds).
Transfer oil to a small pot and heat over low heat for about 5 minutes.
Remove from stove and allow to cool for about an hour.
Place a piece of cheesecloth over a strainer. Strain basil leaves from oil and transfer resulting basil-infused oil to a jar or condiment bottle for storage.
Store oil in refrigerator until ready for needed.

Part 2: Chilled Tomato Soup (recipe from Alice Waters: Vegetables...one of my very favorite cookbooks!)

Ingredients:
4 pounds ripe tomatoes
2 tbsp salt
1 small cucumber (peeled, seeded and finely chopped)
2 stalks celery (finely chopped)
3 shallots (finely chopped)
White wine vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)

Directions:

Cut the tomatoes into quarters and toss with salt. Allow to sit and soften for about 30 minutes. While the tomatoes are softening, cover the shallots in vinegar and set aside.
Once soft, mash the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill to remove tomato skins (I used the largest setting of my food mill). You should obtain a thick tomato juice.
Stir diced shallots, cucumber and celery into tomato juice. Add salt and vinegar to taste.
Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Now for my variation: Just before serving, top soup with basil-infused oil and a little sprig of basil.

Broiled Fillet of Halibut with Parsley Lemon Butter, served with Pipérade

Part 1: Pipérade

Ingredients:
1 yellow onion (chopped)
2 green bell peppers (seeded, halved and sliced)
1 red bell pepper (seeded, halved and sliced)
1 orange bell pepper (seeded, halved and sliced)
6-8 sliced prosciutto (coarsely chopped)
8 medium tomatoes (peeled, seeded and coarsely diced)
Butter & Olive oil for pan
Salt, pepper and herbes de provence, to taste

Directions:

Heat a medium dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add prosciutto and cook for 2-3 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove prosciutto and set aside. Melt butter and/or olive oil. Add onions and slowly cook for 8-10 minutes.
Add bell peppers and seasoning. Allow to slowly cook for another 10-15 minutes.
Add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
Just before serving, put prosciutto back into pipérade.
Serve alongside halibut. Leftovers are wonderful and are traditionally served with an egg or two, sunny side up.

Part 2: Broiled Fillet of Halibut with Parsley Lemon Butter

Ingredients:
1 fillet of halibut
parsley lemon butter
1 shallot (finely chopped)
1/2 cup fresh parsley (coarsely chopped)
Juice from 1 lemon
Salt & pepper to taste
Basil oil (or olive oil) to grease pan

Directions:

Place tin foil on a large rimmed cookie sheet. Grease foil with basil oil (or olive oil).
Carefully rinse and pat dry the halibut fillet. Place the fillet on the greased baking sheet.
Place pats of parsley lemon butter on top of halibut. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, lemon juice, shallots and parsley.
Turn your oven's broiler on the low setting and place the halibut in the top 1/3 of the oven (no need to preheat, the broiler becomes hot fast).
Broil the halibut for about 15 minutes (more or less depending on the size of the fillet...mine was about 2.5 pounds).
Remove from oven and serve with parsley lemon butter and pipérade.

Paleo Raspberry Tart with Raw Whipped Cream

Ingredients:
For paleo pastry crust:
3/4 cup dates (pitted and coarsely chopped)
3/4 cup coconut flour
3/4 cup almond meal
1 stick cold butter, diced
1/4 cup very cold water

For paleo raspberry jam (no sugar!):
12 oz frozen, unsweetened raspberries
1/4 cup honey
7-8 lemon seeds

For topping:
Raspberries
Raw cream

Directions:

For paleo pastry tart: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add first 4 ingredients to the bowl of a food processor. Turn food processor on and slowly pour in cold water. The dough should come together, although it will be nearly impossible to roll out. Instead press the dough into a buttered tart pan. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes (but I recommend checking after 10 minutes, because the almond meal will have a tendency to burn if it bakes too long). Allow the crust to cool completely before using.
For paleo jam: Cut a small square of cheesecloth and a small piece of kitchen twine. In the center of the cheesecloth, place your lemon seeds. Then use the kitchen twine to tie the cheesecloth into a small bundle.* In a small pot, add the raspberries, honey and lemon seed bundle. Cook over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes. You can test whether the jam is starting to come together by spooning a small amount onto a clean plate. The jam should move slowly when the plate is tipped to one side or the other. If you prefer less seeds in your jam, pass the jam through a food mill on the medium setting. Allow the jam to cool completely before using.
For the topping: Top crust with an even layer of raspberry jam. Then top with raspberries. If desired, whip up some homemade whipped cream in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, to make for a more decadent dessert. I used raw cream to keep the meal the least processed possible.

* Wondering what the lemon seeds are for? Lemons and apples are "high pectin" fruits and can be used when making jam to add a little natural fruit pectin boost. These methods have been used for jam-making for many years, in the days before you could buy nifty little boxes of pectin from the grocery store. For more info check here, or google it!

Chilled Coconut Carrot Soup

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:26:00 +0000

This summer soup was inspired by a recipe from Bea at La Tartine Gourmande, one of my favorite food bloggers. She originally made a "Coriander-flavored Carrot Mash with Coconut Milk", which I adapted into this soup.

Ingredients:

6-7 large carrots, peeled and largely chopped
2 tsp green curry paste
1/2 cup light coconut milk
4 tsp creme fraiche
Salt to taste
Chives for garnish

Directions:

Fill a medium-sized soup pot halfway with water. Add the green curry paste and carrots. Cook the carrots over medium heat, until they are very soft.
Pour out most of the water from the pot, but keep about 1 cup of the cooking water with the carrots.
Use an immersion blender to puree the carrots until they reach a smooth consistency.
In order to reach an even smoother consistency, now pass the carrot puree through a food mill, at the finest setting.
Mix the coconut milk into the carrot puree. Add salt to taste and chill the soup in the refrigerator until cold.
Just before serving, garnish each bowl with a dollop of creme fraiche and a few sprigs of chives.

Seasonal Salad

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:48:00 +0000

A simple set of photos of a simple, seasonal salad.

I am in love with my new camera, and will probably start posting "just photos" (i.e. "food porn") more regularly. I hope you enjoy!

Steak au Poivre & Happy Bastille Day!

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:29:00 +0000

In honor of Bastille Day, I wanted to share a typical French dish with you- Steak au Poivre. If you've never tasted Steak au Poivre before, all I can say is that you're missing out my friend. It's delicious, simple, comfort food. It's on the menu at any French brasserie right next to the "Steak Frites" (steak and fries) and you generally can't go wrong by ordering it. I'd never really considered making it myself because I figured it included some hard-to-get ingredients, but my culinary preconceptions have been proven wrong again! When I was in Paris, I got a small can of green peppercorns, stored in water. These are perfect for the "sauce au poivre " (pepper sauce) that melds so well with a nice steak. If you don't have a can of peppercorns though, you can rehydrate dried green peppercorns in warm water for 5-10 minutes to obtain a similar effect. I hope you don't wait as long as I did to try such a tasty staple of French "brasserie" cooking.

Ingredients for 2 servings:

For the steaks:

2 steaks (I used New York steak)
2 tbsp butter
Salt & pepper to taste

For the carmelized shallots:

8-10 shallots
2 tbsp butter
Salt to taste

For the pepper sauce:

1 can green peppercorns (or 2 Tbsp dried green peppercorns, rehydrated)
3-4 tbsp creme fraiche
1/4 cup milk
Salt to taste

Directions:

Peel and thinly slice the shallots. Melt 2 tbsp of butter on a non-stick pan over low- medium heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Slowly cook the shallots for about 10 minutes- until carmelized.
While the shallots are cooking, heat the creme fraiche, milk, peppercorns and a pinch of salt in a small pan over low heat. Stir occasionally.
Sprinkle salt and freshly ground pepper over the steaks.
Once the shallots are ready, remove them from the pan and set them aside. Melt 2 tbsp of butter on the non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the steaks about 5-6 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness of the steak and your cooking preference).
When the steaks are cooked, remove them from the pan and allow them to rest for 3 minutes.
Serve the steaks with pepper sauce on top and carmelized shallots on the side.

Paris Wrap-Up

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:53:00 +0000

Before leaving for Paris, I daydreamed about all of the food-related delights that would be a part of our time there. I had so many foodie things to be excited about that I decided to compile them into a top ten. Now that the trip is over, let's review it:

Foodie Top 10: Reviewed.

10. Being totally jet-lagged, waking up at 5am, and walking down to the corner boulangerie to pick up a piping hot baguette and croissants for breakfast.

Check! This happened on many occasions while we were in Paris, though not always at 5am and not always while we were jet-lagged. Sometimes the piping hot baguettes come out around 6pm....and once in a while they make it all the way home to be eaten with dinner...or even breakfast the next morning.

9. Going to the farmer's market to buy some melon and asking for one "for today" and having the farmer choose a perfectly ripe melon.

Check! We made it to a few farmer's markets. Although I must say the organic "Bio" farmer's market was quite a disappointment. The cheese was good, but the vegetables we got from there were not fresh. The Ave de Sachs market is much much better. And the melon was amazing.

8. Espresso at every corner.

Well, if by this I meant "drinking espresso at every corner" then I didn't get this one. But there sure was espresso at every corner! I did partake in a particularly memorable espresso in a cute cafe in Montmartre, on top of a hill (even more so than most cafes already are in Montmartre), with an incredible view of Paris, but without the crowds of the Sacre Coeur.

7. Taking a picnic of baguette and rillettes to the Jardin de Luxembourg.

Nope...got this one separately, but not together. We did visit the Jardin de Luxembourg a few times, but not during lunch time. We also had rillettes with baguette for lunch a few times. Maybe next time!

6. Nutella crêpes from the St. Michel crêpe stand.

Also nope! Although I did have crepes on 3 different occasions during my 2 total weeks in Paris. We re-discovered a wonderful creperie called "Creperie des Canettes" on Rue des Canettes, near metro Mabillon. The crepes are delicious! For dessert I tried the simple "sugar with butter" and the "salted butter" (on 2 separate trips) and both were absolutely perfect. Highly recommend.

5. Falafel for Sunday lunch in the Marais.

Check! We did this the day after we arrived. Our good friends from San Diego arrived on a Sunday, so we walked all over Paris, with a stop at the Marais for falafel. Once again, the line was 1/2 way down the block (with the poor falafel competitor across the way only having a measely handful of people). We realized that our falafel place, L'As du Falafel, received rave reviews in the New York Times, which explains the sudden boost in diners in 2006.

4. The incredible dairy section at any grocery store.

Check check check! Mmmm....I LOVE the yogurts in France. Nuf said.

3. Being mesmerized by the selection at the cheese shop down the street from us. And then asking for a camembert, "bien prêt" (meaning, "ready," which for a camembert means "soft & flavorful").

Check! We also got to enjoy our local cheese shop's selection at our anniversary dinner. The cheese place around the corner from us is Quatrehomme, and apparently Marie Quatrehomme is famous for her cheeses. I thoroughly enjoyed my camembert "bien pret."

2. Looking at, taking photos of, and eating delicious pastries, but especially...
1. ...Macarons from Pierre Hermé and Ladurée!

Okay I realize that I kind of cheated on this one by combining #2 and #1. But the macarons really deserved to be separated from the rest of the patisserie world, in my opinion. And yep! I definitely took full advantage of the pastries and the macarons. Tomorrow, a friend and I will attempt to recreate the beauty by whipping up some Macarons Caramel Fleur de Sel...and maybe Macarons a la Rose. We shall see!

So what do you think? Do I get an "A" for "effort" on my foodie top 10? Cuz I can tell you, it was rough. ...(kidding!)... What would be on your foodie top 10 (in Paris or elsewhere).

EDIT: Okay looking at this post I realized that it was way too hard to differentiate between the original top 10 and the "reviews," so I added bullets to the reviews. Hope this makes the post easier to read!

Bruschetta Burgers

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 22:56:00 +0000

Here I am, back in San Jose, after a wonderful 3 1/2 week trip to Paris, Barcelona and Marseille. Everything about the trip was lovely, and I can't wait to go back. At the same time, though, it's nice to be home. My husband, Trevor, had to leave a week early to get back to work, and it's definitely good to see him again. During the week he was gone, I spent time with my parents in the south of France and in Paris. We had a great time together (and enjoyed several amazing meals, which I will have to write about later)! After 4 years of marriage, it's rare to spend such concentrated one-on-one time with my parents, and it was good to catch up.

On the agenda for fraises et tartines in the near future: Did I complete each item from my top 10 list? ; Barcelona restaurant reviews; Paris restaurant reviews; Summertime Jam-Making; and other assorted seasonal recipes. I'll also be working on creating a website for fraises et tartines with its own domain name. I'm hoping there's a way to use Mobile Me with a non-mac domain name. Anyone who can help me out with that one?

Here is a picture of the "Caprese Salad" I made to go with dinner last night.

And now for the bruschetta burgers. This one is adapted from our go-to burger cookbook- Build a Better Burger. I have to say, this cookbook has not failed us yet. We love good burgers, especially with our delicious grassfed beef from Paicines Ranch, and it's fun to experiment with some pretty creative recipes. As usual, I didn't follow the recipe to a T, so here is the recipe I ended up making.

Ingredients:

Tomato Topping:
2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Italian parsely, finely chopped
3 tablespoons basil, finely chopped
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

Patties
1 cup loosely packed crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
2 tablespoons Italian parsely, finely chopped
3 tablespoons shallot, chopped
1 pound ground grassfed beef
4 slices Gouda cheese

Bruschetta
1/2 loaf Italian bread, sliced
Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing on bread

Instructions:

- Prepare the grill to medium high heat
- Combine all ingredients for tomato topping in a medium bowl and mix well. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine Gorgonzola cheese, shallots and parsely. Then add ground beef and mix by hand. Be careful not to overmix. Divide the meat mixture into 4 equal portions and flatten into patties.
- Place patties on the grill, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the bruschetta slices (brushed with extra virgin olive oil) to the outside edges of the grill to toast them. Flip the patties and cook them for 4 minutes. Put a slice of gouda on each patty and allow to melt for 1-4 minutes. Remove the bruschetta slices and patties from the grill.
- To assemble the bruschetta burgers, place a patty on top of a slice of bruschetta and top with the tomato topping. We had these open-faced, and ended up eating them with a fork and knife because they were quite messy...but delicious!

If Laduree is heaven, then what does that make Pierre Herme??

fraises.tartines@gmail.com (Julie) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:28:00 +0000

...I'm not sure that I can really put my finger on it, but it's even better. Don't get me wrong, Laduree is kind of like the classic beauty that you are always in awe of no matter how many times you encounter (or in this case "taste") it. But Pierre Herme is new and exciting, like a new style or new innovation that- at first glance- looks completely "wrong," but in the end is absolutely perfect. Pierre Herme manages to take flavors that you would never expect to taste together and meld them beautifully. It makes you wonder why they haven't always been paired. Take "Vanilla Olive Oil," for example. At first glance this seems like an odd combination, at best, and downright gross at worst. Not so, for Pierre Herme. These flavors are perfect together. Now why didn't I think of that? I know that I'm a bit of a Pierre Herme fanatic here, but what can I say? He's one of my culinary heros. He has turned macarons into edible art, and for that, I have to say he's a step above Laduree (even though I love Laduree too!).

Enough drooling from me, though. Here are some "food porn" photos (as my dad likes to call them), so that you, too, can drool.