Catch of the day

David Lebovitz has way to much influence on me!

Most memorable meals of 2010

2010 was the year of travel and discovery for us. We moved from SF to Boston, driving accross the US in our Subaru, looking forward to visit new National parks and to discover all the amazing food one can find in such a large country. Food in America has changed quite a bit. We we pleasantly suprised by the number of independant cafes and restaurants that popped up everywhere. I was also the year of the quest for the perfect cappucino and hot chocolate, local food, and the begining of this blog.

Here is my top 10 best food memories of 2010:

1- Baba au rhum at L'Ardoise in San Francisco. I dreamt of tasting a baba au rhum for years...
2- Steak au poivre, The Corn Exchange, Rapid City SD
3- Cappucino and pastries, La Crema, Nashville TN
4- Brioche au chocolat, Clear Flour, Brookline MA
5- Dinner at Ranch Steakhouse, Oklahoma City
6- Dinner at Momofuku noodle bar, NYC
7- Salty dog at Delarossa, San Francisco
8- Thai take-out in our new appartment in Brookline, MA
9- Tasty bites in a motel somewhere in Colorado (everything was closed after 9:30pm)
10-Broccoli rabe pizza at Picco in Boston: the worst pizza I ever had. Ever!

Shop like a pro - Ebelskivers

For some reasons that I am not culturally awar of, there is some kind of craze about Danish pancakes here. You can find the special pans, and mix to make them at home in every fancy culinary stores. However, I had actually never heard of them before seeing the pans in the store, or even seen anything like them for brunch.
I was even more suprised to find some frozen Danish pancakes at TJoes. I had to give them a try.
These were actually really good, crusty outside, and chewy inside, with notes of lemon zest. We had them with poached pears and chocolate sauce, and then again with Rasberry jam from Ardeche. Perfect happy Saturday morning breakfast.

Pineapple martini

Getting ready for le reveillon du 31. We are making a special martini,
with pineapple infused vodka, inspired by the house martini at Capital
Grill in Chestnut Hill.

Leek and potato soup - FFWDORIE

This is the most basic of French soups. I still don't understand why
leeks are so expensive in the US, they are among the most basic winter
vegetable in Europe. I skipped the chicken stock (not a fan of premade
stuff), and used only leeks, no oignon or garlic since I was all out
on that week. We had the perfect dinner after a cold New England
afternoon. The croutons are the best part!

Speculoos - FFWDORIE

I love speculoos, but I had never thought about making my own...
This was a very easy recipe to follow. I had no problem rolling the
dough, or shaping the cookies. The results was very satisfying. I
think I would twick the spice mix to match the taste I remember, and
probably omit the ground cloves, but the texture was right on. These
cookies made very nice Holiday treats.

Une vraie pizza

Une pizza Marguerite, une pate fraiche maison sauce aux cepes. Le
bonheur.

La Gaudriole
Pizzeria
Place de l'eglise
La Gaude