January 27, 2011
January 25, 2011
January 24, 2011
Food Trucks: Street Food is Taking Over Lunch Time in NYC
Even if these trucks were parked and shot below 23rd street, many others are all over the city. They all have distinct schedule week day versus week-end. You'll find them in various locations, that can change during the day, they are all moving around and coming back. As a pop-up breakfast or pop-up lunch, they are now part of the street scene. A business that has free rent can make lunch more affordable for the customer. The in-and-out factor is attractive when your time is limited. but affordable, convientent and good sometimes means long lines, and not necssarily faster. Students, workers, visitors and even well groomed business men are in the mix. Are trucks competing with restaurants? No I don't think so, but they are competing with fast food. The trucks give the city a good view of what consumer like in a very colorful way, that stands out in front of the bland buildings. I have not yet seen the pitt-master pork truck, but I'm sure one is on is way soon.
January 19, 2011
January 18, 2011
January 12, 2011
Christmas Cake
"Bûche de Nöel" is the classic cake for Christmas in France. Traditionally it is made of sponge cake, covered with a chocolate butter cream, rolled into a log, and then frosted again. It is decorated with meringue mushroom, and small objects like Santa Claus, Christmas trees and chocolates. It looks like a fancy log ready for the fire. At Christmas, all the patisseries have their windows filled bûches, from very classic (like in the bottom picture) to a more elaborate and fancy presentation (like on the top picture). In the modern versions the butter cream has been replaced with a lighter mousse, macaroon shells are added to the decor, and they offer exotic flavors like passion fruit for adventurous consumers.
January 06, 2011
Provence Market
When I was a kid I was going to the market every Wednesday with my mom, while my dad was going every Saturday. It is always very crowded. The locals go early morning, the tourist later on with a camera and smaller shopping bags. Going with the plan to buy whatever looks appealing can sometimes mean you go back home with a week's worth of food.
The market has not changed much. The open building has been painted, but the layout of the stands is the same. The cheese place has a different owner but it is the same location and the cheese mature in the same cave. I still enjoy going there now. I like to go everyday and buy a little bit of everything, and cook these products in a very simple way to enjoy their taste.
All the different salads have their own distinct flavors: arugula is very bitter, mache very sweet and soft and the mesclun that mixes a dozen of different components. The olives are Piccholine or Nicoise. The fish is Sar, Pageot or Loup de Mer.
When I was younger I ate a lot of vegetables, cooked or raw depending on the season, and less protein than I eat today. But the quality of the produce was just so nutritive that it easily fulfilled the appetite. During this trip the "artichaud violet" (small artichoke) and the "courgette violon" (zucchini from Nice) were impeccable.
January 03, 2011
Loup de Mer
My friend Denis, from Antibes, is a professional fisherman. He learned to fish from his father and today is one of the last professional fisherman in Antibes. After being in this business for 25 years, he knows every inch of the Mediterranean coast around Antibes, especially the Cap d'Antibes. He knows which places to go and where to put the net during every season for each kind of fish. For him, everything usually starts during the night and finishes early in the morning. He sells his catch himself at stand at the daily market.
He also practices line fishing from his boat for certain fish. Loup de Mer is one of them. Loup de Mer is a unique fish, that the stripped bass cannot replace even if they are part of the same family. We both agreed that the Loup de Mer is the king of the water. The delicacy of the meat offers a soft but firm texture, sweetness and richness.
I like to bake the fish whole, over slices of lemon, garlic cloves, and dry fennel sticks, seasoned with olive oil and salt. I start it off in the oven on high heat oven to brown the skin, then lower the temperature and cook it until the meat is pink next to the bone. When it is done, it goes from the oven directly to the middle of the table to be filleted and shared by the family. It was our main course on Christmas eve.