Archive for the Banter Category

Since it was warmer in town today, I actually thought of eating ice cream, which, with the recent snow, never crossed my mind. Ice cream is something I find interesting in culinary circles, because it’s something almost everyone likes, and likely because it’s so popular, so many styles and flavors are available.

Go into a supermarket today (okay, maybe an upscale one), and you’re likely to find a variety of different types of frozen treats. Note, I’m not talking flavors, but just styles.

• Ice Milk
• Ice Cream
• Gelato
• Sorbet
• Frozen Yogurt
• Sherbet

And who knows - there are also now variations with goat milk, soy, organic this and that, whipped varieties, etc. Which just goes to show - at least in the U.S. - ice cream is a big deal.

So someone asked me: “Why is it now, on your second trip to Paris, did you have to go back for the ice cream?”

Yes, on a cold, November morning, I got a triple-scoop of ice cream from Berthillion, and ate it happily with the wind in my hair. I had a hat on, so the wind didn’t bother me in the least. But I did return home with a nasty cold.

First, you should understand, many books on Paris tell you about this place, so my first trip, I had to try it. I mean, Ina Garten raved about it, and I generally trust her taste.

Second, the place is kind of cute. It’s located on the Île-Saint-Louis, the smaller of the two islands in the center of Paris on the River Seine. In fact, it’s positioned about dab-center in the island! It’s closed in August, when it’s hot, and yes, it’s open in the morning on cloudy, cold November mornings. And no lines!

I read that Italian ice cream may beat this out, but having not yet traveled to Italy, I can only speak for this stuff versus all those choices I mentioned above. First, texture is first rate. It’s a firm ice cream, but not necessarily as firm as the stuff in some of those small pints we have. It’s also extremely creamy and rich. Delicious stuff. But the real win is the complexity and weight of flavor. This is serious ice cream, and my favorite non-fruit flavor is the salted caramel. “Yum-O!,” I think I dreamt Rachel Ray yelling. (No, I didn’t really have a dream about Ms. Ray eating this ice cream, but you can sort of hear that voice of hers saying “Yum-O!” whenever you choose to write it out on the computer.)

Their ice cream can be purchased at a few satellite locations, and in select cafés. But it’s not available here, and I love that it’s still a family business. And yes, that ice cream was so good, should I get the opportunity to return, I’ll go for more. Just remember - there’s nothing called Berthillion in your grocer’s freezer here in the U. S.

Please note - two trips - one each per trip to Paris - really isn’t that bad. I’ve yet to buy my own ice cream machine (I’m looking for a self-freezing model the day I get a bigger kitchen that can accommodate it), so I really don’t get to try my hand at creative ice cream making. But I know this recipe might be the first I try.

Congratulations go out to Kevin on his win as Top Chef. I am a big fan of this show (and series), and I think it really speaks to those who consider themselves “foodies” with an interest in restaurants. It’s got something that a Food Network show may never have, and the fact they tap into top talent is a sign they’re taken seriously.

I’m real happy Kevin won - I felt he was an underdog… and how I’d loved to have tasted everything! That’s the worst part - you can only eat with your eyes.

I enjoyed the movie Bottle Shock, about wine, and a curious “contest” of wines held in France in 1976.

Learn more here, and how California emerged on the world wine scene.

Since reading about the Julie and Julia Project, since reading My Life in France, and since watching the movie, I haven’t made it to Julia Child’s kitchen at the Smithsonian in Washington. That is, until today.

This was a powerful place. First, I got to the museum early on Sunday morning, shortly after it opened, and it seemed “empty” until I found the Julia exhibit on the first floor. Whoa. A crowd of people.

For some reason, I had the emotional baggage of Julie Powell with me, I was a bit overwhelmed with it all. I’ve been watching Julia’s shows on DVD lately with Jacques Pepin, and to see the kitchen up close, in person, was an intense experience.

By the time I made it around to all of the accompanying stuff around the outside of the kitchen (mementos, kitchen tools, and videos with interviews and her shows), I heard some folks talking… people were sharing their stories about coming to love cooking from this woman. It was a bit too much to take…

I stepped back out, into the main hallway, where you can see the exhibit through glass. Here was a bunch of Americans who had a connection to this woman, paying their respects, if you will, on a cold Sunday morning in the nation’s capital city. There’s the constitution to see, there’s artifacts from our founding fathers, but here they are, to see a glimpse into the domestic world of a famous American cook and TV personality. Julia Child.

I wish I could have met the woman. Better yet, as someone tweeted me today after I posted a picture of her Le Cordon Bleu diploma, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a meal with her?”

I think this woman’s success is directly related to her passion. She wasn’t a particuarly gifted speaker on television (her mistakes and such are great, however, because they reveal the authenticity of the shows). She was a messy cook, at least in front of a camera. Yet, her passion carried out to all these people. I wonder how many visit per year, to see her kitchen?

I, or any of us for that matter, should be so lucky that we make a mark on the world with our passions that folks come to see something we leave behind.

I had a great day.

Julia Child’s kitchen is located at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, on the mall, in Washington, D.C. Yes, even her E. Dehillerin pans.

It wasn’t that long ago that I visited the Foggy Ridge Cidery in southwest Virginia.

Their cider went superbly with several dishes I made recently, one a roasted chicken, and another, an apple and sauerkraut pork loin. Beyond wine made from grapes, their cider has an alluring, almost beguiling aroma that keeps your nose in the glass, which is a great thing. The complexity on the nose translates to refreshment on the palate, and just like a good wine, the cider can accent various flavors in your food.