My friend Barbara Harrison is co-author, together with Stephanie Pierson, of What to Do When No One Has a Clue: Advice for the Brave New World. This is a fun read, with advice from experts in many fields, including Bobby Jay, about what to do in delicate situations; one chapter of particular interest to foodies is "How to Eat and Drink [Putting it on the Table]." The book also contains stories from real life in our crazy world -- our dog Sylvie makes an appearance with her (pseudonymous) owner. A perfect summer book and an excellent gift for your friends and relatives, clueless and otherwise.
Bobby Jay
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Guanciale and Classic Spaghetti Carbonara
A friend gave me some wonderful artisanal guanciale (cured pork jowl) so I just had to do a spaghetti carbonara for my friend Piglet. Recipes are all over the lot; some use cream, some butter, some neither. After surveying my cookbooks, I decided to go with the recipe in Marcella Hazan's nearly infallible Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, which uses nothing but guanciale (or pancetta or bacon), eggs, a mixture of parmesan and romano cheeses and parsley. I had never used guanciale, but it is quite different from pancetta, which is cured (but not smoked) pork belly. The result was stunning: delicious with an earthy sweetness and unctuous texture quite distinct from pancetta. If you can find guanciale -- and these days you can -- be sure to give it a try.


Bobby Jay
Guanciale and Spaghetti Carbonara
Bobby Jay
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Peanut Butter, etc. - One of My Favorite Sandwiches
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Paris Restaurants - Old Favorites and a New Try
When I'm in Paris, I like to try new restaurants and return to some old favorites.
This trip, I was able to return to Chapeau Melon for an amazing 4-course menu for 32.50 euros accompanied by one of their organic wine "découvertes," a light but vibrant red from Aveyron called Mauvais Temps (Bad Weather) (13.5 euros plus an 8.5 euro corkage fee). Dinner consisted of a delicate sashimi of langoustine, a creamy leek and other vegetable soup with a hint of truffle oil, a perfectly cooked saddle of lamb and a moelleux au chocolat (mousse au chocolat was an available option).
I also had the pleasure of introducing a young Japanese couple who live in London to Beaujolais d'Auteil, a very reasonable and charming bistro in the Sixteenth. My friend Mimi had one excellent and one bad meal here, but I have had nothing but good luck in a half dozen visits, including this one. My excellent 32-euro meal consisted of celeri remoulade with flaked cod and smoked herring eggs, continued with poached and roasted pork ribs and ended with a "moelleux" of rice pudding with salted caramel.


My friend Andy G and I went to Le Hide, near the Arc de Triomphe, for a nice lunch. This bistro continues to be an terrific value: an excellent two-course lunch for 19 euros, three courses for 26 euros (dinner prices are only three euros more).
Finally, I returned to Kunitoraya for the best kitsune udon you can find outside of Japan.
Wanting to branch out at least a little, I did go to L'Agrume, a new restaurant in the not-convenient part of the Fifth Arrondissement. This small bistro, opened in December of 2009, offers a 5-course menu for 35 euros, and has been praised by The New York Times and Le Figaro for its extraordinary rapport qualité-prix. The chef has a nice pedigree, having worked for a number of world-class chefs. Unfortunately, while the food was good, none of my five courses was exceptional. Despite the reasonable price, I couldn't help comparing it (unfavorably) to the restaurants described above. L'Agrume, 15 rue des Fossés St-Marcel, Paris 5ème (Métro St-Marcel), 01 43 31 86 48.
Bobby Jay
This trip, I was able to return to Chapeau Melon for an amazing 4-course menu for 32.50 euros accompanied by one of their organic wine "découvertes," a light but vibrant red from Aveyron called Mauvais Temps (Bad Weather) (13.5 euros plus an 8.5 euro corkage fee). Dinner consisted of a delicate sashimi of langoustine, a creamy leek and other vegetable soup with a hint of truffle oil, a perfectly cooked saddle of lamb and a moelleux au chocolat (mousse au chocolat was an available option).
I also had the pleasure of introducing a young Japanese couple who live in London to Beaujolais d'Auteil, a very reasonable and charming bistro in the Sixteenth. My friend Mimi had one excellent and one bad meal here, but I have had nothing but good luck in a half dozen visits, including this one. My excellent 32-euro meal consisted of celeri remoulade with flaked cod and smoked herring eggs, continued with poached and roasted pork ribs and ended with a "moelleux" of rice pudding with salted caramel.
Velouté d'asperges and riz au lait at Beaujolais d'Auteuil
My friend Andy G and I went to Le Hide, near the Arc de Triomphe, for a nice lunch. This bistro continues to be an terrific value: an excellent two-course lunch for 19 euros, three courses for 26 euros (dinner prices are only three euros more).
Finally, I returned to Kunitoraya for the best kitsune udon you can find outside of Japan.
Wanting to branch out at least a little, I did go to L'Agrume, a new restaurant in the not-convenient part of the Fifth Arrondissement. This small bistro, opened in December of 2009, offers a 5-course menu for 35 euros, and has been praised by The New York Times and Le Figaro for its extraordinary rapport qualité-prix. The chef has a nice pedigree, having worked for a number of world-class chefs. Unfortunately, while the food was good, none of my five courses was exceptional. Despite the reasonable price, I couldn't help comparing it (unfavorably) to the restaurants described above. L'Agrume, 15 rue des Fossés St-Marcel, Paris 5ème (Métro St-Marcel), 01 43 31 86 48.
Bobby Jay
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Paris - Still the City of Pastry
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Cannelle et Vanille - Delicious Help for the Gluten Intolerant
Aran Goyoaga, whose blog, Cannelle et Vanille, is my absolute favorite, has recently been diagnosed as gluten intolerant. A brilliant baker, Aran has taken this as a challenge to create amazing confections without wheat flour, and she is already developing attractive and tasty baked goods with other flours. A recent example is Soaked Lemon, Poppy Seed and Oil Cakes.
Of course, you don't have to have a gluten problem to enjoy Aran's wonderful desserts.
Bobby Jay
Of course, you don't have to have a gluten problem to enjoy Aran's wonderful desserts.
Bobby Jay
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