guilty pleasure

What is it about cake mix that makes Americans so giddy? I love baking from scratch but I still love cake mix cakes. Perhaps the taste memory from my childhood is too strong to overcome. While in Paris, we stopped at Thanksgiving, a Cajun restauarant and American grocery store, carrying a random array of outrageously overpriced American goods like corn syrup and barbecue sauce. Among other things, we happily paid 6 euros for a bag of flaked coconut and another 6 for a box of Zatarains red beans & rice mix (both priced at about $2.50 in the US). Being an expat makes me crave weird things. We baked this cake for father's day and wow, did it taste good! Definitely chemical-y, but still good. It's almost depressing - to love real food and cooking and still enjoy processed junk like this.

paris treats

candy shelves at A L'Etoile d'Or

We took another trip to Paris last week, primarily to see The White Stripes, but food is always on the agenda. Each day, I tried to hit at least one of the major sweet spots on my list (someday I'll have time to visit them all).

First stop: A L'Etoile d'Or (30, rue Fontaine, 9th, M: Blanche)

A delightful candy shop, which along with its owner, are quite famous (read more here) and rightly so. We spent about 30 minutes there, persuing the small shop and chatting with the owner. I got a selection of chocolates (including a €9.80 Bernachon chocolate bar, which I'm afraid to eat), while Ty got lollipops and hard candies. Favorite moment (or most embaressing): my son was begging for a treat and the owner selected one from our package, carefully unwrapped it and fed it to him. He immediately spit it out, saying "gross!" (I ate the candy and it was delicious). He's very picky when it comes to sweets.

outside the shop

with the friendly owner, Denise Acabo

Next stop: Pierre Hermé (72 rue Bonaparte, 6th, M: Saint-Germain-des-Prés)

Last Paris trip, I knew enough that I had to try real Parisian macaroons. But after more research, I learned that the macaroons from Pierre Hermé are considered the absolute best. So we made a short detour on our way to Jardin de Luxemberg to get me some. The shop on 72 rue Bonaparte was pretty, but no fun at all - too fancy. I came for the macaroons, but I would have liked to try other things if there had been time or room for browsing. The macaroons were indeed amazing - perfect texture and very interesting flavor combos. My favorite was the Olive Oil & Vanilla - so smooth. Favorite moment: I let my son pick one and outside the shop he crammed the whole thing in his mouth at once. At about €72/kilo, that's an expensive treat.

Mosaic (pistache & griottine)

worst packaging ever, all smushy

Ty's yummy Cheese-Cake Mosaic,
victim of more bad packaging


outside the shop (to prove we really went there)

Last stop: Berthillon (29-31 rue saint Louis en l'ile, 4th, M: Pont Marie)

It rained the day we finally got around to visiting the most famous ice cream shop in Paris, noted for using only natural ingredients. We tried caramel, strawberry, frais de bois (special strawberry), and cherry. It was good, for sure, but a little underwhelming. The shop was small and unassuming. The scoops were teeny, tiny (I usually appreciate smaller, reasonable portions, but seriously, these were tiny scoops - my son got his in a cup and the tiny scoop just rolled sadly around in there). Perhaps the build-up was too much. While I enjoyed it, I don't think I'd make the special effort next time to truck across town to get there.

outside the shop

enjoying a little frais de bois

cherry's jubilee

farm fresh

It's cherry and strawberry picking time again. This year I made it out to Jucker Farm to pick some myself. I know it's been said millions of times, but just-picked fruit has no comparison. It tastes like food. While the strawberry picking was quite labor intensive (especially bending over with my 8mo. pregnant belly), I couldn't have been happier picking the cherries. It was cool and relaxing under the cherry trees, perfect for fantasizing about that mythical romantic farm life, full of lovely moments like this - eating juicy cherries right off the tree with my son, cherry juice dripping down our faces and fingers.

we picked 4.3 kilos (9.5 pounds) at only 6sfr/kilo

I wasn't quite sure what I'd do with all these cherries but I just couldn't stop picking. My two kilos of strawberries were fading fast (the next day some were already moldy), so I had to start working that night to make the effort worth it. I didn't have a cherry pitting machine so I spent almost 2 hours manually pitting them with a pastry tip (a very effective tool, albeit slow). I have my stained fingers and clothes to prove it.

after one hour of pitting cherries

I used 16 cups worth to make cherry preserves (yielding about 8 cups). I used another 2 cups to make cherry sorbet, which I liked, but my husband thinks tastes vaguely of fish (?). Of course, I also had to make tarts with my favorite fraisage pastry dough. Instead of one big tart, I made four small ones, which is much cuter and easier to serve. The cherry one was fine but the strawberry one was divine! The trick is: use way more sugar than you think you need. I'm always worried it will overpower the fruit, but it never does.

strawberry tart, before and after

cherry tart, before & after

an American breakfast
best strawberries & cream waffle ever

still looking

Does anyone in Zurich reading this blog know where to get these items?

• Non-Swiss/German sausages like Kielbasa, Andouille, "Italian sausage" like the kind you get the US usually used in spaghetti sauce
• flaked coconut - I've only seen the pulverized kind. I want to make coconut macaroons and coconut cream pie. I suspect an Asian market might carry it but I haven't found it yet.

Zurich speciality food tour

s'mores galore

A couple weeks ago, I led a little "Zurich speciality food tour" for several friends. I worried that my limited knowledge would be exhausted in the first five minutes and everyone would be bored, but we ended up having a great time. I took them to El Maiz (the Mexican market), the Thai grocery a few doors down from El Maiz (I don't know what the name is) and Jemoli Gourmet Factory. To make it relevant, I also provided recipes that required the special ingredients available at these shops, like Pad Thai, Tamales, and Arroz con Pollo. For anyone else in Zurich who might be interested, here's a list of some things available at these shops that are difficult or impossible to find elsewhere.

dried shrimp and preserved radish for Pad Thai

El Maiz

• fresh chiles like jalapeno, serrano, habanero (not every variety is there all the time, also check the freezer section)
• dried chiles like ancho, pasilla
• tomatillos
• masa harina
• corn husks
• chorizo (frozen) - for Arroz con Pollo
• refrigerated and frozen tortillas (corn & flour)
• premade tamales
• best tortilla chips (Mi Adelita brand, also available at Jelmoli)
• huge array of hot sauces
• vanilla extract
• dulce du leche
• tortilla press (40sfr)
• dried pinto and black beans

Thai market
There are better Asian markets in town, but this one is conveniently close to El Maiz. The staff is really friendly and helpful and even speak a little English. Besides all the regular stuff you might expect to find here, you will find:

• for authentic Pad Thai: thai scallions, tamarind paste, dried shrimp, and preserved radish (Hua chai bpoh)
• A & W root beer
• sweet mangos (totally different from mangos you'll see at Migros or Globus)
• black eyed peas
• canned coconut milk (which has the important top layer of coconut fat unlike the boxed Thai Kitchen coconut milk you'll find elsewhere)

Jelmoli

• US products: bbq sauce, oreos, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, big white marshmallows (most other stores only carry the little, multi-colored versions), canned soup like tomato and cream of mushroom
• Mexican: frozen tortillas, masa harina, corn husks, the good tortilla chips, dried pinto beans, & all the regular canned stuff
• Asian: besides the regular stuff you'll find in most Migros and Coop, you'll find a larger variety of sauces, canned coconut milk, tahini and falafel mix (also available at most natural food stores),
• Asian cooler: thai scallions, thai basil, lemon grass, thai broccoli, okra
• herbs, spices, etc. - Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, turmeric, powdered garlic (not garlic salt), kardamon, ground cumin (most other places only carry whole cumin), celery salt (sometimes). Some are available elsewhere, but I can never remember who carries what. Jemoli usually has all the weird ones
• yellow and white cheddar - for your Mex-American needs
• exotic fresh fruit in season, like litchi, fresh tamarind, star fruit
• big baking soda & baking powder packages for only 2.50sfr
• skinned hazelnuts - very helpful for making Nocciola gelato
• turkeys year-round (turkeys are usually only available at Christmas) with giblets
• lard (aka schweinefett), required for tamale dough (found in refrigerated meat section)
• vegetable shortening (aka planzenfett) - I don't like to use it but there are some special cases
• tapioca starch - I don't know what I'll need it for but I'm sure at some point I'll be looking for it

I'm sure there are other special things I've missed. This is just a start.

butteroil and soy lecithin - yum

melt in your mouth, not in the cookie

Since chocolate chips are not available in Zurich (ok, some specialty American-product online shops offer them), I usually just chop up chocolate bars, which tastes great, if a little melty. But we got some Nestle chips in Paris on our last trip and after weeks of oogling them, we finally decided to put them to good use. Genetically-engineered goodness, here we come.

I used another nostalgic recipe from the beloved mother of my best friend Leslie. All of my recipes produce thin, buttery, crispy numbers that often get hard and crunchy a few minutes out of the oven (as I just found out, these are my husband's favorite). But I long for the tall, cakey, moist version that I never seem to deliver, no matter how much flour I add to my own recipes (more flour is supposed to make them cakey). But finally, success! I love these "guetzlis", as the Swiss would call them. Thanks Leslie, for passing this recipe along.

My 3yr old had lots of fun helping...

let's bake them all close together ... should I smash them too?

can I eat this one? ... ok, just a little bit

Tall, Cakey Chocolate Chip Cookies

adapted from Donna Gonzales' recipe

It deviates only slightly from the standard Nestle version: 1/2 cup more sugar, 1 cup more flour, 1/2 tsp less salt. But these changes make all the difference, producing exactly the consistency I wanted.

1 cup (8oz/225g) butter
(the original calls for 1/2 c butter, 1/2 shortening - I don't bake with shortening, if I can help it)
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
3 ½ cups flour (can vary from 3 – 4 c. flour)
1 pkg (12 oz/340g) chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Whip butter till super fluffy. Add sugars and whip again until super fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat about 2 minutes until well incorporated. Sift together dry ingredients then gradulally add to wet ingredients, mixing on slow speed until soft and all flour is incorporated. Add the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed. Drop generous tablespoons (leave lumpy for a more interesting texture) onto cookie sheet lined with parchment or Silpat. Bake 8-10 minutes until just barely golden. Immediately transfer to rack to cool.

P.S. My other fav choc chip cookie is the Thick & Chewy version from Cook's Illustrated (of course).

ice, ice baby

Oh, Gefrierschrank, I love you so.

This may not be an exciting sight to most, but to me, this is one of the most beautiful things I've seen in a long, long time. After years of economizing the miniscule real estate of the in-fridge ice box (which was usually more freezer ice than food), I've finally upgraded to a standalone freezer, happily humming along in my cellar.

I bought it for a mere 110sfr off Ricardo.ch (the swiss eBay). Since it was all in German, I wasn't exactly sure what I was bidding on or how I was expected to pay. After I placed my bid, I suddenly realized the item was called a "Tiefkuhlschrank", not a "Gefrierschrank" so maybe I was buying a fridge not a freezer. (Google translation couldn't help, but Leo did - thanks Leo). A last minute bidder pushed the price up 30sfr in 5sfr increments, making my weak non-gambler heart race. But I was the winner!

Almost everyone I know has one of these to store cheap, bulk food from discount groceries in Germany. I'm more interested in freezing regular stuff like:

• homemade chicken stock, bread, pizza dough, tamales, pasta sauce, ice cream, cookie dough
• nuts and butter, so I can keep more in stock without it going rancid if I don't bake for awhile
• frozen fruit and veggies, for emergencies
• ice, so I can actually do ice baths for my custards

Before... only room for special treats:
ice cream, ice cream maker, one ice cream sandwich,
five leftover cream puffs, cookie dough

After... three roomy shelves awaiting my imagination