While Americans watch expectantly for the groundhog to emerge on February 2, the French will be flipping crêpes with their families. Known as Chandeleur in French and "Candlemas" in English, this event mixes pagan, Celtic, and catholic influences, and is named after the candles used for a pagan ritual celebrating the arrival of the harvest. In 472, Pope Gelasius I...
This golden, frangipane-filled cake appears in boulangeries and patisseries at the end of December. King cake or la galette des rois, is traditionally eaten with the family on the first Sunday after New Year’s Day, but many enjoy it from December 31 and throughout the whole month of January! Along with Yule logs and Easter eggs, this is another unmissable...
With the end-of-year celebrations almost upon us, what is the best way to host a dinner à la française without committing a faux pas? Here are a few invaluable tips for putting on a meal fit for the finest French tables. In the olden days in France, young women from well-to-do families all had a bible of good manners, Usages...
In France, foie gras is the star turn of the festive dinner table, but in California it has been banned since January and it will be banned in New York City in 2020. Influential restaurant owners, supermarket chains, movie stars, animal protection organizations — and even a pope — have blacklisted the delicacy. But French producers won’t give up. A wave...
With prolific writing and the creation of his 100-point scale, world-famous wine critic Robert Parker, who announced his retirement last May, is behind the public’s newfound wine fascination. As a wine retailer in New York City, I found myself swept up in “Parkermania” in the 1980s. Robert Parker and his newsletter, The Wine Advocate, were the talk of the wine world....
From Abondance in Haute-Savoie and Valençay in Berry to Corsican Brocciu and Munster from the Vosges, artisan cheesemaker Dominique Bouchait presents 45 iconic French cheeses in a coffee-table book published by Rizzoli. A mouth-watering work filled with anecdotes and practical advice. “How could you possibly govern a country in which there are 246 varieties of cheese?” exclaimed Charles de Gaulle....
[Partner article] Since its opening as a small charcuterie shop selling pâtés and quiches in New York in 1975, Les Trois Petits Cochons (The Three Little Pigs) has taken pride in combining elevated with accessible, maintaining the company’s premium sourcing, production, and quality standards that make for great French food products. This longtime specialty leader has gone back their roots,...
In 2005, Chicago Tribune reporter Mark Caro didn’t know a thing about foie gras. He then spent five years interviewing producers in the U.S. and in France as well as animal rights advocates, and published a book on the topic, The Foie Gras Wars. Ten years after the book’s release and in light of the ban recently introduced by the...
The production and sale of foie gras have been banned once again in California. The law became enforceable on January 7, but how will it be applied and what are the consequences for the market? We interviewed key players in the sector and those who support the ban. Tara Gallegos, spokesperson for the California Attorney General’s Office, which is responsible...
The appeal by producers and restaurant owners has been rejected by the Supreme Court, and the law banning the production and sale of foie gras in California came into effect on January 7. While the appeal was still underway, foie gras remained legal in California. And the procedure filed in March 2018 by the Quebec Association of Duck and Goose...
It's the perfect French holiday dessert. Made with sponge cake or fruit mousse, topped with chocolate, coffee, or chestnut cream, the yule loge will bring a nice final touch to your Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year's Eve dinner! For this occasion, France-Amérique recommends this recipe by Parisian pastry chef Sébastien Gaudard, which was recently published in François-Régis Gaudry's coffee-table book Let's...
It is hard to think of a more American tradition than Thanksgiving! Yet it is quite easy to add a little French flavor to your dinner while still serving the traditional turkey. With this in mind, France-Amérique gathered some expert advice from eight French-American gourmets. How to prepare a turkey by Julia Child, who was known for her T.V. program...
Thanksgiving is the one day in the year which, as O. Henry reminds us, is purely American. It’s also the only day when overeating is considered a patriotic duty. And when, according to another keen observer, we surpass the French in culinary matters... Spare a thought on November 22 for those Americans living in France who will try to recreate the...
Pascaline Lepeltier first studied philosophy before deciding to train as a sommelier. After working in New York for almost ten years, she has recently become the first woman to receive the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France title in the sommellerie category. Pascaline Lepeltier has made her way to the top. On October 2, she was the only woman among nine...
Looking for her roots in Normandy, an American writer fell in love with pungent cheese and discovered the importance of terroir in French culture and gastronomy. The sky of Normandy is so blue that painters whose work hangs in the Musée d’Orsay had to find new pigment to paint it — so a guide told me. The sun that shines...
Famed for his potato purée with lightly salted butter, the Frenchman was far more than a cook. For many years he embodied French cuisine de terroir from Paris to Las Vegas. “To describe Joël Robuchon as a cook is a bit like calling Pablo Picasso a painter, Luciano Pavarotti a singer, Frederic Chopin a pianist, “wrote American Patricia Wells. The...
Known as the first wine bar in New York City, the French bistro Le Bateau Ivre will be participating in French Restaurant Week through July 15. The owners of Le Bateau Ivre are from India. The chef is from Venezuela and the kitchen staff is from Ecuador, Mexico, and Guatemala. Yet the French atmosphere can be seen from miles away....
As a third of all bottles of rosé sold in the United States are produced on American soil, some domestic rosés now offer the same quality as imported, French wines. Keith Mabry, Rhone and Loire Valley Buyer for the K&L wine stores in California, presents his selection of must-try French and American rosés. * Casa Smith, ViNO Rosé, Washington ($11.99)...
Atelier Crenn made a name for itself with a multi-course tasting menu experience at 325 dollars and dishes garnished with gold leaf. But French restaurant owner and chef Dominique Crenn is now putting her talents into simpler things. Her new restaurant, Bar Crenn, set to open in San Francisco on February 20, promises to serve the standards of the French...
French-American restauranteur Nick Ronan is known as "the Kissing Chef" in San Francisco, where he greets customers with a peck on the cheek as they step into his aptly-named bistro, Bisou. The eatery will be taking part in San Francisco Restaurant Week from January 22 to 31, 2018. Nick Ronan found himself in the restaurant world in the same way...
As the French baguette enters the race to be given Unesco World Heritage status, American historian and French bread expert Steven Kaplan teaches us how to recognize and enjoy a good baguette de tradition. Six criteria matter: appearance, crust, crumb, mouth-feel, aroma, and taste. Viewed as a "fancy" food reserved for the bourgeoisie in the early 20th century, the baguette grew in popularity before...
