Read Online The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City by David Lebovitz - Free Book Online
Authors: David Lebovitz
Tags: Travel, Essays & Travelogues
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whole milk
Pinch of coarse salt
6 large egg yolks
¼ cup (60 ml) strong brewed espresso, or more to taste
Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water. Nest another bowl inside it that will hold at least 2 quarts. Set a mesh strainer over the top.
Spread the sugar in an even layer in a medium heavy-duty metal saucepan; I recommend one that’s 4 to 6 quarts (4 to 6 L). Have the cream ready nearby. Heat the sugar slowly until the edges begin to melt and liquefy. Continue to cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until the sugar turns deep brown and begins to smoke.
Continue to cook until the sugar just starts to smell slightly burnt, then immediately pour in the cream while stirring. The sugar will seize and harden, so stir the mixture over low heat until the sugar dissolves. (Don’t worry about any lumps; they’ll dissolve later. But you may wish to wear oven mitts since the steam can be rather hot.)
Add the milk and salt and heat until warm.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm caramel mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly; then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Stir the custard constantly over medium heat, scraping the bottom as you stir, until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon.
Immediately pour the custard through the strainer into the bowl nesting in the ice bath. Cool the custard by stirring it frequently.
Once cool, stir in the espresso, then chill the mixture at least 4 hours or overnight.
Before churning, taste the custard and add more espresso, if desired. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Chocolate sauce
MAKES 1 CUP (250 ML)
You can spike this very easy chocolate sauce with a big pinch of ground cinnamon or a shot of rum to suit your taste. Depending on which brand of chocolate you use, the sauce may be too thick; if so, stir in a few more tablespoons of milk until it reaches the desired consistency.
4 ounces (115 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup (125 ml) whole or low-fat milk, plus a few additional tablespoons, if necessary
1 tablespoon sugar
Heat the chocolate, milk, and sugar in a saucepan over the lowest possible heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until the chocolate is melted and the sauce is smooth.
STORAGE: Sauce can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Reheat gently before using.
Candied Almonds
MAKES ½ CUP (60 G) CANDIED NUTS
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup (40 g) sliced almonds
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Spread the sugar in a heavy-bottomed skillet and strew the almonds over the top.
Cook over medium heat until the sugar begins to melt. Start to stir the almonds and sugar with a heatproof spatula or spoon until the nuts start toasting and the sugar begins to darken and caramelize.
Sprinkle with the cinnamon and stir a couple of times, then scrape the mixture onto a plate or baking sheet to cool.
Once cool, break into small pieces.
STORAGE: Keep in an airtight container until ready to use. The almonds can be made up to one week ahead.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE—BUT YOU CAN’T HAVE ANY
If you ever peered closely into the brackish water of the Seine, you’d probably lose your thirst in Paris. Because that’s where most of the drinking water comes from. Yuck! Over the past few years, the city of Paris has been making a big push to get Parisians to use less of those environmentally unfriendly plastic bottles and head back to the tap. Not only is the tap water safe to drink, or so they say, but its high calcium content is supposedly good for preventing osteoporosis. One thing they did gloss over was the fact that the heavy doses of chalky
calcaire
ruin our wineglasses and block our shower heads. And good wineglasses are as important as good posture in Paris. The calcium requires us to add a dash of environmentally unfriendly
anti-calcaire
to the laundry so that for those of us who bathe regularly, our
Pinch of coarse salt
6 large egg yolks
¼ cup (60 ml) strong brewed espresso, or more to taste
Prepare an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water. Nest another bowl inside it that will hold at least 2 quarts. Set a mesh strainer over the top.
Spread the sugar in an even layer in a medium heavy-duty metal saucepan; I recommend one that’s 4 to 6 quarts (4 to 6 L). Have the cream ready nearby. Heat the sugar slowly until the edges begin to melt and liquefy. Continue to cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until the sugar turns deep brown and begins to smoke.
Continue to cook until the sugar just starts to smell slightly burnt, then immediately pour in the cream while stirring. The sugar will seize and harden, so stir the mixture over low heat until the sugar dissolves. (Don’t worry about any lumps; they’ll dissolve later. But you may wish to wear oven mitts since the steam can be rather hot.)
Add the milk and salt and heat until warm.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm caramel mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly; then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Stir the custard constantly over medium heat, scraping the bottom as you stir, until it thickens and coats the back of the spoon.
Immediately pour the custard through the strainer into the bowl nesting in the ice bath. Cool the custard by stirring it frequently.
Once cool, stir in the espresso, then chill the mixture at least 4 hours or overnight.
Before churning, taste the custard and add more espresso, if desired. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Chocolate sauce
MAKES 1 CUP (250 ML)
You can spike this very easy chocolate sauce with a big pinch of ground cinnamon or a shot of rum to suit your taste. Depending on which brand of chocolate you use, the sauce may be too thick; if so, stir in a few more tablespoons of milk until it reaches the desired consistency.
4 ounces (115 g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
½ cup (125 ml) whole or low-fat milk, plus a few additional tablespoons, if necessary
1 tablespoon sugar
Heat the chocolate, milk, and sugar in a saucepan over the lowest possible heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until the chocolate is melted and the sauce is smooth.
STORAGE: Sauce can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Reheat gently before using.
Candied Almonds
MAKES ½ CUP (60 G) CANDIED NUTS
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup (40 g) sliced almonds
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Spread the sugar in a heavy-bottomed skillet and strew the almonds over the top.
Cook over medium heat until the sugar begins to melt. Start to stir the almonds and sugar with a heatproof spatula or spoon until the nuts start toasting and the sugar begins to darken and caramelize.
Sprinkle with the cinnamon and stir a couple of times, then scrape the mixture onto a plate or baking sheet to cool.
Once cool, break into small pieces.
STORAGE: Keep in an airtight container until ready to use. The almonds can be made up to one week ahead.
WATER, WATER EVERYWHERE—BUT YOU CAN’T HAVE ANY
If you ever peered closely into the brackish water of the Seine, you’d probably lose your thirst in Paris. Because that’s where most of the drinking water comes from. Yuck! Over the past few years, the city of Paris has been making a big push to get Parisians to use less of those environmentally unfriendly plastic bottles and head back to the tap. Not only is the tap water safe to drink, or so they say, but its high calcium content is supposedly good for preventing osteoporosis. One thing they did gloss over was the fact that the heavy doses of chalky
calcaire
ruin our wineglasses and block our shower heads. And good wineglasses are as important as good posture in Paris. The calcium requires us to add a dash of environmentally unfriendly
anti-calcaire
to the laundry so that for those of us who bathe regularly, our
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