I am keeping my nose to the grindstone (not as painful as it sounds) finishing up the manuscript for my new cookbook Tasting Paris, which is an ode to all the good things one can eat in Paris, and there are very many. I am stoked to announce that the photography will be done by the amazing Nicole Franzen, and I cannot wait to see my recipes and my home city through her eyes.
I have to get back to writing headnotes and processing feedback from my fabulous recipe testers and tying up all sorts of fun loose ends (“check weight of average orange,” “why is rue des Écouffes called rue des Écouffes,” “look into the biography of Arlette Lenôtre,” “OK to recommend as hangover food?”) so I will leave you with these quick notes from January:
• Reliving my wedding day by sharing it on C&Z has brightened my month immensely, and I want to thank all of you who have sent kind words and well wishes. It feels truly special to connect with you in this way.
• How much did I love this dish of roasted romanesco with blue cheese served at Gravity bar? Very. It is on my list of dishes to try and replicate soon; this roasted cauliflower à la Mary Céleste should help ease the wait.
• As part of my Monthly Museum Challenge, I went to see the exhibition on American Painting from the 30’s at the Musée de l’Orangerie (did not love the art but loved what it said about the era) and the one on Oscar Wilde at the Petit Palais, which failed, in my and my companion’s opinion, to make him come to life in any relatable way. (On the plus side, the mosaic floors of the Petit Palais are stunning.)
• If you’ll remember I am also on a monthly challenge to memorize poems, and have learned two new ones this month: Robert Frost’s Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening (“The woods are lovely, dark and deep” gives me the chills every time) and Sophia de Mello’s Les Amis, translated from the original Portuguese Os Amigos:
Les Amis
Revenir là où
La verte explosion de la vague
L’écume le brouillard l’horizon la plage
Conservent intacte la fougueuse
Et ancienne jeunesse-
Mais comment sans les amis
Sans le partage l’étreinte la communion
Respirer l’odeur d’algue des marées
Et cueillir l’étoile de mer dans ma main
• I watched the series 3% on Netflix and L.O.V.E.D. it. Sort of like a Brazilian Hunger Games (it is imperative to watch it in the original version) with more mind games and less fighting. So, so good.
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