After years (and years) of yearning for a high-performance blender — to make really smooth soups, quick sauces and marinades, nut butters and milks, and of course smoothies — I finally got one.

Based on my research, I picked the Optimum 9400 blender, distributed by Australian company Froothie, as an alternative to the better-known Vitamix or Blendtec. It’s a vortex blender that’s just as high-performing, if not more so, and the 2-liter (2-quart) jug works for both dry and liquid ingredients.

I have been so happy with it I entered into a partnership with the brand and have a discount to offer. If you’re interested in buying a Froothie blender for yourself, use promo code CD-Optimum-Blender-20 to get $20 off your purchase of the Optimum 9400 or 9200A on the US store.

The same code will get you 20€ off on the French site, the Belgian site, or the Luxembourg site. You’ll get 15 CHF off on the Swiss site.

For my Canadian friends, the code is CD-Optimum-Blender-25 and you’ll get CA$25 off on the Canadian site.

Here’s my detailed review of the Optimum 9400 blender by Froothie:

Fennel Soup with Lime and Cashew Cream

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Are you going to be in Paris on Tuesday, November 22?

If so, please come and have a drink with us from 7pm to 9pm at Artisan, a small cocktail bar I love in the Pigalle neighborhood! They serve well-crafted cocktails, natural wines, craft beers, and, if you’re hungry, a short seasonal selection of small plates.

I will be there between 7pm and 9pm; feel free to come whenever you like. It will be our chance to meet in real life, and chat about our shared passions. (I will also have a pen with me if you want any of my books signed. Don’t be shy. :)

So, will you join us? Please say yes!

Artisan, 14 rue Bochart de Saron, 75009 Paris, métro Anvers ou Pigalle (Facebook / Instagram).

I write this from Stockholm, where I am spending the fall break with my family. I have developed a serious crush on the city and can’t wait to tell you all about it. In the meantime, I come to you with Parisian highlights from the month of October! Please chime in with your own MMM’s (most memorable moments), I’d love to hear about them!

Best Eats Last Month

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If you’re ready for some adulting in the kitchen*, you have got to learn how to spatchcock (a.k.a. butterfly) a chicken.

This simple technique consists in opening the bird like a book, so that it lies flat in a roasting pan or on the grill.

In this configuration, the chicken cooks faster and more evenly — a double win — and it is much easier then to achieve the amazingly flavorful, perfectly roasted or grilled meat you are longing for.

A really fun recipe to put the technique in practice is this chicken “under a brick”, which I make often, but you can also simply marinate the chicken and roast it straight in the oven (see picture of the finished product below!).

But before you get to that, here’s a video I made with Anne to show you how to spatchcock a chicken — much simpler than it sounds:

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