To celebrate the 10th anniversary of C&Z, I am hosting 10 giveaways throughout the month of October. Keep checking back for chances to win wonderful products I’ve discovered and loved over the past decade!

Our fourth giveaway prize is an Original Cinnamon Lovers Pack from Cinnamon Hill, which includes:
– one box of Ceylon cinnamon (contains five 5-inch sticks),
– one box of Saigon cinnamon (contains five 5-inch sticks),
– a beautiful honey oak cinnamon grater,
– a hand-made ceramic cup to keep the grater and a couple of sticks of cinnamon on your counter or table.

Cinnamon Hill is a British company based in Lancashire that specializes in sourcing and selling the highest-quality, freshest cinnamon from Sri Lanka and Vietnam — ordinary cinnamon usually comes from China or Indonesia. Each pack is marked with the harvest date of the cinnamon, and the cinnamon sticks are individually wrapped (in biodegradable cellophane) to preserve their vibrant flavor.

For this giveaway, Rupert Beeley of Cinnamon Hill is offering this beautiful gift pack that allows you to sample and compare both kinds of cinnamon, grated fresh on the special cinnamon grater that they designed — the grater is a unique tool, entirely made in England from sustainably cultivated wood and laser-etched stainless steel.

To participate, leave a comment below (in English or in French) telling me about your favorite use for cinnamon. And if you’re on Facebook, please consider liking the Cinnamon Hill page (and the C&Z page, too!).

You have until Thursday, October 17, midnight Paris time to enter; I will then draw one entry randomly and announce it here. Rupert has generously agreed to ship internationally, so you’re welcome to play regardless of your location; please make sure you enter your email address correctly so I can contact you if you win.

Good luck! And check back on Monday for a new giveaway.

WE GOT A WINNER! I have drawn an entry at random using random.org (see screen capture below), and I am pleased to announce the winner is Michelle of Boulderneigh, who said her favorite carrier for cinnamon is a really good cinnamon roll.

Congratulations Michelle, and thank you all for entering with such imaginative cinnamon uses! I’m so inspired I will compile them into a list to share with you very soon.

* Disclosure: Rupert has sent me samples of both kinds of cinnamon for tasting, with no obligation to write about them. All opinions expressed are my own.

In 2005, Maxence and I traveled to New York so I could meet with the editor who would be publishing my first cookbook. I had just given notice at my office, and I only had a few more weeks to go before I made the jump to full-time writer. The trip crystallized this momentous turning point, and we enjoyed it accordingly.

My editor invited my agent and me to Jean-Georges for a sublime lunch in the sun-drenched dining room, and eight years later I still remember it in great detail. One of the things that stuck with me the most was the fresh pineapple that was carved table-side and served as a pre-dessert.

I almost clapped at the picture-perfect slices the waiter brought to us, flecked with crystallized mint and rose petals.

Working from a nearby cart, our waiter sliced off the bottom of the fruit, stuck two facing forks in it to serve as a handle, and conducted the rest of the procedure in mid-air: wielding a knife effortlessly in his right hand, he sliced off the outer bark, then carved out the eyes in a spiral ribbon all around the pineapple. I was amazed by his dexterity, and almost clapped at the picture-perfect slices he then brought to us, flecked with crystallized mint and rose petals.

It is the spirit of that waiter that I tried to channel as I carved my own pineapple for a dessert of roasted pineapple I recently served. I winged it from memory and was pretty pleased with the result, but if you want to try it yourself, I recommend this video and Elise’s instructions. (Instead of tossing the trimmings, run them in a blender and filter to make pineapple juice.)

Once I’d carved the pineapple, I sliced it into six wedges, and brushed them with a honey and vanilla syrup infused with the spectacular vanilla that I use, and spiked with a little rum and lemon juice. The wedges went into the oven until the fruit was softened, its juices concentrated and verging on caramelization.

I considered serving the wedges with a dab of crème fraîche or a scoop of coconut ice cream, but instead opted to make the coconut “whipped cream” I’d been reading about. The idea is to retain only the solids from a can of coconut milk, and whip it like you would ordinary whipping cream. (I found this tutorial helpful, especially the can-flipping trick.)

The coconut whipped cream was a revelation: fluffy and delicious, it didn’t need any sort of flavoring or sweetening. It served as the perfect companion to my roasted pineapple, but I can see it adorning an apple slice or a wedge of chocolate cake just as beautifully.

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To celebrate the 10th anniversary of C&Z, I am hosting 10 giveaways throughout the month of October. Keep checking back for chances to win wonderful products I’ve discovered and loved over the past decade!

Our third giveaway prize is the cooking class of your choice from La Cuisine Paris.

La Cuisine Paris is a wonderful cooking school located in the center of Paris, right by the Seine. It is run by a French-American couple who have created a warm and inviting space for home cooks to learn about French cuisine and French pastries through hands-on cooking classes taught by professional chefs. They also organize market classes, tasting classes, and food tours.

For this giveaway, owner Jane Bercht is offering a gift certificate for the class of your choice (taught in English), whether you want to learn about croissants, macarons, or soufflés, prepare a three-course gourmet dinner, learn to shop at a French market, or go out to Versailles to visit the King’s Vegetable Garden (see class details).

The prize doesn’t include transportation to Paris (I wish!) and the certificate is valid through the end of 2014. If you win, Jane will get in touch with you so you can discuss dates and class choices.

To participate, leave a comment below (in English or in French) telling me about the most memorable cooking class you took, or the one you dream of taking someday. And if you’re on Facebook, please consider liking La Cuisine Paris’ page (and the C&Z page, too!).

You have until Monday, October 14, midnight Paris time to enter; I will then draw one entry randomly and announce it here. You are welcome to play regardless of your current location, as long as you intend to be in Paris sometime before the end of 2014. Please make sure you enter your email address correctly so I can contact you if you win.

Good luck! And check back on Thursday for a new giveaway.

WE GOT A WINNER!

I have drawn an entry at random using random.org (see screen capture below), and I am pleased to announce the winner is Aly, who wrote, “My mother, grandmother, sister in law, and I took a cooking class at Mama Agata in Ravello, Italy. It was wonderful to all be together and my grandma (just shy of 90) came from that area and so enjoyed speaking with Mama Agata. The food was delicious and the landscape absolutely stunning. It’s a lovely family-run business and I treasure the memories.”

Congratulations Aly, and thank you all for entering with such wonderful cooking class memories and ideas!

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of C&Z, I am hosting 10 giveaways throughout the month of October. Keep checking back for chances to win wonderful products I’ve discovered and loved over the past decade!

Our second giveaway prize is a Super Peel baking peel, as recently featured on America’s Test Kitchen as one of four must-have tools for serious pizza lovers.

The Super Peel is a beautifully crafted wooden peel with a cloth conveyor belt that wraps around it, making it very easy to transfer your pizzas and breads onto a hot baking stone or baking sheet.

I bought my own four years ago, and have been using it happily — with a little thrill every time, so well it works — for many of the breads and pizzas I’ve since featured on Chocolate & Zucchini.

The Super Peel is made in the US at a woodworking facility in upstate New York that employs people with disabilities. Over fifteen steps are required to make each peel from raw lumber, and most are done by hand or with hand-operated power tools.

For this giveaway, Gary Casper, the passionate inventor of the Super Peel, is offering the deluxe peel made with local black cherry hardwood, sanded smooth and hand-sealed with a food-safe cutting board oil. It will be fitted with one of the brand new flax linen transfer cloths he has just special-ordered.

To participate, leave a comment below (in English or in French) telling me about your most successful bread or pizza experiment. And if you’re on Facebook, please consider liking the Super Peel page (and the C&Z page, too!).

You have until Friday, October 11, midnight Paris time to enter; I will then draw one entry randomly and announce it here. Gary has generously agreed to ship internationally, so you’re welcome to play regardless of your location; please make sure you enter your email address correctly so I can contact you if you win.

Good luck! And check back on Monday for a new giveaway.

WE HAVE A WINNER!

I have drawn an entry at random using random.org (see screen capture below), and I am pleased to announce the winner is PlumGaga, who says she’s loved teaching her grandchildren to turn out loaves of good bread. Congratulations PlumGaga, and thank you all for entering with such cool baking experiments!