On our first night in Porto, we were looking for a place to eat when we found Auge, a restaurant adjacent to a rooftop on the 19th floor of the Porto Palacio Hotel. We first had a drink, a mocktail called “wild berry” (8 Eur) for Jodi that was made with mixed berries, mint, lime and club soda, and a Port wine for me, a Tawny Douro 20 yr. (20 Eur). Quite relaxing, the view of Porto was beautiful, especially as …
Another recommendation from our tuk tuk tour guide was the Mercado do Bolhao in the city center. This is an impressive open market, with its two floors, the first one full of tourists avid to eat seafood (especially oysters and shrimp), charcuterie, cheese, bread, pasta, you name it, and the second floor being a bit more quieter, with restaurants serving Portuguese specialties (one of them was vegetarian) and that seem to cater also to tourists. We just stopped by for sweets, having a …
As we were on our way to see the striking Sao Bento railway station (impressive blue tile work describing the history of Portugal), we stumbled upon the Time Out Market that is a little over a year old. I admit that I had no idea there was one there and so we had to check it out. Opened daily from 10am to 12pm, it overlooks the train station. Inviting, with lots of light thanks to its floor to ceiling windows, there is also a large outside area where diners can enjoy the good weather. Most of the restaurants were serving Portuguese cuisine, a heaven for seafood lovers, with few…
I finally tried a real Pastéis de Nata during my visit in Porto. I have tried this Portuguese egg tart in the past in Chinese restaurants, at Paris Baguette and even Trader’s Joe who proposed for a limited time frozen ones that were pretty good, but never what I would qualify as “real” ones. I mean, the closest were probably in Chinese restaurants as this delicacy was introduced in Asia, especially Macao as it was a Portuguese colony. Still, the one at Manteigaria, a store that is all around Porto where…
During a tour of the city in Tuk Tuk, our guide mentioned the Majestic Cafe, saying that the interior is worth a visit there. So, we decided to check it out. Originally opened in the 1920s, this cafe that went through ups and downs, is a popular spot for tourists who want to admire the beautiful art nouveau decor, with its curved wooden frames, large mirrors and stunning decorative details, or want to see one of the locations where…
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If you have never been to The Tin Building, you are truly missing an incredible experience. This food market from Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is superb, with my favorite spot being their bakery that proposes delicious items, similar to what you would get in France. My favorite is their brioche au sucre that is better eaten there, as the sugar will fall in the bag on the way home, and their...
A while back, I published a recipe of vegetarian chili, made with tofu. Since then, I discovered a meatless product at Trader Joe’s (I am not paid for this nor was I asked by this company to promote their product!) that really looks like ground beef and has the same texture, but is made with soy.
Ratatouille is a Provencal dish that originated in Nice, in the South of France. Needless to say that this dish became popular after the Disney movie of the same name and it is now not uncommon to see it on menus in New York. Comforting, this is the kind of dish where every family has its own recipe. Some cook the vegetables separately. others together. Even the way the vegetables are cut can differ, some preferring them grossly cut and others, like myself, small. Know that it has to cook for a long time and you will surely get a fantastic smell in your apartment.
When I was a kid, the only soufflé I knew was the cheese soufflé that my Mom was making. We never heard about sweet soufflés and it is only much later in my life that variations on soufflés started to appear, like the cauliflower soufflé we made one time with my sister. Then I discovered chocolate soufflés, and one time, banana soufflés. The latter is fantastic; well, if you like bananas! So, the recipe below is my take on a recipe I learned at the Institute of Culinary Education few years ago.
I love ramen and New York is a perfect city to try different ones, having so many places proposing that delicious Japanese dish. And my favorite moment to eat that soup is now, as I like it hot and was never really impressed by cold versions of it. This recipe requires a bit of work, but it is worth it!
I discovered S'Mores in this country, this treat not being known at all in France. Even roasting marshmallows, that we call chamallows, is pretty uncommon there. So, I decided to make my own version of a S'Mores pie, layering a Graham cracker crust, a fudgy brownie and some torched marshmallow. An easy recipe that will satisfy adults and kids!
I discovered olive oil cake a couple of years ago, eating in an Italian restaurant. Since then, I never hesitate to order it for dessert, often preferring it to the popular tiramisu. And in fact the best olive cake I ate, that inspires this recipe, was at Maialino. So, I decided to make my own: an easy recipe for a succulent cake...
This is a simple recipe for a dish that is very comforting: meatballs with orzo (that we call in French langues d'oiseaux or birds' tongues because of their shape).
I remember that when I was a kid, I used to see TV series or movies where people were making pancakes, wondering what it was, as we did not have that in France. In all cases, I would definitely not say that crepes are like pancakes and it makes me cringe when I hear people comparing the two as they are totally different!
Anyway, here is the way I make pancakes at home.
I love BAO, these steamed buns of all sorts of shapes that you can find in Chinese restaurants. I love it so much that I was curious to know how to make it and decided to try myself. I made two versions: pork belly for me and tofu for Jodi (not entirely vegetarian as it contains fish sauce). It is not that this recipe is complicated, but it takes some time.
During our trip to Florence, we had some amazing Tuscan white bean soup. This recipe is inspired from it. Enjoy (I did)! and bon appétit!
Bugnes are some sort of beignets that are popular in Central-Eastern France, the most known being the bugnes de Lyon. There are two sorts: the soft and the crunchy, the difference between the two being the presence of yeast (soft) or not (crunchy). It is not difficult to make, but takes a bit of time as the dough has to rise.
I love paella and tried to recreate my own version, made with meat and seafood and cooked for long enough so the rice gets very soft and flavorful. In this recipe, I have replaced the saffron by turmeric, to give to the rice this nice yellow color, saffron being expensive. Here is the recipe:
Check out this recipe to make some delicious butternut squash ravioli with taleggio cream. In this recipe you will learn how to make homemade pasta! Yum!
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The concept of bouillon was created by a French butcher, Pierre-Louis Duval, in 1855 who got the idea to serve simple and affordable meals in the bustling Les Halles, in the center of Paris, with broth (bouillon in French) being the base component. In the past few years, this concept saw a revival with many restaurants flourishing across France. There, classic French dishes are …