Dont know yet what to offer to your mother or your wife for Mother's Day ?
Call quickly Cuis'In. Chef Eric Delalande will cook a Special Menu for your family and Cuis'In will deliver it to your house ready to be warmed up and served on Sunday between 8 and 11.30 am.
Appetizer :
Tomato Confites, Artichoke Heart and Pan seared Scallop Thin Tart
Choice of Main Course:
Veal Medallion, Mushroom sauce and mixed baby vegetables
-or-
Roasted Half Lobster, Tarragon butter, Tomato Concassee and Asparagus
Dessert :
Individual Strawberry Tiramisu
$140/person
Also you can get :
. 3 private cooking classes at your home with Chef Eric Delalande - $320
. The perfect gift for a Romantic dinner for two : Chef Eric Delalande will come and cook at your home an exclusive dinner for two - $450
. Dinner for 2 delivered anytime, ready to warm up - $220
To order, call at 646-468-6159
info@nycuisin.com
www.nycuisin.com
The most designed...at La Maison du Chocolat
On the hunt for treasures with gourmet delights…
The Small Egg Treasure: Colorful and playful, this dark or milk chocolate egg contains barrettes of praline eggs to hide and move about in the spyglass holes of this egg like a trophy.
The Large Egg Treasure: First the cage with its delicate golden leaves. Then an egg of luscious chocolate bursting with other delights…
La Maison du Chocolat
1018 Madison Avenue
or
30 Rockfeller Center
www.lamaisonduchocolat.com
The Traditional...Payard
Hollow Easter eggs filled with Payard chocolates and baby chocolates eggs
Chocolates Bunnies
And Limoges Easter Eggs, s'il-vous-plait !
Payard
1032 Lexington Avenue (between &3rg and 74th Street)
212-717-5252
www.payard.com
The cutest...at Trois Crepes Patisserie
An assortment of dark, milk and white chocolate covered pralines from the European chocolatier Café-Tasse, wrapped in golden foils. The box, a replica of a small egg carton, is just adorable.
Trois Crepes Patisserie
501 East 75th Street
Corner of York Ave
www.3crepes.com
The Trendiest...at Richart
Beautiful graphic designs with classic and original fillings. A drawer of our Festive Garden egg-shaped combines with one tray of our tasting eggs collection.
www.richart-chocolates.com
7 E 55th St
New York, NY 10022
(212) 371-9369
Saturday, July 14th 2007
from 8:30PM to 4AM
at Spotlight Live
1604 Broadway. New York
Eventhough, most of the French people living in NYC flee back to France for summer, you can still enjoy some very interesting French Events in town.
. La Comedie Francaise at the Lincoln Center : July 10 to 15th
Lincoln Center Festival 2007 will present La Comédie-Française, one of the world’s greatest theater companies, in the U.S. premiere of Les Fables de La Fontaine, directed by Robert Wilson. In Wilson’s visually striking interpretation, 19 of La Fontaine’s allegorical tales are brought to life by some of France’s finest actors. Wilson originally staged Les Fables de La Fontaine for performances at the Comédie-Française in 2004. When it was greeted with wide critical and public acclaim, the production was repeated in 2005. Featuring a company of 15 actors, Les Fables de La Fontaine revolves around the animal characters of the tales—lions, birds, foxes, and crows—with their parables of human behavior seen through the eyes of a 21st-century theatrical visionary. Performances: July 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15, Gerald W. Lynch Theater.
www.lincolncenter.org
. Bastille Day : sunday, July 15th. Noon to 6pm
On July 14, France celebrates Bastille Day and commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille prison, which marked the beginning of the French Revolution. New York is joining in the celebration with some fun events for the whole family: petanque, pastis, accordeon, waiter's race, French Cancan...a Street Fair with French Flair organized by The Alliance Francaise and French Tuesdays.
On 60th street from Fifth to Lexington Avenue, everyone is invited to be French for a day...
http://www.bastilledayusa.com/
. Citroen Automobiles and Velosolex motorized Bicycles Tour around Manhattan on July 15th
Have fun to look as the famous "2CV" driving down the city. Meeting point at Riverside Drive south and 122th (Grants Tomb). The route
Don't miss on TV:
. Le Tour de France : July 7th to 29th
. "France Will Never Forget"
On June 30th at Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, more than 3000 people will form a chain on the beach and write together on the sand "France will never forget. Thank you America"
Broadcast on TV on July 4th.
May,1rst in France is Labour Day week-end, but it is also the Festival of the "Muguet" - or Lily of the Valley.
By tradition, French people buy some Muguet in the street or gather in family in the forest to collect those cute small white bells that announce Spring for good. Everyone love this amulet because the flower symbolizes joy and happiness, and smells so good !
Charles Aznavour in Jazznavour:
J'aime Paris au mois de mai
Quand les bourgeons renaissent
Qu'une nouvelle jeunesse
S'empare de la vieille cité
Qui se met à rayonner
J'aime Paris au mois de mai
Quand l'hiver le délaisse
Que le soleil caresse
Ses vieux toits à peine éveillés
J'aime sentir sur les places
Dans les rues où je passe
Ce parfum de muguet que chasse
Le vent qui passe
Il me plaît à me promener
Par les rues qui s'faufilent
A travers toute la ville
J'aime, j'aime Paris au mois de mai
CD available on www.amazon.com
If there is one french habit you want to bring back from France is the aperitif...more commonly called l'apero.
The best time to have an aperitif is everyday before dinner with friends, or alone (yes, I admit doing it myself from time to time!).
What makes the aperitif special in France is not only the quality of alcool served, but also all those little nibbles that flatters your palate called "amuse-gueules".
Of course in Provence, you will get the famous Rose "Cotes de Provence", a semi-dry rose that makes you feel happy right away. So easy to drink, but hard on your head the next day if you overdose it ! I recommand Chateau Thuerry from Villecroze.
By the way, if you have any chance to go to Provence, take the hilly and turning road between Barjols and Thoronet and stop at the local wineries.
But today, I'd like to introduce you this anise-flavored liquor typical from Provence called "Pastis", yes like the restaurant in New York.
Pastis is diluted with water before drinking (generally 5 volumes of water for 1 volume of pastis). The drink is consumed cold and is considered a refreshment for hot days. Ice cubes can be added after the water. However, many pastis drinkers refuse to add ice, preferring to drink the beverage with cool, spring water.
Pastis replaced the absynthe when forbidden in France in 1915. The distillors then created a liquor from anis with no absynthe, added some licorice and more or less spices and exotiques plants sold on the port of Marseilles."Pastis" means "mixture" in provencal
Pernod-Ricard is selling the pastis in the US under the brand Ricard in any wine store. But the other day I was invited by some french friends just coming back from the South of France and they made me taste this pastis from Forcalquier that smells and tastes so good that I have to give you the reference.
It's the Grand Cru du Pastis aux plantes et epices from Henri Baudier at the Distilleries et Domaines de Provence de Forcalquier et de la Montagne de Lure.
You can also use the Pastis in your recipe. I like for example to "flambe" red mullets with pastis and serve them with roasted fennel. French chefs use Pastis in their dessert, particularly in ice-cream as well.
So now, what's about the amuse-geules to serve with the alcool ? You can always put some peanuts and olives and cheeses, but this is not that original. You need some tapenade (mixture of anchovies, capers and olives) or anchoiade (garlic, anchovies, thyme, olive oil) or caviar d'aubergine (eggplants, tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil) to spread on slices of toasted bread. You can get them at the local markets in France, as I described it in Just Back from Provence, and in the US at the shop "l'Occitane".
Just to finish, I will indicated the Fougasse also to accompany the aperitif. Fougasse is a sort of foccacia made by the bakers in Provence. You can find some plain, stuffed with tapenade, or onions or dry tomatoes.
To make it yourself, you have to mix one cup of flour with warm-water diluted yeast. Add salt, chopped thyme and rosemary. Knead it a long time, roll it and let it sit for one hour. Form an oval shape, stuff it with any of the stuffing of your choice. Let it sit again for 0,5 hour close to the oven preheating and then put it in the oven for 15 mn at 400F. Enjoy !!!!
