December was pretty much a race to the finish. As most of you know as well, there are always things to tie up before the year came to a close, that I was working on as well. And while I was focusing on those, messages began rolling in for 2025. There’s a saying; If you’ve got your eye on the future, you’re not looking at the present, so I decided to stay focused on finishing 2024 before I even thought about 2025. (Spoiler: I had mixed success.) Now that 2025 is here, one of my goals was to make sure I got the year right in the header, which I managed to do, and while pretty soon I’ll be getting ready for 2026, let’s all get through 2025 first. 2024 ended with Christmas week in Paris, which meant a last minute rush on December 24th to stand in line at the bakery to get fresh bread, and pick up specialty items ordered from local butchers and seafood shops. Many Parisians head out of town to visit families or stay in their maison sécondaire (second home). We don’t have a second home (one is enough for me), so we stick around. But because it’s my skill set, planning in advance, I gathered what I could days before, and wisely got most of my shopping done a few days prior. Which ended up being an especially good thing since we had a few unexpected medical issues at home, which, of course is even harder when most of the doctors are away as well. Thank goodness for SOS Médecins, who makes housecalls and téléconsultations. Beforehand, I’d stopped by the Cooperative du Beaufort, an excellent (if kind of expensive, by French standards) shop that represents and sells cheeses from the Savoie region, as well as other foods. Beaufort is a marvelously nutty mountain cheese made in huge rounds, which nowadays are cut by a machine, since the wheels are so thick.
I picked up huge slab of Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage that barely fit in my bike basket, which survived the bumpy ride home on the cobbled streets of the Latin Quarter, and arrived intact. Beaufort is a raw milk cheese that’s made from milk from cows who’ve grazed on grass and flowers at high altitudes during the summer, which is considered the highest quality. And this cheese was aged 18 months, which concentrates the flavor and natural sugar…although don’t count out the younger Beauforts and other cheeses, which retain more of the buttery character and flavor of the milk used to make them.
As part of my “keep it simple(r)” ethos, I’d ordered six dozen oysters (for 5 people) from Poiscaille, which sells sustainable seafood direct from the people who catch or raise it in France. They oysters came from the Île d’Oléron, in the west of France, and the flat Belon oysters came from Brittany. Unlike other meals, this one required almost zero prep, and since by Christmas, due to all the parties and pastries all month, everything appreciated something that wasn’t so heavy, but also spoke to the season. There was also hearty rye bread from Ten Belles bakery with salted butter, which is traditionally served with oysters in France, along with herbed sausages, bought from the butcher and griddled, which is a custom in the region around Bordeaux, but is always a surprise to Parisians. The warm, rich sausages are the perfect foil for the briny and cold oysters.
We also had bulots, sea whelks, which aren’t well-known in the States, but I know people who come to France and crave them. (And there are others who don’t.) Interestingly, I wrote up a post on how to prepare them but never posted it, thinking no one out there would make them. But that’s how I roll: I have an idea, obsess over it, then move on the next—so I will try to publish that in a bit, if anyone cares : )
I’d ordered coques (cockles), small, sweet clams which were sautéed in butter, olive oil, garlic, tarragon, and white wine, then tossed with fresh fettuccine. After the cheese course, then dove into boxes of chocolates from Charles Chocolate (a gift they brought to Paris with them for me - and I’m interested in their “Dubai Done Better” chocolate bars), La Maison du Chocolat, and La Manufacture de Chocolat Alain Ducasse. I’d also ordered a panettone infused with Chartreuse from their shop in Paris, which I had to pre-order a few months in advance. It was worth the wait, but I’ll admit to adding a little more Chartreuse to it, to taste (of course), as they say… 
Once Christmas was over, it was on to my birthday. Yes, I’m a late-December baby, but this year my birthday was brightened by a good friend of mine from Switzerland, who came to spend Christmas week with us. That week is a tough week to eat out in Paris as so many places in Paris are closed, but I was surprised to see Oobatz was open, who makes inarguably the best pizza in Paris, and some of the best you’ll get anywhere.
We also went to Aux Bons Crus and had a fun time there. They hew closely to French classics and I had a simple pot-au-feu, the traditional dinner of boiled beef, vegetables, and bone marrow. They serve it with a pot of eye wateringly-sharp Dijon mustard and coarse salt, and the only way for me to finish a meal there, is to end with a bowl of Île-Flottante; meringues floating in very cold crème anglaise topped with caramelized almonds. (My version of their recipe is in my next book, coming out next Fall. I’ll post more on that when I have more to share.)
We also got some pastries from a new (or new to me) pastry shop, Magnolia; a Pistachio Paris-Brest, on the left; pâte à choux with pistachio praline, toasted pistachios, and pistachio cream, and a Banoffe; banana cake, caramelized almonds, banana-passion fruit confit, caramel, and caramelized white chocolate mousse. And I finally went to Reÿs, which I mentioned in my round-up of Favorite Ice Cream Shops in Paris.
I was particularly intrigued (and a little concerned) about their Tzatziki ice cream, inspired by the Greek salad made with yogurt, cucumbers and garlic. I thought maybe they’d leave the garlic out of the ice cream, but the nice fellow scooping told me it was an aigre-doux (sweet/savory) ice cream, and gave me a taste. I’m not necessarily a fan of “far out” ice creams. I’m curious enough to try a spoonful of, say Clam-Shallot or Mortadella-Caper Chip ice cream, but I don’t necessarily want a whole bowl of it. The Tzatziki ice cream was interesting, and all the flavors were there, and mentioned it might be nice with a tomato salad to the scooper (who was the store manager), who agreed with me. Instead we had a scoop of Chocolate de pépé Charles (I know…a scoop of chocolate ice cream…boring!), but it was named after the owner’s grandfather, so how could I resist? And a scoop of Balade à Bangkok, Thai rice ice cream, with coconut milk and lemongrass.
I’d included a Rice ice cream in the first edition of my book The Perfect Scoop. As much as I tried, and tested (and tested and tested) the recipe, the rice was still a little chewy after churning. So I took it out of the revised and updated version of The Perfect Scoop (in spite of the messages I got from people who liked it…), to make room for new recipes.
For my birthday, Romain surprised me with this vintage “aide-memoire” which people in France used to use as shopping lists:
I like that you could add; 1) A visit to the bank, 2) Picking up alcohol, and 3) Buying shoe polish and, 4) Margarine. The other side has yogurt and suisses, as well as lard, mustard, and wine. And to add to my mini-collection of miniatures…
There’s a miniature glass wine and milk bottle, glasses (made of real glass), as well as tiny cake molds, a teeny Champagne bucket, and a demi baguette in the slicer. I placed a coin in the upper left so you could see the scale of everything. Along with the mini-cheese I found last summer, all I need is a dollhouse-sized kitchen to put them all into. Lastly, a lot of people talk about resolutions for the New Year. I don’t, and never have, made any (likely because I know I wouldn’t keep them), but I continue to think about something I learned recently, when someone offered to do a favor for me. In return, I asked what I could do for her. She said, “Nothing.” But I kept at it, suggested a few things, until she finally said, “David, don’t worry about it. Not everything has to be transactional.” I thought about that a lot this past year. Like tipping in France: it’s a gesture, but not expected. The exact amount isn’t important, it’s the gesture, which is a similar lesson I’ve had to learn, since I come from a deeply-ingrained tipping culture. So that’s what I continue to work on, and try not to think about everything in terms of this-for-that, no matter who is giving, or getting. -David
Links I’m Liking
10 (very good!) Questions to Ask Yourself if you want to move to a foreign country. (Living Elsewhere) I don’t agree that panettone is “the worst pastry on earth” but there are certainly the good ones, and yes, some bad ones. (The Atlantic/possible paywall) And yes…leftover panettone is a thing, and my Panettone bread pudding and Panettone French toast are great ways to use it. (Davidlebovitz.com) California vineyards ripping out vines as demand for wine decreases. (CBS) …Ditto in Bordeaux. (Politico) It’s the golden age of bakeries in America: 22 of the best. (NYT/article unlocked) French post office is offering French pâtisserie stamps, featuring macarons, tarte Tatin, éclairs, and other delicacies. (La Poste via Lauren Collins) First it was chocolate. And now it’s coffee prices that are set to rise. (CNBC)
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Wednesday, January 1, 2025
January 2025 Newsletter
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