From the Author
I'm really excited about My Paris Kitchen, a collection of my favorite recipes that I make in my kitchen in Paris. There's everything from simple appetizers like crisp, salted almond-olive "cookies" to nibble on with wine before dinner, to salads with creamy garlic dressing and others flavored with fresh herbs, rich cheese spreads, and fresh vegetables I find in the outdoor market of Paris.
Main courses range from caramel ribs to an effortless version of the famed duck confit, with the shatteringly crisp skin. There's a Cassoulet, the famed bean and meat dish from Gascony, and my favorite version of the bistro classic - le steak-frites - that anyone can make at home in a skillet.Dessert (and chocolate) are prominently featured, and there are éclairs filled with hazelnut praline cream, a rich terrine made of bittersweet chocolate with fresh ginger sauce, and an amazing bittersweet chocolate tart with a layer of creamy-sweet dulce de leche hidden underneath a slick of deep-dark chocolate.
Included in the book are lots of stories about Paris, and Parisian culture, and it's filled with pictures from the streets, bistros, cafés, pastry shops, and bakeries in the city. And of course, of my Paris kitchen as well!
About the Author
DAVID LEBOVITZ has been a professional cook and baker for most of his life; he spent nearly thirteen years at Berkeley's Chez Panisse until he left the restaurant business in 1999 to write books. He is the author of six books, including My Paris Kitchen, The Sweet Life in Paris, and The Perfect Scoop. David has been featured in Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Cook's Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, Saveur, Travel + Leisure, the New York Times, and more. He moved to Paris in 2004 and turned davidlebovitz.com into one of the first phenomenally popular food and living blogs.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Black Olive Tapenade
Tapenade Noire
Serves 6 to 8
This was the first tapenade I ever made, and it is still my go-to recipe. The best olives to use are the slightly wrinkled black olives from Nyons; or, if you have the patience for pitting teensy Niçoise olives, they’re marvelously oily and are the base for a wonderful bowl of tapenade. Other olives work well, too, but if they’re very salty, rinse them in cold water and pat them dry before using them.
One way to pit olives is to squish them under your thumb or use the side of a broad knife blade, with the blade held parallel to the table (i.e., not facing up), and rap it down briskly to release the pit from the olive meat. Be sure to wear a dark shirt or kitchen apron since the pits like to celebrate their liberté in a very “far-reaching” way.
Tapenade can be spread on Herbed goat cheese toasts. Pastis is the classic accompaniment, although I never developed a taste for the anise-scented
elixir that mysteriously turns cloudy when water is added to dilute its high-test taste and strength. I opt for chilled rosé.
1-1/2 cups (210g) black olives, pitted
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and squeezed dry
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
2 anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
Sea salt or kosher salt (optional)
1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the olives, garlic, capers, thyme, anchovies, lemon juice, and mustard a few times to start breaking them down.
2. Add the olive oil and run the food processor until the mixture forms a slightly chunky paste. The tapenade shouldn’t need any salt, but taste and add a sprinkle if necessary. The tapenade will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
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