Emily in France 🇫🇷 #CookForUkraine
Comfort food.
There are many words from many other people much better suited than I am to comment on what's going on in the world today. So I'm going to take a moment to shine a light on them, rather than say much of my own.
First off, Les Dames d'Escoffier France, of which I am proud to be a part, are joining the #CookforUkraine initiative spearheaded by a team including food writers Alissa Timoshkina and Olia Hercules to cook Ukrainian dishes and raise funds for Unicef. Cook your own comforting bowls and be sure to donate here.
Elsewhere, Chef José Andrés is feeding folks on the ground, whille one of my favorite local Parisian purveyors, Jean Hwang-Carrant, is baking cookies in the shape of a heart to raise funds to support Ukrainian communities.
Cheese of the Week
Since I'm currently in the UK, it seems only appropriate to share the Welsh Golden Cenarth, an award-winning semisoft cheese washed in cider. Relatively mild for the washed-rind category, it nevertheless boasts nutty, meaty aromas and boasts a buoyant, bouncy texture. It's delicious as-is, but it's also particularly tasty just barely warmed under the broiler on toast, when its flavors really come out to play.
To discover more of my favorite cheeses, be sure to follow me on Instagram @emily_in_france.
What I'm Eating
Contrary to what you might think, it can be tough to find a good cheese course in Paris these days (an issue I explored in far more depth for Whetstone). The gilded cheese trollies of yore are thin on the ground in modern Paris, and often, product-driven restaurants opt, instead, to serve one lonely – albeit excellent – piece on a plate: no choice, and no variety.
At Le Christine, however, this is far from the case, where one recent selection du moment included a buche-like goat, a sheep’s milk tomme, a phenomenal Camembert, and the most decadent Epoisses, accompanied by a generous line of lemony, citrusy salad perfect for cutting through the richness. More on the blog.
Discover more of my foodie finds via Instagram @emily_in_france.
What I'm Writing
1. In news that would have, had it appeared in fiction, certainly led readers to claim the story was a bit overwrought, after surviving the pandemic, beloved San Francisco bar P.C.H. burned to the ground in a horrible fire early last year. Now a phoenix rising from the proverbial ashes, the new P.C.H. may be better than ever before. For InsideHook.
2. Apple pie may not be as all-American as all that – and that's probably not the only misconception you're holding about the beloved dessert! More for Mashed.
3. From the archives: My London location has me thinking back to simpler times on the Bermondsey Beer Mile, which I explored (painstakingly... :-p) for Paste Magazine.
What I'm Saying
1. On the Terroir Podcast, Caroline and I spent last week talking about what's old in Provence – now let's delve into what's new! Vegetables that are surprisingly recent arrivals, the region's most famous – and perhaps most beloved – wine, and more, including a recipe for les petits farçis from none other than Rosa Jackson, owner of the Niçois cooking school of the same name. Listen here.
2. French culture is governed by a set of values: not just the libérté, égalité, fraternité formalized following the French Revolution, but also laïcité, culture générale, and more. Journalist Lily Radziemski recently attended a four-day integration course as part of her visa renewal process, and so she's perfectly positioned to chat with me about les valeurs françaises on this week's episode of Navigating the French.
What I'm Reading
1. I liked the idea of No. 91/92: A Diary of a Year on the Bus, which promised to explore moments over the course of 2015 – a year that was already filled with its share of unexpected heartache, particularly in Paris – via the morning commute. Maybe I expected more than Lauren Elkin hoped to deliver with this unedited glance back to a time with a resolutely different normal, but the reality, for me, fell flat. I had hoped to have a more overt juxtaposition with the here and now, in a way that Régine Robin did in Cybermigrances, or perhaps more of a rule-oriented structure, as in Elkin's inspiration of Georges Perec's Exercises de Style. Those who miss their commute may enjoy this one, but ultimately, it just wasn't for me.
2. This exploration of the somewhat intangible recipes for humble casseroles, so often cited upon the passing of loved ones, in the Washington Post.
3. This celebration of the Salish and Kootenai Tribes' reclaiming, after 113 years of fighting, the right to manage the National Bison Range for Civil Eats.
A bientôt !