Some of the recipes in this book include raw eggs. When eggs are consumed raw, there is always the risk that bacteria, which is killed by proper cooking, may be present. For this reason, always buy certified salmonella- free eggs from a reliable grocer, storing them in the refrigerator until they are served. Because of the health risks associated with the consumption of bacteria that can be present in raw eggs, they should not be consumed by infants, small children, pregnant women, the elderly, or any persons who may be immunocompromised. The author and publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects that may result from the use or application of the recipes and information contained in this book. Copyright © 2014 by David Lebovitz Photographs copyright © 2014 by Ed Anderson All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House LLC, a Penguin Random House Company, New York. www.crownpublishing.com www.tenspeed.com Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon are registered trademarks of Random House LLC All photographs are by Ed Anderson with the exception of those noted here: DL01, DL02 (center), and DL03 by David Lebovitz. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lebovitz, David. My Paris kitchen : recipes and stories / David Lebovitz. pages cm Summary: “A collection of stories and 100 sweet and savory French-inspired recipes reflecting the way modern Parisians eat today.”— Provided by publisher. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Cooking, French. 2. Cooking—France—Paris. 3. Lebovitz, David—Anecdotes. 4. Cooking—France—Paris— Anecdotes. 5. Food habits—France—Paris—Anecdotes. 6. Paris (France—Social life and customs—Anecdotes. I. Title. TX719.L4237 2014 641.5944—dc23 2013032561 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-60774-267-8 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-60774-267-8 eBook ISBN: 978-1-60774268-5 v3.1 Introduction Ingredients Equipment Appetizers MIS-EN-BOUCHE First Courses ENTRÉES Main Courses PLATS Sides ACCOMPAGNEMENTS Desserts LES DESSERTS Pantry INGRÉDIENTS DE BASE Sources Acknowledgments About the Author Index Introduction THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE I FACED WHEN SETTING UP MY FIRST full-scale kitchen in Paris was not calculating where to put the oven in relation to the refrigerator or what kind of fancy countertops I should have. It was not deciding what kind of flooring to install or where I would store my pots and pans. Or even whether my oven should be gas or electric. It was the sink. After a decade of living in France, I had finally made the decision to buy a place to call my own. People always assumed that I had a designer-style expansive chef’s kitchen, when I actually worked on a kitchen counter the size of a chessboard. Moving bowls and pots and pans around, I was persistently checkmated by the limited space. Sometimes I would empty the contents of a mixing bowl, then stand there holding the bowl suspended in mid-air, wondering where I would—or even if I could—put it down. (Many times I had no choice but to open the window and put it on the roof.) The temperature in the faltering oven fluctuated haphazardly a hundred degrees in either direction, which required me to stand guard while a batch of cookies baked away, fiddling with the knobs like a crazed person searching for just the right radio station, to make sure my chocolate chip cookies would be perfectly baked. (And it didn’t help that sometimes I had to use a chair to hold the door closed, either.) Yet, somehow, in that inevitable way that people adapt to their circumstances, whatever and wherever they are, I made it work. It was hard to complain when many of my friends in Paris had apartments without ovens—or even kitchens. (And some didn’t have bathrooms, either, requiring them to use a communal WC shared with neighbors on the same floor. So I guess I got lucky when I rented that first apartment sight unseen.) How did I end up in this semi-functional kitchen? When I first arrived all those years ago and was searching for a place to live, I saw a listing for a chambre de bonne (maid’s quarters) that was, admittedly, très charmante. And I sent off my deposit. When I arrived, I learned that in the multicultural jargon of real estate, charmante meant charming (in either language), but it was also quite cozy (i.e., small). I was enthralled by the Eiffel Tower standing majestically in front of me, and I loved being able to see right into the historic Place des Vosges, which was just down the street. However the