December 2021 Newsletter

A recent NYT article asked the big question that we all seem to be asking ourselves these days: What day is it? I don’t know—I don’t remember either!                                                                                                                                                                                                        [December 2021 Newsletter]( [David Lebovitz]( Dec 1 [Comment]( [Share]( A recent NYT article asked the big question that we all seem to be asking ourselves these days: [What day is it](? As someone who has sent out a newsletter with the wrong year in the title (this one I triple-checked before I hit the “Send” button…), I thought I was going nuts when I couldn’t remember what day or year it was over the past year…or is it years? I don’t know—I don’t remember! It’s easy to blame memory loss on age, but I assert that we are like computers that come with a certain amount of memory installed, and if you put too much information in, our brains turn into a spinning disk. Unfortunately, I can’t upgrade my software so am doing to best I can with what came already installed in me. There’s no David v1.1 in the pipeline. Am I’ve learned to be fine with that. So if it’s happening to you too, don’t worry. The upside is that we don’t really need to remember everything. I mean, do you remember the year of the first lockdown? I don’t, although I think it was March. What year it was is anyone’s guess, but does it really matter if you know that? When I travel, people invariably ask, “When did you arrive?” or “When are you leaving?” (My world seems divided between people happy to see me…and those who are happy to see me leave.) Living in the land of paperasse (paperwork), I half expect people to ask me to produce a [dossier]( of supporting documents as well, which I always travel with. Some people travel with favorite toiletries, pillows or pajamas, or gifts for friends. I bring files of paperwork. I have a friend who is remarkably keen on remembering everyone’s birthday. There’s no one I admire more than him. The only way I can remember Romain’s birthday is that it’s on the paperwork I’m lugging around, so that’s a no-brainer for me. Speaking of travel, we had a great time heading the U.S. in November, which was Romain’s first trip since who-knows-when. I can’t remember the year international travel was banned. But I do remember making my great decision to travel on Thanksgiving Day. Upon arrival, the airport was deserted with none of the usual long lines to get into the country. We breezed through everything and I was thrilled at my travel acumen…until we went into a grocery store to get some essentials and I saw all the bags of stuffing and cranberries and realized I missed having a Thanksgiving Dinner. When I arrived in Paris way back when, for years, a group of us would gather for a Thanksgiving Dinner at someone’s house. Thanksgiving is a challenge in Paris as you need to track down cranberries, a whole turkey, and non DIYers seek out canned pumpkin. And then there’s having to explain why there are marshmallows melting on top of the purée of patatas douces (sweet potatoes), which even I don’t understand. I admit that I like them both, but I prefer each one served separately, and during different courses. To be honest, it’s not a meal that the French, uh…appreciate. Turkey is a tough sell, even though the heritage fermière breeds of turkey in France are more delicious than their pumped-up counterparts in the States. Even better, I learned that French butchers will spit-roast the turkey for you, along with the poulets rôtis (roast chicken) spinning outside of their shops, so you don’t have to worry how you’d stuff an entire turkey into a petit European oven, squeezed in with all the sides. That was a revelation. (One year we ordered a turkey while staying with friends in Provence, which seemed quite heavy and when we got it home, we realized the butcher had taken the liberty to stuff it. I was going to remove his stuffing and put in our usual bread and sage mix inside, but it was so professionally trussed that I didn’t want to touch it. And dang, if that wasn’t an amazing turkey…and the stuffing was incredible.) Another problem with Thanksgiving in France is that Thursday is a school night and since everyone has to go to work the next day, the fête/feast gets moved to the weekend. (To honor [the usual 1 - 2am departure time]( after a dinner party in Paris.) But if you mentioned to anyone in the States that you were moving the dinner to the weekend, it’d be hard to rouse any enthusiasm for having the dinner days later. So over the years Thanksgiving dinner was phased out. I’m thinking of stocking up on goodies to bring back to France for next year, to revive the tradition. But since [borders are locking down]( as we speak, we’ll see how that goes. Who knows? We still may be in the States this same time next year… As this year, 2021 (…right?) comes to a close, a bit of news: I’m planning to pivot much of my content to my newsletter. Yes, the one you’re reading right now. I will still be updating my blog, but less frequently, and will put more stories and recipes in this newswletter since it’s easier to write and share on this platform than on my blog where the technology keeps changing I can’t keep up anymore and frankly, I’m more interested in writing and sharing recipes. And while I enjoy social media, I’m less-enchanted that alogithms filters things out that I want to see and read, and what people who follow me want to see and read. When you [subscribe to a newsletter](, everything lands in your Inbox. Writing my newsletter reminds me of when food blogging started before I had to think about all that other stuff. Nowadays bloggers have freestanding studios, fly in photographers, and have teams of techies and recipe developers working on their blogs. I have no problem with any of that and it’s natural that people want to be more professional, but it’s not why I started my blog and not why I got into baking and cooking. Hence the pivot to here, where I can focus on what I love to do. The newsletter will still be free, but the paid version will have additional stories and recipes, and I’ll write about things that are more personal to me in the paid version, entre nous. If you want to update your subscription, you’re welcome to do so. But free subscribers will still be getting my monthly newsletter along with a couple more posts each month. So happy to have you either way : ) [Update My Subscription!]( Thanks! -David --------------------------------------------------------------- Links I’m Liking Jay Rayner argues [French food in London is better than in France](. Monsieur Rayner may still be smarting from the French onion soup [he had in Paris]( that was “…sticky, like the floor at a teenager’s party.” (The Guardian) [Apple Cider Doughnut Blondies]( may be a mouthful, but look easier than frying up donuts… (The Kitchn) Mon dieu! Ladurée macarons [no longer made in France](. (FranceInfo, in French) Car parked in the [same spot on Italian street for 47 years]( becomes a monument. (Insider) [Mare of Easttown]( is one of the best dramas I’ve seen in a while with incredible performances by the ensemble of leading women. [Hacks](, also starring Jean Sharp, is sharply hilarious and may be my favorite show of the year. And at the risk of sounding like an ad for HBOMax (I’m not…) [American Utopia]( is excellent too. (HBOMax) [In related news, I changed my VPN to [Strong]( (referral link) which has been great if you’re inside or outside the U.S. and looking for a [VPN](.] French Connections asks; [Is Paris dirty](? (France24, video) Spectacular [Soviet-era metro stations]( (NYT) U.S. Veep [gets flack]( for buying made in France, French cookware while on a diplomatic visit to France. (Newsweek) Apple hunter works to save [1000 heirloom varieties of apples](. (Atlas Obscura) [Share David Lebovitz Newsletter]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Recent Blog Posts and Recipes What to do for Christmas in Paris is a FAQ so [Emily](, who works with me, answered with a post on [How to celebrate Christmas in Paris](, giving a look at how the city dresses itself up for the big fête, how her family prepares for the holidays, and what to do in town if you’re coming for a visit. There are many ways to make the French classic [Poule au pot](, otherwise known as chicken in a pot. Before sheet pan or “one-pot” dinners, the French were doing it, ever since King Henry IV promised them “a chicken in every pot.” [Leave a comment]( I chatted with cookbook author [Kate Leahy]( about her new book Wine Style in an in-depth Q+A. We also talked about her life working with chefs on their cookbooks, and how she demystified wine to make drinking wine fun for all! (With recipes for meals and snacks to enjoy with wine too.) French cuisine is changing, for the better. (Yes, that’s possible.) Thomas and Farah at [Chanceux]( in Paris are ‘proof on the plate’ that the younger generation of French cooks’ commitment to showcasing the best of France is going stronger than ever. I had an incredible lunch there that included a brioche sandwich that I could only describe as “outstanding,” a word I reserve for those few times when it’s truly merited. And here, it was. This [Green Olive, Basil and Almond tapenade]( is an evergreen favorite. It’s super-easy, tastes terrific, the ingredients are easily available…and busy hostesses and hosts will be pleased to know that it can be made well in advance. In fact, it just gets better. This is great recipe to keep in your back pocket for upcoming holiday parties. --------------------------------------------------------------- If you’re getting this newsletter, you’re on the free subscriber list. Thanks for subscribing! Last month paid subscribers got a recipe for [Chocolate Mousse with Spiced Fruit Chutney]( and my first post about (gulp…) [Hunting For an Apartment in Paris]( (below)… David Lebovitz Newsletter[The hunt begins...?]( One thing the pandemic has made us realize is how important it is, and how much we value l’aire fraîche or fresh air. Covid or otherwise, the always-packed Paris café terraces are proof of how much people enjoy being in the great outdoors. Even if the fresh air is mixed with a haze of …[Read more]( 14 days ago · 149 likes · 73 comments · David Lebovitz If you’d like to upgrade your subscription, click on the link below… [Upgrade Your Subscription]( [Comment]( [Share]( You’re a free subscriber to [David Lebovitz Newsletter](. For the full experience, [become a paid subscriber.]( [Subscribe]( © 2021 David Lebovitz [Unsubscribe]( Room for Dessert, Inc. 12 Timber Creek Lane, Newark, DE 19711 [Publish on Substack](