GOOD TASTES.COOKBOOK SAMPLER Consider these cookbooks for holiday gift-giving FRENCH DESSERTS: Take a trip to the City of Light with ``Paris Sweets: Great Desserts From the City's Best Pastry Shops,'' by Dorie Greenspan (Broadway Books; $26). Greenspan, who divides her time between homes in Manhattan and Paris' Left Bank, takes cooks behind the scenes and on a tour of 17 of the city's best pastry and bread shops (including La Maison du Chocolat, Lenotre, Laduree, Patisserie pa·tis·se·rie n. A bakery specializing in French pastry. [French pâtisserie, from Old French pastiserie, from pasticier, to make pastry, from *pastitz, Lerch, Patisserie Arnaud Larher, Fauchon and Pierre Herme Paris), which makes for some delicious reading. It's a record of 30 years of the author's discoveries. Among the book's 50 recipes, you'll find cookies, tarts, cakes, pastries and other fabulous desserts. What you may find surprising (and welcome) is that many of the recipes appear to be easily doable for home cooks - and in many cases don't require lengthy ingredient lists. Greenspan has adapted and streamlined cherished recipes, many of which bakers had never parted with before. Lucky us! The stories about the shops and the notes accompanying the recipes are charming and will give you a glimpse into the tempting Paris pastry scene. The illustrations are lovely, too. Particularly useful are the author's comments at the end of each recipe under the heading ``An American in Paris
An American in Paris is a symphonic composition by American composer George Gershwin, composed in 1928. .'' For instance, in one case she gives shortcuts for how to cheat in making a cake while in another she tells you how to change the flavor of a cake or garnish or serve it in a special way. Greenspan hopes the creations will bring as much joy to home bakers and their friends as it has to her. Next time you're in Paris, these shops may be calling to you! - Natalie Haughton PEPPERMINT peppermint: see mint. peppermint Strongly aromatic perennial herb (Mentha piperita, mint family), source of a widely used flavouring. Native to Europe and Asia, it has been naturalized in North America. BARK Quality Candy's King Leo Chocolate Peppermint Bark is in stores just in time for holiday gift-giving (or to indulge in yourself). It consists of a layer of peppermint-flavored dark chocolate topped with a layer of white chocolate and then sprinkled with red and white peppermint candy bits (reminiscent of candy canes). If you like peppermint, you're bound to love this candy - it tastes terrific and looks so festive. Look for 1-pound red metal boxes (with a lion on it) of the candy ($19.95) at Restoration Hardware and Saks Fifth Avenue Saks Fifth Avenue is a chain of upscale American department stores that is owned and operated by Saks Fifth Avenue Enterprises (SFAE), a subsidiary of Saks Incorporated. It competes in the elite luxury department store market with Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Barneys New stores. - N.H. FREEBIE LEAFLETS If you're looking for some different stuffing ideas to use throughout the holiday season, you might like a copy of International Stuffing Recipes Ideas for the Festive Holidays by Mrs. Cubbison's. Among the recipes in the brochure are Taste of Italy Dressing, Four Onion Stuffing, Stuffin' Mexicali Caliente and Martin Yan's Chinese Ginger-Sesame Dressing. Mrs. Cubbison's Foods Inc. is also offering a How to Cook A Turkey brochure. For free copies of both, send a self-addressed stamped envelope A self-addressed stamped envelope (SASE), or just stamped addressed envelope (SAE) in the UK, is often just that: an envelope with the sender's name and address on it, with affixed paid postage and mailed to a company or private individual. to Recipes, FE, P.O.Box 48051, Los Angeles, CA 90048. - N. H. DINING OUT With a dinner menu emphasizing chef Andrew DeGroot's ocean-fare dishes, the new, upscale Avenue restaurant opened last week in Beverly Hills on the site of the ill-fated Mistral Mis·tral , Frédéric 1830-1914. French writer and leader in the revival of Provençal as a literary language. He shared the 1904 Nobel Prize for literature. mis·tral n. , a clone of the Valley's successful French bistro of the same name. Now, with flossy floss·y adj. floss·i·er, floss·i·est 1. Superficially stylish; slick: wrote flossy articles about the lifestyles of the rich. 2. Of, relating to, or resembling floss. interior and exterior decor by restaurant designer of the moment Dodd Mitchell, Avenue's chef cooks a trio of pan-seared fish (Pacific John Dory, wild Scottish salmon, North Sea whitefish) priced from $25 to $28 and Hawaiian onaga, Mediterranean monkfish monkfish Any of 10–12 species (genus Squatina, family Squatinidae) of sharks having a flattened head and body, with winglike pectoral and pelvic fins that make them resemble rays. The tail bears two dorsal fins, and behind each eye is a prominent spiracle. and Maine diver scallops ($27 to $30), all with interesting accompaniments. Beef, pork, lamb and chicken entrees ($24 to $38) round out the main- course offerings. DeGroot's dozen starters/appetizers include a venison venison (vĕn`ĭzən) [O.Fr.,=hunting], term formerly applied to the flesh of any wild beast or game hunted and used for food but now restricted to the flesh of members of the deer family. dish ($16), butternut-pumpkin lobster bisque bisque 1 n. 1. a. A rich, creamy soup made from meat, fish, or shellfish. b. A thick cream soup made of puréed vegetables. 2. Ice cream mixed with crushed macaroons or nuts. ($10), sauteed Mediterranean langoustines ($16), rice-dusted sweetbreads Noun 1. sweetbreads - edible glands of an animal sweetbread organs, variety meat - edible viscera of a butchered animal ($15) and warm hamachi This article is about the computer networking software. For the Japanese fish and sushi ingredient, see Japanese amberjack. Hamachi is a centrally-managed zero-configuration virtual private network (VPN) freeware application capable of establishing direct and osetra caviar envelopes ($18). There is also a chef's tasting menu for the entire table at $95 per person, $150 with wine pairings. Avenue, located at 301 N. Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, is open for lunch, dinner and cocktails daily. Reservations: (310) 275-2900. - Larry Lipson CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Quality Candy's King Leo Chocolate Peppermint Bark) Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer (2) no caption (Book: ``Paris Sweets: Great Desserts From the City's Best Pastry Shops'') (3) no caption (Leaflet: International Stuffing Recipes Ideas for the Festive Holidays) |
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