Tasting Paris

December 18, 2017
Blogger and Paris native Dusoulier (Chocolate & Zucchini) paints a picture of Paris as a modern melting pot in this slender yet satisfying cookbook cum travel guide. She includes recipes for a restorative chicken broth with ginger and scallions from one of the city’s three Chinatowns, as well as a recipe for Armenian byorek pastries filled with pastrami and feta. There are classics such as profiteroles and steak frites, as well as updated versions of traditional dishes: a spoonful of miso paste lends umami to a vegetarian mushroom bourguignonne, and Earl Grey tea flavors madeleines. Adding charm to the book are descriptions of local businesses such as Poilâne, where the same family has baked crusty loaves of bread for two generations; Berthillon, where the third generation churns out artisanal ice cream; and the many Turkish sandwich trucks in the Faubourg Saint-Denis area. Sidebars clear up finer points of Parisian dining, including the difference between a brasserie and a bistro. Chapters are organized by time of day, so that one for afternoon treats, for instance, proffers light sweets, which are differentiated from dinner desserts. The setup can be a bit confusing at first, but it does ultimately lend reading this volume the same feel as of discovering something new while strolling down a city street.