Friday 27 April 2012

BUON COMPLEANNO MAMMA!

Benché sia oggi il compleanno di mia mamma i festeggiamenti sono stati fatti la settimana scorsa, quando io ho fatto un salto a Udine a trovarla. 
Visto che a Parigi non ho spesso l'occasione di mangiare piatti della tradizione friulana e carnica (mia mamma é chiargnele) mia mamma ha deciso di organizzare la festa di compleanno alla Trattoria La Vedova, uno dei migliori ristoranti di Udine e dintorni, specializzato nei piatti regionali e nella carne alla brace
La nomea che si é fatta la Vedova é meritata. Dalla deco alla cucina, tutto é degno di nota. Impressionanti corna di ogni tipo di cervide sono appese alle pareti e dal soffitto pendono lampadari la cui struttura é anch'essa formata da corna, intrecciate come una corona dalle cui punte pendono le lampadine. Trona nella sala principale l'immenso fogolar in cui vengono arrostiti polli, bistecche, braciole e spiedini. Il tepore e l'odore di bruciacchiato rendono l'atmosfera ancora più conviviale.
Tra mamma, zio e compagnia bella eravamo in sei attorno alla tavola, il che mi ha dato l'opportunità di allungare la forchetta di qua e di la per assaggiare i vari piatti.

Tra i vari antipasti gli Asparagi con Scaglie di Grana e il Prosciutto d'Oca erano davvero deliziosi. Gli asparagi, leggermente croccanti, avevano conservato il loro bel colore verde intenso e il sapore un po' "selvatico"; le scaglie di Grana fini come un velo ne hanno esaltato il sapore (Dio solo sa quante volte degli asparagi sono stati letteralmente uccisi da una mano troppo pesante di Grana!). Del Prosciutto d'Oca (saporito, morbido, con quel suo grasso bianco bianco che si scioglie piacevolmente sui crostini tiepidi...) ne avremmo avuto volentieri una fetta o due di più nel piatto......( a buon intenditor poche parole).

Asparagi con Scaglie di Grana

Tra i primi, le medaglie d'oro, d'argento e di bronzo vanno tutte ai Cjarsons Dolci e Salati. Piatto tipico  della Carnia, questa specie di raviolo ha due caratteristiche principali: la pasta é fatta con le patate (un po' come quella degli gnocchi) e il ripieno é costituito da erbette spontanee, patate, uvetta e cannella. Dopo essere stati lessati in acqua bollente e salata i cjarsons vengono conditi con burro fuso e ricotta affumicata. Oggi la pasta viene fatta il più delle volte con acqua e farina e spesso il ripieno tradizionale viene modificato e reso meno dolce (se non veramente salato). La Vedova vanta dei cjarsons 100% tradizionali, dalla pasta di patate al ripieno: UNA MERAVIGLIA!

Data la fama della Vedova per le carni alla brace, una volta arrivati al secondo ci siamo tutti lanciati sulla Tagliata con Pomodorini e Rucola e sulla Braciola di Vitello. Alla griglia, ovviamente. Un po' delusa dalla tagliata, tenera ma decisamente troppo cotta per i miei gusti (quando chiedo una bistecca "molto al sangue" mi aspetto di vedere il sangue...) La braciola invece era da leccarsi i baffi: carne tenerissima, saporita e cotta alla perfezione

Che compleanno é se non ci sono i dolci?!?!
Sapete cosa? Forse forse tra tutto quello che ho mangiato alla Vedova quello che mi é piaciuto di più sono proprio i dessert! Nessuno ne parla e non capisco perché! Dal Semifreddo alle Mandorle e Caramello alla Mousse au Chocolat, dalla Sfoglia con Fragole e Chantilly alla Pannacotta con Coulis di Frutti di Bosco, fino al Semifreddo d'Arancia con Nocciole ... TUTTI ERANO UN PEZZETTO DI PARADISO SULLA LINGUA! 
E oltre ad essere buoni erano pure belli, voilà qualche foto:

Pannacotta con Coulis di Frutti di Bosco

Sfoglia con Fragole e Chantilly

Semifreddo di Mandorle e Caramello

Mousse au Chocolat

Semifreddo all'Arancia e Nocciole

I camerieri devono essersi resi conto che i dessert hanno riscosso un enorme successo al nostro tavolo: il  Semifreddo all'Arancia e Nocciola é stato offerto a tutti dalla casa!


Voto: 8 (dei cjarsons così meritano da soli un 8!)


via Tavagnacco, 9
33100 Udine
Tel. 0432 470291
Chiuso domenica sera e lunedì






Tuesday 24 April 2012

Pitter Keller's Beer and Lamb


“7pm, time for a drink!” … I’m Italian and I love to have an aperitivo before dinner. True is that I don’t drink alcohol very often, my drink is just DietCoke with ice and lemon… but still, I like sitting in a nice bar at around 7pm to sip my soda, chat, observe the other costumers…
During my stay in Salzburg my boyfriend and I discovered a nice Gasthof–Bierhaus near the Mirabell Gardens: Pitter Keller.




Opened in 1911, this underground Bierhaus (=beer cellar) is decorated with traditional Austrian furniture that makes the atmosphere warm and casual. I love the big and heavy dark brown wood tables or the checked napkins!
The first time we came here we were dead tired so we stopped only for a drink a to rest our poor legs before walking to the hotel. But since the waiter left the menu on the table we had the opportunity to take a look at it… and decide that before leaving Salzburg we had to come back to Pitter Keller for dinner! The night before leaving we came back and we stuffed ourselves! Yes, stuffed! Because at Pitter Keller the servings are HUGE! From the snacks to the main courses and from the soups to the desserts, everything here is kind of “supersized”! I don’t mind it if the food is good, and here it is: the Brezel with Obazda (=Bavarian cheese mixture that tastes like Camemebert seasoned with paprika) was REALLY GOOD! I love creamy cheese, it’s taste of butter, its soft texture… and it goes very well with the “rough” taste of the Brezel! Thank God that we ordered only one serving: there was enough cheese in one serving to feed 4 people!
Since it was “Lamb Week”, both my boyfriend and I had Lamb as main course. He chose the Braised Leg of Lamb with Vegies and Rösti. The meat was so tender and well cooked that melted in mouth! Juicy and tasty, a joy ride for the taste buds! The vegies were al dente and the rösti crispy outside and soft inside but nothing special.

Braised Leg of Lamb with Vegies and Rösti
I chose the Grilled Back of Lamb with Vegies and Croquettes. The meat was very tender and juicy too but not as tasty as the one of the leg. More, the subtle taste of the grilled meat would have gone well with some grilled vegetables or some salad… unfortunately my vegies were the same as the one for the braised leg: cooked into the sauce of the braised leg!!! Well… I’ll remember to ask for a salad next time…


Grilled Back of Lamb with Vegies and Croquettes
Even if I was quite full after the main course I wanted to order a dessert. It was my last evening in Salzburg and during my stay I didn’t get the chance to eat a piece of Topfenstrudel… so when I read Topfenstrudel with Vanilla Icecream on the menu I had to order it! It was PERFECT: the dough was thin like a veil, the stuffing warm, soft, not too sweet and airy… heaven!

Topfenstrudel with Vanilla Icecream




PITTER KELLER
Auerspergstresse 23
520 Salzburg
Austria






Sunday 22 April 2012

Diner Chez les Cerfs

 L'Hotel-Gasthof Zum Hirschen (=Chez les Cerfs) occupe un joli bâtiment de la fin du 16ème siècle, à deux pas du Hotel Belmondo (où j'ai passé mes trois nuits "salzbourgiennes").
Ayant passé toute la mâtiné à Hellbrunn et l'après-midi sur le sommet du Untersberg Mountain mon copain et moi, on n'avait pas vraiment envie de passer la soirée au centre-ville à la recherche d'un restaurant. Affamés et morts de fatigue, quand l'on a vu qu'il y avait une Gasthof à 200m de l'hôtel on n'a pas réfléchi deux fois avant de franchir la porte d'entré.
La carte avait l'air très traditionnelle (Wienerschnitzel, Goulasch, Paillarde, Apfel et Topfenstrudel, Knödels, etc etc.) ma la salle assez grande et à moitié vide nous à fait frissonner: à Paris un restaurant qui ne fait pas salle pleine ne survit pas plus d'une année! Mais ici on à Salzbourg: malgré la salle presque vide le diner à été très bon et gai. Le serveur souriant et bavard nous à servi une Paillarde avec Légumes du Marché et une Wienerschnitzel avec Pommes de Terre au Persil et Sauce de Cannaberges tendres et savoureuses. 
Certes, ne sont pas des mets d'haute cuisine mais franchement la viande était excellente, et les Légumes du Marché assaisonnés de façon aussi subtile qu'ils gardaient leur bonne "saveur de légume" (bien trop souvent on rajoute autant d'épices qu'on n'arrive plus à dire si l'on est en train de mâcher une carotte ou une pois-mange-tout!). 


Wienerschnitzel avec Pommes de Terre au Persil et Sauce de Canneberge


Paillarde avec Légumes du Marché


Vu la dimension pantagruélique des plats on n'a pris qu'un seul dessert qu'on a partagé: un délicieux Apfelstrudel avec Crème Anglaise. C'est bien plus difficile de ce que l'on ne croit de trouver un BON Apfelstrudel: souvent la pâte n'est pas assez fine (=elle est mouillé par le jus des pommes); parfois il y a trop de cannelle (=la saveur des autres ingrédients disparait); ou encore les pommes ne sont pas assez sucrées ou assez cuites (une farce aigrelette se peut compenser avec de la crème anglaise mais des pommes presque crues sont simplement immondes!). L'Apfelstrudel du Gasthof Zum Hirschen est l'un des meilleurs que j'ait jamais mangé: la pâte fine fine et bien cuite cache une farce de pommes raisins et noix cuite, sucré et aromatisé à la perfection. La crème anglaise que copain a rajouté à sa partie du gâteau avait un délicat parfum de vanille et une consistance aussi soyeuse et légère qu'elle ne cachait pas du tout les autres saveurs mais bien les rehaussait. Je suis une "puriste" du Apfelstrudel, je l'aime nature, mais je dois avouer que quelque larme de cette crème lui allait vraiment bien!
Malheureusement l'estomac à été plus vite que le cerveau: pas de photos de ce merveilleux dessert! 
... Ça sera pour la prochaine fois, car je compte bien faire une halte Aux Cerfs (Zum Hirschen) la prochaine fois que je passe pour Salzburg!



HOTEL-GASTHOF ZUM HIRSCHEN 
Saint-Julien-Starsse, 21-23
5020 Salzburg
Autriche (Österreich)





Friday 20 April 2012

Hellbrunn Palace: Water Games and Lunch in the Sun

I'm 25 but I'm still a kid: I love fairy tales, flowers, gardens, swans and legends. That's why one of the things I like the most in Salzburg is the Hellbrunn Palace and its jeux d'eau (water games). 
This magnificent palace is only 20 mins away from Salzburg city center, you can get there with the bus 25: you really should go there if you stop in Salzburg. 
The palace and its gardens have been built in the 17th century by the prince-archbishop Markus Sittikus. Sittikus discovered the jeux d'eau during his stays in Italy. He created his own water games in Hellbrunn's gardens and adapted them to his sense of humor: each game is studied to be a practical joke to be performed on Sittikus' guests.
The water games aren't the only thing you can find in this wonderful summer residence: there are also many grottos, each of them dedicated to a particular mythological legend

After having spent the morning enjoying the gardens, my boyfriend and I decided to sit in the sun at the Hellbrunn's Gasthof to have a bite. 
Usually, I don't "trust" this kind of restaurants: you pay the view and the place, not the food, which is pretty industrial and tasteless.
But this time I was wrong: the "Menu of the Day" at 16€ was delicious! 
The Creamy Wild Garlic Soup tasted just right: creamy but not heavy, tasty but not salted, and its nice "spring-green" color was emphasized by the white china bowl.

Creamy Wild Garlic Soup

After the soup I had some Boiled Beef with Rösti and Spinach. The meat was very tender and the rösti homemade (often in France you get frozen rösti or frozen pommes dauphines at the restaurant! Yuck!) but unfortunately the spinach were puréed... I'd have preferred some spinach leafs sautéed with garlic, more suited to a earthy dish like the boiled beef.

Boiled Beef with Rösti and Spinach
The French Chocolate Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce and Vanilla Icecream was HEAVEN! When I read "French Cake" on the menu I was afraid to get some chocolate&cream-loaded cake, hard to swallow after a starter and a main course and even harder to digest. Luckly I was mistaking again (I like this kind of mistakes!): The "French Cake" was a moelleux au chocolate perfectly cooked (rich and moist). The slightly sour taste of the Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce was perfect to balance the rich and sweet French Cake. 

French Chocolate Cake with Starwberry-Rhubarb Sauce and Vanilla Icecream




What a wonderful day!
I hope I'll be able to come back to Hellbrunn very soon!






Tuesday 17 April 2012

Meaty lunch in Salzburg


Today, after my "Apfelstrudel-Breakfast" I decided to go visit the Festung Hohensalzburg. This is a fortress that has been built in the 11th century and it has saved as a fortification and temporary residence of the prince archbishops for many years. It has also served as military barracks and a prison. Sinc exit's situated on a hill you can get there by funicular. I went up with the funicular but descended by foot: it's a very nice walk and since it's downhill it's not heavy at all!

Once back to the city center it was around 1pm so my boyfriend and me, we decided to look for something to eat... and near our hotel we found the MUNDENHAMER RESTAURANT


Serving typical Austrian food, this nice place made the happiness of two starved tourists: GOOD FOOD,  FRIENDLY SERVICE and HONEST PRICES!

My boyfriend took the Grilled Duck Breast with Creamy Red Cabbage and Bread Dumplings. The duck was a bit overcooked but it was still very tender and juicy. The dumplings were just delicious, slightly buttered and roasted, they were perfect to dip into the creamy sauce of the cabbage.

Grilled Duck Breast with Creamy Red cabbage and Bread Dumplings

I had the Three Grilled Steaks with Fresh Vegetables. One of the steaks was a piece of grilled chicken breast, very tasty and juicy; then there was a piece of pork cutlet that was very good too (really tender!). And in the end a piece of beef steak, which was a bit overcooked but still very tasty (they must have let it marinate to make it so tasty, but I'm not sure...) 

Three Grilled Steaks with Fresh Vegetables

I really enjoyed this lunch, I wish I could take also a dessert but I was so stuffed after the big main course that even a mint would have made me explode! This just to tell you that you won't leave the restaurant hungry, believe me! even Shrek could find his joy and satisfaction at Mundenhamer's!

Just one last thing: remember that in Austria the service is not included! The tip is not obligatory but... it's always very welcome!



Restaurant Mundenhamer
Rainerstraße 2 
5020 Salzburg
Tel.: +43(0)662/ 87 56 93





Trip to Salzburg: Day 1

Good morning everyone!

I've left my Mom's house to spend a couple of days in Austria.
My home town, Udine, is only 1h away from Austria so when I lived here I used to spend there at least a day every week. I like a lot the Austrian lifestyle: they are more polite than Italians and Parisians, they are also less stressed (and stressful!) too! More, the gorgeous mountains, trees and valleys that they have here make this country really special to me.



Since I grew up eating Austrian food I find it delicious! Not only the pastries and the Mozart Chocolates, I like EVERYTHING! I can't understand those who tell me that Austrian food is just potatoes and sausages: it's not! There are soups and grilled meats, roasts and vegetables, gratins and much, much more!

I got in Salzburg yesterday night and today I got up very early,  CRAVING OF AN APFELSTRUDEL SO BAD!!!!!! 
I didn't have to walk to much to find a very good one: just around the corner of my hotel there is a nice  Konditorei (=bakery) that makes a DELICIOUS APFELSTRUDEL and also a VERY GOOD COFFEE (a large black coffee here is called Grosser Schwarzer).

Apfelstrudel

Black Coffee&Newspaper






Sunday 15 April 2012

Italian Breakfast at Mommy's

Paris-Treviso-Udine: I'm back in Italy! At my Mom's!!!

The weather is crappy but I don't care as long as I can spend my days with those I love.

After having slept like a baby (9 hours!) I went in the kitchen and discovered a nice surprise: Galletti Cookies and Banana Yogurt! That's what I used to eat when I was a kid! Now I don't drink Vanilla Tea for breakfast anymore, I need my huge cup of black coffee to start the day but it was still a pleasure to let melt on the mouth the Galletti and enjoy the regressive smell and taste of the sweet Banana Yogurt.





My mother knows what I like more than everyone else: look at the cute table cloth! I love it!  Everything tastes better when you take extra care of the presentation :)



Friday 13 April 2012

Italian Easter Lunch (a week later...)



What do people eat to celebrate Easter?

In Italy the traditional foods are: eggs, lamb (usually grilled or roasted), asparagus, colomba (="dove", it's a sweet bread, similar to panettone, shaped like a dove) and chocolate.

Here in Paris my studio is way too small to roast a whole lamb shoulder or bake an home-made colomba...but every year I manage to fix a nice Italian Easter Lunch.
This year I've twisted it with a French touch: instead of the eggs, Maigret de Canard on Spinach Sprouts as appetizer! But all the rest followed the tradition: Costolette d'Agnello Scottadito (="grilled lamb chops") with Steamed Asparagus and Sautéed Zucchini and a nice Easter Egg filled with Chocolates.

Take a look at the pictures and tell me if it doesn't look delicious!

Maigret de Canard on Spinach Sprouts


Grilled Lamb Chops, Steamed Asparagus & Sautéed Zucchini

Dark Chocolate Easter Egg filled with Chocolates 


I bought the Easter Egg at BENOIT CHOCOLATS (75, rue Saint-Antoine, 75004 Paris) and it was REALLY GOOD! Their CONCERTO  chocolate made them win in 2010 the prize for THE BEST GANACHE. Believe me, that ganache is almost heaven! You definitely should step into their shop if you are in Saint Paul one of these days....



Wednesday 11 April 2012

Que du bon chez Manon!


Au 25 rue de Bretagne il y avait une fois La Fougasse, boulangerie fameuse dans tout le Haut Marais pour ses riches croissants au beurre qui fondaient sur la langue bouché après bouché.... maintenant au 25 rue de Bretagne il y a CHEZ MANON et si les les croissant n'arrivent pas à rivaliser avec ceux d'avant le reste des pâtisseries y arrivent sans soucis! Certaines sont mêmes meilleures (ancienne fan de La Fougasse, jamais j'aurais imaginé dire cela un jour!).
Avant hier j'ai gouté leur BROWNIE AUX NOIX DE PECAN et leur TARTELETTE AU CITRON:  TRÈS BON L'UN ET L'AUTRE!
Brownie aux Noix de Pecan & Tartelette au Citron

Mon copain, "expert" des brownies, trouve Le Brownie de Manon bien moist (=moelleux), aux éclats de noix de pecan assez gros, pas trop doux donc pas écoeurant (malheureusement le 80% des brownies sont écoeurants...) et le topping (=nappage, glaçage) de cream cheese&chantilly aromatisé à la vanille donne une touche française à ce délicieux gâteaux américain.

Note: 8/10!

Brownie aux Noix de Pecan



De mon côté, aimante de la pâte sablée, j'ai tout de suite remarqué que celle de la base de la Tartelette au Citron de Manon est fine et friable, au léger goût de beurre et sucre qui se marie aussi bien avec la crème au citron que te donne envie d'en manger deux de suite! 
(Enfin, bref, ça ME donne l'envie d'en manger deux de suite..........)

Note: 7.8/10

Tartelette au Citron










Friday 6 April 2012

I LOVE Millie's Cookies!



As I told you some days ago in my post about COOKIES, there aren't many GOOD COOKIE SHOPS in Paris. But MILLIE'S COOKIES IS ONE OF THEM!
I definitely LOVE their cookies: they are crispy outside and moist inside, exactly the way I like them.
There are many different flavors, from the more classics like Choc Chip (white, black and milk) and Oatmeal&Raisins to the more particular ones like Banoffee and Orange&Chocolate.
Orange&Chocolate and Oatmeal&Raisins are those I like the most! (I would't recommend you the Cherry ones, they really taste...euh...wierd...)

Here you can find some pictures of my Millie's Cookies Menu (Black Coffee+2 Cookies=4,20€)

Oatmeal&Raisins Cookies and Milk Choc Chip Cookie

Black Coffee and Milk Choc Chip Cookie

A closer look to the Oatmeal&Raisins Cookies

B&W Breakfast

I indulge pretty often in eating these delicious cookies, and with no harm to my waistline because one cookie has only more or less 200Kcals : not that much for such a great treat! 

In Paris you can find the Millie's Cookies Stands at the underground stations Opera, Gare de Lyon and République.

ENJOY!!!








Wednesday 4 April 2012

Vietnamese Dinner in Chinatown



Did you know that in Vietnam people used to speak French?
I had no idea that the Vietnam was an old French colony! I discovered that the French started having relationships with Vietnam (and Indochina) pretty early, at the beginning of the 17th century! I've always thought that it was the English who went over there that early and that the French had their colonies only in India... I'm such an ignorant!
It's thanks to a taxi driver that I discovered all the history of the French colonization in Vietnam. Pretty cool to go home from the airport and on the way enjoy a history class, isn't it? 

Since then (something like two years ago) I've started being attracted by Vietnam culture and gastronomy. 
(Well, maybe I'm more attracted by the Viet food than by the Viet culture...)

Here in Paris there is a little Chinatown, down in the 13th Arrondissement (Olympiades).
Thanks to my boyfriend I've discovered one of the BEST VIETNAMESE RESTAURANTS OF PARIS : PHO BIDA VIETNAM.
If you pass by this restaurant you won't pay much attention to it, it looks like all the other chino-viet-thai restaurants of the block. But it's not! Their PHO is huge, the broth clear and aromatic and the choice of different varieties (raw beef, cooked beef, meatballs, vegetarian,...) can make anyone happy.
Besides the PHO they have some DELICIOUS RICE&MEAT DISHES like the one that you can see in the picture:

Steamed Riche and Grilled Crispy Pork


That dish is made of Steamed Rice and Grilled Pork. The pieces of pork are cut in very thin slices, they are quite fatty so once grilled they are crispy (more or less like bacon stripes).
I've tasted also the Steamed Rice with Grilled Chicken and Beef which is very good too!

The prices for a bowl of Pho is around 8€ (the big bowl). The other dishes cost about the same (from 8 to 10€). 

I LOVE PHO BIDA VIETNAM!!!


PHO BIDA VIETNAM
36, rue Nationale, 75013 Paris





Monday 2 April 2012

Chez Gosselin on s'ÉCLAIRcit les idées!

Éclair à la violette (Pâtisserie Gosselin)


J'aime beaucoup les Lundis: une nouvelle semaine pleine de surprises commence, comment ne pas en être heureux?! 
Et pour moi la surprise de la semaine à été la PATISSERIE GOSSELIN (123-125 rue Saint Honoré, 75001 ou 258 Boulevard Saint Germain, 75007).
Rentrant chez moi après une session intensive de gym suédoise (ma nouvelle addiction!) je suis passé devant la pâtisserie Gosselin et j'ai franchi la porte avec l'idée de acheter une baguette pour le dîner (ar leur BAGUETTE est TRÈS BONNE!). Mais mon oeil (bad oeil!bad bad oeil!!!) a commencé à se balader sur les jolis desserts exposé en vitrine. Résultat: une ÉCLAIR À LA VIOLETTE et une ÉCLAIR AU CARAMEL!
Je ne suis pas fan-fan des éclaire mais l'immense variété et les jolis couleurs de leur glaçage m'ont fait craquer. Et je dois avouer qu'e ces éclairs de chez Gosselin ne sont pas seulement bien jolies mais aussi BIEN BONNES! Si celle à la violette à un bizarre arrière-goût de parfum (oui oui, eau de parfum!) qu'on aime mieux dans les narines que sur la langue; celle au caramel est vraiment délicieuse! 
Il faut que j'y retourne bientôt car je les goûter toutes : vanille, pistache, chocolat, rose, café, pistache-chocolat, .....


Éclair au Caramel (Pätisserie Gosselin)







Voilà mes idées éclaircis à propos des éclairs : si la pâte est bien fine, le glaçage sympa et subtil (pas de couche de colle, s'il vous plaît!) et la crème onctueuse et pas trop sucrée les éclairs sont un dessert fort appréciable!