David Lebovitz podcast

I often refer to vanilla as the “salt of the pastry world,” since for bakers, vanilla often finds its way into everything we bake. Vanilla is one of the most difficult foodstuffs to grow. Each orchid flower (which only blooms one day a year) is hand-pollinated, and each pod takes months to mature. Then the pods are cured and dried, losing much of their moisture, becoming the remarkably fragrant va...

When I wrote my book, The Great Book of Chocolate , I got to meet — and learn from —some of the best chocolatiers in the world. One of them was Michael Recchiuti, co-founder and chocolatier of Recchiuti chocolates in San Francisco. At the time, artisan and bean-to-bar chocolates were emerging in the United States, and Michael was at the forefront, incorporating diverse ingredients, such as herbs,...

It’s Saturday morning and it’s a big day in France with strikes and major demonstrations nationwide. But everyone has to eat, so we hit the Marché d’Aligre in our neighborhood, to gather some things for the weekend. My weekend projects are Lamb tagine, Green curry , and Riz au lait (rice pudding) from my book, Ready for Dessert , for a recipe that I’ll be sharing here in the newsletter shortly. Th...

I was thrilled when Sami Tamimi told me he was coming to Paris. Sami recently released his third book, Boustany: A celebration of vegetables from my Palestine , so I invited him into my kitchen to make a recipe from it with me. And the weather was so nice, we decided to prepare it outside. Sami is the co-founder of the Ottolenghi restaurants and delis, and the author of Falastin , one of my favori...

A highlight of writing Drinking French was getting to meet, and highlight, some of my favorite creative people in Paris, and in France, who are part of the cocktail scene, which has rapidly expanded over the years, turning Paris into one of the world’s most exciting cocktail destinations. Franck was one of the heroes in Drinking French , and as you can see in the video, there are more pictures of...

Places mentioned in the video where I shopped: Miyam , Terroirs de Avenir , Pari Local and Leonie bakery … You may have noticed I moved my Paris shopping videos here from Instagram. Subscribe to my newsletter and get them sent right to your inbox! Get the Tapenade with fig recipe here: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, v...

It’s been hotter than heck in Paris, and we’re in the midst of our third heatwave. One way our friends in Italy beat the heat (and get their coffee fix) is to make affogato, a dish of ice cream “drowned” in espresso, with liquor sometimes added, giving it an extra kick. I met Margot Lecarpentier when writing my book, Drinking French . Margot is the owner and head bartender of Combat , one of my fa...

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I met Carlos Moreno when he was delivering taco kits during the pandemic, when we all wanted to eat “out,” but were stuck eating in. Prior to that period Mexican food wasn’t well represented in Paris. (A lesser-known fact is that France tried to colonize Mexico twice in the mid-1800s.) I loved Carlos’ food and we had a few nice conversations on the sidewalk when he made his deliveries. Since then...

As someone who is passionate about cookbooks, I’m always up for talking about them with other cookbook collectors. I know there are lots of cookbook collectors out there, but one who really stands out is Jenna Helwig , who writes the Cookbookery Collective newsletter , which she describes as: …a hub for the cookbook community—authors, eaters, cooks, editors, publicists, publishers, agents, and asp...

It’s no secret that one of my favorite places in Paris is G. Detou . In fact, I depend on it so much, for everything from chocolate to vanilla—and lots, lots more. I’ve been quoted as saying that if G. Detou didn’t exist, I couldn’t live in Paris. It’s got everything I need. Owner Benoît Bourloton is a busy man, spending his days keeping the shop well-stocked with a wide variety of French chocolat...

When I told Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen that I was doing a complete revision of The Great Book of Chocolate , which included adding new recipes, she insisted that I include her Chocolate-Olive Oil Spread. For those who follow Deb know that when she says something is delicious and worth making, you not only listen, but in my case, you spread the word. No pun intended. As luck would have it, Deb...

One of my favorite parts about writing my chocolate book was getting to explore, and share, the world of chocolate. Chocolate is a pretty wonderful ingredient all by itself. But I wanted to feature friends in the chocolate world, so I culled recipes from bakers, pastry chefs, chocolatiers, cookbook authors, and even bartenders for the book. For the revision of The Great Book of Chocolate , I compl...

Few people know, or write about, Paris as well as Elaine Sciolino . With an extensive background in journalism, Elaine was the Paris bureau chief for the New York Times and remains a contributing writer. She has also written four books on Paris and French culture. Her book, The Only Street in Paris , put her neighborhood on the map, portraying the various merchants, food sellers, and restaurants t...

Since 2015, Lauren Collins, staff writer for the New Yorker, has called Paris home. The author of When in French: Love in a Second Language , Lauren moved from Switzerland to France with her French husband and continues to write for the New Yorker, following in their tradition (which includes writers such as A. J. Liebling, Anthony Bourdain, Calvin Trillin, John McPhee, and Adam Gopnick) of outsta...

Matt Kepnes, aka, Nomadic Matt , is one of the original bloggers, who I remember fondly from the early days of blogging. He started his travel blog, Nomadic Matt , in 2008 and has since turned it into a website with comprehensive information about all things travel. I’ve followed him around the globe—online, not in person. (Unfortunately!) I was happy to cross paths with him in Paris on his recent...

You may know Cécilia Jourdan from her wildly popular social media account Hello French which has close to 1.6 million followers on Instagram , and I wasn’t kidding when I said at the beginning of our podcast chat that I was very excited to finally meet her. (I’m a fan.) Cécilia has done an amazing job bringing the French language, and many aspects of French culture, to the English-speaking world....

Tahini has gotten a lot of press in the last few years, and the delicious sesame paste has become a staple in many of our pantries. Many cultures have embraced the borderless sesame seed in some form or another, including Japanese gomashio and furikake , hummus from the Middle East, Italian Reginelle cookies, and even in burgers . In her new book, Rachel Simons explores all the possibilities and g...

It may sound cliché, but I suspect for most of you, Dorie Greenspan needs no introduction. Dorie is an accomplished baker, whose books range from an oversize volume of never-fail cookie recipes, Dorie’s Cookies , to translating the recipes of master Parisian pastry chef Pierre Hermé, making them accessible to home bakers in Desserts by Pierre Hermé . And when Julia Child launched her TV show, Baki...

Living in France, it’s hard to overestimate the prevalence and importance of wine. Not only is it a marker and reflection of the place where it’s made, but it’s an integral part of French culture and cuisine. It’s a natural pairing with meals and accompanies almost every gathering with friends and family. I like wine, but like most people in France, I’m an amateur. I know what I like and what I do...

Thanks to everyone for tuning into my live video with Yotam Ottolenghi ! It was great fun to connect with Yotam and discuss everything from cooking and baking inspiration, to favorite kitchen tools and tips, as well as two “weekend friendly” recipes; Yotam Ottolenghi’s Baked Feta-Dill Frittata and my Croissants aux amandes, almond-filled croissants. I’ll be posting the recipe for them this week -...

When Kate Leahy was in Paris recently, I was happy to have a chat with her in my kitchen for my podcast. A former restaurant cook, Kate seamlessly pivoted to food writing, collaborating on books with a variety of chefs, bakers, and sommeliers, and has also penned several books on her own. Kate co-authored La Buvette with Camille Fourmont, the owner of the charming La Buvette wine bar in Paris, and...

I’ve known Lindsey Tramuta almost as long as I’ve been in Paris. We live in the same arrondissement (go 11th!) and I occasionally see her out and about, when she’s not busy writing books, or magazines and newspaper articles, which are featured in such publications as The New York Times, Bon Appétit, and Condé Nast Traveler. I arrived in Paris quite unprepared, not speaking French not knowing what...

A few years ago, I visited several Pineau des Charentes producers in a region of France known as the Charente, where Cognac is made. Legend has it that it was originally made by accident when a Cognac producer centuries ago added fresh grape to a barrel of eau-de-vie (a clear distillation of grapes), intended to be aged for Cognac. He let it rest, and age, anyways, and thus, Pineau des Charentes w...

If anyone knows the cuisine of Nice, it’s Rosa Jackson , owner of Les Petits Farcis for over twenty years. Located in the sunny south of France, Niçoise cooking is known for its freshness and Mediterranean flavors, using ingredients that range from local olive oil and anchovies to vibrant vegetables, such as tomatoes, Swiss chard, and zucchini (and zucchini flowers), as well as fresh goat cheeses...