Green Olive Tree Musings of a permanent tourist on food and life. Postings feature eating finds, recipes, and world flavors adorned with original photography. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 1 0 131 3813

Articles from Green Olive Tree

Tarte Grand Mère 2006-05-03 10:34:00 [Granny's apple tart from France]Doesn't this look abosolutely irresistible? This is a dessert that we got in a patisserie in Paris before boarding the TGV train to Valence during the Easter/Semana Santa holidays. I can't remember the name of the place but it was at the corner of Boulevard St Germain and Rue de Bièvre near Maubert Mutualité.What a treat! I have no idea how they were able to make such a thin and tasty pastry crust. Love the layout of the quartered apples. i found a recipe online, and it's in French. I did not decipher it but if you're interested, I'm sure you can find an excuse to use your French dictionary :) The recipe looks easy enough but I doubt I can recreate such a delightful dessert tart. To be honest, I have yet to hone my pâte à tarte skills. Knowing that a good pastry is the deal-maker, I've been somewhat fearful of this Baking 101 basic. Any brave foodies out there daring to take up the challenge?[ Tarte Grand Mère ]Pâte à tarteCassonade claire ...

La Bascula 2006-04-26 06:23:00 [A shabby-chic vegetarian-friendly co-op restaurant]At any given time, La Bascula seems like the place I'd go for a meal or a tea. Even though I order almost the same thing everytime, I don't get sick of it. From the outside, it didn't even resemble a restaurant, but a cool anti-establishment art exhibition space. It bears huge bar tables recycled from doors. This is the waiting area-cum-bar for those crowded weekend nights. You can watch the co-op members labor over their organic food creations through the big kitchen while waiting with a beer and salivating at the empanadas displayed at the counter. Behind the counter, another huge and colorful dining area awaits you. The bohemian-feel decor brings out the cozyness and goodness of homemade fusion food using natural ingredients.Even Lionel keeps nodding in agreement how everytime the meal never fail to satisfy us to the brim. Well, it is his favorite restaurant, and I can see why that is so. This gem of Barcelona eateries is the fr ...

Le Sarrasin 2006-04-21 08:17:00 [Buckwheat Grains]North Americans use buckwheat to make pancakes, the Bretons use it to make les crêpes, the Italians pasta, and the Japanese soba noodles. Even Russians and Poles, who are known to consume the grain the most, employ the healthful grains in their porridges.Contrary to the what most people think, le sarrasin is not a cereal. These seeds are really the fruit of a plant from the Polygonaceae family that also include the rhubarb. Perhaps because of its abundant nutritious qualities, it has been grouped with other cereals, though its nutty taste makes it distinct from them all at the same time.With its Central Asian origins, buckwheat has sipped into Europe during the Middle Ages. Removed from the husk, the triangular-shaped seeds are then used to make the flour, like le blé de sarassin, used in France to make «galettes de sarrasin» (also known as «galettes de blé noir», due to the darker hue of the flour.) Other use of buckwheat flour includes a type of small russian ...

A virtual gastronomic tour of the Rue Mouffetard 2006-04-17 16:48:00 [To-die-for French Cheeses]If you're a gastronomy junky, than a trip to Paris can't be complete without trotting down the "food market" on Rue Mouffetard. Well, it's really a street with many food stores and restaurants. And in the mornings and on weekends, makeshift stalls selling fresh vegetables and flowers are also set up on the sides and corners of the road. Here are a few foodie highlights I've come across, which you could look out for if you pay a visit yourself.La GaletteThis buckwheat crepe comes from the Brittany region (Bretagne). The rough difference between a galette and a crepe is that galette is savory and crepe sweet. Most often served at home simply with a fried egg and ham, it is kind of a cross between comfort food and instant cooking.Les TartesLots of them. Just use your creativity if you're making them. I've tasted a friend's version of salmon with zucchini and another version with pumpkin and squash with bits of ham. Here in the window of a tarte cafe, you ...