Ann Mah's newsletter / October 2017
October 2017 newsletter
Hello!
I've spent the last month in the kitchen testing recipes for Instantly French, my new French electric pressure cooker cookbook, which has meant a lot of leftovers – our freezer is bursting, and the neighbors simultaneously love me and think I'm nuts. It has also meant a lot of NPR, which I listen to while I work. Joshua Johnson of 1A and Kojo Nnamdi are my new besties in D.C. – and was I the last person to know that Diane Rehm retired? Seriously, it has been quite a sobering month of news, and I've been impressed with the deft and professional manner in which these shows have handled developing stories.
I still have a couple more weeks of around-the-clock-cooking to go, and while I am looking forward to getting back to the computer (I actually miss writing! first time ever!), I'm also enjoying this interlude. There is something refreshing and satisfying about using a different part of the brain. And you know what else? After five solid weeks of Instant Pot cooking (during which time I've barely turned on the stove), I have to tell you, I actually love the thing even more than when I started this project. Truly.
Here's what else I've been up to!
What I've been eating
Mini roquefort quiches
I've been consuming a pretty solid diet of Instant Pottable French classics, but these roquefort quiches are one of my favorite new-fangled creations. The toasted chopped walnuts form a sort of "crust" and also keep it gluten free! :) Recipe to come in my cookbook, Instantly French.
Beatty's chocolate cake
My daughter and husband both have birthdays in September and they both requested this chocolate cake, which is from the Barefoot Contessa, and is perfect in every way – moist, tender, easy to bake, and superbly chocolaty. My two tips are: 1) The recipe calls for buttermilk, but because I never have it on hand, I always make my own ersatz buttermilk – that is, I squeeze half a lemon into a cup of milk to curdle it. Works like a charm! 2) I leave the egg yolk out of the buttercream frosting.
Brie aux noix
Last month in Paris, I made two special trips to my favorite fromagerie, Laurent Dubois (he's a MOF!) to buy stuffed brie. This one pictured is stuffed with walnuts and it is heavenly. He also sells one stuffed with summer truffles and it is DIVINE.
What I've been reading
Last Saturday, my husband bought me a copy of The Best American Travel Writing 2017 (my travel story on volunteering at the Champagne harvest was included, an honor that will be going on my tombstone). I have loved reading the other stories selected by this year's guest editor, Lauren Collins – in particular, "Refugees Hear a Foreign Word: Welcome," by Jodi Kantor and Catrin Einhorn, and Elif Batuman's "Cover Story," about whether or not to wear a headscarf in Turkey. You can enjoy all of Lauren's suggestions here, and while you're at it, why not pick up a copy of her wry, witty memoir, When in French?
I can't wait to finish my recipe testing so I can make other cuisines in my Instant Pot. Melissa Clark's new book, Dinner in an Instant, is at the top of my wish list!
It's such a sanctuary, I kind of don't want to spill the beans, but if you live in the D.C. area and are looking for a quiet haven to work, my writing space – Writers Room DC – has a few desks available.
After lunching at Michel Bras in Laguiole several years ago, and dreaming about it ever since, I have long believed that Michel Bras is a genius. I was fascinated to read that he and his son Sebastien would like to give up their Michelin stars because, as Sebastien says: he would like the freedom to cook "without wondering whether my creations will appeal to Michelin’s inspectors.”
My dear friend Jérôme is a tenor at the Opéra de Lyon, and he stars in this video, which offers a glimpse behind the scenes: the practice rooms, the makeup artists, the loges! Dans les coulisses! Glamour!
The world's most famous Gothic cathedral, Notre-dame de Paris, is worn out, on the brink of collapse and needs your help, according to this article from the New York Times.
A bottle of wine a day is not bad for you. That's the story from the Independent UK and I'm sticking to it. Also: "abstaining is worse than drinking" – yesssss.
I love Rebecca Plotnick's photos of Paris and now I'm honored to be a part of her Every Day Parisian book club. Join us here!
Sick and tired of being belittled and/or ignored by Silicon Valley professionals, two female entrepreneurs invented a male cofounder. “It would take me days to get a response, but Keith could not only get a response and a status update, but also be asked if he wanted anything else or if there was anything else that Keith needed help with,” says Kate Dwyer, cofounder of Witchsy. The best part? They named him Keith MANN. (Insert laughing/crying emoji)
A bientôt!
Thank you for reading this month! In the final weeks of October, I will be finishing my cookbook (can I get an inshallah?). I'm also planning a trip to Montreal for my cousin's wedding and a poutine binge-fest. (All Québec suggestions welcome!) I'll be back in November, and if you'd like to subscribe to this newsletter, you can sign up here. Have a lovely month, and – as the temps here today edge towards 90ºF – roll on fall!
Amitiés,
Ann