Ann Mah's newsletter / Aug 2018
August 2018 newsletter
Bonjour!
It's vacation time in France and the city began emptying out like clockwork on July 27, which was the last work day of the last full week of July. It's so funny – in the morning things were perfectly normal, but by the afternoon there were practically tumbleweeds rolling down the streets. I often marvel at the rigidity of the French social contract, which has an entire country eating meals at exactly the same hour, and going on vacation on exactly the same day. And – shhhhh! – I always enjoy this time in August, when the streets are empty and calm, and Paris feels like mine, mine, mine!
I just spent the weekend in Edinburgh, which was a blissful cool respite from the satanic 90-degree heat in un-air-conditioned Paris. Now I'm in London visiting my parents, indulging in fancy afternoon teas, and spending 80% of waking hours at the Diana, Princess of Wales' memorial playground (have you been there? it's magical). I hope you too are enjoying some summer relaxation.
Here's what else I've been up to...
What I've been eating
–Last month I was asked to write a story about macarons in Paris – you'd think the topic would be exhausted, but apparently not! As part of the research, I ate macarons for an entire day – six straight hours of pastel almond biscuits. It was fun and completely over the top and now I've truly had my fill of macarons, thank you very much! I'll post a link when the story runs in a few months :)
–The other day I tweeted a plea for favorite summer canned chickpea recipes. The winner was this one from Bon Appétit – just chickpeas, lemon, olive oil, garlic, parmesan, and parsley (but I left out the parsley). Simple, fast, and so SO satisfying.
–It's been too hot to cook, so early one morning I made a big pot of "peperoni e patate" – stewed red bell peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes – from Emiko Davies's lovely Italian cookbook Acquacotta. I stored it in the fridge and ate it cold for the rest of the week, accompanied by mozzarella, prosciutto, or just on its own.
–In this clever recipe for tuna pasta, the tuna "sauce" warms over the pot of boiling water while the pasta cooks. It's easy, cheap, fast, and delicious. Bonus!!! My four-year-old liked it, too. This is definitely going into my regular rotation.
What I've been reading
–I am loving this new cookbook, In the French Kitchen with Kids by Mardi Michels. Clear, concise, and friendly, filled with practical advice and luscious photos, it makes French cuisine easy and accessible for all ages – and has also helped expand the palate of my four-year-old! We've made (and devoured) quiche and crunchy fish cakes and can't wait to keep cooking and eating together.
–Goop loves The Lost Vintage and says it's "a new made-for-vacation read"! !!!!!! (And if you're new to Goop, this NYT magazine feature tells you more than you ever wanted to know.)
–Speaking of The Lost Vintage: the Star-Tribune says: "It's apropos that this novel is set in Burgundy, because it shares the layers, depth, nuance, and structure of the wines from that region." La Cuisine Paris included it among some very good company in this list of books about France. Also, France.fr is giving away 10 copies! Enter to win here. And HarperAudio is giving away the book in audio form! More info here.
–Have I mentioned that I have a cookbook coming out this fall? Instantly French, a French cookbook for the electric pressure cooker, will be published on September 25 by St Martin's Press. You can learn more – and preview a few recipes – in this interview with me in the Times-Picayune of New Orleans.
–Feeling thirsty? I wrote about the unwritten drinks menu at French cafés for Food52.
–I've been tearing through fiction at a breakneck speed. I recently enjoyed the harrowing twists and turns of The Good Liar by Catherine McKenzie. I found Curtis Sittenfeld's new collection of short stories highly entertaining and suffused with her signature wit. Currently I'm loving Dear Mrs Bird, set in WWII London.
A bientôt!
What are your plans for the rest of the summer? Next week we're planning a trip to Brittany and I can't wait to eat oysters, buckwheat galettes, and salted butter. And then we'll be headed back to Washington DC for the start of the school year and a whole new season of projects. I've been researching my new novel and I'm so excited to sink my teeth into it!
Thank you so much for all your messages, Facebook posts, tweets, Instagram photos and stories about The Lost Vintage! My gratitude for your support is boundless. If you've read the book and enjoyed it, would you take a moment to review it on Amazon, GoodReads, Barnes & Noble, etc? You don't have even have to channel your inner Michiko Kakuatani – just a sentence or two would be wonderful. (And if you're wondering why authors ask this, it's because the number of reviews determines the algorithm websites use to display and recommend books. In this market, everything helps :)
Thank you so much for reading! Have a lovely month – and I'll see you in September!
Amitiés,
Ann