Ann Mah's newsletter / April 2019
April 2019 newsletter
Hello!
I've been living in Washington DC for almost two years and I still... haven't really taken to the place. BUT! This week! This week we are experiencing PEAK BLOOM and all the flowering trees have burst into blossoms of ruffly, frilly, pink and white – it is GLORIOUS. What a week to be alive! My only regret is that I won't have time to visit the Tidal Basin this year – the cherry blossom views there are truly spectacular. If you are planning a photo op, my advice is to go very early or late – dawn or dusk – to avoid crowds.
Tomorrow I'm headed to California for a mini West Coast book tour. On Sunday, April 7, I'll be at my hometown indie, Laguna Beach Books for a book talk with snacks. And on April 11, I'll be interviewed by Cara Black, author of the New York Times bestselling Aimée Leduc mystery thriller series, at Omnivore Books in San Francisco. I hope you'll join us to chat about books, wine, and France.
While in California, I'm also looking forward to visiting In-N-Out burger, and taking my daughter to check out the tide pools at the beach. If you have any other tips for kindergartner activities, please drop me a note.
Here's what else I've been up to...
What I've been eating
–The rye parmesan waffles (above) from my friend Maria Speck's cookbook, Simply Ancient Grains, fulfilled a lot of cravings. They bake up beautifully crisp, with moist, creamy centers and the rye flour adds a distinct, rustic flavor. As part of my ongoing "lunchtime reads" series, I paired them with a new novel, The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger (out July 2), a razor-sharp page-turner about four families, a small town, and the exclusive school for gifted children that causes the pressure to build to an explosion of toxic secrets.
–I consider myself a bit of a chicken pie aficionado and I was blown away by the deliciousness of Carla Hall's chicken pie with drop biscuits. The dough mixes up very wet, but the drop biscuits bake up beautifully fluffy and tender – and though the recipe makes a lot, you can easily halve it. My only suggestion is that I personally prefer cooking and serving the peas separately from the pie (and not adding them the filling) because I don't like mushy khaki peas.
–Speaking of biscuits, here is all you ever needed to know about making them from the Washington Post. I learned a lot!
–Have you heard of spider bread? It's like a soft cornbread – kind of like spoonbread – with a creamy center. The name comes from the type of three-legged vessel it used to cook in. For a quick and easy spring weeknight dinner, try it with a side of roasted asparagus.
–My friend Elizabeth Minchilli is always posting about her fabulous dinner parties on Instagram, and I'm so excited about her new book The Italian Table, which is a gorgeous, practical resource on how to throw Italian dinner parties at home. For a sneak peak, check out her blog post on how to throw a spur-of-the-moment dinner party that will have your guests ooh-ing, ahh-ing and licking their plates. (Her secret tip is store-bought ravioli!)
What I've been reading
–Are you a Ricknik? Rick Steves has transformed the way Americans travel with his low-key, low-budget tips and goofy charm. This excellent profile in the New York Times magazine offeres a glimpse of the man behind the show. If you think you know him, you don't!
–I really loved watching The Hookup Plan on Netflix (Plan Coeur in French) a cute series about a lovelorn young woman whose friends secretly set her up with a male escort. It offers great scenes of Paris, some next-level slang (seriously, I speak good French and I googled a lot) and the cast has excellent chemistry, especially the leads, Zita Hanrot and Marc Ruchmann. Check out the trailer.
–Cynthia Thomas was just an ordinary diplomat's wife. But then her husband was shockingly fired – "selected out," as they call it – and he was so devastated he committed suicide. His dismissal turned out to be a clerical error. Or did his career end because he was asking too many questions about JFK's assassination? This obituary in the Washington Post blew my mind.
–There are new bus lines in Paris, as of April 20. The RATP has all the deets.
–I often use Pinterest to gather images for my books. If you're curious to see how I invented and imagined the secret cellar in The Lost Vintage, I just posted the board.
–I used to live around the corner from the Hôtel Lutetia. This Smithsonian article tells of its dark and redemptive history.
–If you're in Paris this month, ThatMuse is hosting a fun treasure hunt in the Marais, Monday through Saturday until April 17. Lumber about the streets like Quasimodo or get artsy on the Pompidou Esplanade – and possibly win a €100 prize! Details here.
–I enjoyed chatting with Inspirelle about grape picking, climate change, and writing.
Finally, I'm so excited about my mini California book tour! I'd love to meet you and chat about books, travel, wine, and more.
–Saturday, April 6, I'll be appearing at the Literary Orange book festival in Newport Beach, CA. More details here.
–Sunday, April 7, I'll be presenting The Lost Vintage at Laguna Beach Books in Laguna Beach, CA. There will be snacks! More details here.
–Thursday, April 11, I'll be interviewed by Cara Black, bestselling author of the Aimée Leduc mystery thriller series, at Omnivore Books in San Francisco, CA. More details here.
A bientôt!
Hooray, it's finally terrasse season! My favorite drink for sunny days is citron pressé, with a monaco coming in a close second. I had fun writing about all these drinks for Food52. Whatever you're sipping, I hope there's a sunny afternoon in your future.
Have a wonderful month and see you in May!
XO
Ann