Vive La France

Somehow I always have visions of the holidays being a time where I stay home and do nothing but make delicious treats, and somehow I am out and busier than I just about ever am. I bought 9 cookie tins from Ikea with grand plans of all the recipients of 4 different kinds of cookies, I've pulled recipes for black truffle pasta and Christmas cakes, I've read up on different peppermint extracts, and yet I feel like I've barely seen my kitchen to make more than morning oatmeal. I have not abandoned hope: there are a couple of events coming up in which I must make things for and am most excited to go all-out, plus we'll be in Taos for Christmas and I'll have ALL DAY EVERY DAY to cook eat cook eat repeat. Maybe read in the middle. THEN I'm throwing my mom a 60th birthday party on January 6th and I'll be cooking for 50. YES.

I actually did make persimmon jam this weekend and totally planned on posting it and it's just not that good. Maybe that's why I don't see persimmon jam out there more. I'm cleaning the jars and am going to try a recipe for persimmon butter which I hope will be a grander success. I'll share if so.

I did eat some amazing food this weekend at the Lazy Ox Canteen in Little Tokyo. That was some black truffle pasta. And some spaghetti squash that is dressed up as a decadent buttery herby bowl of heaven. And beautiful feta with olives and herbs. And pickled beets with creamed mushrooms. Huh? Indeed.

However, even if one isn't cooking excessively, there is never a shortage of gastronomical delights to share. And I have one for you. A little backstory:

As some of you know, my mom of aforementioned birthday party has a cookie business. Her cookies, while being the cult favorite snack, dessert and Christmas gift of many a West-sider, are making their way into Whole Foods soon, and part of that process is Mom now bakes in a commercial kitchen. (If you need to send Christmas gifts to business partners or thank-yous to your supporters, or anything like that you might send these cookies---Sky sends them every year and gets thank-you notes for weeks).

The kitchen sounds like a trip. You rent space by the hour and you're in there with anyone else that rented too. Did you ever read this book as a kid?

Mom says it feels like that.

She has shared kitchen time more than once with Razmig Cyril Tchoboian and his amazing macarons. Mom knows I love a macaron. And that I take them very very seriously. I, of course, asked if he'd give me a sample. Since I'm such a connoisseur he would be honored, I'm sure.....Mom says she's not sure if the French had sample in their vocabulary....Oh well.

But I went to his site, and all I can say is, Christmas gift for me from me? Or I order them for Mom's party but somehow they just don't last and I have to eat them before......

Voila!

Napoleon's Macarons

Voici les macarons

Tiramisu

Vanilla Creme Brulee

Rosewater

Chestnut Cream.

Oh my god.

And of course there is caramel. Coffee. Pistachio. Almond. There's cola and green tea and peanut butter chocolate. There are, in fact, 17 flavors.

Mes amis, ce sont tres formidable. Magnifique. Delicieuse.

And you can order them online and you know what? I just think you should. For New Year's. Or old year's. Or a special dinner. Or a birthday present. Or just because you like beautiful delicious things and life just gets to be about that sometimes.