foodbeam has moved here - Go to www.foodbeam.com !

After a little more than a year and a half it was time for foodbeam to have its own domain.
From now, new posts will be published on www.foodbeam.com

Please update your links and bookmarks!

You'll see that the new design is very... different; but the content remains the same (though i still have to upload pictures for old posts).

Hope to see you at www.foodbeam.com

PS. to answer some emails i've received: yes, the comments have been closed here. I thought it would be more convenient.

Love
- fanny

Labels: random sweetness

[I think I might be in love with someone - A summer in New Zealand]

Indeed in love I am.
I just love New Zeland summer. Actually I love it so much that I don't even have time to bake nor cook. And I do really miss it. So, promise, as soon as I get baking scales, it will smell of chocolate and sugar all over the campus.
Baking in progress...

Labels: new zealand, random sweetness

[Draw me a sheep - when foodbeam goes to New Zealand]

I finally arrived in New Zealand this morning (or was it this afternoon?) after a lovely journey (have a just said lovely? - huml, weird how long flights affect your brain).

When I arrived into my flat, the first thing I checked was the kitchen and I'm pleased to say that it does have a true oven. How great is that?
So that doesn't mean foodbeam will be updated as often as it used to be, but I'll try to do my best (who am I kidding? I could *never* stop baking).

Love
- fanny

Thank you all for the sweet comments. They really cheered me up!

Labels: new zealand, random sweetness

I first intented not to write about the year to come. But then I thought twice; if 2006 has been an incredibly rich year, 2007 will even more exciting:

I couldn't imagine a best start: view on the beautiful fireworks from our suite :) at the Sheraton Park Tower Hotel.

I'm working on a new graphic design for foodbeam. Again? Yes, but it will be even sweeter.

I will study in New Zealand from February.

I will do a 10-week training period in ,what is probably know as, the best pâtisserie in France (but shhh... that's a secret).

Enough things to please a girl, hey!
Meanwhile, I wish you all a lovely year and thank you for all you've brought to me this year.

Labels: random sweetness

Just in time to wish you a lovely christmas; may all your dreams come true.
I think mine have been fulfilled already: a beautiful family, delicious good news and a scrumptious Christmas eve dinner.

The dinner was indeed a delight.
toast de pomme de terre à la crème fraiche d’Isigny et aux œufs de lompes [fried potato slices topped with crème fraiche and lump eggs]
bubble and squeek in a spoon with alumettes de bacon
fourchettes de saumon et concombre avec crème fraiche citronnée [salmon and cucumber topped with a lemony crème fraiche]

dinde aux chanterelles avec une timbale de riz [turkey with chanterelles]

bûche au marron glacé et à la vanille [chesnut and vanilla bûche]

Labels: christmas, random sweetness

It seems time has been going faster than I expected and before I even got a chance to say 'I'm late', I was actually running late.
Such a shame I haven't been able to participate to Menu For Hope.

Menu For Hope is a wonderful event - created by the lovely Pim over at Chez Pim - and enables food (and wine) bloggers to raise money for a great cause.
Last year, 17 000$ were raised and given to UNICEF.

"This year, Menu for Hope III raises funds to support the UN World Food Programme, which provides hunger relief for needy people worldwide. To us Food Bloggers, food is a joy. On our blogs, we celebrate food as a delight or even an indulgence. Unfortunately, for many others who share our world do not share that privilege. For them, food is a matter of survival. This "Menu for Hope" is our small way to help." says Pim.

To tell the truth I have high expectations about 2006 fundraising as the raised sum reaches 15 000$ at the moment I write this post but also because this year prizes look wonderful.

I did spot a few favourites:
- a photography lesson with Heidi of 101 cookbooks [UW 10]
- lovely amai tea sweet cookies [EU 31]
- a dinner for four at Iggy's in Singapore [AP 01]
- a cute tea set [AP 42]
- the chance to visit Paris sweetest places with the funniest guy best chocolate expert you could ever dream of [EU 08]

How can you get a chance to win one of these fabulous prizes?

1. Go to the donation page at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhopeIII

2. Make a donation, each $10 will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize or prizes you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. Do tell us how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code.

3. If your company matches your charity donation, please remember to check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.

4. Please also check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

5. Check back on Chez Pim on January 15 for the result of the raffle.

Labels: random sweetness

Johanna of the Pasionnate Cook is the current host of Sugar High Friday. And this month theme is 'truffles'. Chocolate truffles.
I plan to make four truffles from my ultimate role-model - Pierre Hermé - recipes:
- Lou or ginger and milk chocolate truffles
- Makassar or salted caramel truffles
- Balthazar or cinnamon truffles
- Barbade or vanilla truffles (hence the picture)

Sadly i won't be able to write about these ganaches lusciously wrapped in chocolate till next monday.
'Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre...'

Labels: chocolate, random sweetness

Something happened friday night.
Even though I've had already tried to create a new template for foodbeam countless times (without success - do I need to say that!) I started coding again and again and I finally managed to produce something I actually like.
foodbeam is now sweet and pink - just like me :)

I know there still are some problems and that it's best viewed with a 1024x768 resolution (actually if anyone can fix that white band on the right, it would be more than fantastic), but you know, foodbeam looks finally as I wanted it to do.

Thanks to Philippe for the background and to Girliebits design (for the templates that helped me to understand the categories)/CSS zen garden (for the inspiration) /CSS intro (for the tec' bits) for the great support throughout my labour.

Labels: random sweetness

[My France to eat]

Be conscious that after having read this post you might develop severe addictions.

Two weeks ago, when I received an email from Melissa, writer of the gorgeous Traveler's lunchbox, I was –let's say- more than excited.
Firstly because she's my ultimate role-model and secondly because what she was planning was brilliant.
She wanted me and four other bloggers to come up with a list of 'five food recommendations, which can be dishes, ingredients, restaurants, recent infatuations, etc'.

PS Thank you Mae for tagging me as well, i was really honoured.

It took me a whole week to narrow my thirty-something list to just five things.
I would have never thought it would be so hard. But here is what I came up with:

le meilleur fromage de chèvre du monde [the best goat cheese in the world]
Once you'll have tried the goat cheese made by Bruno on La ferme des Courmettes, every other goat cheeses will be tasteless and rough.
Bruno probably makes the best organic goat cheese on earth. It's very fine and tasty.
I love the soft cheese covered with ground black pepper, the buche cendrée and the tapenade [black olive paste] soft goat cheese; though the tomes are also delicious.
Bruno is passionate about his work and it shows. Some of the best restaurants of the Côte d'Azur crave his cheeses.
But more than that, Bruno shared his knowledge and enthusiasm with me and now it's difficult for me to realize I won't work on la ferme again.
Thank you so much Bruno for all you've done for me. I've loved every single minute of the six weeks I spent on your farm.
PS. Merci Françoise pour tous ces bons moments.

la jonchée
Coming-up with this list I realised I might have an obsession I didn't suspect: cheese (OK I knew it but wouldn't admit the truth to myself).
Indeed three things on the list are cheese-related.
Jonchée is a local produce you can only find in Poitou-Charentes and in my case, in Fouras - the small town where my grandparents live.
Every day I would go to the marché and buy one or two jonchées.
It's definitely not easy to come up with a definition for jonchée.
I should tell you first that it is a kind of cheese flavoured with almond-oil, eaten with sugar or honey and shaped with a mat made of reed grass (a bit like a sushi mat).
Reed grass is called jonc in French, hence the name jonchée.
The jonc gives a peculiar, slightly bitter flavour so specific to the jonchée. And its texture is unique: a fairly dense exterior and a soft/very-fine interior.

le plaisir sucré
Plaisir Sucré is the easy-form of the famous Cerise sur le gateau Hermé created in 1994 (then he was only 24) pour redorer le blason de Fauchon.
I bought Pierre Hermé's Mes desserts au chocolat only for this and the least I can say is that I have not been disappointed.
The Plaisir Sucré I made might not be the better-looking one but it's the best thing I've ever eaten.
I'd love to give it another go to finally get the picture-perfect version but my memories are intact: the crunch of a quality milk chocolate sheet, the creaminess of a delicious chocolate Chantilly, the mellow of a milk chocolate ganache and the exquisite nuttiness of a hazelnut dacquoise base.

le fromage de brebis corse avec la confiture de figue de ma grand-mère [Corsican sheep's milk hard cheese with my grandmother fig's jam]
We all know that cheese and fruit (either fresh or in jam) make a great pairing. But the association of a hard sheep's milk cheese and a sweet fig's jam is pure heaven.
Each year my grandmother makes tons of jam (sad she doesn't have a blog I'm sure it would be SO popular + she could have been able participated to Nicky and Oliver's Can you can SHF) – including this great confiture de fig delicious alone, simply spread on toast but even more luscious when paired with Corsican cheese.

les artichaut au barbecue de Peter
Take baby provençal artichokes called poivrade, drench them in good quality olive oil and barbecue them and you'll end up with delicious caramelised yet crispy delights à la Peter – my boyfriend"s father.
These are a THE crowd-pleaser and my own weak spot!

OK so now i've got to tag 5 bloggers:
Marieke of Maison Dorré Trifles
Ooishi of Sooishi
Cathy of A blithe Palate
Joycelyn of Kuidaore
Keiko of Nordljus

Labels: random sweetness

This summer, it seems that I cook more than I can reasonably eat and write about.
But this matter fact has shown me something: food and cooking hold a major place in my life.
I can't spend a day without:
1) cooking
2) thinking of interesting food / combination / recipe
3) buying things related to food (read: cookbooks, plates, placemats...)

However something quite strange is happening. I am literally bored of cookbooks. It seems I can't find one that really stands out.
For example, I love the design of Apples for Jam, but do I really need another recipe for beef pasta? I know I'll end buying this book because Tessa Kiros is such a great writer and inspiration, but what a strange feeling!
I tend to lean towards pastry chef cookbooks – such as my new favourite PH10.

Though, when I cook for myself I like to keep it simple and fresh. I love clean Asian flavours: lemongrass, soy sauce, coriander are high among my everyday favourites.
This was the simple comfort dish that I made at least once - if not twice - a week during the last few weeks.
It's pretty straightforward (as most of Bill Granger's recipes) but has that wow-factor that makes everyone sited at the table go wild.
I like to replace the linguine by egg-noodles, which adds a nice touch.

Anyway, I'd love to hear how you feel about recent cookbooks? What are your favourites and why?
Just a little parenthèse [parenthesis]: I'd like to buy some vintage cookbooks but I don't know where to start. So any suggestions would be appreciated!

Labels: cookbooks, favourites, make a meal of it, random sweetness

[Lapinou makes chocolate chips muffins to support Sam]

In a little more than 16 hours, Sam will be blogging NON STOP for 24 hours!

Why?
By participating actively to the Blogathon, Sam will help a San Francisco charity: Food Runners.

What about Food Runners?
"The mission of Food Runners is to help alleviate hunger in San Francisco to help prevent waste and to help create community."
And what a mission!

How I can help?
You can donate here (you could even win a box of SF food goodies!) or show your support on your own blog.


Sam I wanted you to know Lapinou is fully supporting you by making delicious chocolate chip muffins to keep you awake for your audacious challenge.

Recipe to be posted tomorrow, because I am Lapinou is not as brave as Sam!

Labels: random sweetness

[One year ago...]
...just back from Paris where I had exams, I decided to start a foodblog. After 48h spent on both nordljus and the traveler's lunchbox, I was ready (I'd really like to thank Keiko and Melissa for being such an inspiration).
I wasn't very confident with blogs nor I was with photography, but I though 'never mind, you love food, that should make it!'.

One year later, I realize how many things I've learnt: from making wine to macaroner; from whipping up the best chocolate chip cookie ever to taking care of goats… It's been a year full of experiences and I think I won't be wrong by saying that lots of these experiences have been motivated by foodbeam.

Foodbeam's been acting like someone who pushes you to make things. Everyday I would think of subjects on which I could write.
Before creating foodbeam, I would have never enjoyed visiting an ice-cream factory as much I did; because this year, I knew I'd be able to share my experience with you.
I do think sharing is the key-word of foodblogging. So I'd like to thank all of you who stopped by to share their own experience, making my food life a little more interesting everyday. I'd also like to thank all the great foodbloggers who have been and remain a daily inspiration, turning life into something yummy and blog-y-licious.
Here are some of my favourite articles among the tons of well-written blogs:
Melissa's sweet story. Jocelyn's brilliant write-up on macarons. Nicky and Oliver's pink pasta – creative, beautiful and tasty. Matt's funny articles. All of Keiko's pictures - she's so talented.

I've literally been overwhelmed by this food world and I'm not trying to escape yet. My love for food has been growing constantly from my childhood and even faster from last July.
I do love food in every single way. I love to shop for it, to prepare it, to grow/breed it...


To round up this 90th post, below is my top-ten:
Chocolate espresso cake with caffe-latte cream
August 12
This cake is one of the best chocolate-coffee cake I've ever had. As I admitted on the article, I'm not so much into coffee (drink), but I love it in sweets.
The cake itself is light. So the combo with the caffe-latte cream is a real winner: you end up with a fluffy as heaven cake.




Aubergine, yogurt and mint dip
October 15
I am fond of dips, salsas... And especially of a caviar d'aubergine my mother is used to make.
But this dip is quite special: creamy yet very fresh. I love the combinaison of aubergines and mint.
And the pinenuts really set the final touch, adding a nutty taste to make a perfectly balanced dip.




La pissaladiera
October 19
I was born in the Mediterranean and Mediterranean dishes hold a special place in my heart. I don't know about you, but when eating un pan bagna, une salade niçoise or du poisson délicieux péché en Méditerranée, I can feel the sun in my mouth. That may sound a bit odd, but that's the way it is.
This pissaladiera is a onion confit tart and is so full of sun.



Chocolate puff pastry
December 29
This is definitely one of my greatest discoveries of the year. Mostly because it was the first time I made puff pastry but also because of the chocolate-twist that really magnifies the feathery nature of puff-pastry.







Honey semifreddo
January 22
I love semifreddos because of their texture: between an ice-cream and a soufflé, in one word, dreamy!
This honey semifreddo is luscious and has a real melt-in-your-mouth consistency, which makes it the perfect treat to end a light summer lunch.





Macarons Plénitude
March 7
These are so special to me because this is the first recipe I made from one of my favourite cookbooks: PH10.
In this book, Pierre Hermé reveals the recipes for all his dazling creations.
The macaron plenitude is a caramel/chocolate macaron with a chocolate-caramel à la fleur de sel ganache. Really, what's not to love?




Choux et éclairs à la vanille
March 28
In France, you find vanilla éclairs in every single bakery. They're just part of French cuisine. When I was a child, I used to love them and I still do.
So making them at home is a good way to feed your cravings.
The choux pastry is from Pierre Hermé and the crème pâtissière is from Christophe Felder, a favourite pastry chef of mine.



Fanny and the Ice Cream Factory
April 7
Are you an ice-cream lover? Then you should read this post.
I'm lucky enough to be an engineering student and hence I can visit food factories.
This article sums up my visit of one of the leading ice-cream factories in France. Lots of behind-the-scene pictures!





Charlotte aux framboises et au fromage blanc
April 25
A charlotte is a pudding made of a savoiardi crust filled with a fruit mousse. It's fresh and frutty: the ultimate spring treat.
Everyone loves it, from 1-year-old to grow-ups.
PS. The picture was voted 'grand winner' for May DMBLGIT.





And because i can't resolve myself to choose only ten things, the last one:

Pistachio cake with orange blossom syrup
April 13
Using pistachios results in a highly fragrant and moist cake that will send you straight on the Moroccan coast. So delicious!

Labels: random sweetness

I wish you all the best:
good evening
good food
good drinks
good fireworks (i love fireworks!)

Labels: random sweetness

Labels: random sweetness

Labels: random sweetness

[The magical package]

Labels: random sweetness