19 décembre 2008
Menu For Hope : Donnez...et gagnez ! Donate some money and get a chance to win a prize !
What is Menu for Hope?
Menu for Hope is an annual fundraising campaign hosted by Pim of Chez Pim and a revolving group of food bloggers around the world. Five years ago, the devastating tsunami in Southeast Asia inspired Chez Pim to find a way to help, and the very first Menu for Hope was born. The campaign has since become a yearly affair, raising funds to support worthy causes worldwide. In 2007, Menu for Hope raised nearly $100K to help the UN World Food Programme feed the hungry.
Each December, food bloggers from all over the world join the campaign by offering a delectable array of food-related prizes for the Menu for Hope raffle. Anyone – and that means you too - can buy raffle tickets to bid on these prizes. For every $10 donated, you earn one virtual raffle ticket to bid on a prize of their choice. At the end of the two-week campaign, the raffle tickets are drawn and the results announced on Chez Pim.
What Does Foodie Froggy Has to Do with This?
I'm offering a prize! 
EU28: A Short Guide to Foodie French…with a touch of salt, by Françoise Blanchard and Jeremy leven. This 100-page book, in English, is a true gem : all you always wanted to know about the different kinds of restaurants in France (cafés, bistros, brasseries,…) and their characters (garçon, sommelier,…), the various cuisines (Bourgeoise, Haute, Nouvelle,…), the etiquette of dining out and a fascinating exploration, from starters to desserts, of french words often found on menus and used in English. [Shipping: Worldwide]
update : This bok has won 2008 Best French Cuisine World Cookbook award !
What Next?
1. Choose a prize or prizes of your choice from our Menu for Hope at http://chezpim.com. For European readers, please see the full list of European prizes at Ms. Adventures in Italy.
2. Go to the donation site at http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhope5 and make a donation.
3. Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice. Please specify which prize you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02. Please write 2xEU01, 3xEU02. If you want my "Short Guide to Foodie French", the prize ID is EU28.
4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
5. Please 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.
6. Bids on prizes will be accepted from December 15-24th. The last day to bid on a prize is December 24th.
7. Check back on Chez Pim on January 12, when Pim will announce the result of the entire raffle. Sara Rosso will also announce the winners of European prizes here.
I really count on you and your generosity !!
Remember that last day to bid is december 24th 31st !!Good luck on the raffle !!
Cheers,
Anne
11 décembre 2008
Mon Noël en Blanc et Beige, My White and Cream Christmas
Still on holidays...After last year's British Christmas, I have chosen a color-based theme for 2008. What other colors than white and cream could be classy enough for a very wintery and festive menu ? Click on the pictures to read the recipes. A bientôt !
Toujours en vacances...Après le Noël anglais de l'an dernier, j'ai choisi cette année de décliner un thème chromatique plutôt que géographique. Et le blanc et beige, en hiver, c'est top ! Cliquez sur les photos pour accéder aux recettes. A bientôt !
Chesnut Velouté with Cep flavored Poached Meringues, Velouté de Châtaignes et Meringues pochées aux Cèpes
Chicken breasts stuffed with mushrooms and wrapped in pastry, Poulet en feuilleté farci aux champignons
Fig and hazelnuts Risotto, Risotto aux noisettes et aux figues
Candied Chesnuts Tiramisu, Tiramisu aux marrons glacés
07 décembre 2008
Ma bûche de Noël (chocolat et caramel salé)/ My Christmas Yule log (chocolate and salted caramel)
As you probably know, I am far away in a warm and exotic country. Nevertheless, I am not abandoning you : I am aware that many among you are already panicking about the preparation of the holidays meals. This is why I am leaving you with last year's yule log. I can assure you that it is less complicated than it looks. See you soon, I'll be back on december 12th. Click on the picture to read the recipe.
Comme vous le savez, je suis loin, très loin, dans un pays chaud et exotique. Cependant, je ne vous oublie pas, je suis consciente que nombre d'entre-vous stressent déjà au sujet des repas des fêtes de fin d'année. Ma bûche est celle de l'an dernier, mais elle est quand même jolie, non ? Et je vous assure que c'est beaucoup moins compliqué que ça n'en a l'air ! A bientôt ! Je serai de retour le 12 décembre. Cliquez sur la photo pour accéder à la recette.
03 décembre 2008
Le cadeau idéal pour gourmands francophiles ! The perfect Christmas gift for Francophile Foodies !
A Short Guide to Foodie French...with a touch of salt, by Françoise Blanchard and Jeremy leven, éditions Diateino.
Noël a sonné avant l'heure pour moi : un petit colis m'est parvenu par la poste et il contenait ce livre. Dominique de la société Diateino m'avait contactée quelques temps auparavant pour savoir si je pouvais parler de ce livre dans mon blog. Je lui avais alors répondu que je ne le ferais que s'il me plaisait et que dans le cas contraire, je le leur retournerais. Et bien, inutile de vous dire qu'il siège maintenant en bonne place dans mon (importante) bibliothèque gourmande. Ce livre, en anglais, est une perle pour qui s'intéresse à la gastronomie hexagonale. Même une française de souche comme moi y a appris plein de choses sur l'histoire de termes culinaires usités. Par exemple, connaissiez-vous l'origine des pommes Anna (une courtisane habituée des salons du café Anglais à Paris), le premier sens de "Tournedos" (des poissons pourris vendus par des poissonniers peu scrupuleux), pourquoi les biscuits utilisés dans le tiramisu s'appellent "à la cuillère", etc...etc...
Le livre est très clair, avec une présentation ludique (illustrations de Pouch) et une division en 7 chapitres : choisir le bon restau (différences entre brasserie et bistro, café et restaurant,...), les différentes cuisines (bourgeoise, de terroir, haute gastronomie,...), les intervenants (le Chef, le garçon, le sommelier, la nuance entre gourmet et gourmand), les règles du savoir-vire au restau (doit-on souhaiter un bon appétit, le pourboire,...), une analyse de ce que l'on peut trouver au menu avec origine historique souvent surprenante , un chapitre dédié aux pâtisseries et le dernier aux alcools. Pour moi qui ai fréquenté assidument les forums de voyageurs anglo-saxons, je peux vous certifier que ces interrogations reviennent très souvent. Avec ce livre, les réponses seront toutes trouvées.
Bien entendu, je n'ai aucun intérêt financier dans cette opération de promotion. Si j'évoque ce livre, c'est pour vous faire partager un coup de coeur, rien de plus.
Si vous souhaitez le commander, cliquez ici. A noter : dédicace de l'illustrateur le 13 décembre à la librairie gourmande à Paris.
Christmas was early for me this year : I received this book some days ago. Dominique, from Diateino (a publishing firm) had asked me if I would like to evoke the book on my blog. I simply answered that I would love to read it, but that I could not promise anything, I would mention the book only if I liked it. Otherwise, I would return it to the sender. Needless to say that I truly enjoyed it ! This tome, in english, is a true gem for francophile foodies : all you always wanted to know about the difference between bistro and brasserie, restaurant and café (in the first chapter called "picking the perfect place"), the various cuisines (Bourgeoise, Haute, Nouvelle,...), the characters in a restaurant (garçon, sommelier, habitué,...) with some surprising explanations on the origin of the words, the etiquette of dining out (is it polite to say "bon appétit" at the launching of a meal, what about the tip,), a fascinating exploration, by type of food from starters to desserts, of french words often found on menus and used in english ( did you know that "pommes Anna" were named after a courtisan of the Café Anglais in Paris, the real meaning of Tournedos (rotten fish sold by unscrupulous fishmongers,...) ?), a tour of the bakery items, and all about French alcohols.
The book is very handy, of good quality and easy and fun to read thanks, among other things, to Pouch's illustrations.
For me, a regular reader on english-speaking travel forums, I can tell you that these questions are extremely frequent. The little "plus" also is that all the words have their phonetic pronunciations.
Of course, I have no financial interest in the book sales. I just want to share this great book with you.
If you would like to order it, click here. It can be shipped anywhere.