From Times Online
March 17, 2009
Meet the food bloggers: David Lebovitz
David Lebovitz shares tips on Paris, home-made ice cream and a recipe for chocolate cake found on a men's room wall
Nick Wyke
3. Blog: David Lebovitz
What inspires you to write a food blog?
The great thing about a blog is the immediacy. I make something, or have something happen to me (good or bad), and I can write it up and hit the 'publish' button. Living in Paris, there's so much going on, I'm never at a loss to find something to comment on. While I love writing my cookbooks, the blog complements them as it allows me to interact with bakers and readers, too.
What sort of posting really gets your readers excited (good or bad)?
Two things readers love: when I make something really wacky, like The Chocolate Cake Recipe I Found on a Men's Room Wall or the upcoming Ketchup Macarons, or when I write about something odd, such as the octopus-shaped cake pan I saw. Those kinds of oddities get tonnes of comments. Personally, I have no idea why anyone would want a cake in the shape of a scary, hideous creature from the deep, but my readers had plenty to say about it!
Which cookbook can you not do without and which chef is your hero/heroine?
It's hard to narrow it down. I'd have to say that currently, I really admire Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Most Americans (and French) have never heard of him, but my publisher in the US has been releasing his books. Not only do I admire his philosophy, but his writing is great and the photos are simple, yet appetising.
Tell us something about food from your part of the world?
My dream is to make it through all the various cheese available in France. That is my dying wish.
What would you eat for your last supper?
Well, cheese, or course. But what I really want is a lot of chocolate. I do love the stuff and could eat it all day no matter how it's prepared: cakes, cookies, or ice cream, if it's in there, I'll eat it. Of course, a few glasses... heck, make that a bottle... of Yquem, and I'll die a very happy man.
Which other food blogs do you read regularly?
There's a lot of them, too many to mention, but I do read Mattbites.com (great photos), amateurgourmet.com (hilarious), smittenkitchen.com (tasty), simplyrecipes.com (comprehensive), 101cookbooks.com (gorgeous vegetarian food), thefoodwhore.com (a must for anyone who's worked in a restaurant), travelerslunchbox.com (great food writing), and alineaathome.typepad.com (Carol is working her way through the Alinea cookbook, the bible of molecular gastronomy -- with mixed results.)
Share a seasonal recipe with us...and a tip for a local restaurant?
This is perhaps my favorite recipe I've done for the site. It's a chocolate ice cream that doesn't require the use of a machine:
The Easiest Chocolate Ice Cream Ever
2 ounces (55g) bittersweet chocolate, chopped and melted
6 tablespoons (80ml) Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur
6 tablespoons (80ml) whole milk
1 medium banana, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon (15ml) dark rum
Blend all ingredients until smooth.
Pour into plastic container and chill until firm, for at least 4 hours.
As for restaurants, I recently ate at Jadis, which is a small restaurant owned by the youngest chef I've met in Paris. The food is impressive, since he worked for 3-star chef Pierre Gagnaire, and it's quite inexpensive, too. It's going to be quite the hotspot once word gets out.
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