anna travels - paris

Tomorrow I'm getting on a plane and going to... Paris! I am so excited. I'm bringing my granny square blanket to work on during the flight, and then I'll have a week of relaxation, good food, and art.

I won't be updating the blog much, but follow me on Instagram (@annaknitsetc) for travel pics.

À bientôt!

Photo by MICHEL JEAN SICOT

anna reads - anna karenina

I finally finished Anna Karenina. While it took a while to read, it was worth every moment. I had never read Tolstoy before, but I understand now why he is considered one of the greatest writers of all time. The characters were so developed and so nuanced they seemed almost real. While there are many competing themes and story lines throughout the novel - such that it sometimes feels like you are reading multiple books at once - they all come together, and each thread compliments the other story lines and characters beautifully.

For all its complexity, Anna Karenina was surprising easy to read. I would definitely recommend it.

(Love the bookmark? Buy one here!)

I started reading Anna Karenina after watching the movie, which I also loved. I think reading the book after seeing the movie was a good idea, because it helped me to keep track of all the characters and story lines.

For my next read, I decided to go with something lighter. Since I am leaving for Paris on Friday (!), I chose Lessons in French: A Novel by Hilary Reyl. It just came out, and has been fun so far. This is the first book I'm reading on my new mini iPad. So far it is lighter - to carry around and in its subject - than Anna Karenina!

anna cooks - crepe bar

Yesterday, a few of my friends from college and I got together to skype a mutual friend who is living in Paris. Before the skype date, I cooked a mini parisian brunch for us. I decided to set up a crepe bar, where guests could fill their freshly made crepe with whatever fillings they wanted. I just pulled out whatever I had on hand, but you could substitute your favorite crepe fillings. Here's what I laid out:

Anna's Crepe Bar

- Nutella (I got mine at Venda Raviloi in Providence, RI - they import it from Italy, and it really is better than the stuff they sell at American supermarkets)
- Fresh strawberries
- Fresh bananas
- Parisian honey
- Granulated sugar
- Butter
- Marmalade 

I used a basic crepe recipe from allrecipes.com, to which I added a little vanilla. The secret is I made the batter the day before and let it rest overnight. I then used a non-stick pan to cook my crepes, which worked perfectly. 

While I was looking for tips on the internet about how to make the perfect crepe, I found a post from the blog theKitchn on how to make perfect crepes. 

The blog interviewed pastry chef Jehnee Rains who suggests putting beer in your crepe batter. Very intriguing. I might have to try that at my next crepe bar. You can find her recipe here. 

anna cooks - dessert

I got in the mood to make some madeleines after watching this video from the new BBC show The Little Paris Kitchen.

I read about Rachel Khoo a few years ago and have been dying to go to her in home restaurant -- but alas it is now closed. You can read more about her at her website.

I modified her recipe, found here, for American measurements, and to make it a bit easier. I left out the rasberries and lemon curd, because I didn't have the right ingredients on hand, but I hope to try it soon.

Lemon Honey Madeleines - makes 18 cookies

What you need:

- 3/4 c. unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1.5 tbsp. honey
- 1 tspn. vanilla
- 3 tbsp. milk (I used half-and-half bc I had it on hand)
- 3/4 c. flour
- 1 tspn. baking soda
-1/8 tspn. salt

What you do:

1. Melt the butter and let cool.
2. Beat the eggs with the sugar until pale and frothy.
3. Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Add the lemon zest.
4. Mix the honey, vanilla, and milk with the cooled butter, then add to the egg mixture.
5. In two batches, fold in the flour.
6. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight.

7. When you are ready to bake, preheat the oven 350F.
8. Heavily butter and flour a 12-shell madeleine tin.
9. Fill the tin with the batter so that each mold is almost filled to the top (you may want to use a pipping bag).
10. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown on top.
11. Transfer to a cooling rack.


~enjoy~

I'm thinking of adding lavender to my next batch, or maybe creating a salted caramel version!