Z's Cup of Tea

And Now, A Brief Message….

Zoe — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:14:15 +0000

Whoops! I didn't mean to post my first draft! Please read this completed version of the post for Simply French Café wp.me/pUeJT-2Nn—
Z's Cup of Tea (@zscupoftea) May 07, 2012

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Simply French Café

Zoe — Fri, 04 May 2012 22:53:06 +0000

Simply French Café was started three years ago by Isobel and her husband, Hasmet, after a long sojourn in France with their two teenage daughters. It was there that Isobel learned how to make macarons in Paris at Lenotre, a restaurant, cafe, and cooking school founded by Gaston Lenôtre.

Simply French Café is home to the BEST macarons (naturally gluten-free) my family has ever tasted – they are perfect, from the way the fragile shell cracks upon first bite to their delicate, melt-in-your-mouth taste. Our favourite is the lemon macaron; it has a delicate, almost floral quality that we’ve not found before in other lemon-flavoured desserts and we’re always recommending it because its flavours are so pleasing to the senses, it is just sublime. Other favourite flavours are chocolate, orange, chocolate mint, coconut, and strawberry. (Ok. Really, we like every flavour they make and we’ve tried them all, so far. If I have missed any, I will update you accordingly;) Another bonus – ! – macaron classes have recently become available so that everyone is welcome to the pleasure of making and enjoying their own macarons both at any time and to impress their friends and family with – and they WILL be impressed with the Simply French Macarons!

Many of the desserts offered at Simply French are also gluten-free, including a flourless chocolate mousse cake that’s also made without butter, making it also dairy-free. (I would also heartily recommend their chai latte, which I tried the last time I visited Simply French to meet a friend, it really hit the spot and was perfect on a cold, rainy day.) Paninis are also available to be made with gluten-free rice bread upon request. There are desserts and other baked goods as well as some meal items made with wheat as well, so do ask when you place your order rather than assume.

In addition to desserts and baked goods, Simply French also sells boutique items from France that are lovingly and artfully displayed in the cafe that immediately draws the eye and begs one to ‘just go have a look’. Some of the boutique items for sale are soap, candles, silk scarves, jewelry, and lip balms, amongst other assorted items. Artwork by local artists are displayed on the walls and are frequently rotated, once even including artwork from 4Cats that the children in their classes next door had done (4 Cats is a wonderful children’s art studio with really wonderful staff there, too, and the children make such beautiful things!) Simply French also also has regular evening events including live music and performances, and they will accept bookings to use their space in the evenings.

Isobel and Hasmet have done such a beautiful job with Simply French Cafe: everything is delicious, the atmosphere is charming, warm, and welcoming, the art is perfect, the boutique items are beautiful, and Isobel and Hasmet are such lovely people. Really, you owe it to yourself to stop by and welcome yourself to having a truly Simply French Café experience.

Simply French Café
3742 West 10th Avenue
Vancouver, B.C. V6R 2G4

Hours:

Monday to Friday: 9AM to 8PM
Saturday to Sunday: 10AM to 5PM

Website

Filed under: Food, French, Photography, Reviews Tagged: British Columbia, cafe, Canada, French, gluten-free, Vancouver

Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten Free! April Round Up

Zoe — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:00:16 +0000

April’s theme for Go Ahead Honey, It’s Gluten-Free! (a blogging event created by Naomi Devlin of Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried) was about food inspired by your favourite children’s book and we had an excellent turn out of inspired and delightful recipes.

This was such a fun theme that I’d love to do it again. While there were some books and stories I was familiar with, there were a couple that I wasn’t – or hadn’t heard of before at all! Plus, it was an exciting way to learn about different cultures and a great way to get kids involved in the kitchen (more than a couple of those who participated are parents of young children).

Click after the jump to see the full round-up!

First, we begin with Max’s Earthworm Cake from Paula of Live Free, Gluten Free. Paula’s sons love reading the Max and Ruby books, about two bunnies that are a brother and sister, so they made Max’s earthworm cake from Bunny Cakes. Head over to Paula’s post to read about the story behind Max’s earthworm cake and how they made their edible version.

I regularly use millet flour in my baking, but I’ve yet to use the whole grain like in this Millet Porridge from Tessa the Domestic Diva. Tessa describes how her daughter came to try millet porridge (this one from The Whole Life Nutrition Book) after reading a version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. (Another bonus of food inspired by literature: kids generally like to eat or try what their favourite characters are eating!)

Slightly more contemporary, this Hunger Games Lamb Stew with Dried Plums came by the way of Danielle from Against All Grains. Remember in the announcement post for this theme how I joked about Hunger Games-inspired recipes? Well, Danielle’s recipe might have changed my mind! The combination of lamb and plums (dried or fresh) sounds succulent.

Heather from Discovering the Extraordinary was inspired by Amelia Bedelia to make these Chocolate Cream Puffs. I loved reading Amelia Bedelia when I was a kid – she’s always taking things literally and consequently gets in trouble. She always ends up saving the day, though, with her kitchen skills – and even that, she usually has literal interpretations of. (Dressing the chicken, for example, or making chocolate chip cookies with potato chips.)

These Blueberry Lemon Cupcakes are from Amber at The Tasty Alternative and are inspired by the book Blueberries for Sal. Amber made the cupcakes (also SCD friendly!) after her children cast their vote. I wasn’t sure if I’d read Blueberries for Sal before, so I read about it on Wikipedia and it’s a charming story.

Have you heard of the stories of Abkar and Birbal? I hadn’t! Raj from Flip Cookbook made Khichadi, or Indian Rice and Lentils, after being inspired by the short stories of Abkar and Birbal she read, and was read to, when she was little. This dish sounds superbly simple and can be made with ingredients that are likely already in your pantry. (Raj is also hosting May’s Go Ahead Honey theme, Mother’s Recipe Box, in celebration of Mother’s Day.)

I love Anne of Green Gables and I’m Canadian, so I was delighted with seeing Valerie’s (of City | Life | Eats) contribution! She made a reinterpreted version of the Pudding Sauce that was supposed to be served with Marilla’s Plum Pudding. Head over to Valerie’s post to read more about the Pudding Sauce and her version of the recipe.

Finally, my contribution for this theme. I made Scrambled “Green” Eggs, inspired by Dr. Seuss’s Green Eggs and Ham. I had originally planned to make the eggs sunny-side up, with spinach covering the yolks, but I decided scrambled was easier since spinach has a tendency to slide off the yolks, even once wilted.

May’s theme for Go Ahead Honey is for Mother’s Day – Mother’s Recipe Box – and is being hosted by Raj at Flip Cookbook.

Filed under: Breakfast, Dessert, Food, Round-up Tagged: children's literature, food in literature, gluten-free, recipes