My Paris Kitchen

Black Olive Tapenade
Tapenade Noire

Serves 6 to 8

This was the first tapenade I ever made, and it is still my go-to recipe. The best olives to use are the slightly wrinkled black olives from Nyons; or, if you have the patience for pitting teensy Niçoise olives, they re marvelously oily and are the base for a wonderful bowl of tapenade. Other olives work well, too, but if they re very salty, rinse them in cold water and pat them dry before using them.

One way to pit olives is to squish them under your thumb or use the side of a broad knife blade, with the blade held parallel to the table (i.e., not facing up), and rap it down briskly to release the pit from the olive meat. Be sure to wear a dark shirt or kitchen apron since the pits like to celebrate their liberté in a very far-reaching way.
Tapenade can be spread on Herbed goat cheese toasts. Pastis is the classic accompaniment, although I never developed a taste for the anise-scented
elixir that mysteriously turns cloudy when water is added to dilute its high-test taste and strength. I opt for chilled rosé.
 
 
1-1/2 cups (210g) black olives, pitted
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and squeezed dry
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried
2 anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed  lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
Sea salt or kosher salt (optional)
 
1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the olives, garlic, capers, thyme, anchovies, lemon juice, and mustard a few times to start breaking them down.

2. Add the olive oil and run the food processor until the mixture forms a slightly chunky paste. The tapenade shouldn t need any salt, but taste and add a sprinkle if necessary. The tapenade will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

Introduction 
Ingredients 
Equipment 
 
Appetizers    
mis-en-bouche

First Courses   
entrées

Main Courses    
plats

Sides      
accompagnements

Desserts      
les desserts

Pantry    
ingrédients de base
 
Sources 
Acknowledgments 
Index 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

DAVID LEBOVITZ has been a professional cook and baker for most of his life; he spent nearly thirteen years at Berkeley's Chez Panisse until he left the restaurant business in 1999 to write books. He is the author of six books, including My Paris Kitchen, The Sweet Life in Paris, and The Perfect Scoop. David has been featured in Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Cook's Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, Saveur, Travel + Leisure, the New York Times, and more. He moved to Paris in 2004 and turned davidlebovitz.com into one of the first phenomenally popular food and living blogs.

David Lebovitz is a rare specimen: both a terrific storyteller and a brilliant, uncompromising recipe writer. His lighthearted, almost satirical style is combined with far-reaching knowledge of food and its context. I d follow him blindfolded on this journey to the City of Light.  
-Yotam Ottolenghi, coauthor of Jerusalem
 
David Lebovitz is a chef who can write better than most food writers, a writer who can hold his own in any restaurant kitchen in the world, and, most of all, a guy who simply rejoices in food and cooking. This may be his most personal cookbook, describing all facets of his cooking life in Paris, with great stories, information, and recipes. I need two copies of this book: one for the kitchen and another by my reading chair.  
-Michael Ruhlman, author of Ruhlman s Twenty
 
Opening this beautiful book is like opening the door to David s Paris. Of course, you get great recipes, but you also get to wander the world s most delicious city with a friend who knows it well and is excited to share it with you. A treat for those of us who love French home cooking, Paris, and David s take on it all.  
-Dorie Greenspan, author of Around My French Table
 
David Lebovitz is the ultimate American in Paris and this book is the ultimate insight into his beautiful and delicious world. I am beyond jealous!  
-Suzanne Goin, author of The A.O.C. Cookbook

 In My Paris Kitchen, Lebovitz weaves together inviting and insightful tales about his adopted city with a collection of smart, fun recipes. Some of these are total French classics think oeufs mayo and green lentil salad while others give a nod to the ethnic diversity in the city. In a nod to his pastry background, Lebovitz includes a substantial dessert section, but it's clear from the breadth of the book that his Paris kitchen is filled with so much more than sweets. Here is a cookbook to take to a comfy chair and read cover to