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cigalechanta
Joined: 27 Dec 2004 Posts: 200 Location: cambridge, ma.
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Posted: Tue Jan 04, 2005 8:26 pm Post subject: french substitutes |
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for Brown sugar and cream of tartar? _________________ Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly
..................................MFK Fisher |
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ptegan
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 7 Location: Paris 20th
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 11:39 am Post subject: |
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What are you using the brown sugar for exactly? |
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cigalechanta
Joined: 27 Dec 2004 Posts: 200 Location: cambridge, ma.
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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It's not for me. Someone who recently moved to France asked me if I knew. Also a substitute for allspice. _________________ Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly
..................................MFK Fisher |
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Erin
Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Posts: 1654 Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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Is she/he wanting a translation? _________________ "It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."
"It's hot ham water." |
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cigalechanta
Joined: 27 Dec 2004 Posts: 200 Location: cambridge, ma.
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 6:05 pm Post subject: |
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No substitutes, Erin. _________________ Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly
..................................MFK Fisher |
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Rainey

Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Posts: 2498 Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 6:29 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry if I'm being stupid here. We've switched providers, we're experiencing havoc from the heavy rains, I've been out of the loop and I'm having too much trouble just going forward to go back.
Someone has a French friend who cannot get allspice? There isn't a French equivalent for the berries? It seems to me they'd be very simple to mail and would keep almost indefinitely before they were ground up. Meanwhile, a quick twirl in a coffee grinder would render them useable in a couple seconds. |
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Alisa
Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Posts: 97 Location: Paris, France
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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As an american, living in Paris, I have found substitutes or places to buy "everything"!
Light and dark brown sugar can be purchased at Naturalia, and other health food type stores. Allspice and cream of tartar can be purchased at Le Grande Epicerie de Paris, at Le Bon Marche, and at The Real Mc Coy in the 15th, and at Thanksgiving store. Thanksgiving Store has a web site.
good luck! |
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cigalechanta
Joined: 27 Dec 2004 Posts: 200 Location: cambridge, ma.
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 7:28 pm Post subject: |
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She's not in Paris, alas, but the Auvergne.
But thanks for your responses, all. _________________ Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly
..................................MFK Fisher |
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Erin
Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Posts: 1654 Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2005 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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Well I know that brown sugar is basicly mix of sugar and molasses. _________________ "It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."
"It's hot ham water." |
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swan
Joined: 23 Nov 2004 Posts: 450 Location: a Dutchie in HongKong
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Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 10:14 am Post subject: |
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but what on earth is cream of tartar?What does it do? I don't know it, but maybe it has a very different name in dutch. |
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ptegan
Joined: 28 Oct 2004 Posts: 7 Location: Paris 20th
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Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 3:30 pm Post subject: |
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I don't know about Auvergne but in Paris you can get brown sugar pretty much everywhere and many different types too, depending on if it's for cakes, cooking or cocktails  |
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Rainey

Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Posts: 2498 Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
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Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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swan wrote: | but what on earth is cream of tartar?What does it do? I don't know it, but maybe it has a very different name in dutch. |
This link has some info http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/c1/creamtar.asp This one has a photo http://www.culinarycafe.com/Spices_Herbs/Cream_Tartar.html
I wonder, since it's an important ingredient in the leavener baking powder, what is the European equivalent. Leavening is important (accomplished one way or another) the world around. And there is certainly a wine producing tradition that must yield this acid by some name.  |
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Alisa
Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Posts: 97 Location: Paris, France
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Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2005 7:51 pm Post subject: |
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When I arrived, to live, in France, I asked my French husband who is a great cook, what do you call cream of tartar in French? Since he had lived in the U.S. for eight years, I figured that he would know. Response: "I have no idea, and I have been wondering for years what that stuff is, in the kitchen." After searching Harrap's French/English dictionary, the web, and the brains of many french cooks, I am still under the impression that the french chef doesn't use the stuff. What is so wierd is that it's origin is from wine casks in France. My only suggestions are to a) have friends and relatives send some, b) find web sites that will send it to you, i.e. Thanksgiving Store in Paris.[/b] |
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Alisa
Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Posts: 97 Location: Paris, France
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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I can't seem to let this one go! After typing "what is cream of tartar called in French", in Google, I was able to locate the chemical name.
syn: cream of tartar, potassium hydrogen tartrate
Since you can only purchase Baking Soda, (the Arm & Hammer type) at pharmacies in France, perhaps you can purchase, potassium hydrogen tartrate, at pharmacies as well. |
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Rainey

Joined: 29 Sep 2004 Posts: 2498 Location: Los Angeles, California, USA
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Posted: Fri Jan 07, 2005 8:12 pm Post subject: |
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Alisa wrote: | I can't seem to let this one go! After typing "what is cream of tartar called in French", in Google, I was able to locate the chemical name.
syn: cream of tartar, potassium hydrogen tartrate
Since you can only purchase Baking Soda, (the Arm & Hammer type) at pharmacies in France, perhaps you can purchase, potassium hydrogen tartrate, at pharmacies as well. |
It is intriguing, isn't it? I take it they don't have "baking powder" or if they do it's only as the commercial combination of baking soda + cream of tartar? You could still whip egg whites without cream of tartar even if they'd be a little more fragile. Still, I wonder how they do muffins without baking powder or if there's any such thing as muffins in European cuisine.
What else would effectively be eliminated? Biscuits, cake-style doughnuts, quick breads, pound cakes, many cookies come to mind. What else? Dear god, baking powder (with cream of tartar) is such a basic ingredient in my pantry and my baking! |
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