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shcraft
Tacos, tamales, and modelo!!! @ Mi Tierra Taqueria http://instagram.com/p/ZOrOqWKdDR/ 

PeeBeePants
Ordered one of those McDonald’s chicken wraps this weekend. #YOLO

Farmhauseric
I’m bringing home half of a cherry pie and two bottles of partially finished wine from work. I’d call that a success!

barbaricgulp
My students are having a debate about which tastes better, beef jerky or jerky chew. #boys

inacamba
So full from lunch, the thought of food makes me ill…until I saw the post about @MOFUSOY popup ramen shop. #nowimhungry

thebarehand
See the little rice grains in the center of each cell?  Those are eggs!  #barehandhoney #bees… http://instagram.com/p/ZJM345qQAi/ 

tiny_owl05
Best news ever. See ya s’mores. “@foodbeast: Peanut Butter Pop-Tarts Released for the First Time in 27 Years http://bit.ly/10FGAhN ”

PhoKingQui
Hello everyone!! It’s about PhoKing Time huh? Go STL Food!!!!! Thanks for the welcome!

chelsysayshi
My friend doesn’t know what PBR is. She’s 22. How does this happen?

gabehartwig
There’s a pizza-scented candle at Bath & Body Works. Because my mother is a classy lady, I didn’t buy that one for her. #mothersday

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@JasonTilford
@ianfroeb thanks for the review. The reason we know you by sight is, you’re the only person in st Lou that wears a baltimore orioles hat

BravoAndy
Starting my day in St. Louis w/ @JMotte30 ! @Cardinals pic.twitter.com/4k2apeNRnG

tonylovesfood
French toast face. Who do you see? 1 vote for Sloth from The Goonies. pic.twitter.com/3Qt3WQwThn

stlcolleen
The volume of calories I’ve cooked tonight is unreal. Bacon, check. Gruyere & cream: double check. Chocolate, bourbon, pecans: triple check.

carln26
Lime juice in your eye really, really hurts……don’t ask

Jaredbrewsbass
Scored eggs, cheese, morels, 3 varieties of tomato plants, and a basil plant @SchlaflyMarket, all while brewing Summer Lager.

ogbrewer
@OFallonBrewery photo bombed by @2ndshiftbrewery Crider #microfest @yeastwhisperer pic.twitter.com/m2O6hyb4fo

tiny_owl05
Chocolate chip pancakes, the city museum/aquarium, the stl zoo and a pizza party. I had the best 30th… http://instagram.com/p/Y-UA1pL_1X/ 

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{I’m in San Francisco right now and this short video from Tartine Bakery is the reason why. The video was released when the cafe’s first cookbook came out, and you can see owner Chad Robertson’s love of bread shine through. It’s inspiring to watch, and the fact that it’s absolutely beautiful doesn’t hurt either.}

{I wear Bose QuietComfort 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones all the time at work. The sound quality is perfect (to me) and even if I’m not trying to zone out to tunes, I can just turn on the noise cancelling option and quiet the world around me. They’re worth every single penny. Trust me.}

{I am obsessed with Nigella Lawson’s chocolate cloud cake. Between the whipped egg whites and whipped cream, there’s so much air in this cake; it could float away. Isn’t it ironic how the things that taste the lightest make us weigh the heaviest?}

Christophe Felder’s Patisserie is an encyclopedic tome of French pastry. Wanna learn to make croissants or macarons? The book has complex recipes like these, broken down step-by-step and interspersed with process photos to guide you along the way (particularly useful for novice bakers). The vast collection of French desserts in this book is impressive alone. I chose to make crème brûlée because, surprisingly, I’ve never made it, and I’ve always loved it. It’s a quintessential French dessert but so much easier than the odyssey that is Marronnier (chocolate-chestnut layer cake) on page 346.

Many crème brûlée recipes have you bake the custards in a bain marie, which is a water bath, but this one didn’t, which I thoroughly appreciated. It’s always a pain to set those things up, and I inevitably spill water everywhere. Instead, the recipe instructs to place the custards in a 200-degree oven for an hour and fifteen minutes.

When they came out, I was excited that they were solid but trembling slightly in the middle – just like the recipe described.

The recipe does not tell you to chill the custards but to just let them cool completely. Well, my impatience got the best of me. I chilled one in the freezer for about 30 minutes and then brûléed the top under a broiler. It was not good. The custard was still loose, and because it wasn’t completely chilled, it still had a really strong egg taste, like a vanilla-citrus-scented soft scramble. Weird.

However, the next day, I tried another custard and the time-alone-to-itself period made a difference. The custard had a chance to condense; albeit, still runnier in texture than the thick, velvety versions I’m used to, it was much better. Perhaps an hour and fifteen minutes was not long enough to make it set in my oven. The flavor improved overnight too … less eggy and a lot more like the flavor of well … crème brûlée.

Crème Brûlée Vanille au Zeste de Citron Vert
(Lime-Vanilla Crème Brûlée)
Serves 4

Special equipment: individual gratin dishes

2½ vanilla beans
1 cup milk
5 eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy cream
½ lime
½ cup light brown sugar

• Split the vanilla beans lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a paring knife. Bring the milk and vanilla seeds and beans to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from the heat and let infuse.
• Separate the eggs and place the yolks in a bowl. Whisk the sugar into the egg yolks, just until the sugar dissolves. The mixture should not pale in color.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
• Add the cream to the egg yolk-sugar mixture, whisking until smooth. Then whisk the cooled milk into the mixture until smooth.
• Using a citrus zester, remove the colored zest from the lime in fine julienne strips, leaving the white pith. Or use a vegetable peeler and cut the zest into julienne strips with a knife.
• Divide the zest among the grain dishes. Ladle the custard into the dishes
• Depending on the size of the ramekins, bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes, just until the custard is slightly wobbly. Let cool completely.
• Sift ½ of the brown sugar in an even layer over the custards. Using a kitchen torch, caramelize the sugar. Or broil the custards on the top shelf of the oven. Sprinkle the crème brûlées with the remaining brown sugar and caramelize again.
• Serve immediately.

Reprinted with permission from Rizzoli International Publications.

What’s your favorite dessert to order out and why? Tell us about it in the comments section below for a chance to win a copy Patisserie. We’ll announce the winner in next week’s By the Book column.

And now, we’d like to congratulate Katie, whose comment on last week’s By the Book has won her a copy of French Bistro. Katie, keep an eye out for an email from the Sauce crew. 

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madsquirrel20
do you think bears find us in the woods in our sleeping bags and think “oooh, Hot Pockets.”

RizzoTees
I just saw a wild turkey in downtown #STL near @SLLIS pic.twitter.com/2L5eJh4kSO

beerinthedale
Our maple sap beer is finally ready! On tap for one week only, then we’re holding back the rest to try in 6 months. http://scratchbeer.com/?p=150 

j_wilkins44
I’m really excited about this, but @bombayfoodtruck is braving the rain and they are setting up right now in our parking lot! #ECFoodTrucks

bmox
At the car dealership getting a new tire. Just dumped half of my complimentary coffee on my crotch. So I got that going on.

ninjachef1314
Chefs dinner…. Tomato and basil linguini with pecorino romano and a fried black chicken egg pic.twitter.com/HySloM8qq0

Farmhauseric
I have a new pastime: Eat @Pigpicker BBQ for lunch. Wait half an hour. Run 6 miles…. Every experience is different! Check it out

thelibertinestl
Just done watching  Bourdain’s ‘Layaway’ in Chi. Chicago I love you. St. Louis, with Josh Galliano by my side, I can’t wait to feed you.

AmuseDouche11
Heading west with a sixxer of canned @Schlafly IPA, a corduroy coat, and Flogging Molly. Look out Chesterfield!

sippinstl
What, you don’t sauté your asparagus in duck fat? Well, you’re doing it wrong.

MOFUSOY
Recipe development for Ramen Pop Up (RPU). PFG pork belly. Few minor changes and it will be money! pic.twitter.com/tTrNV4rYLR

lexielehr
That surreal moment when the singer from one of your favorite bands is the bartender at the bar you’re at? @patrickbkmku

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One day while waiting to order a slab of Bogart’s famed ribs, we were bestowed with a free sample of smoked chicken wings. Turns out the Soulard smokehouse’s ’cue crew hands these little gems out for free to patient patrons when the line gets long. Two bites, and we didn’t care how long we had to wait; we just wanted another … and another. We’re helpless against the temptation of a smoked wing, but these charred beauties are truly special: tender, meaty and packed with smoky flavor. By the time we got to the front of the line, our order had changed. When it comes to barbecue, pork may reign supreme; but don’t be surprised if these wings convert you.

Bogart’s Smokehouse, 1627 S. Ninth St., St. Louis, 314.621.3107, bogartssmokehouse.com

For more from The List 2013: The people, places, dishes and drinks we love, click here.

— photo by Carmen Troesser

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vergberg
Thanks to @TylerFlorence for turning us on to the best one ever. Happy #nationalgrilledcheeseday ! pic.twitter.com/edksH8SEdU

thefakejz
THEY KNOW MY NAME AT SEOUL TACO. (Tear tear) this is the proudest moment of my life

ClaireUncorked
I just bought new jeans – TWO sizes smaller. And they say you can’t drink & lose weight. Ballyhoo. Pure ballyhoo.

TheOtherHepburn
Just learned: #Guinness Stout has fewer calories than skim milk, OJ, and many other beers. Best fact of the day.

ptotheb3
Sure, there are less murders in #WeCo, but the moms driving empty SUVs while planning progressive dinners on their phones is pretty scary.

jpollackphoto
I’ll see your breakfast of toast with coffee… and raise you a Dan Dan Noodle.

onedadslife
In a pinch, I think I could survive on Texas Toast Butter and Garlic croutons and a decent Australian Shiraz. #notevenlying

RizzoTees
Why did Rockie Fresh & Rick Ross put out a rap song called “Panera Bread?” #ImReallyOld

Think you should be on this list? Follow us and let us know @saucemag

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FTBSTL
Closing to Disney music. Customers get free Busch for being cool when we’re scream-singing Little Mermaid http://instagram.com/p/X_t22GIDXB/

Schlafly
“@siwelwerd: @Schlafly This is precisely why I keep all my beer in the basement.” I’m in my basement wishing I had a beer cellar.

AimeeKnebel
This storm is getting scary. I can’t tell if I spilled my wine on my lap or if I peed my pants. #stlwx

farmhausstl
Thanks to all the bad ass guests who dined with us in the dark for the last 2 hours of service tonight. Love you guys!!

bmox
Built a negroni on ice so as not to wake daughter. Campari layer was awesome. Vermouth, a tad less enjoyable. Really excited abt gin layer!

knashan
Getting the garden ready @sidneystcafe  who would have thought liquid nitrogen is the best weed killer eva pic.twitter.com/bUMUIo6ge9

robinrath
I don’t get the #provel haters. All cheese is odd.

ironstef
Oh was there a weather situation? I was busy making my new favorite risotto. #yum #gasstoveforlife

mcharcuterie
The only chocolate left in the house was my daughter’s dark chocolate egg from @Kakaostl . I ate it. I’ll have some explaining to do later.

sabrinacrider
Maybe my husband was onto something when he put the Girl Scout Cookies down in the basement. Tornado snackage. #stlwx #stlouis

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I’ve planned a fantasy trip in my head to go to Monte Carlo for a few days where I will dine at Alain Ducasse’s Le Louix XV and then take a train to the French city Aix en Provence. There, I will rent a cute little cottage, visit the local shops and cook food for my family and friends just like Julia Child did at her Provencal cottage, La Pitchoune.

That’s why I was excited to cook out of Lunch in Provence by Rachael McKenna and Jean-André Charial.

I decided to make Eggplant Gratin and it turned out fine, for the most part, despite the bitter taste of some of the eggplants. The recipe was quite short, but the way it was formatted was overly complicated which made a rather easy recipe become daunting. There were also a couple of details missing in the recipe. For example, the recipe calls for a bunch of fresh basil, but it doesn’t cite a measurable amount. Additionally, while there’s no cheese in the recipe, there appears to be cheese in the photo of the finished dish.

Yet, these are minor details, and I don’t think they affected the overall quality of the  dish. I loved that the dish was both vegan and low-carb, but it was really oily and the flavor was just average. This oily issue could be remedied by drying the eggplants on paper towels longer or topping the dish with great, crusty bread.

Aesthetically, Lunch in Provence is pleasing and would look cute on my coffee table. It includes photos of the countryside and lavender fields, and it’s dotted with loving quotes about Provence from famous writers and artists. The book makes Provence look like such a sunny and happy place. But did Lunch in Provence at least partly satiate my Provencal fantasy? Not really. I felt pretty ambivalent about both the contents of the book and the dish; I guess I’ll have to keep on dreaming.

Eggplant Gratin
Gratin d’aubergines
Serves 6

4½ lbs. (2 kg.) tomatoes* (I used whole, peeled tomatoes from the can.)
Tbsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. finely granulated sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 sprigs fresh parsley, chopped
1 small sprig fresh thyme, chopped
1 bay leaf
½ bunch fresh basil or tarragon leaves, chopped
4 eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthways*
Generous ¾ cup olive oil
1 bunch fresh basil, chopped
Scant ½ cup breadcrumbs

• First, prepare the tomatoes: To peel the tomatoes, cut a small cone from the base of each tomato with a sharp knife. Cut a small cross in the base, and the plunge the tomatoes in boiling water for about 12 seconds, then in cold water for 15 seconds. The skin will just fall off. Slice the tomatoes lengthways, then with the knife remove the seeds and pulp, leaving only the flesh.
• In a cast-iron pan, lightly saute the garlic in the olive oil. Add the chopped onion. Lightly cook (don’t brown) then add the peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and basil or tarragon. Cover and cook for 1 hour over a low heat.
• While the tomatoes cook, in a large pan, cook the eggplant slices on both sides in the olive oil until they are golden brown. Work in batches, draining the cooked eggplant on paper towels as you go.
• Brush the inside of a gratin dish with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
• Put a thin layer of the tomatoes on the bottom of the gratin dish, then place a layer of the eggplant on top. Sprinkle with chopped basil. Form a second layer of tomatoes, followed by eggplant and basil, then a third of tomatoes. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
• Turn the oven to full heat. Put a dish containing 1 inch of water in the oven. To prevent boiling, place a sheet of newspaper folded in half in the bottom of the dish.
• Place the gratin dish in the bain-marie and bake for about 15 minutes.

* The crushed tomatoes and the eggplant can be prepared several hours in advance. The gratin, however, should be cooked immediately before serving.

Reprinted with permission from Flammarion.

What’s your foodie travel fantasy? Tell us about it in the comments section below for a chance to win a copy of Lunch in Provence by Rachael McKenna and Jean-André Charial. We’ll announce the winner in next week’s By the Book column. 

And now we’d like to congratulate Hugh, whose comment on last week’s By the Book has won him a copy of Paul Bocuse: The Complete Recipes by Paul Bocuse. Hugh, keep an eye out for an email from the Sauce crew.

The BIG MUDDY sandwich at SUGARFIRE SMOKE HOUSE has swept us off our feet. Hunks of brisket and slivers of house-smoked sausage are tender, succulent, and dressed to kill in fiery horseradish and sweet barbecue sauces. Did we mention that the sausage is made at local butcher shop G&W? Oh Big Muddy, you had us at hello.

Sugarfire Smoke House, 9200 Olive Blvd., Olivette, 314.997.2301, sugarfiresmokehouse.com

— photo by Carmen Troesser