Rest In Pasta
You never really know or understand the impact that people you meet will have on your life until they’re there. Before moving I was scared that Parisian women would be scary and mean, and I was convinced that other non-French ladies would be way too sophisticated and cool to even notice that I was breathing the same air as them. I was wrong about all of that.
The first guest on the podcast and one of my first friends in Paris, Kristin Frederick, helped me realize quite quickly that if I simply remained true to who I was and stayed open to meeting new people that I would be okay. Meeting her was so unexpected but, now in hindsight, was so obviously meant to be.
In this episode, Kristin shared what brought her to Paris (culinary school) and eventually what beckoned her to stay (it starts with “French” and ends with “man “). Like me, her relationship didn’t work out but she stayed. But she didn’t just stay, she thrived.
The only thing ordinaire about Kristin’s Paris story is that she’s an American that moved to Paris, everything else is extraordinaire. After moving to Paris in 2009 and attending the famed French culinary school Ferrandi, she found herself in the trenches at Michelin-starred French restaurants, like Apicius. She sharpened her knife and perfected her technique for a few years in Paris, but the sunshine and ease of LA beckoned her home, or so she thought.
But like most Americans that live in Paris, the city got under her skin, so she packed those bags again and moved back to Paris. This time with an idea in mind; she wanted to open the first food truck in France. After battling endless bureaucracy, chasing down permits and essentially convincing French people that this was a good idea, her tenacity paid off and the Le Camion Qui Fume (The Smoking Truck), France's first food truck was born in 2011, serving burgers and fries that are trés delicious.
Fast forward 7 years later and Le Camion Qui Fume has grown to include a fleet of 4 trucks and 2 restaurants. But in addition to Le Camion Qui Fume Kristin is also the creator of GreenHouse (my personal favorite), which Kristin describes as her passion project. It’s the place where she can cook simple, delicious and healthy food and serve amazing natural wines. In French, it’s described as a potager urbain, which loosely translates into a city garden, but to me, it’s simply one of THE best places for apéro and I’m not saying that just because she’s my friend. Kristin's intelligence, creativity, tenacity, and confidence has made her a trailblazer in the food industry here in Paris.
The Rest in Pasta recipe
Kristin’s favorite dinner for one is spaghetti carbonara. It’s the meal she makes when she just wants to be cozy, it’s as simple as that. It was quick and delicious, everything dinner for one should be.
Spaghetti Carbonara
Ingredients
250 grams of tagliatelle egg pasta
150 grams of guanciale
1 clove of garlic
water
freshly ground black pepper
2 egg yolks
freshly grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese
Preparation
Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat
Dice the guanciale into cubed pieces and thinly slice the garlic
Add the chopped guanciale to the large skillet or saucepan over medium heat. You want to render the fat from the bacon, which will be the base for the entire meal.
Once the guanciale starts to brown and become crisp, add the garlic and stir to mix the flavors
Remove the pot with guanciale and garlic from the heat because you don’t want it to burn
Separate the egg yolks from the white
By now the water should be boiling, so add the pasta to the salted water and let cook for about 3 minutes
Then temper the eggs using the pasta water
Add your grated cheese to the tempered eggs
Take your pasta directly from the water and add it to the bacon and garlic mixture that you’ve reheated and give it a stir, but don’t throw out the pasta water just yet because you might need it
Add your tempered egg and cheese mixture
Continue to stir and if the pasta seems a bit dry add spoonfuls of the pasta water
Finish it off by topping with ground black pepper and leftover cheese