Just a few words about the tool I have probably missed the most since arriving in France: my offset bread knife. (I optimistically starred a bunch of items in my Batterie de Cuisine a couple of months ago. The truth is, I just got my favorite cooking utensils in my hot little hands this week.)
This is the greatest bread knife anywhere. Here’s why: the offset handle means you can cut through the bottom crust of a loaf of bread without scraping your knuckles on the counter. It’s super sharp and works beautifully on both soft brioche and crusty artisan breads. And, perhaps most importantly, unlike the tiny serrated paring knife we’ve been using to cut bread for the last 5 months, it’s long enough to cut cleanly through breads of all shapes and sizes. (We’ve pretty much been confined to baguette-shaped breads, not that this is exactly horrible.)
So today, in order to celebrate, I went to Au Levain du Marais and picked out a round loaf, just because I could. Let me tell you, that Boule de Campagne tastes great. And it’s so easy to cut. Bliss.
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Croque-Camille 