Dinner at Raquel and Mathieu's

Raquel's homemade macaroons.

Last night Franck and I were invited to our friends Raquel (Brazilian) and Mathieu's (French) for dinner. While sipping our caipirinhas (can't make those either, which is unfortunate), the subject of Franck's Kitchen arose and I quickly realised that when you have a food blog, people offer up recipes, start talking about how they braise chicken (no idea what that means), and use exotic ingredients like rosemary, basil, and thyme (???) like I know what they're talking about. Imagine me explaining to you how to play chords in D minor. It's the same thing. While nervously slurping the end of my drink, with a blank look on my face, my eyes wondered towards the soft colours of Raquel's homemade macaroons. Disengaging myself from the conversation, I snapped a picture of these goodies for my blog. I didn't ask for the recipe, because who am I kidding, that's way to advanced. For those of you not aware, macaroons are a sacred desert in Paris. Thanks to Ladurée, a definite stop during your next stroll down the Champs Elysées.


Speaking of rosemary, my girlfriend Julie - creative director of Circo de Bakuza was also over and was totally choqué when I told her I didn't know what 'romarin' was. So today, in my quest to become a better woman, I looked it up. Even though I'm probably the only person who doesn't know what rosemary is, I thought I would provide 23 fun facts (hahaha) about about it anyway. Courtesy of Megan Saurus from Herb Gardening Centre. 

Rosemary - otherwise known as 'dew of the sea'. That's random. 

1. The name of Rosemary originates from the Latin word rosmarinus, meaning "mist of the sea" or "dew of the sea".
2. Rosemary is part of the mint family, together with Basil, Lavender, Oregano and many other herbs.
3. Rosemary can easily grow to five feet.
4. Rosemary has small, pretty bluish-purple flowers.
5. Wild Rosemary can be found along the sea cliff along the coast of Italy, Greece, Spain and France.
6. In the 16th century, Rosemary was often burned in sickrooms as disinfectant to kill germs.
7. Ancient Greeks believed that Rosemary was a magical plant that could strengthen memory.
8. Rosemary sprigs are traditionally scattered on the grave to show that the beloved family member would not be forgotten.
9. During the English Tudor era, Rosemary symbolized fidelity, and brides would give sprigs of Rosemary to bridegroom as a tradition.
10. In the old days, Rosemary has been used as an herbal medicine to relief gas, toothache, headache and even baldness.
11. Rosemary has been named Herb of The Year in 2000 by the International Herb Association.
12. Dried, well-preserved Rosemary is able to retain most of the flavor and fragrance.
13. For culinary purposes, Rosemary is often paired up with lamb as its bittersweet, nutty flavor is excellent in counterbalancing the richness and fattiness from the meat.
14. Distilled Rosemary oil can be poisonous in strong doses.
15. Rosemary is also used as an aromatic herb and its extract can be found in tinctures, bath oil, hair rinse, and insect repellent.
16. The best time in planning Rosemary is early Spring or Fall.
17. Overwatering is Rosemary's biggest enemy.
18. Rosemary can be used as an edging plant.
19. Rosemary is quite difficult to grow from seeds.
20. Rosemary can be easily propagated by cuttings.
21. Rosemary loves well-drained soil with pH of 6.0-7.5.
22. While Rosemary is extremely drought-resistant, its seedling should be watered regularly until its root system is matured. This usually means one year of regular watering.
23. Rosemary attracts bees - a pleasant surprise to any herb and vegetable gardeners!