originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):
originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
originally posted by mark e:
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
proper parsing of blinis aux levain grillé is 'toasted (sourdough blinis)'. I take this to be the chef's creativity on display: s/he will make blini from a sourdough-style batter.
Looking at the picture now, you are right. Nothing toasted probably. Looks like a fairly standard-issue blin with some sort of cultured milk product and caviar. The misinterpretation comes because a "loaf of levain" is often used in spoken English to mean a "loaf of pain au levain;" JL knew that but persisted nonetheless.
JL "knew" nothing of the kind. I have never heard the phrase "a loaf of levain" prior to this claim. Indeed, I did not know that levain is considered and English word.
OK. I take your word for it, but anyone who has lived in the SF Bay Area would likely agree with me.
Indeed. "I'll take a loaf of levain" is probably heard 30+ times a day at Acme Bakery in Berkeley.
Perhaps, though if levain means in SF English,sourdough bread, one might just ask for a levain, i presume. Nevertheless, with regard to translating the French menu, levain means ambient yeast and not bread made from it. Try going into a boulangerie and asking for say un carré de levain and see what you come out with (I am assuming here that loaf does not always refer to bread--as in meat loaf. If it does, then you would ask for a pain au levain, which means sourdough bread and started the whole problem).
