The red clay of Roland Garros isn’t impressed with raw power. It rewards stamina, agility and the resolve to hit ball after ball until an opponent either wilts or short-circuits in sheer frustration. None of these qualities has made Serena Williams the most dominant player in women’s tennis over the last decade. But on the eve of the 2012 French Open , the 30-year-old Williams looks the favorite to win her 14th Grand Slam title on a surface that has never played to her strengths. Read full article > >

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2012 French Open: Rededicated Serena Williams appears a favorite to win at Roland Garros

With the election of a new French president this month, the wealthy in France are suddenly scrambling for places to stash their money for a while, including in the United States.

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Big Deal: Voting With Their Wallets

Britain’s Andy Murray is drawn to face Tatsuma Ito of Japan, the world number 69, in the opening round of the French Open.

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Murray to face Ito in first round

BERLIN — Supporters of major new measures to ease Europe’s economic crisis confronted a sinking realization Thursday: Their best chances for success might come only if the situation worsens. A French demand that the 17 countries that use the euro currency back one another’s borrowing has won new supporters in recent days, but it has been met with full-throated resistance from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose thrifty taxpayers would bear the biggest burden of any plan. Read full article > >

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Euro-zone countries appear far from compromise

A French film in which Kylie Minogue makes a cameo appearance has emerged as a dark horse contender to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

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Minogue movie the talk of Cannes

Regional leaders meeting in Brussels failed to signal concrete steps to stimulate the economy or resolve the competing agendas of the German chancellor and the French president.

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Euro Zone Crisis Boils as Leaders Argue, Failing at Pact

One of world’s largest private cognac collections has gone on sale in Holland, including bottles dating back to the French Revolution and Napoleon Bonaparte.

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VIDEO: World’s ‘rarest’ cognacs on sale

Germany restates its opposition to so-called eurobonds as the new French finance minister prepares to meet his German counterpart for the first time.

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Germany restates eurobond unease

A French prosecutor orders an initial inquiry into claims that ex-IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn was involved in a “gang rape” in Washington.

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Strauss-Kahn faces new rape case

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday. Do we seem a little puffed up today? It's not without reason – May 18 is National Cheese Soufflé Day! ! This savory, airy cake rises to the occasion nearly every time; the name comes from a French verb, souffler, which literally means to “blow up” or “puff up.” That's the delicious alchemy that happens when custard and whipped egg whites take a leisurely loll in a hot, closed oven. And yes, “closed” is key. There's a reason soufflés are so often played for laughs in film and television. They're temperamental little suckers, prone to falling flat as a result of temperature shifts and excess vibrations. Soufflés also take a goodly chunk of time to make, so if they're desired for dessert, diners are often asked to place their orders along with the main courses. But a classic cheese soufflé can be a showstopping main course for an at-home dinner party or holiday event – with plenty of careful attention paid to timing. The base can be made and refrigerated ahead of time, but once baked, it's best served steaming hot from the oven. It will deflate a tiny bit on the table, but still earn gasps from guests. Try this Parmesan and Gruyere-packed version from Molly Wizenberg, the self-proclaimed “fluffiest” take from Food & Wine , or get the blues with Ina Garten's Roquefort-kissed recipe . Previously – Rise to the occasion with homemade chocolate soufflé

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National Cheese Souffle Day

BERLIN — French President-elect Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have each been prescribing the same salve — growth — to ease Europe’s economic ills. But the medicines vary sharply on either side of the Rhine. Read full article > >

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Germany remains opposed to calls for economic stimulus in Europe

Colombian officials dismiss demands made by Farc rebels believed to be holding a French journalist in exchange for his release.

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‘No deal’ with Farc on journalist

Ray Isle ( @islewine on Twitter ) is Food & Wine's executive wine editor. We trust his every cork pop and decant – and the man can sniff out a bargain to boot. Take it away, Ray. The sun is out, the gentle breezes are blowing, the gardens and the fields are burgeoning with new green leaves, and so now is the time to eat them. As a fairly carnivorous person, I tend to feel that if I’m going to be eating a salad, I might as well have some wine with it, just to give the whole enterprise some sort of point. To that end, here are a few thoughts about pairing wines with salads. Green Salad with Vinaigrette This illustrates a basic pairing idea, which is that acidity likes acidity. Pour a low-acid white like a Chardonnay with a vinaigrette, and you won’t taste the wine at all; pour a tart, zingy white like a Sauvignon Blanc or an Albariño, and the vinegar in the dressing will actually bring out the fruitiness of the wine. Essentially, food trumps wine when it comes to taste, so the tartness of the dressing makes your mouth perceive the wine as less tart than it actually is.   Salads with Creamy Dressings Ah, ranch dressing. Actually invented on a dude ranch, you know – the Hidden Valley Ranch, near Santa Barbara. Then, in 1972, the brand was purchased by Clorox. Generally speaking, we don’t associate bleach with salad dressing, but there it is. Regardless, ranch dressing and others of its ilk are creamy, high in fat and modest when it comes to acidity. Oregon Chardonnays and Pinot Gris would both be excellent options; California Chardonnay, as long as it’s not so big and buttery that you ought to be pouring it on the salad itself, would also be good.   Frisée-Bacon Lardons-Egg I like to think of the French thought process behind this insanely good salad as something like this: “Sacre bleu! We take zee bacon and zee egg, and we put zem on top of the salad! Eet is like breakfast – with leaves!” Culinary geniuses, to be sure. But wine-wise, you’ve got egg (protein), bacon (protein, fat), bacon fat in the dressing (um, fat), a little tanginess and some greens. Think light red or a crisp rosé – a measure of tannins or acidity or both, and enough substance to go with a fairly filling salad. For an alternative, Champagne, which goes very well with eggs indeed.   Steak Salad I think the Tuscans have it right when it comes to the idea of steak and salad. Basically, take a big, beautiful steak (the classic bistecca fiorentina), grill it to perfection and slap it on top of a bunch of argula (which then wilts). Drizzle it with great olive oil. Sprinkle some sea salt on top. See? Steak + salad. Clearly, the thing to drink with a fine meal like this is a substantial Tuscan red: Chianti Classico Riserva, Brunello di Montalcino, Vino Nobile de Montepulciano. You’ll need those tannins to cut through the juiciness and fat of the meat. And the salad? Oh, right. It’s under the steak. Don’t worry about it. More from Food & Wine America's Healthiest Salads Best Steak in the U.S. Delicious Steak Recipes Fantastic Green Salads Spring Recipes

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What to sip with your salad

In an address to his supporters in Tulle, France, François Hollande said that the French people voted for “change.”

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The Lede Blog: Updates on Voting in France, Greece, Germany, Serbia and Armenia

The rise of the Socialist François Hollande, who is slightly favored to win the French presidency on Sunday, is still a surprise to many in the country.

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In Race to French Presidency, Hollande Sets His Own Pace