Writing a Recipe
Writing a recipe is like taking a cook’s hand and leading them, simply and directly, through the construction of a puzzle to an impressive (and delicious) result. It involves clear and simple explanations that create visuals in the minds’ eye; the cook must understand and “feel” the right way to proceed. Here are the basic […]
How to Test a Recipe – Poached Pears
I have a confession to make. I love to test recipes. It’s creative, it’s finicky, it’s challenging. The aromas are marvelous, the workplace is comfortable and familiar, and you get to taste and share what you’ve just tested. When I talk about testing a recipe, I’m talking about preparing one for publication. It may be […]
Scallops and Vanilla?
Yes. It’s a combination made somewhere near heaven. It came about through serendipity. A friend stopped to visit, and brought with him a large, heavy bag of scallops in the shell. (He’s a fishmonger). I had lightly salted butter in my fridge along with (unusually I admit), the seeds from half a vanilla bean that I […]
Truffle Weekend – New at On Rue Tatin
Truffles, the black diamonds of the Périgord. I have never seen so many as I did last weekend, emerging from the clay-ish red soil, sitting on the kitchen counter, sifting down atop freshly sautéed foie gras, grated into tender butter, folded into slow-scrambled eggs, layered with creamy cheese. The occasion was On Rue Tatin’s first […]
Day Seven
I am no political pundit, but I cannot help notice, amidst the aftermath, some positives: Three million copies of Charlie Hebdo were printed for today, and they are sold out everywhere. This could help the magazine, which is in bankruptcy (a team of cartoonists went to see President Holland in October to see if he […]
The Events, the March
Charlie Hebdo. Hidden in a modest office on a small street near the Place de la Republique in Paris, the newspaper that pokes fun at all, no holds barred, has no sign on the door. No one really knew, or cared, where the office was. Today, everyone in the world knows where it is. Charles […]
