Rhubarb Poached in Vanilla Syrup with Fromage Blanc
Poaching rhubarb in vanilla syrup is one of life’s simple pleasures. But never tell anyone how easy it is, because they will thing you slaved all day over it. True, it takes some time to cut the rhubarb into tiny dice. Put some Paul Simon on and let his music take you somewhere while you […]
Aili Takala’s Rhubarb Cake
Galettes au Sarrasin – Buckwheat Galettes
When the galette is fully cooked on one side, flipped and just about cooked on the other side, you can add the filling, spreading it out as you like, then fold the galette up to the center of the filling, as in the photo.
Brittany Part Two
Last October, I hiked a good part of the Sentier des Douaniers, the winding trail that traces the coast of Brittany. Just last week I hiked another part of the trail, the eventual goal being to hike the entire Breton “peninsula”. The Sentier des Douaniers was once trod by customs agents on the alert […]
What’s the Worst Thing that Ever Happened in Class?
The redbuds were blooming in Asheville when I was there last week to teach, their snaky branches covered with fuscia blossoms, simply gorgeous. I love Asheville for its redbuds, but also for the dear friends I’ve made over the course of teaching classes there for nearly a decade. Asheville is special, one of […]
Couscous Soup
ASTUCE: The best meat for couscous soup is lamb neck, which is wonderfully gelatinous, rather like oxtail or beef eye of round. You can use a mix of meats too, however, without adding any pork. Baking soda added to beans as they cook tenderizes them. Finally, you will notice that the carrots and the zucchini […]
Couscous
ASTUCE: Pay careful attention to these pearls of wisdom, as they will ensure perfect couscous: *The directions urge you to proceed gently, so please do. As you use your fingers and palms, urge rather than rub the liquids and fats into the couscous, very lightly, very gently. *It is very important that the couscous steams […]
Summer Tomato Tourte
NOT JUST ANY CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
Springtime Grilling
Welcome spring! Yesterday was its official debut (at 10:53 local French time, according to radio France Inter) even though I always thought it was the 21st. The date doesn’t matter because the sun knows what’s up, and so does the market. Everyone is running around in shirtsleeves (manches courtes) with their cool French sunglasses, […]
