GINGER COOKIES AND A HAPPY SOLUTION
There have been times when, whether I was making dinner for my family, or preparing for friends to come to a dinner party, I just didn’t “feel” it. I was tired, usually a state I don’t like to admit to, but it happens to everyone. A normal person would just resort to pasta; not me. […]
RENT ON RUE TATIN
On Rue Tatin, the beloved house that has welcomed so many, is once again for rent by the month, or the week. It’s a perfect place to land if you want a taste of French life and culture, a beautiful, professional kitchen for all the ingredients you will get at the market, and as a […]
Speculoos – Cinnamon Cookies
Speculoos is the golden spice cookie that comes wrapped in plastic and sits on the saucer of your espresso cup in nearly every cafe throughout the Hexagon. In the past decade, a single, plastic-wrapped speculoos has replaced the chocolate-dipped almond or malted milk ball that was the typical sweet treat alongside a cafe exprès. So, […]
Fig Jam
I planted my fig tree about seven years ago, to replace an ancient apple tree which was the “apple of my eye”. She (or he?) was such a lovely part of the garden, planted at least eighty years ago by the nuns who once occupied On Rue Tatin. She was just the perfect sort of […]
Maine
My recent visit to Maine was a patchwork of memories and a blossoming of experiences to add to them. I moved there two minutes before my son was born, nearly 29 years ago. I fell in love with the town the minute I saw it, mostly for the spare, lovely homes that were placed so […]
Smoked Salmon, Spoons, and Guinness
I was strolling down the high street in Drogheda, Ireland, and suddenly my friend Trish Rogers, internationally known wine and food expert and author of the Zing!thing yelled “Hughie will ya look a that!,” and went over to embrace an elderly gent who was sitting on a bench playing the spoons. “Aye […]
Mid-Summer Rhubarb
I think my rhubarb plant loves me. I blush to say this, but it’s got to be true. Each season, it gets bigger and more productive. This year, it multiplied so I actually have two rhubarb plants this year. And while its stalks don’t turn that luscious, deep red of some varieties, its […]
Ireland – Trad Music, Brown Bread, and the 99
Begorrah. Slainte. Shite. That’s about the sum of my Irish vocabulary, which I learned after spending a short week in the Ancient East coastal area of rolling green hills, gently capped waters, Celtic crosses, 99 ice creams. It’s what you’d expect of Ireland (maybe not the 99’s…more on that), it doesn’t disappoint. But there’s so […]
Cherries – Under the Wire
I know I’m just under the wire with this cherry recipe, but I rushed to get it perfected so that I could share it with you. So please run to your market, get the cherries even if they’re the season’s last, and find an avocado. You’ve got a treat in store. I’m proud of this […]
Salade Niçoise Authentique
Salade Niçoise, how we all love this blend of potatoes, green beans, lettuce, tomatoes, anchovies, tuna and…WAIT !!! STOP!!! Do not EVER tell any self-respecting Niçoise that you like your Salade Niçoise with potatoes, green beans, lettuce, or tuna and anchovies at the same time. This will make you an outcast and possibly consider you a […]
