Tarte Tatin
Every time I make Tarte Tatin I think about my time as an apprentice in the kitchens at La Varenne. There, Chef Albert Jorant taught us pastry. I worked with Chef Jorant on a book, too, putting my hands in the photographs of his pastries. It was here that I learned the fine points of […]
Poulet Vallée d’Auge – Chicken with Calvados, Cider, and Apples
My son, Joe, is visiting from the U.S., spending more time here than usual as he writes his senior thesis. I’m enjoying watching him work, our conversations roiling around the vagaries of writing and inspiration, the beauty of fine sentences that all too often end up on the cutting room floor, born as they can […]
Come Cook in France 2017
April 5-8, 2017 – Focus: Wine Pairings April 12-15, 2017- Focus: French Appetizers May 3-6, 2017 – Focus: Pastry May 17-20, 2017 June 4-9, 2017 – Focus: Regional French June 11-16, 2017 Can you hear the sizzle? It’s onions turning golden in goose fat, where they’ll stay until they’re crisp. Then, we’ll fold them […]
Sunday Lunch in the Country
I’ve experienced and written a lot about Sunday Lunch, because I think it’s such a warm and admirable French tradition. Families and friends get together to while away the day simply enjoying – a meal, a beautiful table, each other. It’s always a moment hors temps, outside of time, where the clock ticks more slowly, […]
The Simple Apple Tart
As the simple black dress is my go-to evening attire, this simple apple tart is my go-to dessert. It is so easy. I make my own pastry but if you don’t want to do that, get the best quality pastry you can find. Preheat the oven to 425F (220 C) Roll out the pastry, and […]
Concarneau – Brittany’s Best
Brittany. It’s a magic land. I just returned from a few days respite in Concarneau, in the Finistere, a bustling sea port of 20,000 settled around its crown jewel, the Bay of Concarneau. City planners long ago knew the beauty they held in their hands, and specified that houses on the coast could be of any […]
Details from the Week
November and another delicious class has just ended at On Rue Tatin. It is always hard to say goodbye when so much has been shared, even for a few days. It is amazing how attached we become through cooking and eating together, visiting the market and marveling at the details of life in a French town. […]
Tomatoes and Apples
I love shoulder seasons like this moment of autumn. Tomatoes are still hanging on the vine and full of sweet flavor; apples are literally dropping from the tree, and pears are ripe, aromatic, lush. We’ve got new autumn turnips, their skin so fine it almost peels off, and potimarron (kuri squash), those harbingers of short […]
Run, Run to Apples
On Rue Tatin alumna, Jennifer Worick, writer,blogger, and now wonderful apple cook after her experience at the Apples and More class last fall, asked if I’d publish this note, as a testament to her current On Rue Tatin and apple nostalgia. It’s been a year since she was here. Thank you for this, Jennifer, and […]
Some Tour Highlights
Books flew off the signing table at Bastille as guests (and author) enjoyed a lovely kir, then segued into Mushrooms with Chorizo from In a French Kitchen, and a beautiful meal prepared by chefs Christophe and Michelle Poteaux. Everyone who attended was so happy, so filled with questions, so delighted with the moment! A delicious […]
