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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Art of French Eating
I just read a piece by Jessica Knoll in the Global New York Times about “intuitive eating,” a fascinating concept. Come to find out, it’s an idea that surfaced in 1995 with a book entitled Intuitive Eating, by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, who have gone on to build an industry dedicated to the idea. […]
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 […]
Yogurt Cake Revisited
I have a dinner coming up, and I want to make a delicious but simple cake for dessert. I considered plenty of options and settled on an old favorite, Yogurt Cake. This, as those of you who have read On Rue Tatin, is a cake I discovered one day at my son’s school during a […]
Lamb with Mashed Potatoes, and the Best of 2018
I flew over mid-December to teach a couple of classes in Portland, which exhibited huge support (Merci, Portland) for the fine points of French cooking. Fiona flew in from her home in Utrecht, Holland, and Joe followed on her heels from Annapolis, Maryland. Yes, we are spread all over the map, so occasions to be […]
Techniques and Vikings – Just another Week at On Rue Tatin
Bonjour from the warmest French October since 1878, so say the meteorologists. it’s lovely waking up to blue skies every day, watching as the leaves turn slowly from green to all colors, to ride a bicycle wearing shirt sleeves. It’s also ominous, like Ground Hog Day, simply because it’s abnormal. At the market a grower lamented […]
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 […]
