July Fourth Grill Menu Extraordinaire
So what if I were French and wanted to do a July Fourth picnic? Well, let’s see, I’d …. Wait a minute! I am French! And I want to do a Fourth of July Picnic! And I just wrote a book called French Grill! So, here’s the menu that I have chosen for the Fourth […]
Amuse-Bouches, the Art Of The French Welcome
Amuses in the kitchen The amuse-bouche is the French answer to an appetizer. It can also be called “mise-en-bouche,” or literally “put it in the mouth,” and when I was growing up we called little pre-meal delicacies “hors d’oeuvres.” This latter term seems to have disappeared from the culinary lexicon which is a shame, since […]
Late Season Makes for Happy Meals
Everyone here – everyone being most of the growers I buy from – says we’re three weeks behind the normal season. This means that instead of jumping feet-first into the strawberries, those gorgeous harbingers of spring are trickling in. And in Normandy, where the soil is still cold, they are a pleasure yet to come. […]
Highlights from a Spring Class
As I anticipated last week’s class, my heart fell. Here I’d advertised a spring class and we were still in the throes of winter with the season being at least three weeks behind a normal year. Temperatures hovered around freezing and the most exciting thing at the market was baby endive (finally growing well after […]
Aioli – Garlic Mayonnaise
Aioli is a staple for me. I fell in love with it when I was researching FRENCH FARMHOUSE COOKBOOK and I was in Provence, aioli’s natural home. It’s a signature “sauce” or dish – the sauce is the garlicky mayonnaise; the dish is the season’s best vegetables to enjoy with the sauce. For a special […]
New Season; New Classes
I keep waiting for spring and finally, today it knocked on the door. I know, officially it’s been here since March 21, but nothing about the world has felt springy. The temperatures have been so cold nothing will grow which means market offerings are skimpy; the skies have been roiling with winter clouds that threaten […]
Chocolate Chip Cookies, With a Difference
My daughter is coming home for spring break so the refrigerator and the cupboard need to be stocked, because wherever she is, a small crowd follows. She loves chocolate chip cookies, because I know already that after the hugs and hellos, her eyes will wander to the cookie tin. These, however, aren’t just any chocolate […]
La Maison des Simples – a Perfect Herb Store
There are things about living in a small French town that I occasionally take for granted. One of these is our town herbalist. I know. It is crazy to take such a treasure for granted, because Julie Raod, our herbalist, and her store, La Maison des Simples, are the beating heart of our region, where […]
Orange Marmalade
Winter is the season of oranges and I don’t think they’ve ever been better. Their juice is like sweet liquid sun, giving energy from the second it begins its slide across the palate. I’m guessing bitter oranges will be as good and flavorful – they certainly smelled like heaven as I squeezed them for their […]
Salt Cod Goes Uptown
Salt cod. It’s not your every day ingredient, I know. But you can find it in most fish markets, often in neat little wood boxes labeled “Salt Cod – Skinless and Boneless fillets”.* The History of Salt Cod Cod has a fascinating, lucrative history. Much of it has to do with its salted version. Cod […]
