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 […]

Grilled Chicken with Spicy Rhubarb

  Naturally, the French cook has a way with this fleeting gift of spring.  Typically, it is wrapped in buttery pastry, pureed and put under a meringue, atop ice cream, blended with cream, cooked in syrup.  Here, I’m inspired by the French fascination with sugar syrup to turn rhubarb into a sweet, zesty sauce for […]

A Fig Year

Oh, ye faithless. I was considering uprooting my fig tree because it has only eked out a handful of tiny figs during it’s five year life when,  Eureka!  It redeemed itself in my faithless eyes, producing a bumper crop.  Its place in my garden, in the shadow of Notre Dame de Louviers, is assured. Bumper crop is a […]