December 2005 Archive

December 30, 2005

Best of 2005

As the year draws to a close (remember that they're adding an extra second for free! What are you going to do with it?), here are a few of my favorite food things from 2005. Favorite recipe for a first course: Warm Leek Salad with Fresh Walnuts. Contender: Artichoke and Goat Cheese Mille-Feuille. Favorite recipe for a main course: Asparagus and S...

"Best of 2005" continues »

December 28, 2005

Tartelettes de Saint-Jacques à la Mangue

[Scallop Mango Tartlet] What do you mean, you're still trying to recover from the Christmas celebrations? Come on, New Year's Eve is just around the corner, time to hit the ground running and plan for it! If you intend to host a little dinner party but are still scratching your head about the menu, stop it: it's bad for your scalp, and my late...

"Tartelettes de Saint-Jacques à la Mangue" continues »

December 23, 2005

Pandolce and Holiday Wishes

Reason number two hundred and forty-seven to be friends with your next-door neighbors: they cook, and they share. When Stéphan (one door to the right) prepares scampi in coconut milk, he will prepare a plate for you and hand it over through your respective kitchen windows, a.k.a. the service hatch. In return you will send two flutes of rosé cham...

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December 21, 2005

Soupe de Courge à la Vanille

[Butternut Squash and Vanilla Soup] If it sort of seems from my recent postings that all I eat these days is soup, well, it's not very far from the truth. But see, all those winter vegetables are really begging for it, and I don't have the heart to turn them down. Besides, since I am now equipped with a cast-iron cocotte and an immersion blender...

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December 19, 2005

Mijoté de Boeuf aux Légumes Racine

[Beef Stew with Root Vegetables] I've noticed that my cooking is most often vegetable-driven: I will buy fresh veggies at the market or at the produce stall, and then decide what fish or meat will complement them -- not the other way around. On Saturday morning I returned from the farmers' market with a basket of mostly root vegetables, not s...

"Mijoté de Boeuf aux Légumes Racine" continues »

December 16, 2005

Gâteau au Chocolat et Pralines Roses

[Pink Praline Chocolate Cake] Pralines can be a confusing thing, considering that the same pretty word (It would make a cool name for a little girl, no? Or would this ruin her life you think?) is used for different confections. The original praline is made by cooking almonds in melted sugar: the mixture is left to cool then reheated several tim...

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December 14, 2005

Soupe de Bettes et Panais

[Swiss Chard and Parsnip Soup] ... a.k.a. the smoothest soup to ever be born on my stove. Yes: after months of coveting and weighing and dreaming and stealthily searching eBay, I finally caved in and treated myself to my very first immersion blender. I am slowly taking in what that means -- onions and herbs chopped in a pinch, banana milkshakes,...

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December 12, 2005

Pastries for Hope

Image courtesy of Heidi Swanson For the second time now, Pim has put on her fundraiser hat and enrolled us food bloggers to help: in this new Menu for Hope campaign, she is organizing a virtual raffle to raise money for the earthquake victims in Northern India and Pakistan, who are still in dire need of help. The funds will be collected by Unicef...

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December 9, 2005

Clémentine Corse

Hold the fruit lightly in your left hand. With the edge of your right thumb nail, cut a slit through the thin skin, close to the stem. Pull the skin up and away carefully, trying to pluck most of the white strands from the little nostril. Keep tearing at the thin peel, working your way down and around, until the clementine is completely naked. If...

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December 7, 2005

Pommes et Poires aux Caramels

[Apples and Pears with Caramels] I love having friends over for an impromptu weeknight dinner. I love going out to restaurants too, I've probably made that clear by now, but having them at home is something else entirely -- warmer and more intimate. It allows you to choose your own musical ambiance (a nice random mix from the Squeezebox), move t...

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December 5, 2005

Book Update, Part II: The Recipes

As some of you already know, I am currently working on my first cookbook. This is both an exciting and agonizing endeavor, and while many resources can be found out there -- books, blogs and websites -- to learn more about writing novels and books in general*, I haven't found many** that will hold your hand through the specific process of writing...

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December 2, 2005

Noël à Paris: Shopping

This is the third and final part of our special series of holiday tips for New York (thanks to the Manhattan User's Guide), London (thanks to Urban Junkies) and Paris, and this one is all about shopping and gifts! [New York Shopping] [London Shopping] Food gifts If you're unable to attend the previously mentioned Salon Saveurs but still want t...

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December 1, 2005

Noël à Paris: Food

No one needs to be reminded that food is an essential part of the holiday celebrations, and for this second part of our tri-city series, let me recommend a few places to eat some of the delicacies that epitomize Christmas in Paris. [New York Food] [London Food] Oysters! A traditional treat to open a holiday feast is the platter of oysters, fre...

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