April 2006 Archive
Ganache Sandwich CookiesHot Cross Buns, Take II
L'Aide de Cuisine
Soupe aux Orties
Soupe de Betterave, Pâte d'Anchois aux Noix
April 24, 2006
Soupe aux Orties
[Nettle Soup] How often do you get to cook with a hostile ingredient? Sure, you could hurt yourself with pretty much anything -- drop a head of celeriac on your toes, rub your eyes after chopping chili peppers, stab yourself with a carrot -- but nettle leaves are actively belligerent. Stinging you is their life calling, it is what they were mean...
"Soupe aux Orties" continues »
April 17, 2006
Hot Cross Buns, Take II
If you have a book to write, I recommend hiding out for a few days in the comfort of a mountain house, preferably in a region where spring is a bit tardy, so the weather will make it easy for you to stay in and type. For fresh air, throw in a few healthy walks to spot the first daffodils (the mist will also make your hair nice and wavy) and a few...
"Hot Cross Buns, Take II" continues »
April 12, 2006
Ganache Sandwich Cookies
I am not very good at falling asleep. Once I manage to drift off I sleep soundly till morning -- which is a blessing, no doubt -- but it can take a while before I achieve that state of blissful nothingness. However much I try to relax before bedtime, my mind is reluctant to let go of the day's activities, and seems to take the head-hits-pillow ev...
"Ganache Sandwich Cookies" continues »
April 10, 2006
L'Aide de Cuisine
[The KitchenAid] I have given in to the demon of temptation, and I can tell you this: it is poppy red, it weighs twenty-two pounds, and it comes with a dough hook, a flat beater, a wire whisk, and a stainless steel bowl (which conveniently doubles up as a kitchen mirror). After so many years of lusting and wishing and yearning, resisting the ur...
"L'Aide de Cuisine" continues »
April 4, 2006
Soupe de Betterave, Pâte d'Anchois aux Noix
[Beet Soup with Anchovy-Walnut Paste] I went to the market on Saturday morning, walking at a brisk pace up the boulevard in the shy sunlight, stopping by the bank to deposit a check (aren't you glad to know), and reaching the stands about a minute after the greasy smells of potato pancakes had reached me -- how anyone can be tempted by these is ...
"Soupe de Betterave, Pâte d'Anchois aux Noix" continues »