February 27, 2007
Compotée d'Echine de Porc au Cidre
[Cider-Stewed Pork Loin Blade Roast]
I find cuts of meat confusing.
I find them confusing because the terminology straggles from the technical to the vernacular and back again, because readable diagrams are few and far between, and because the matter only gets murkier when you try to juggle French and English terms used in different countries.
Can't we all be friends and agree to cut and name meat in the same fashion? May I suggest the creat...
"Compotée d'Echine de Porc au Cidre" continues »
February 23, 2007
Chips de Pita au Zaatar
[Zaatar Pita Chips]
Zaatar is a popular spice blend in Middle-Eastern cuisines -- those of Syria and Lebanon in particular --, made of thyme, toasted sesame seeds, sumac, and salt. (Note: The Arabic word also means simply "thyme", and is sometimes transcribed as za'atar, zahtar, or zatar.)
As with all generic spice blends, the flavor profile of this one will vary according to where its components came from, who mixed them, and how long ago, ...
"Chips de Pita au Zaatar" continues »
February 20, 2007
Betterave Crapaudine
[Crapaudine Beet]
It is a common misconception that the wintertime opposes the hurried cook with a dearth of ready-to-eat vegetables that could be prepped and dressed in under five minutes.
But what of endives and young winter greens, what of radishes and kohlrabi? What of lemon-squeezed mushrooms, what of thinly sliced fennel and cabbage, what of carrots and celeriac, which do require peeling and grating, yes, but perhaps you have a basic fo...
"Betterave Crapaudine" continues »
February 16, 2007
Book Update, Part VII
If you have been keeping an eye on the moblog, you may have noticed that I have just taken a lightning trip to NYC.
The main reasons for this trip were to brunch with Adam in Brooklyn and to buy a mosquito helicopter for Maxence, but I also managed to squeeze in a series of meetings and work sessions with my publicist, to prepare for the upcoming release of my cookbook in May.
Good things are in the works, but what I am most pleased to annou...
"Book Update, Part VII" continues »
February 9, 2007
Le Fondant au Chocolat de Tante Amélie
[Aunt Amélie's Smooth Chocolate Cake]
None of my aunts are named Amélie, I thought I should make that clear from the start. And if I am to explain the origin of this recipe, I will need to rewind the tape back to early January, when French food writer Thierry Roussillon asked if I would answer a few questions for one of the interviews gourmandes he publishes on his blog.
A few days after I did, a severe bout of procrastination found me browsi...
"Le Fondant au Chocolat de Tante Amélie" continues »
February 5, 2007
Crème de Feta à la Tomate
[Tomato Feta Dip]
Every once in a while I get the sudden impulse to hop on a stool and spring-clean my pantry. The urge strikes with no warning, often at the most inconvenient moment, and I get pulled into the task like those cartoon characters who slip a finger into a spinning cogwheel.
I will be looking for an item that time has pushed to the hinterlands of the cabinet, and I will encounter all sorts of forgotten jars and neglected cans alo...
"Crème de Feta à la Tomate" continues »