February 26, 2013
Bean-to-Bar Chocolate in Paris
Mendiant chocolate bar with candied pistachios (Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse).
When I get into the details of the chocolate craft with people who may not have given it much thought before, one thing that always disillusions them is this: the overwhelming majority of chocolate artisans don't actually make their own chocolate.
Indeed, making chocolate from scratch is an elaborate process that involves a whole set of specialized machines that roast,...
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February 21, 2013
A Mobile-Friendly C&Z (cnz.to)
I am pleased to announce that I have (finally! in 2013!) created a mobile-friendly version of Chocolate & Zucchini.
This new version is optimized for small screens: it makes it comfortable to read new posts on the go using your smart phone, and allows easy access to recipes when you're at the store or in the kitchen, searching for them by keyword, or browsing through them by dish type or ingredient.
(To clarify, this isn't an app to download,...
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February 19, 2013
Winter Vegetable Curry
Do you want to hear one of the least publicized benefits of working from home? You get sick less often.
Not only can you choose to stay in when it's cold and drizzly and icky outside (pyjamas optional), but you also spend less time in crowded public transportation, shake fewer hands and kiss fewer cheeks (in French office environments, it is common to kiss your close colleagues hello when you come in in the morning), and touch fewer shared cof...
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February 12, 2013
Parents who Cook: Diana Abu-Jaber
Gracie and Diana.
Parents Who Cook is a Q&A series in which I ask my guests about how their cooking has changed after kids entered the picture, and pick their brains on their best strategies to cook with little ones underfoot.
Diana Abu-Jaber is an American writer of Jordanian origin who has authored four novels -- the latest is Birds of Paradise -- and a memoir titled The Language of Baklava, in which she explores the story of her family thro...
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February 6, 2013
Cumin Chickpea Crêpes
I love legumes of all shapes, colors, and sizes, but if I had to play favorites, it is the chickpea I would single out as the cutest (right?) and the most incredibly versatile.
I love it in my vegetables, in my salads, and in my soups, in my hummus and in my baked falafel (I'll be sharing a recipe soon), in my Nice-style socca and in my socca tarts (recipe in my upcoming cookbook!).
But my latest, fondest use for the pale yellow, nutty, sligh...
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