[popular] Archive

June 30, 2008

Pistachio Gelato

When it comes to ice cream, I am hopelessly predictable. As far as I'm concerned, if the ice cream parlor, glacier, or gelateria offers dark chocolate, pistachio, and/or yogurt, he might as well not have any other flavor: I am blind to them. I always go through the motions of hesitation, though (I scratch my temple, chew my lower lip, and hum l...

"Pistachio Gelato" continues »

May 10, 2008

Edible Wallpapers

Inspired by the brush tutorials that Delphine has published on her ever delightful blog, I have whiled away a few air travel hours drawing three edible wallpapers* to be used as a background on your computer desktop**. After the jump, you'll find the cupcake wallpaper, the croissant wallpaper, and the religieuse wallpaper. Each of them comes in ...

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April 28, 2008

On Hotel Breakfasts, and How Not to Have Them

Much has been written about plane food and its associated plights; I don't think enough ink has been devoted to the matter of hotel breakfasts. And as I get ready to embark on my book tour, the subject is very much on my mind. Breakfast is, to me, the most intimate meal of the day, the one that you eat barefoot and in your pajamas, the one that ...

"On Hotel Breakfasts, and How Not to Have Them" continues »

April 14, 2008

Squeeze Cookies (A Roasted Flour Experiment)

Among the many things I learned during that memorable conference on molecular gastronomy, one idea has been whirling around my brain with particular insistence since then, and it is that of farine torréfiée*, or roasted flour. It was introduced to us by way of a truism: raw flour is bland, browned flour isn't. This is why we bother to make roux,...

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March 12, 2008

Carottes et Betteraves Râpées

[Grated Carrots and Beets] I used to think winter produce was drab, and that the cook's only option was to wait the cold months out, squinting into the distance, longing for asparagus and strawberries to appear ("Anne, Sister Anne, do you see nothing coming?"). Now I can't imagine how I could ever be so blind: what of mâche and winter squash, w...

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February 13, 2008

Super Simple Nutella Ice Cream

My sister's husband has a passion for Nutella. When Ferrero put out a 40th-anniversary Nutella jar* of woolly mammoth** proportions, Christian bought one and actually spooned his way through it. Not in one sitting, admittedly, but still. I love my brother-in-law dearly, so when he and my sister came to dinner a few weeks ago, I thought I'd treat...

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January 31, 2008

Guimauve à la Rose et au Chocolat

[Rose and Chocolate Marshmallows] Guimauve is the stuff clouds are made of, it has the soft and cottony flavor of childhood, and resistance is futile when I spot the pretty pastel cubes in pastry shops. Rarely am I disappointed, but I do have to mention that one recent time when I bought an assortment from Pain de Sucre and got mostly weirdo f...

"Guimauve à la Rose et au Chocolat" continues »

December 5, 2007

Muhammara

[Bell Pepper Spread with Walnuts and Cashews] Sometimes, when I have a minute, I sit back and think about the world of food, how vast it is, and how many rivers, hills, and valleys remain uncharted to me: I know so little, and have so much yet to learn. I don't find the prospect overwhelming, far from it. I find it encouraging, I find it promisi...

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September 4, 2007

Coquillettes au Comté et Pousses d'Epinard

[Elbow Macaroni with Comté Cheese and Baby Spinach] A lot can be learned about your cooking self by considering what you eat when you're on your own. I have friends who are simply not hungry when they're alone, who forget to eat (who what?), who don't consider it a real meal if there's no dining companion, or -- and I am not making this up -- wh...

"Coquillettes au Comté et Pousses d'Epinard" continues »

August 1, 2007

Birthday Chicken

I normally host a big birthday bash every year, or at least that's what I've done the past four summers, inviting friends, old and new, to celebrate the fact that it is late July and the weather is nice and Paris is empty and I'm a year wiser. But this time, no. I was a little bummed to break from this young tradition, for I really do enjoy the...

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July 3, 2007

Salade de Quinoa Rouge, Poivrons et Pignons

[Red Quinoa Salad with Bell Peppers and Pine Nuts] I am just a few days -- three, to be terrifyingly exact -- away from delivering the manuscript for my second book*, and although it is nowhere near as stressful a time as it was for my first (why do I sound like a young mother all of a sudden?), it is still a time of waking up bright and early a...

"Salade de Quinoa Rouge, Poivrons et Pignons" continues »

April 5, 2007

Carottes Rapées à l'Avocat

[Grated Carrot Salad with Avocado] As subscribers to the Chocolate & Zucchini newsletter already know, a French publisher has purchased the rights to my very-soon-to-be-published cookbook. And because the tone of writing is very personal, I've asked to translate my own words: the recipes themselves are taken care of by a pro, while I translate -...

"Carottes Rapées à l'Avocat" continues »

January 23, 2007

Gratin de Chou-Fleur

[Cauliflower Gratin] Ever since my casual mention of my mother's cauliflower gratin a few weeks ago, requests for the recipe have been steadily pouring into my inbox. A silent protest was even organized at the foot of my apartment building the other day, with eager, apron-clad cooks walking in circles and brandishing signs that read, "Cauliflowe...

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November 14, 2006

Soupe de Haricots Verts aux Amandes

[Green Bean and Almond Soup] None of my friends need to be reminded how I feel about Rose Bakery, their salad plates, their assortment of British goods (including Neal's Yard cheeses), and their superb sweets that one simply must try and reproduce at home. "Where should we go for lunch in your neighborhood?" they ask. "I like Rose Bakery," I rep...

"Soupe de Haricots Verts aux Amandes" continues »

November 10, 2006

Scones au Gouda Vieux et Poires Séchées

[Aged Gouda and Dried Pear Scones] Before we begin, I would like to address the scone/biscuit question. To Americans, a biscuit is the hand-held version of a quick bread, leavened with baking powder. Usually round and savory, the American biscuit may be served in place of bread to accompany a main course, especially if said main course involves ...

"Scones au Gouda Vieux et Poires Séchées" continues »

October 3, 2006

Le Poulet de Muriel

[Muriel's Chicken] Cookbook writing guidelines tell you that naming a recipe after someone is not a good idea: it doesn't tell the reader much about the ingredients or the process, the reader doesn't know this person, and frankly, the reader doesn't really care. This is all true of course, but I have a certain fondness for those recipes that sou...

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August 18, 2006

Dinner at El Bulli

I remember reading about El Bulli four or five years ago in the French newspaper Le Monde. I remember the yearning, and I remember the pang that followed closely: considering the small number of guests that the restaurant could accommodate each season, the dream seemed out of reach. But a few years later, I learned from a well-informed friend tha...

"Dinner at El Bulli" continues »

June 8, 2006

Pesto Fraise Basilic

[Strawberry Basil Pesto] What do you do when your deepest desire is a little homemade pesto in your sandwich, but you discover with a sinking heart that you have but a handful of basil? Sure, you could go out and buy more, certainly, yes, that would be the sensible thing to do. But what if you can't go out for some reason, say, because you've ju...

"Pesto Fraise Basilic" continues »

May 28, 2006

Cacao & Zucchini Absorption Pasta

Chose promise, chose due*, here is my take on absorption pasta, or risotto-style pasta. The idea of this technique is to coat the pasta with a little olive oil, add just enough liquids to cover, and cook until desired tenderness. According to Virka -- who read it in the Italian paper La Reppublica so it simply must be true -- this cooking techniq...

"Cacao & Zucchini Absorption Pasta" continues »

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 »

March 6, 2006

Croissants aux Amandes

[Almond Croissants] A couple of weeks ago, as I was writing about brunches and the possibility of leftover croissants, I gave a passing mention to croissants aux amandes. Such a teaser could not go unnoticed: I received a few requests for instructions, and promised I'd share them as soon as I had a picture to illustrate the recipe. You will fin...

"Croissants aux Amandes" continues »

October 12, 2005

Gâteau au Yaourt

[Yogurt Cake] As I've mentioned before, Maxence is a big advocate of the adage "if it ain't broke don't fix it". In other words, when a classic recipe is fabulous, don't meddle with it, and just do what you're told. Obviously I have trouble following that piece of advice, and more often than not I'll surrender to the urge and tweak a little some...

"Gâteau au Yaourt" continues »

October 3, 2005

Canelés

I tasted my first canelé some seven years ago, at Eric Kayser's boulangerie on rue Monge. Maxence had a friend who lived nearby, they often worked on school projects together, and whenever they felt like a break and a snack, this is where they would go. Maxence adored their canelés, ordered them often, and made me try them. Delicious. Simply del...

"Canelés" continues »

July 25, 2005

Panzanella

Authenticity can be a fine line to tread when it comes to cooking. Dishes and recipes originate in certain parts of the world and are often deeply rooted in local traditions. But then people emigrate, they travel, they adopt, they adapt, they improvize, and the same dish gets recreated in a different kitchen at a different time, with the same nam...

"Panzanella" continues »

October 11, 2004

Chocolate Chili Bites

On Saturday night, we had the pleasure of attending the fourth edition of the Paris Potluck, hosted by Alisa and her husband Jean-Yves. This time around, Alisa had suggested that we follow a theme : no more random assortment of everyone's current food obessions! And as she (and I and pretty much everyone else) had been suffering from terrible Mex...

"Chocolate Chili Bites" continues »

October 5, 2004

Fregola Sarda with Zucchini and Pinenuts

On a night of ravenous hunger, decide that what you want is something warm soft and tasty with a little crunch, to be eaten in a bowl with a spoon, curled up on the couch and reading a magazine. No need to forage through your kitchen cabinets, you know precisely what will hit the spot. Wash and slice three zucchini thinly with your magnificent...

"Fregola Sarda with Zucchini and Pinenuts" continues »

September 10, 2004

Coffee Cake à la Myrtille

[Blueberry Coffee Cake] At La Pommeraie, the fruit farm where we picked a large amount of blueberries earlier this week, they gave out little leaflets about the different kinds of fruit they grow, giving out instructions on how to keep them, and a few, wonderfully straightforward recipes -- tarts and compotes, clafoutis and jams. This is how I l...

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September 4, 2004

Zucchini Polenta Tart

I have a particular soft spot for polenta and anything cornmeal. Unfortunately, they are not at all common in France : I have occasionally seen polenta served at restaurants (and I will reliably dart onto any dish that mentions it as a component, especially if it claims to be croustillante), but it is rather hard to find in French food stores. ...

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July 16, 2004

Tarte aux Myrtilles

[Blueberry Tart] Blueberries are by far my favorite berry, and this has been true for as long as I can remember. Something about their color (blue), their size (tiny), and their taste (tart and sweet) really appeals to me. As luck would have it, much like blackcurrant in Burgundy, blueberries are the emblematic berry in the Vosges, where they gr...

"Tarte aux Myrtilles" continues »

July 15, 2004

Coffee Cake à l'Abricot

[Apricot Coffee Cake] I am currently spending a few days with my family in the Vosges, a mountain range in the East of France where my parents have a vacation house. One of the great pleasures of being there, besides enjoying the garden, taking walks up the mountain, and sleeping soundly in the perfect quiet, is baking with my mother. This is so...

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February 19, 2004

Gâteau à l'Orange et au Gingembre

[Flourless Orange and Ginger Cake] This is another cake I baked for our Goûter de Cousins last Sunday. I tasted my first flourless orange cake about a year ago at Rose Bakery, and absolutely loved it. I had tried to reproduce it then, and had made an Orange and Poppyseed version, adapting a recipe found on the web. It was really good - the orang...

"Gâteau à l'Orange et au Gingembre" continues »

December 11, 2003

Oeuf Cocotte

When I was 9 years old, I was in the last year of primary school while my sister was in junior high. On Wednesdays, I didn't have class, but she did, and my parents considered us old enough to be home without a nanny, so I would make my own lunch. Maybe my memory fails me, but I seem to remember that this involved a lot of canned beef ravioli, wa...

"Oeuf Cocotte" continues »

October 17, 2003

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chocolate Cake

Yesterday we had a small party at my office to celebrate my company's fifth anniversary, and our pendaison de crémaillère, which is French for a housewarming party. Une crémaillère is a trammel, i.e. the metal adjustable hook that was used to hang pots in the fireplace in the days of yore, and the hanging (pendaison) of this essential piece of eq...

"Melt-in-Your-Mouth Chocolate Cake" continues »