“a pinch” should apply only to seasoning
cucumber and avocado salad
It was the threat of a Saint Patrick’s Day pinch which inspired this week’s simple pleasure: avocado and cucumber salad. Read the rest of this entry »
cucumber and avocado salad (salade de concombre et avocat)
March 8th, 2013terre à terre
January 14th, 2013
mushrooms, black truffles and terre à terre;
mushroom soup with truffled straws
It became our holy grail; a sort of “Da Vinci Code” chase by default. I am not talking about a religious relic or an art piece. I am talking about soup. Over the holidays, the daily soup special on every Parisian menu seemed to be velouté de champignons (cream of mushroom soup). Miam ! The problem was this: by the time we headed out to eat, the mushroom soup was gone. It happened a few times. Even twice in one evening. Frustrated, we became obsessed (and I vowed not to cook for the week, at least I tried). Finally, we managed to get our rumps in gear earlier and we finally had the sought-after mushroom soup. As I watched my friend, a Paris first-timer, enjoy his soup, made with French butter and fresh cream, I was inspired to recreate it (a bit healthier and vegetarian) and combine it with another one of his new favorite things and that thought inspired this week’s simple pleasure: mushroom soup with truffled straws.
mushroom soup with truffled straws
January 14th, 2013
mushroom soup with truffled straws
makes ~ 32 ounces
what you need:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound sliced and trimmed mushrooms
⅓ cup sliced leeks (whites only)
½ cup sliced shallots
½ pound diced and peeled Yukon or Russet potatoes Read the rest of this entry »
a chip, a root and a little bacon … Happy New Year from Paris
December 29th, 2012
a chip, a root and a little bacon … Happy New Year from Paris
France often utilizes western ideas with French sensibilities of moderation. Take potato chips for example. For the last few months in France, la tendence (the “in” thing) is the use potato chips as a garnish or minor embellishment rather than a snack food (or meal, as the case may be). This idea of embracing a favorite American snack food with moderation inspired this week’s simple pleasure: celery root purée with crumbled bacon and potato chips. Read the rest of this entry »
celeriac purée with crumbled bacon and potato chips
December 29th, 2012 
celeriac purée with crumbled bacon and potato chips
serves 6-8
what you need:
1 large celeriac (celery root), peeled and trimmed (about 14 ounces)
bottled water (as needed)
2 tablespoons quality olive oil
¼ teaspoon ground cardamon
5 tablespoons cooking liquid
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
kosher salt (to taste)
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
lemon juice (as needed) Read the rest of this entry »
falling leaves in Paris and autumn simplicity on your plate
November 30th, 2012
falling leaves in Paris and autumn simplicity on your plate:
scallop “macarons” with chanterelles and thyme
I have only seen it snow once in Paris and the snow didn’t stick. This year while Paris has seen a couple rainy and “see your breath” chilly days, overall it has been beautiful and 5 or 6 degrees Celsius warmer than usual for late November. Parisians have been out in droves, profiting from the gift of warmer weather. Although the holidays are approaching, right now it is not holiday decor which covers the city, but blankets of golden leaves. Watching Parisians play in the leaves (and the city workers haul mounds of the leaves to compost piles) I thought of the poem Gathering Leaves by Robert Frost where he talks about the lightness and the “harvest” of falling leaves. I wanted to “harvest” leaves. In particular, I wanted to capture the color scheme and lightness of these golden leaves and the flavors of autumn and put it on a plate in a simply way. That thought inspired this week’s simple pleasure: seared scallop “macarons” with chanterelles and fresh thyme.
harmony on your plate
August 13th, 2012
dischord on the farm; harmony on your plate:
melange of garden heirloom tomatoes with burrata and whipped tomato purée
Mean girls in the coop and a surprise male in the hutch. This is how we arrived to my home in Los Angeles. Despite the dischord amongst the animals, we also arrived to a hillside of sun-ripened tomatoes in all shapes, sizes and varieties. So while the animals were in a “time-out,” our harmonious plates inspired this week’s simple pleasure: melange of garden heirloom tomatoes with burrata and whipped tomato purée.
melange of heirloom tomatoes with whipped tomato purée
August 13th, 2012
melange of heirloom tomatoes with burrata and whipped tomato purée
serves 4
what you need:
5-6 beautiful heirloom tomatoes, various colors
burrata cheese (as needed)
fresh sweet basil leaves (as needed)
quality olive oil (as needed)
gros sel de Guérande or kosher or sea salt (as needed)
freshly ground black pepper (as needed)
8 yellow or orange heirloom tomatoes, juiced (seeds and skins discarded) Read the rest of this entry »
venez avec moi L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and summer melon gazpacho
August 3rd, 2012
accidental tourist discovering culinary treasures on the river Sorgue:
venez avec moi L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue
summer melon gazpacho
Petit dejeuner (breakfast) in Provence. The Provençal sun is streaming through the window and the local rooster is announcing the day with not-to-be-missed vigor. Our breakfast table looks Matisse-like with fresh fruit, cheeses, yogurt, jams, farm butter, bread and viennoiseries artfully served in porcelain dishes and baskets, all chosen with the same deliberation a poet would use to select words for the page. The smell of the cut melon filled the room. We hungrily ate everything in front of us with our eyes before our mouths even opened. We are in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. I was so taken with the people here (and the food) that I was compelled to return within weeks of my first (accidental) discovery and my visits inspired this week’s simple pleasure: summer melon gazpacho. However, before you go to the recipe, venez avec moi (come with me) to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue; it is not just for antiques any more.
when you just cannot give away a sandwich: pan bagnat au cadeau
July 2nd, 2012
when you just cannot give away a sandwich:
pan bagnat au cadeau
On a few occasions, despite my most sincere intentions, the execution of that intention goes completely awry (usually ending in funny story). It is the recall of two such incidents, both involving the gifting of a sandwich, that inspired this week’s simple pleasure: pan bagnat au cadeau (sandwich in a giftbox). Read the rest of this entry »
my first book now available on iBooks
