As it turns out, I didn't fall off the face of this Earth after all... So where in the world have I been holed up for the last few months? Just keeping busy earning my cooking stripes at an amazing restaurant in Manhattan! It's been extraordinary to experience first hand the intense heat of a real ...
Clafou-what?! Klah-foo-tee. Originally made with cherries, a clafoutis is a baked French dessert with a flan-like batter. Classically, the pits are left in the cherries because it is said to release an aroma reminiscent of almonds. It hails from the Limousin region located in south central France. Clafoutis comes from the French word 'clafir' which means ...
Part 2 of my July cocktail series featuring thirst-quenching libations every Wednesday this month. Glug, glug, glug, glug... Frankly, today is a bit unmotivating to contribute to my summer cocktail series with all this dark, gloomy weather. But who am I to complain when we've enjoyed nothing but gorgeous sunny weather for the past few weeks? ...
He called me last week at 5pm on a Thursday afternoon from work and said, "Can you make a cake for 15 people for tomorrow?" Uh, err, umm...sure?! Oh how I love food challenges. So much that I can't say no even if my better judgement is telling me that I should probably decline. It was ...
Ever heard of them? Me neither. Not until about a few months ago when he dropped the "Oh! I remember having these back in France. You should make them!" bomb. How could I possibly resist his oh-so-very-subtle hint? Now, if you know me at all, you'd know that pastries are not my thing. You all remember the ...
Years ago, I saw a similar dessert on a menu at a restaurant. Sadly, my inhibition of slaughtering the classy pronunciation trumped my desire for this tiny jar of goodness. Lesson learned. So say it with me now: po - de - krem. Not: pots - day - cream. My French nationalist boyfriend is always so ...
While most women get hot and heavy over French designer labels such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton or Christian Lacroix, my heart skips a beat for a different kind of haute couture. Frankly, I'm quite appalled that it wasn't seen on the designer runways last month. While the glitzy NYC Fashion Week has ended, our favorite designer ...
The second day of February is a religious holiday the French call la Chandeleur - a feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary. There are several traditions surrounding this holiday so sit back, eat a crêpe and soak in a little more culture. La Chandeleur, known as Candlemas in America (don't worry, I've never heard ...
Filled with tears, blood shed and triumph, this entry has all the makings of a blockbuster thriller. I bet you didn't realize french onion soup could be so exciting. Last week we took a "Knife Skills Masterclass" at the Bowery Culinary Center as part of my Christmas present from none other than the love of my ...
The inspiration to many of our culinary musings, his mother has given us countless recipes from her own archives. En français, of course. I hope one day I won't mistakenly put ground beef in a mousse au chocolat recipe... "Oh! It said œuf (egg)? Not bœuf (beef)?!" It's always an adventure to translate the recipes from ...
As I bit into my dessert, memories of this past summer came flooding back. A refreshing jaunt along the Basque coastline with his father and sister. Up and down the cliffside with views of San Sebastien in the near distance. And a rewarding lunch of tagine followed by his mom's delicious berry crumble. It's funny ...