When I was a child, my mother served us artichokes whenever she could find them. I was the only one I knew who ate them, delighting in pulling off each leaf and dipping it into wonderful melted butter. We were a big family, and food was our heart and soul. Getting a big, fat artichoke …
Go to Recipe Go to Video It’s spring, and all the leaves, buds, bunnies, and everything else in nature is bursting awake during this most gloriously alive season! For me, this holiday is the ultimate fête of life, and I grew up celebrating it with a big Easter brunch, an Easter basket filled with goodies, …
Go to Recipe Go to Video That’s the big question on everyone’s mind when it comes to these little, round, green vegetables is: Are Brussels sprouts REALLY from Brussels? Yes. No. The answer is yes, and no. Brussels has always been a busy hub with lots of activity and while there was some farming done …
Go to Video Jerusalem Artichoke – Helianthus tuberosus There are so many things about a Jerusalem artichoke to love, but I could never say that to my neighbor, Marie-Odile. She was an adolescent during World War Two, living in the town of Louviers which was occupied by German forces and later burned to the ground. …
Go to Video The Leek – Allium porrum The French have a saying, “poireauter,” which means to wait. Leeks Don’t Move From whence this expression? It was apparently coined in the 19th century, amongst leek growing farmers. Enormous care and effort goes into producing a straight, tall leek. They must be planted deep, not too far apart …
Go to Video This year, we attended the Taste of Paris, one of many events organized in Paris around gastronomy and the culinary arts. Temporary Grand Palais The “Taste” is held at the Grand Palais which, for now, is closed to the public. Given it is Paris, the people in control said to themselves, “We …
Go to Recipe Go to Video I got to the market at 8 a.m. and, as usual, I wasn’t the first in line. I had barely enough time to contemplate what I wanted to put in my basket, what would compose my menu for the next several days, before it was my turn. I saw …
Go to Recipe Go to Video Chicken wings are hardly the stuff of literature, poetry, or even a note to a friend. That said, there is a certain magic to them. I learned this as a very young child when I bit into my first, meaty wing. The spot was California. The time was pre-school. …
Go to Recipe Go to Video When you taste the quiche from the recipe below, which is part of our “Leftover” series because its major flavoring comes from the pieces of cheese that are left from a cheese tray, you will NEVER believe it got its start as a dish served to Charles III of …
There are smiles on Parisian faces, everywhere. The difference from confinement to de-confinement is patently obvious. People are simply thrilled to be able to sip a coffee at a café, to have a beer a Spritz or a glass of rose on the terrace. Paris has become an outdoor dining room, and everyone wants to …
