I thought I’d better get this one out of the way right off the bat, at the start of the year. This recipe was languishing on my kitchen counter, resisting publication until I could resist no more. (And if you saw my kitchen counter, you’d know a piece of paper takes up about 25% of it, so I’m especially eager to get it out of…
I recently went to a fête for my birthday at a friend’s home in the Marais, whose family is renowned for making exceptional French wines. I don’t know a lot about wine, but I know that when combined with certain things, the effect is transcendental. Gougères, or cheese puffs, are one of those things. But really, who are we kidding. They’re an appetizer that goes with everything! They’re…
[Note/update: Due to requests for my Bûche de Noël recipe, above, I’ve included it in my book, My Paris Kitchen.] I couldn’t let the year end without a little reportage about Christmas this year. You heard about my last-minute scramble to find the World’s Most Expensive Pastry Bag, which is now safely stored away in my Safe Deposit Box for next year. There’s a joke…
Today I turn fifty. Excuse my French—but holy crap! I’m sure you’ve heard this a zillion times before, but I have no idea where all the time went. Believe me, when it happens to you, you’ll say it too. Did I really go to college for four years then travel around Europe for another year after that? Did I really work away in restaurant kitchens,…
There’s a phrase that’s used in restaurant kitchens, in the weeds, which means that basically, you’re sunk. It’s when the orders are coming up too fast and you’re behind, or that you’ve taken on more work than you can chew and you can’t keep up. A few weeks ago I volunteered to make a Bûche de Noël for the Christmas dessert. At the time, it…
Well, if that doesn’t scare away the riff-raff, those of you who are left have a spectacular chance to win a slew of equally-spectacular prizes in Menu for Hope V. This is the home stretch of the benefit and we’re up to $18k $22,445 $25,175 $52,131, last time I checked, which is terrific, but far short of last year’s $92k. Which means that some of…
In my high school locker room, when the jocks congregated after winning a big game, they’d all jump around, yelling the word, “Sah-weet! Sah-weet!“ adding a big, tight, thumbs-up for emphasis, while jumping all over each other celebrating their victory. While not as exciting as a group of sweaty, nearly-naked high school athletes jumping all over each other, I don’t know about you, but what…
Join me on my Spring 2026 book tour for my latest book, The Great Book of Chocolate
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