I hope for your sake that you’re nothing like me. If you are, you’ve probably saved every single glass jar that’s ever crossed your path. (Don’t even get me started on reusable plastic containers, which merit a whole separate post.) Once something lands in my apartment, it’s there for the duration. Someone once attempted to give me a smackdown for advising my favorite people in…
Americans who visit France are often surprised to wake up in the morning and find themselves with a few pieces of baguette or a single croissant for breakfast. Those are in contrast to our breakfasts, which can be groaning-board sized, featuring some (or all) of the following: Eggs, sausages, pancakes, bacon, oatmeal, cereal, toast, orange juice, and waffles. Don’t get me wrong, I love big breakfasts…
Do you know what media training is? If you don’t, it’s when they teach people how to behave on television and radio. Media trainers work with politicians, business executives, and nowadays, a lot of chefs. Cooking on tv is much harder, because instead of just sitting there having a casual chat, you need to be fielding questions at the same time as measuring out and…
I’ve had a lone jar of quince marmalade sitting in the back of my refrigerator for about a year now, and thought it was about time I humanely dealt with it. Personally, I love quince. I like them poached, stewed, roasted and make into jam. But judging from the still-to-the-brim jar that’s been relegated to the back corner of my fridge, it’s not as popular…
Many times I’ve been with friends and family in Paris and we’ll go into a food shop. Now I’m not picking on anyone in particular, so if you think I’m talking about you, I’m not. Think of this as a composite of lots and lots of people. And I’m sure I’m guilty too, so I’ll toss myself in that mix. I’ll show people something, say…the…
This time of year brings Seville oranges to the markets in Paris. For the past few years, I kept wondering why they were so hard to find since it’s perhaps my favorite of all jams and jellies to make, and eat. But lately, they’ve been everywhere. (See? It pays to complain. Either that or a whole lot of French produce suppliers read my blog.) And…
As you can imagine, after living in San Francisco for almost twenty years, I have some pretty wacky friends. While I don’t want to recount everything that happened back in the days of free-love, many of us have grown up and gone on to tastier things. One friend has a wildly successful cheese shop. Another opened a bakery , a chocolate factory, or became wine…
Shallot jam is a wonderful addition to a number of dishes. It’s a bit sweet and a little tangy, as well as savory, and a judicious spoonful perks up roasted meats or pâté, and can easily dress up a grilled chicken breast. You might not be familiar with shallots, but they are common in French cuisine and they’re the sweeter cousin of onions. I buy them by the sack at…
Unless you live in an almond-growing region in the US, I’m sorry to tell you that it’s rather unlikely you’ll come across green almonds in your market. They don’t seem to be as popular in America as they are here in France. And right now in Paris, they’re heaped up in big mounds at the outdoor markets. In San Francisco, I would find green almonds…
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