Category Archives: 8. Vegetables

Gratin de potiron Georges Blanc

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Meg

I wish I could claim credit for this fabulous pumpkin gratin, but in fact Georges Blanc gave me the recipe after I visited his three-star kitchens near Macon last month. Blanc, the current scion of a culinary dynasty stretching back … Continue reading →

Posted in 8. Vegetables | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Courgettes sautées à l’ail

Posted on July 5, 2013 by Meg

If you have a garden, raising zucchini is a challenge. Not in the sense that it’s hard to grow — no. Rather, how to use its abundance. The courgette season has not yet begun in northern France due to our … Continue reading →

Posted in 8. Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Petits pois à la française

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Meg

Went down to the country this weekend and planted some peas. It’s finally warm enough. If I’m lucky they’ll be ready by July. Thankfully the Paris markets are already bursting with fresh peas — flown up from Morocco or Spain. … Continue reading →

Posted in 8. Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Asperges braisées

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Meg

I think there’s something we can all agree on — the first taste of asparagus each year is one of the rites of spring. Not that spring has sprung in Paris quite yet, but the first green spears have just … Continue reading →

Posted in 8. Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Julienne de champignons

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Meg

This dish of sliced mushrooms in a creamy, cheesy sauce is something I discovered while living in Moscow in the 1980s. In Russia, where it is known as zhulien, it is often served during intermission at theaters in little individual … Continue reading →

Posted in 8. Vegetables | 1 Comment

Purée de potiron au parmesan

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Meg

This is the longest and dreariest winter I can remember in my more than 30 years in Paris. Gray, gray, gray every day, and it keeps snowing at a time of year when the café tables have usually started to … Continue reading →

Posted in 8. Vegetables | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Purée d’amandes

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Meg

When I was lunching at the Paris restaurant Spring last week, the main course — roast guinea fowl — was served with something hard to identify. It was satiny and pure white, and tasted ambrosial in a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth sort … Continue reading →

Posted in 8. Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Courge butternut rôtie aux pignons

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Meg

Butternut squash is a relative newcomer to Paris. When I moved here in the 1970s I encountered it rarely, if ever. But now it has acquired star power at some of the finest tables in town. I tasted it most … Continue reading →

Posted in 8. Vegetables | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Salade de carottes à la marocaine

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Meg

Does North African cooking count as French cuisine? I had dinner a couple nights ago with friends who insist that it does. ‘After all,’ said Jack, ‘when the French are asked to name their favorite food, the dish that comes … Continue reading →

Posted in 1. Starters, 3. Salads, 8. Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Potimarron farci

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Meg

I first tasted this dish in the home of Valérie Lapierre, a superlative cook. She and another friend, an artist, had concocted a fabulous meal but refused to say what the main course would be. And then they arrived bearing … Continue reading →

Posted in 8. Vegetables | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment