Tag Archives: recipe

Asperges braisées

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

Champignons à la crème et au cerfeuil

My friend Nicole lives in the shadow of the Pompidou Art Center, right around the corner from a Paris bistro called Le Hangar. This trendy restaurant is sufficiently hidden away to retain a private feeling, even in the crowded Beaubourg … Continue reading

Posted in 1. Starters | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Soupe de moules au safran

I never tasted mussels before arriving in Paris as a young woman. They just weren’t available far from the sea in the American Midwest, where I grew up. But even though Paris is about two hours by road from the … Continue reading

Posted in 2. Soups | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Tarte aux poires à la crème d’amandes

Pear tart with almond cream is also known in France as tarte aux poires Bourdaloue. It takes its name from a former Paris pastry shop called Bourdaloue, named for the street on which it stood, the Rue Boudaloue in the … Continue reading

Posted in Desserts | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Entrecôte béarnaise

This is not an everyday dish because it involves a sauce, béarnaise, that requires a little time and a bit of technique. The results, however, are spectacular. Choose a tender, flavorful cut of steak. Sirloin, rib-eye, Porterhouse, club and New … Continue reading

Posted in 7. Meat Dishes | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Poireaux sauce verte

The leek is a handsome vegetable. The ancient Egyptians grew and enjoyed it, and so did the Romans — in fact, it was reputedly Nero’s favorite vegetable. The Welsh enjoy it so much that they made it their national emblem. … Continue reading

Posted in 1. Starters | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Pots de crème au chocolat

Can you imagine that most of the world never heard of chocolate until the Renaissance in Europe? That’s when the conquistadors brought it back to Spain, having acquired it from the Aztecs. Cortés was among the first Westerners to observe … Continue reading

Posted in Desserts | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Purée de potiron au parmesan

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

Huîtres gratinées aux épinards

I’ll never forget my first taste of an oyster. My French boyfriend showed me how it was done. He took an open oyster on the halfshell, detached it with a sharp knife and, in one swift gesture, let the glistening … Continue reading

Posted in 1. Starters | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Velouté de cresson

Watercress was considered by the ancients to have medicinal and even magical properties. The Romans thought it could cure baldness, the Greeks that it could cure madness and moderate the effects of overindulgence in wine. Dioscorides, a Greek doctor who … Continue reading

Posted in 2. Soups | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments