The Saturday Pear Cake The quote, "a pear is never better than just before it goes bad" is from Mimi Thorrison's recent book, French Country Cooking - a book I am paging through slowly and absorbing every word, recipe and sentiment of, up into my pores. To me, her life is idyllic - she lives in a gorgeous part of France, Medoc, has an eye for great and beautiful things, and whiles away her hours cooking, baking, playing with her kids and … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2017
Just When Everything’s Getting Old – A Spinach Salad with Chicken, Avocado, Pear and Toasted Pecans with Pear, Ginger, Parsley and Lime Vinaigrette
you know Winter's getting old when you're out in your yard checking to see if anything's happening yet! My Hellebores haven't budged in about a month! And, this rhododendron lies in wait. Three things happened today. First and foremost, the SUN came out! Then, I decided to indulge my recent craving for a good old Spinach Salad - you know, they're hard to find anymore in restaurants and when they are, they usually seem old. Third, I … [Read more...]
Sunny Sunday Janvier and, A Day Outside – Gluten-Free Hazelnut Buttermilk Pancakes with Sugar Free Blueberry-Vanilla Bean Compote
Airbnb Days like yesterday, with their brilliant sunshine and high barometer, actually make me feel like I am going to make it through another Winter here. We started the day with a nice walk with Harley and the sun invited me to snap a few photos here and there. It never made it to the forecasted 48F, but the sun felt warm when it was high up and it shed upon us it's promise for a few weeks out from now. On arrival back home, the … [Read more...]
In January It’s Apples and Oranges – An Apple Torta for a Cold Winter Day
this morning - looks serene doesn't it? On one hand, where I live, January can be as brutal as can be. Frigid, nasty and day after day of dreary grey. Some years it's sunny and beaming for days on end and dry as a bone. The brightness, especially gleaming off a fresh snow is so uplifting. I prefer the latter of course. You see where I'm going here - from one year to the next, the month of January can be a mix of apples and … [Read more...]
Eat, Walk, Eat; Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock Holmes and In Search of Galette des Rois
my very own Pithivier, circa April, 2011 ICE Culinary W 23rd St. Yesterday morning as I sat down to write, I knew exactly where I was going. I began to write about the cake of the week, the Galette des Rois. Even though it is traditional for this cake to begin to appear in France in Decembre and carry forward throughout Janvier, it tends to be eclipsed by a myriad of other seasonal treats and customs. Later, around 6 Janvier, it will then … [Read more...]