A Drive Uptown

A drive under the oaks along beautiful St. Charles Avenue.

New Orleans Vernacular

New Orleans has a vernacular and a flavor all its own.
A rich gumbo of music, people, architecture, celebrations, food and history. It's impossible to describe, really. All I can say is that you must (and should!) experience it for yourself.

Photo du Jour - l'Épicerie

Most small villages in our area have the vestiges of an old café, an old boulangerie and an old épicerie. Sometimes they're still open for business and sometimes their faded shutters are closed up tight and the building is left to deteriorate.

This little épicerie is now closed, but happily the owners have made the effort to preserve its quaint, vintage facade.

Tomato and Cream Sauce and a Tribute to Marcella Hazan

"There is no such thing as Italian haute cuisine because there are no high or low roads in Italian cooking. All roads lead to the home, to la cucina di casa - the only one that deserves to be called Italian cooking."  - Marcella Hazan

Big squares of fresh spinach and ricotta ravioli found their way into my shopping basket the other day so when I got home I immediately cracked open Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking to look for the perfect sauce recipe.
Over 650 pages of information, recipes and advice are packed into this wonderful book. It is by far the most trusted Italian cookbook in my entire collection.

The Fundamentals and At Table chapters alone make it an invaluable resource. Need a definition for insaporire? Don't know what Bottarga is? Curious about the different varieties of Radicchio or Ricotta?
Marcella has all the answers.
My copy is about 15 years old. The spine is broken and its pages are splashed and splattered with tomato sauce and red wine. Definitly the signs of a well loved cookbook!

Also, her recipe for Bucatini all'Amatriciana is unparalleled - the most sublime mélange of pancetta, onions, tomatoes and two types of Italian cheese. I make a batch almost every week.

I love Marcella. She has a down to earth style and an unwavering devotion to regional, traditional Italian cuisine. She is truly a classic!

Charcutepalooza and Why You Want to Win the Grand Prize

At first I was very excited to participate in Charcutepalooza, a meat-filled year of "salting, smoking and curing" that is the creation of Mrs Wheelbarrow's Kitchen and The Yummy Mummy. 

Since moving to France I've learned to make simple things like frozen yogurt, red wine vinegar and fromage de chèvre, so I thought it would be fun to try my hand at making pancetta, bacon, duck prosciutto and all the other delicious charcuterie projects planned for the coming year.

French Doors

French windows, shutters and doors are pretty much irresistible if you ask me.

They can be freshly painted in vivid colors or primitive and falling apart. They can be quiet and understated or even staring back at me.
I love them all.

La Fête du Fromage - Lingot de Cocagne

I love living in France.
Though I do sometimes whine about all the bureaucracy.

And even though I'm now a French citizen and thought that my days of dealing with French bureaucracy were over, it still rears its ugly head from time to time. 

Photo du Jour - Château de Nérac

Tucked away in the rolling green hills of the Lot-et-Garonne, the small town of Nérac seems an unlikely place for a history so rich in extravagance, extramarital flings and religious wars.

Nérac saw several hundred years of glittering splendor and at its pinnacle the lavishness of its royal court matched the courts of Paris. During the late 16th century King Henri IV brought numerous lovers, eminent nobles and distinguished writers, musicians and poets here, creating a golden era that lasted until 1599.
Henri's wife, Queen Margot, finally got tired of his extracurricular activities and had their marriage annulled. Shortly thereafter Henri packed up the court and moved it to Paris, thus ending the good times in Gascony.

What remains of the Château, including its graceful Renaissance gallery, can be visited year-round.

another view

Where to Buy Cheese in Paris

I'm really not trying to show favoritism, but after spending a week at the award winning Fromagerie Laurent Dubois in Paris in December, getting to know the owners, staff and incredible array of mouth-watering cheeses while working both in the front of house and down in the caves d'affinage, I feel like I should have an opinion about the place.

And I can tell you in all honesty that Monsieur and Madame Dubois and the staff at both of their shops are incredibly passionate and quite happy to share their knowledge with you, whether it be helping you to select a small wedge of perfectly aged Comté to enjoy on your own, or by putting together an entire cheese board for you to share with your guests.

Lunch in Gascony

Heading to the Kitchen at Camont in Gascony for lunch today.
Bon dimanche!

Photo du Jour - Pletzels in Paris

I'm addicted to onions.
And for an onion addict, a toasted Parisian pletzel slathered with a generous amount of salt butter is pretty near perfection.

Photo du Jour - Immaculate

A freshly pruned and very tidy vineyard above our village.

One of the things I miss most this time of year is the color green. Winter in a Mediterranean climate zone can be a bit stark. And cold!