The Joys of Eating Panisses — When I was a small child my mother used to cook chickpea French fries, (better known as panisses) for me all the time. They are the perfect snack food. They are crispy on the outside and super creamy on the inside. Panisses make a great accompaniment for roast chicken, lamb…

How A Rabbit Influenced My Journey — I was no older than the tender age of 7 when I first ate rabbit. I remember the day quite distinctly. Not only was it the single defining moment when I knew I would grow to be a chef, but also they were my pet rabbits. The day started as…

Inarguably The Best Use of Jam Ever — Is Linzer torte the best use for homemade jam? I once asked this question to a bunch of friends over dinner and got a lot of confused looks. I am never one to shy away from pursuing controversial dinner topics so I pressed on. Sure, everyone thinks about buttered toast…

How to Make Pommes Aligot — The very first words out of my son’s mouth were ‘is this cheese fondue?’ I replied ‘Non, just some mashed potatoes and cheese’. He gave a confused look then asked again: ‘is this fondue?’ I stopped and thought about it for a moment. There is an obscene amount of cheese…

A Perfect Late Winter Salad — I love shaved fennel and orange salad. It is the perfect late winter salad that the whole family will love. One of the best qualities is that it is highly adaptable to whatever you have on hand. You can make it solely with oranges or add grapefruit, satsumas, tangerines, or…

The Perfect Salad to Eat During a Snowstorm — I love winter — I really do. For several years my family lived on the West Coast; from the Deserts of Southern California through the majestic redwoods, up into the great Pacific Northwest. Life was great in all those special places but what lacked was a truly snowy and wonderfully…

The All-Purpose Salad and its other Mediterranean Cousins — I always seem to reach a point in the wintertime when my mind wanders off and imagines itself frolicking in the golden sunshine and warm breezes of summer. I gaze past the snow-covered reality of my outdoor table and wish to be eating outside again. …

The easy-to-make, versatile cake that tastes great. — Warm Raspberry and Almond Cake Are you looking for the perfect light fruit dessert that is easy to make, highly versatile, and extremely tasty? I stumbled across this recipe while browsing one of my favorite cookbooks ‘Paris Bistro Cooking’ by Linda Dannenberg. In the book, it was labeled as a warm clafoutis though it is…

The Classic Dessert That Anyone Can Make — Poires Belle Helene is a classic French dessert composed of pears poached in a vanilla syrup served with vanilla ice cream then drizzled with a hot chocolate sauce. It’s a very easy dessert to master and can be altered to suit your tastes. Where the Name Came From Renowned chef Auguste Escoffier invented the dessert…