desserts (les desserts)

Pas de Deux: douillons aux pommes (apples in nightdresses)

December 16th, 2011

 

 

douillons aux pommes, apples in night dresses, dessert apples

Pas de Deux: douillons aux pommes (apples in nightdresses)

Like many people this time of year, one of the traditions in my family is to attend a performance of The Nutcracker.  In sum, it is a story of a young girl, Clara, who is given a nutcracker as a Christmas gift. The nutcracker turns into a Prince who takes Clara to the Kingdom of  Sweets where the Sugarplum Fairy and various treats (Spanish Chocolate, Peppermint Candy, etc.) perform for Clara (still in her nightdress) and the Prince. At the end, the Sugarplum Fairy and her Cavalier perform the Grand Pas de Deux (“steps of two”). As I watched the Pas de Deux, I thought of … food. The combination of a kingdom filled with dancing culinary specialities, Clara’s nightdress, and the “deux” (the collaboration of two) reminded me of the French classic dessert douillons aux pommes (apples in nightdresses). Inspired by the ballet, douiillons aux pommes is this week’s simple pleasure. Read the rest of this entry »

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pain d’épice (with ginger and honey cream cheese spread)

December 8th, 2011

sugar and spice . . . it is all nice:
pain d’épice (with ginger and honey cream cheese spread)

Nothing gets us into the holiday spirit more than our sense of smell. While the decorations and songs are festive, it is the smell of roasted chestnuts, mulled wine, and baked treats that transport us to memories of family meals, gatherings around a fire, and baking holiday cookies. For many people, the smell of gingerbread is synonymous with the holidays. Filling your home with a little holiday sugar and spice this season was the inspiration for this week’s simple pleasure: pain d’épice (with ginger and honey cream cheese spread). Read the rest of this entry »

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pumpkin spice madeleines

November 23rd, 2011

Pumpkin Spice Madeleine

“I don’t just like it . . I love it !”
pumpkin spice madeleines

It is Thanksgiving. You are in the kitchen trying to get the meal ready and the kids, big ones and the little ones, are hungry. When is dinner? Sometimes it is nice to have a little snack on hand to keep hungry tummies at bay (and busy hands out of the kitchen) while you finish preparing the meal. Here it is and it could not be more simple or satisfying: pumpkin spice madeleines. Read the rest of this entry »

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hee hee hee…straight from the witch’s cauldron: roasted date mummy fingers & harvest tajine with a haricots verts broomstick

October 27th, 2011

Mummy Fingers Kids Desserts

hee hee hee…straight from the witch’s cauldron: 
roasted date mummy fingers  & harvest tajine with a haricots verts broomstick

The belated chill in the air makes us crave fall flavors and cold-weather cooking. This week we combine the comfort of oven-prepared food with Halloween fun. Tajine, a cooking vessel shaped like a witch’s hat (as well as a popular Moroccan stew) was the inspiration for this week and it is the blending of a witch theme with Tajine-inspired flavors that give us this week’s simple pleasure(s): roasted date mummy fingers and a harvest tajine with a haricots verts broomstick. Read the rest of this entry »

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Forget about Halloween? Not a ghost of a chance!

October 21st, 2011

Forget about Halloween? Not a ghost of a chance!  

almost melted chocolate

chocolat chaud du fantôme (ghostly hot chocoalte)
and
œufs fantômes à la macédoine de légumes (deviled egg ghosts with vegetables)

Halloween Deviled Eggs with Vegetables

The French are crazy about eggs … and chocolate. This week we take both of these passions and bring them to your home in Halloween form (this week it is ghosts; next week it is witches and skeletons). Wrapping a white napkin around a teaspoon gave me the inspiration for the first recipe: it is a chocolate ghost “spoon” that “disappears”  in hot milk making a perfect cupful of  chocolat chaud (hot chocolate). The second recipe “revamps” a classic French recipe using hard-boiled eggs and vegetables creating a healthy, yet ghostly snack. Treats are simple to prepare and are sure to delight your little ghosts are this week’s simple pleasure(s): chocolat chaud du fantôme  (ghostly hot chocolate) and œufs fantômes à la macédoine de légumes (deviled egg ghosts with vegetables). 

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la cuillère fantôme en chocolat ou chocolat chaud du fantôme (ghostly chocolate spoon a/k/a ghostly hot chocolate)

October 21st, 2011

Hot Chocolate Ghost with Milk

 la cuillère fantôme en chocolat ou chocolat chaud du fantôme
(ghostly chocolate spoon a/k/a ghostly hot chocolate)

 

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“seasonal” depends upon your dirt: two light recipes for fall using the seasonal ingredients in your market

October 14th, 2011

Roasted Stuffed Figs

 “seasonal” depends upon your dirt:
two light recipes for fall using the
seasonal ingredients in your market

Fall is a time to enjoy the warm flavors it offers. However, what do you do when you want to eat seasonally, but the season is uncharacteristically hot? What do you do if the season is short and you cannot find the ingredients? Inspired by ways to create light dishes with a variety of fall flavors, this week’s simple pleasure is twofold: (1) roasted  figs stuffed with a St Agur and basalmic vinegar reduction, garnished with French honey and served on a roasted pear slice; and (2) persimmon, endive, apple, and beet salad with creamy (creamless) dressing. Read the rest of this entry »

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snickerdoodle cookies (à la Niçoise)

October 6th, 2011

Cinnamon Sticks and Snickerdoodle Cookies

snickerdoodle cookies (à la Niçoise)
This simple cookie, with its warming cinnamon and brown sugar,
is perfect for the turn in the weather. Enjoy.

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oh honey . . . bees should not have all of the fun: apricots, miel de lavande and fromage blanc

August 18th, 2011

lavender

oh honey . . . bees should not have all of the fun:
apricots, miel de lavande and fromage blanc

It is the little things that make the difference. This week it is the delicious detail of miel de lavande (lavender honey) inspired by my recent stay in Provence where neither my children nor the bees could get enough of the lavender fields that cover the landscape. With Provence in mind, grilled apricots and lavender honey over fromage blanc is this week’s simple pleasure. Read the rest of this entry »

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marinated cherries with blueberry sorbet and cherry brandy whipped creme

July 14th, 2011

 

marinated cherries with blueberry sorbet and cherry brandy whipped cream

bonne Fête Nationale:
celebrating La Fête Nationale with the colors of summer fruit
(and a little eau-de-vie)

In France, July 14 is La Fête Nationale or commonly known as Bastille Day.  It is a national celebration, much like our July 4th, with military demonstrations, concerts, fireworks, and food.  Using the colors of the French flag as our inspiration, this week our simple pleasureis the celebration of Bastille Day with a summer dessert: eau de-vie marinated cherries with blueberry sorbet and cherry brandy whipped cream. Bonne Fête Nationale !

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