a good summer’s day
summer vegetable tart à la Provençal
Some days everything just seems to go right. The weather is perfect. I did not step in a gift from a neighbor’s dog nor did I walk a piece of furniture down the rue to my apartment. The children are not fighting. Beyond the domestic bliss and no more juin gloom, the little things that in France I have come to expect to test my patience actually fell into place. I felt this moment should be recorded.
my favorite accessory
wild thing, I think I love you…
rouget with wild asparagus and cherries
Admittedly, I am obsessed. I have discovered wild asparagus, which eluded me for months, and I cannot get enough. Sigh. It is not just the wild asparagus though… It is also the cherries. I have been using these two ingredients with abandon. So, this week we head effortlessly into bathing suit season while we embrace the flavors of summer with this week’s simple pleasure: rouget with wild asparagus and cherries. Read the rest of this entry »
déjeuner and dash
bresaola and radish summer salad
My local market. One of my favorite vegetable growers and only minutes for lunch inspired this simple pleasure: bresaola and radish summer salad. Read the rest of this entry »
goût de luxe
fancy enough for a ladies’ lunch
simple enough for a school night
perfect for summer
summer truffled vichyssoise
I was down to my last teaspoons of truffled salt. It was a shocking realization because I buy it by the carton as there are few things that can fancy up common, everyday foods the way a little sea salt infused with truffles can. Eggs, popcorn, risotto, even creamy butter to spread on your favorite toast … Voila ! Instant special. Instant gratification. I searched my nearly empty refrigerator for anything fresh. It was the few remaining vegetables in my refrigerator before my departure and the desire to use this last bit of truffled salt which inspired this week’s simple pleasure: summer truffled vichyssoise.
puppy love & when to cook and tell . . .
swordfish Mediterranean sauté
I am over the moon about the summer stone fruit which has arrived in the markets. However, I must admit that I am still clinging to the fava beans and English peas which are declining in number as summer rapidly approaches. While picking out fava beans at the McGrath Family Farm stand at the Sasnta Monica Farmer’s Market, it was there I fell in love. I could not help myself. It was this instant affection with inspired this week’s simple pleasure: swordfish Mediterranean sauté. Read the rest of this entry »
Mother’s Day 2013
speak carefully and carry a positive message
cherry granita
This week I had my first taste of an “empty nest.” My eldest, now a “tween,” visited Boston with her fifth grade class for a week. Her healthy separation from me and her eagerness to see the world and rely on her peers in a new way is bittersweet. Every year I write a Mother’s Day personal “recipe” for them. This year’s recipe was not only inspired by their rapid coming of age, but by two recent events. The first was the passing of our family matriarch (this year was the first time in our lives we did not celebrate her birthday and Mother’s Day jointly (at least, with her present)). The second was our Spring Break trip to Washington D.C. Both events reminded me of the importance of words, spoken, and unspoken. This week’s simple pleasure, and my annual Mother’s Day recipe for them, is a humble recipe for speaking with a little cherry granita on top (recipe below).
birds, you, and my friend nicknamed Goo
les œufs à la coque (à ma façon)
soft-boiled eggs with toast spears and prosciutto-wrapped asparagus
My friend Celine has a love-hate relationship with birds: they love her; she dislikes them. If there is a bird to be found, Celine will quickly walk the other way. When in Paris, I often photograph the Parisian pigeons (which are everywhere) and email the photos to her with a caption that the pigeons miss her and want her to come home. The joke never seems to get old (at least on my end, but Celine takes it well). Recently, Celine passed through LA and it was her visit which inspired this simple pleasure: les œufs à la coque (with my own twist). Read the rest of this entry »
shrimp on the bar-b and a little al fresco dining
grilled baby carrots and shrimp with cilantro, avocado and lime
I could say that I fired up the grill this weekend because of the Los Angeles sun. However, that is only partially true. It was also the Target run. Yes, Target. You see, I set out to buy school necessities for my children and then could not resist two hurricane lamps perfect for the patio table. This led to the desire to grill which led to an easy al fresco dinner with items in my refrigerator which resulted in this week’s simple pleasure: grilled baby carrots and shrimp with cilantro, avocado and lime. Read the rest of this entry »
Terrior Parisien® and a little Alléno in your bowl:
lentil and Brie soup with bacon and chives
The favorable buzz was more than I could bear. It proved to be well-deserved. This week we are visiting Yannick Alléno’s bistro Terroir Parisien® and our weekly simple pleasure is an adaption of his cream of lentil and Brie soup with bacon and chives. Read the rest of this entry »
spring sun throught the curtains and inspiring lunch
raw white asparagus salad
with parmesan and baby spring greens
For France it has been one of the coldest winters in recent history. While the Parisian snow long disappeared, it remains chilly especially for this California native. The remodeling of my apartment was nearing an end and although it was primarily a grey week, one morning the long-awaited sun shone through the window, through my newly hung curtains, and the illumination called me from the warmth of my tiny place to the still-chilly open air market. It was this morning which inspired this week’s simple pleasure: raw white asparagus salad with parmesan and baby greens.
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