two countries. many kitchens. one table.
Pissaladière (à ma façon)
makes one 9” tart
what you need:
2 tablespoons olive oil
20 ounces sweet onions (i.e., Vidalia), sliced ¼” width
1 fresh sprig of thyme, stripped
2 pinches kosher salt
⅓ cup Muscat, Sauterine or Verjus
14 olives noires de Nice (or black oil-cured olives with the pits removed and olives halved)
12 anchovy fillets packed in oil (optional to rinse)
1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted Read the rest of this entry »
two ingredients and five minutes:
lotte-cigare
(Monkfish cigar)
In culinary terms, Memorial Day in America means celebrating with family and friends over uncomplicated, easy meals and it always involves a grill. When I am in Los Angeles, I grill as much as I can simply because nothing beats cooking in the beautiful outdoor weather (in Paris my kitchen is so small that the mere pulling of something from the oven will surely place my backside on the opposite wall…although there is a nice window). I am soon headed back to France so this week I was grilling and it was the flames from the grill, the lobster tails on the grill, and an unlit cigar which inspired this week’s simple pleasure: lotte cigare (monkfish cigar).
lotte cigare
(Monkfish cigars)
serves 4
what you need:
2 beautiful Monkfish fillets (approximately ½ pound each)
8 slices of prosciutto (Prosciutto di Parma)
kosher salt (as needed)
freshly ground black pepper (as needed)
olive oil (as needed)
fresh minced Italian parsley (optional for garnish) Read the rest of this entry »
spring carrot purée
serves 4
what you need:
1 pound diced orange carrots (trimmed not peeled)
2 cups (16 ounces) water
3-4 ounces olive oil
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon piment d’espelette (optional)
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (as needed) Read the rest of this entry »
venez avec moi en Alsace
An Overview
A family member, I deeply love, is loosing her sight. She has never been to France. She never will go. On a recent trip to the Alsace (alzas) region in the northeastern area of France, I called her. She asked me what Alsace was like.
I stood on my hotel balcony and I gazed upon vineyards blanketing the entire Alsace region, the green horizon only broken up by small villages and castles. I struggled with words to place her there with me because descriptions can be flawed. Nevertheless, I tried to convey the warmth of this place and its people, the comfort of its food, and the beauty of the region. I told that:
I realized then that the words were spilling quicker and quicker from my mouth and my voice was filled with excitement and she was appreciative but I was even more so, because it feels good to share a special discovery with others.It is now with the same spirit that I share my culinary visit to Alsace with you.
Venez avec moi en Alsace for a little taste of this special corner of the France.
LM
studying for bar exam by Chef Morgan
Mother’s Day recipe 2012:
baking cookies, having the courage to follow your heart,
and being true to the woman that you are:
crunchy chocolate and espresso almond cookies
Recently someone asked my oldest daughter: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I remember being asked the same thing when I was her age. Watching her respond inspired this year’s Mother’s Day personal recipe for my daughters (below) and this week’s simple pleasure: crunchy chocolate and espresso almond cookies. Read the rest of this entry »
crunchy chocolate and espresso almond cookies
makes approximately 3 dozen
what you need:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¼ cup finely chopped bittersweet (70%) chocolate
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla paste (or extract)
1 large fresh egg
¼ cup almond meal
1 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder (with alkali)
1 tablespoon black oynx cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup roasted crushed almonds
¼ cup crushed quality coffee beans Read the rest of this entry »
dancing my way to a tropical paradise with Joséphine Baker
and one arm tied around my neck:
rice and coconut milk smoothies
It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles. I had been in the kitchen testing recipes all day and like Maria being called to the Alps, the hills of Mulholland were beckoning me. It was too beautiful to stay indoors. Time for a running break and enjoy some fresh air. That run and the aftermath that followed, with a little inspiration from Joséphine Baker, led to this week’s simple pleasure: rice and coconut milk smoothies. Read the rest of this entry »
rice and coconut milk smoothie
makes 24 ounces (4 6 ounce servings)
what you need:
½ cup aborrio rice
1 cup water
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 cup (unsweetened) coconut milk
1 cup crushed ice
5 ounces chopped fruit (strawberries, mango, bananas, or pineapple or a combination)
fresh fruit (as needed for garnish)
fresh pineapple mint leaves (as needed for garnish)
fresh edible flowers (as needed for garnish)
how to:
More recipes for runners 
it’s hot; it’s cold; it’s both:
zucchini and sorrel velouté
Raining one day; hot and sunny the next. While the calendar says spring, the weather weaves in and out of winter (and apparently this will continue). Unpredictable weather can be problematic when menu planning (and ordering) because the temperature necessarily affects how and what we eat. You would not want to eat cassoulet in July any more than you would crave a tomato-based gazpacho on a cold December day. Generally speaking, the beauty of nature is that if we eat seasonally, the food “in season” mirrors what our bodies need and crave: heavier, more filling foods in the winter to keep us warm (i.e., winter squashes and cauliflower) and lighter, hydrating foods in the summer (i.e., watermelon and tomatoes). But the climate change is throwing off our “food-dar.” It was the need to create meals that combine chilly-weather comfort with the lightness of spring (and that can be enjoyed whatever the temperature) which inspired this week’s simple pleasure: zucchini and sorrel velouté (served hot or chilled). Read the rest of this entry »
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