We love a roadside picnic or eating on the deck at the beach. We pack a few salads, maybe pan bagnat or other sandwiches with cookies and fruit for dessert. Peach Melba is a favorite but not easily transported until I came up with this recipe, peach melba cheesecake to go in a jar. It is delicious and easy to prepare. You can top it with any ripe seasonal fruits, peaches and a cherry shown
Tuesday, August 01
How to Blanch Almonds
Many recipes call for blanched almonds, the nuts with their skins removed. You can buy whole blanched almonds or blanched slivered almonds online or at the local store. But blanching almonds at home is rather simple. It takes about 15 minutes of hands-on work. Read along to learn how to blanch almonds in your home kitchen. First select whole almonds with their skins intact. The skins protect the nuts from insect damage and help the
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Monday, July 31
Using Whole Salted Anchovies
People are often daunted when they see anchovies in a recipe. I’ve written a primer to help the anchovy-curious (and perhaps even anchovy-averse) to feel comfortable selecting, buying and using them. Among the types of anchovies I recommend are whole salted anchovies. They keep fresh in the refrigerator for a long time. Using whole salted anchovies is easy. But each time you use them, you must remove the surface salt and clean them. When you
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Take 5: Anchovies
At Restaurant du Village, we served a dish called Pasta à la Provençal. (It was our version of the Italian harlot’s classic, Pasta Puttanesca.) We made large vats of the sauce to serve over spaghetti. My favorite step was smelling the anchovies melting into the garlic in that giant pot. I could not resist dragging a slice of bread through that fragrant paste. Anchovies are the character actors that make a dish a hit. The
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Saturday, July 29
Ajo Blanco
When the heat blisters, no one wants to cook. Instead we rely on cold foods especially refreshing soups that require no cooking at all. None is more so than Ajo Blanco, a soup of Spanish origins made from almonds, bread and olive oil. Jump to Recipe Most Spaniards probably know how to make this soup without a recipe. I find that a recipe helps a great deal. I start by selecting the bread and removing
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Anchovy Sticks
Salty, buttery, crunchy with a hint of spice, that’s the way I like a nibble before a meal. These Anchovy Sticks are the kind of light but satisfying snack to offer at dinner or in a picnic basket packed with cheese, salami and fruit. Made with purchased puff pastry and a jar of anchovies, these can be fresh for guests within an hour. The recipe consists of rows of anchovies sandwiched between two layers of
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Pan Bagnat
Pan Bagnat is always something we eat by the shore after a day in the sun – sometimes we do more eating than swimming. A popular sandwich in the south of France, pan bagnat means bathed bread because it swims in a mixture of garlic and olive oil and the juices of ripe summer vegetables. Make these sandwiches on a baguette or large rolls. The bread soaks up the juices and the crisp crust holds
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Wednesday, June 28
Slow Rise Picnic Loaf
“Time equals taste,” bakers say. One reliable way to get a tasty loaf of bread without too much fuss is letting it rise slowly. This Slow Rise Picnic Loaf is one I bake when I need lots of good bread with a pleasant chewy crumb and crisp crust with little fuss. Quality wheat gives this loaf its great flavor. I use all-purpose flour from King Arthur or Maine Grains. Sometimes I swap out a few
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Tuesday, June 27
Sunny Side Up Eggs My Way
If you shared the kitchen with me many mornings recently, you’d see me playing with eggs. Soft boiled, hard boiled, on toast or in an egg cup, eggs brighten my morning. And now sunny side up eggs my way. My latest addiction started when we brought home some leftover crab fried rice from September in Bangkok in New Haven, Connecticut. Sunny Side Up Eggs My Way was born. Rice topped with a fried egg isn’t
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Pissaladière
A specialty of Provence in France, pissaladière is an onion tart topped with interwoven strips of red pepper, anchovy fillets and olives. Most of us adore its slightly sweet and salty flavor. (When I bring pissaladière to our boules parties, it’s the first thing that gets gobbled up.) There is nothing difficult about making this dish but a few astuces (tips) will ensure that your pissaladière is crisp not soggy. Some pointers: The tarte consists
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"Let no man fancy he knows how to dine Till he has learnt how taste and taste combine."
-Horace, Satires, 2.4They're here!
