Ranch Dressing Chez Moi
Living abroad for an extended period of time inevitably means missing—and craving—many foods you once took for granted. Many wouldn’t even make your top ten list of favorite [...]
Mushroom Broth (with stems and ends)
Why toss out the brown ends and tough stems of those mushrooms you use when turning them into a rich, flavorful broth is as simple as setting them to boil in some water for a [...]
How to dry wild (or shiitake) mushrooms
Before.... After successfully drying a surplus of chanterelles (shared by a neighbor) by setting them on top of a warm radiator, I thought the same technique would work for [...]
Brothy Shiitake Soup with Ginger and Garlic
There is nothing to this soup. Seriously. Literally. Ridiculously. (Well, no, not ‘ridiculously,’ but since I was going with the flow of overused (and misused) adverbs, I fig [...]
Sizzled Spinach with Crispy Shallots
One vegetable that has seem to have fallen by the wayside in the US is fresh spinach. I’m not talking about baby spinach which is ubiquitous enough. I mean the deep-green, la [...]
Roasted Whole Cauliflower, Miznon-Style
Ever since I first read the hyped-up reviews of whole, roasted cauliflower from Miznon, an Israeli eatery in the Marais district of Paris, I’ve wondered: Just how good can pl [...]
Leek Green Champ
Because leeks are so very costly per pound in the US, it pains me, PAINS ME, to throw away leek tops the way most French cooks do. I’ll do it if I absolutely have to—say, whe [...]
Creamy 3-Ingredient Zucchini Soup
I learned how to make this soup from a friend who whipped up a version of it for her kids one summer evening. (Summer evenings in Brittany can get chilly enough to enjoy a ho [...]
Heirloom Tomatoes Provençal
The last of the heirloom tomatoes deserve a special send-off, something that sets them smack in the center of the plate and showcases them in all their funny-shaped, juicy gl [...]