CAKE TATIN AND MORE
Just in case you didn’t hear, Nuts in the Kitchen was voted Best Single Subject book in the U.S. and Second Best Single Subject cookbook in the world by the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris on March 3. Other good news is that On Rue Tatin was featured in a gorgeous article in the March … Continue reading
I MADE IT MYSELF
Somehow when I blinked it became spring. It’s mid-February, but everything in the garden is stretching and budding, as though awakening from a long nap. A very thin sun shines through the clouds; temperatures have risen. Do we dare trust it? I think not. We can enjoy it, but it’s our annual February tease. Root … Continue reading
A LOVE OF A RESTAURANT
I like to recommend romantic spots for any time of year, and the new spot of my heart is Claude Colliot Restaurant in the Marais. There, Chef Claude Colliot and his wife, Chantal, along with their personable and professional staff, do their utmost to welcome, delight and satisfy. When I arrived at for an 8 … Continue reading
A 12-YEAR OLD BIRTHDAY PARTY AND ACCIDENTAL MERINGUES
A 12-year old girls’ birthday party is an event to behold. Nine girls ranging in age from 11 to 13 yrs, arrived in fits and start on a warm Saturday. Fiona, the birthday girl, had been thinking of her party for months. Hand-written invitations had gone out, each with a poem about friendship written on … Continue reading
Impressionist Days and La Chandeleur
Just this morning I was speaking with a friend about our current cold wave and he said “It looks like an Impressionist painting outside.” He is right, the air is misty with cold, and suffused with delicate roses and blues here, soft yellows and violets there. I don’t remember such cold, and I don’t … Continue reading
PULLING THE BEAN
PULLING THE BEAN Last night I hosted the annual “Pulling the Bean” cocktail party. It was so much more fun than it sounds. “Pulling the bean” translates as “Tirer la f ve,” which is a tradition in France that began long ago among the cardinals of Besançon, near Dijon. They held a sort of lottery … Continue reading
Best Steamed Black Radish in Paris
I’m working on a project that involves finding the best of the best, food wise, in Paris. To that end, I’ve discovered many things, among them an amazing way to cook and enjoy black radishes. Black radishes are a fixture of the French winter farmers’ market. They’re fat, long and crisp, they look like a … Continue reading
A Great Little Restaurant
The theme of the weekend was coffee, tea, and cakes in front of the fire with dear friends from Amsterdam. Jacqueline and Nelleke published two of my books there, introducing me and my work to the Dutch. We’ve been friends ever since, making time each year to spend a weekend cooking, eating, laughing, sharing. This … Continue reading
It’s Winter Again
Brrr! It’s winter again, what confusion. Just yesterday I noticed the catkins swinging from the hazelnut tree in my courtyard and I thought Wait! It’s only mid-January, they’re way too early. Sure enough, this morning frost covered the ground. If my understanding of tree biology is correct, those little catkins are the precursors to my … Continue reading
MERINGUE OF SNOW
I woke up this morning to find a snow meringue on the table in my courtyard. It is a foot thick and slightly crisp on top, just like a good meringue should be! I’ve lived in Normandy for seventeen years and never seen snow like this. It began more than a week ago, and is … Continue reading
Life is Nuts From Susan Herrmann Loomis 