The Tomato Knife

Vegetarian eggs Benedict has been a favorite family recipe for as long as I can remember.

Soft, toasted English muffins, freshly sliced tomatoes and avocado, perfectly poached eggs and rich, buttery hollandaise sauce make this recipe ideal for lazy Sunday mornings or special brunches. We would almost always have it on Christmas morning – and even on a few evenings throughout the year.

The secret to making eggs Benedict is timing. As a kid, I would survey the muffins while Mom would poach the eggs and one of my brothers would whisk the butter into the sauce. Back then, it was pretty much about team work. Thus my dilemma the first time I tried to make it all by myself in Pars. It’s taken my a few years to get the hang of balancing all the different steps and keeping necessary ingredients warm. This balancing act, in fact, has most recently led to an additional step and a thicker hollandaise than I grew up with back in Santa Fe. In order to keep my sauce warm one day when my eggs were a bit behind, I poured it back into the pan I had melted the butter in. Covered and away from the flame, there was just enough heat to keep it warm and thicken it slightly. Be careful though – if the pan is too hot or on a burner, the eggs will cook too much and you’ll get a yellow gooey mess.

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Tags: cooking, eggs, sauces

When I got home yesterday, my husband was surprised to hear I hadn’t done any “bêtises,” which means I hadn’t gotten into any mischief.

Paris is the easiest place to get into innocent (edible) trouble.

Usually, I have a whole story to tell – about how “exceptionally” some administrative building was closed and that trek through the metro was for nothing, or how the change machine at the post office was broken and I couldn’t make my photocopies. I always begin with my woes and then launch into how hungry I was after all that and … all there was …

Any “bêtise” not done one day must be caught up the next. Today was repeat mischief, meaning I knew exactly where I was going and for what: Bistro Mavrommatis for a Greek lunch.

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Tags: restaurants

When traveling, you sometimes stumble upon the best places to eat without even trying.

This was our case with Jamie Oliver’s Italian restaurant on the corner of George and Gloucester Streets in Oxford. Moseying along, we noticed a long line of people coming out of this one particular restaurant – must be good, we thought. Soon enough we found ourselves in the crowd, not quite aware of what we were getting ourselves into (not necessarily recommended, but in this case it worked).

The line outside moved fairly quickly, as the place is rather large (two floors). Once through the doors, we were given a beeper and told the wait would be about 15 minutes. Not so bad, I’m thinking, as a young woman directs us to the bar and waiting area. As soon as we order some wine, the restaurant’s entire computer system crashes. That means no food orders, and no more seating until the problem is solved! This is where the impatient customers shout, “Pen and paper, pen and paper!” I agree, but I’m having fun sitting on a high stool overlooking the modern dining room with a glass of red wine in one hand and roasted almonds with chili and fennel salt in the other. These nuts were the only computer-independent food in the lot – lucky for Jamie, they were quite nice and tied us over until we were finally able to be seated.

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Tags: oxford, restaurants, travel, wine bars

This week, I checked out the two farmers’ markets at Gloucester Green in central Oxford.

Gloucester Green is a square surrounded by several stores, restaurants and some great coffee shops (Combibos Coffee and Caffe Nero both have excellent lattes). Located between Beaumont, St. George and Walton Streets, it comes alive during market times. Both markets are fairly small, but offer a nice alternative to the regular grocery store.

Oxford City Council Market

Every Wednesday, 9am-5pm

To be honest, this market wasn’t anything extraordinary (there were too many cheap clothing stands and not enough produce for my taste). This said, the foodie I am did manage to find a couple unique edibles. First, I stumbled upon some Turkish Delight – only the second time I’ve ever tasted it. I remember reading about this sweet delicacy in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as a child. What better place to rediscover it than Oxford (where C.S. Lewis spent most of his adult life)? Then, I came across some free-range duck eggs. As I approached the stand, I overheard a man with a very English accent asking his son if he’d “eat a duck egg for lunch,” as though it was nothing out of the ordinary! The vendor told me these particular eggs had been picked up that morning and that the chickens (I mean ducks) drank running water (instead of still water), which gave the eggs a finer taste. They’d be good for about 2 weeks (chicken eggs last 3 to 4) and are great in omelets, thanks to the consistency.

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Tags: oxford, travel