The Tomato Knife

I couldn’t pass this one up: a little jar of whole nutmeg seeds and a miniature grater. Freshly ground nutmeg, I’ve just discovered, is simply stronger and much more aromatic than the pre-ground spice. I found my little jar of noix de muscade in the spice section of the neighborhood grocery store and have been [...]

I didn’t eat cucumber much before coming to France. Now it’s become a staple- and I usually have part of one hanging around somewhere in the fridge. After farmers’ market on Sunday, I came home with an especially nice-looking, organic one that I mixed into a refreshing salad. Since cucumber doesn’t have a very strong [...]

It’s Mardi Gras! While Halloween may be underplayed in France, Mardi Gras certainly isn’t. A tradition stemming largely from the Middle Ages, children and teenagers (and even some adults) giddily dress up in all kinds of colorful costumes for a day of festive revelry.  No trick-or-treating or candies for this celebration; instead, French tradition calls [...]

I’d already heard of “tamarind paste” plenty of times.  Until this week, though, I wouldn’t have been able to tell you exactly what it was, or even where to find it. Some exotic spice, no?  The one that giddily finds its way into Indian and Thai cookbooks; the one I’d always ignored.  Until my most [...]