The Tomato Knife

It took me quite some time to find where to buy frozen berries in France. When I first arrived as a junior in college, I was an avid smoothie drinker – concocting one pretty much every day or so. Since I had other priorities that first year, I kind of let smoothie-drinking go by the [...]

As I’m writing this, there’s a brand-new jar of confiture de lait staring at me from across the table. Maybe I should wait, but this “milk jam” has already been in the house twenty-nine hours and I’m curious. I’ve already seen this mystery from afar, many times, but I’ve never tried it. This jar showed [...]

When I moved to college, one of the first gadgets I had to buy was a blender. Same thing when I moved to Paris. Growing up, every morning started off with the sound of fruit and yogurt whirling in the kitchen. I probably had a smoothie nearly every day or so- right up until I [...]

This week I got to meet David Lebovitz and picked up a beautiful (and heavy) copy of his latest cookbook, Ready for Dessert. Full of mouth-watering photos, clearly-presented recipes and loads of baking tips, it simply makes me want to get in the kitchen- and bake. While many of the recipes are reminiscent of classic [...]

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 [...]

What happens when you add New Mexican chili powder to a traditional moelleux au chocolat? You get an intense chocolate dessert that makes you feel like you’re traveling continents by simply lifting your spoon.  At first, you’re in France.  You bite into tradition- smooth, rich chocolate.  Then you’re transported across the Atlantic with a spicy [...]