The Tomato Knife

After avoiding the subject for way too long, I’ve signed up for French driving lessons. Unless your American license was issued in one of the 13 states (see below) that have a reciprocity agreement with France, you have to take both the written and driving tests once you live here permanently. That means drivers’ ed [...]

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 [...]

As I mentioned in my posts about bourru and bernache, tradition has it that you eat roasted chestnuts with these young “wines” that show their faces only in the autumn. There are two words for chestnut in French: marron and châtaigne. While we don’t seem to distinguish between the two in English, we certainly do [...]