Why buy mayonnaise when you can make it?

Yesterday, at lunchtime, I wanted to make an inside out (or outside in) tuna melt (like a grilled-cheese sandwich, but with tuna). Dilemma: I didn’t have any mayonnaise – and as most of us would agree, tuna simply needs mayonnaise. I knew the closest grocer didn’t carry the only store-bought mayo I’ve ever liked (Maille) and I wasn’t about to complicate my day trekking it down. I was hungry and just wanted to have lunch – simple.

So, I made fresh mayonnaise. In a matter of minutes.

It was one of those first daring days of spring, when anxious (and long-awaited) sunlight floods through open windows. Like I said, I didn’t want to complicate my day – didn’t want to find a recipe, didn’t want to measure any ingredients. Yet, I wanted homemade mayonnaise. I’ve been living in France long enough to know what ingredients one usually uses in mayo and also to know that you have to whip in the olive oil last, in long steady streams with your electric beater. Thus, I started by putting two egg yolks in a bowl and mixing in some mustard and a tad of vinegar. I added salt and pepper…then started pouring in the olive oil. Really fun, actually. I just kept beating until the mixture was thick, stopping to taste and add more of whatever I thought was missing. At first I went overboard with the vinegar, but it all worked out.

SO, no fuss. Just add, taste, beat, taste, beat…until you’re happy with it.

Shopping List

2 egg yolks

Dijon mustard

Red wine vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

I ended up with a whole jar (an old yogurt pot). Since it’s fresh, it has to be eaten soon. What could I make? Another tuna melt? Egg salad? Deviled eggs? French fries (mayo is often served with them in Europe)? Avocado and crab?

As usual, I’m finishing my blog post, hungry.

Here’s a French-inspired dish for you, but first let me write an important reminder to myself: there are no outdoor food markets in Paris on Mondays. Not anywhere, ever.

Back to the gambas and the restaurant that inspired me to cook these large prawns in a creamy saffron sauce with onions and garlic. Chez Bruno (Place Michel Debré, Amboise 37400) is one of my favorite wine-bar bistros in the Loire Valley – actually, in all of France. It’s a tiny place located just at the foot of the Amboise Castle, and in the summer and early fall you can sit out on their terrace under dreamy umbrellas. The first reason to go the Chez Bruno is for the view of the castle and the pleasant atmosphere. The second reason is for the wine (try La Closerie de Chanteloup’s chenin or sauvignon-blanc, for example). The third reason is for the satisfying, no nonsense French cuisine. We went there for the first time about a year ago, and that’s when I ordered prawns in a cream sauce over rice. Ever since then, it’s been in the back of my head to recreate a similar dish.

Here’s what I came up with (for 4 people):

Shopping List

24 large prawns (cooked)

½ onion (chopped0

1 close garlic (minced)

1 cup (20 cl) light cream

Several pinches ground saffron

Olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

2 cups uncooked rice

Recipe:

1. Peel and prepare the prawns. Set aside.

2. Brown the onion and garlic in olive oil.

3. Add the light cream, saffron, salt and pepper to taste. Let simmer over low heat, stirring regularly.

4. Add the prawns and continue simmering until they are fully heated; stir regularly.

5. Cook the rice and continue simmering the sauce to bring out flavor. If it becomes too thick, add a little milk until the sauce is the consistency you want.

6. Add a little butter/salt to the rice if desired. Dish onto plates and pour the prawn sauce over it. Bon ap’!

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.

The fun part about vegetarian Benedict is that you can add any vegetables you like. We’ve tried it with almost everything, from steamed asparagus to sautéed mushrooms, from spicy guacamole to artichoke hearts, or even leeks! Whatever you use, prepare it before you dive into the eggs and sauce – these should be saved until just before eating.

Since I grew up in a household where everyone knew how to make eggs Benedict, I never thought about an actual recipe until now. I’ve always made it from feeling – and this is probably the best advice I can give. I’ve done my best to give guidelines, but you’ll really just have to listen to your ingredients and adjust amounts and the order of the steps where needed. And, like I said, this one takes practice!

Here’s the suggested recipe for 2 people:

Shopping List

Your choice of veggies (tomatoes, avocado, asparagus…)

2 English muffins, sliced (or hearty slices of fresh country bread)

7 fresh eggs (4 to poach, 3 for the sauce)

1 to 1.5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2.5 tablespoons (35 grams) salted butter

Recipe:

Step 1: Prepare the veggies

Step 2: Put the bread in the toaster. Push the button just after putting the eggs on.

Step 3: Begin preparing the sauce by separating 3 egg yolks and placing them in a small bowl. (You won’t need the whites for the hollandaise, so either keep them to poach or set aside for another recipe). Squeeze in the lemon and stir (this slightly cooks the eggs).

Step 4: Poach the 4 remaining eggs by heating water in a deep frying pan and cracking the eggs into it when bubbles begin the form. Cook over medium-low heat. (Maybe it’s just superstition, but I always spread some butter at the bottom of the pan before adding the water.) They are ready when cooked on the outside and still slightly runny inside.

Step 5: Push the button on the toaster.

Step 6: Finish the sauce while the eggs are poaching by melting the butter and SLOWLY pouring it over the egg yolk/lemon mixture. Taste and add more lemon if desired. Keep warm as mentioned above.

Step 7: Decorate the bread with a layer of veggies, the eggs and the hollandaise. Sprinkle with a dash of paprika, pepper, fresh chives … anything to top off your balancing act!

Growing up, we ate eggs Benedict with orange juice – now I like it with a glass of refreshing white wine (at dinner time that is)!

I think it’s funny that I learned to make salsa in  Paris- out of pure necessity, really.

Ever since leaving for college, one of the reasons I find myself regularly returning back to sunny Santa Fe is for the unmatched northern-style New Mexican food – warm flour tortillas, chunky green chili sauce, cheese tamales wrapped and steamed in corn husks… and, of course, the world’s most cheerful tomato salsa. When you grow up on this fresh local fare, your life just isn’t the same without it.

Thus, the reason I taught myself to make this tomato salsa in our tiny kitchen in Paris. Fortunately, we have a bigger kitchen now, but when I first tried it a few years ago, we had neither a countertop nor an appropriate sieve. It took me hours to chop up all the ingredients, strain out the extra liquid, and try to add spice without… well… any spice.

Since then, I’ve simplified my approach- a fine sieve and admitting I wouldn’t have exactly the same ingredients as in Santa Fe helped. This recipe, which I made in about 30 minutes the other day, is based on traditional New Mexican salsa, but uses ingredients that are very easy to find in Paris!

Shopping List

6 cloves of garlic

½ red onion

6 medium-sized tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Hot chili sauce (sauce piquante in French)

Ground chili pepper flakes

Salt

Pepper

A bunch of fresh cilantro (look for coriandre in France)

Recipe:

1. Mince the garlic and onions. Set aside.

2. Gently mix the tomatoes in a blender. Don’t smash them too much! Just until they are the right size – small chunks.

3. Strain the extra juice from the tomatoes through a fine sieve (set aside for use in another recipe, so you don’t waste it). You may leave some liquid of course, but you want the chunks to dominate.

4. Add tomatoes, garlic and onions in a bowl and combine with the remaining ingredients to taste. I add the cilantro last, but lots of it!

Be careful – disappears quickly next to a bowl of tortilla chips.

Starting today, the Paris farmers’ markets are “en fête,” which means they’re celebrating with music, photo contests, and all sorts of fun goings-on.

When I get back from the market, I think I’ll make my “Buddha Bowl,” a cold rice-noodle salad piled with fresh, raw vegetables. I’ve been calling this dish “Buddha Bowl” for no apparent reason, except that it sounds cute- and I always seem to feel that much more “zen” after eating one. I naively thought this pet name was my own little invention, until I just googled it (I’m chuckling since I just used “google” as a verb). Apparently, a whole slew of bloggers have a plate-less recipe with the same name and, worse… it’s an actual bowl that one can buy! Since I’m more or less addressing the subject of “enlightenment,” I’d prefer to stay in my own little world and pretend it’s just mine- my interpretation of it in any case.

For my “Buddha Bowl,” I make a three-ingredient sauce, using orange juice and agave nectar as the secret ingredients. The orange juice gives a slight citrus taste and the nectar sweetens it just enough.

For the toppings, you can obvious choose whatever you like. For me, ripe avocado and carrot ribbons are an absolute must.

Shopping List

Vermicelli rice noodles

Tofu (cubed)

Sesame oil (one splash for two people)

Soy sauce (two splashes for two people)

Sesame and sunflower seeds (small handfuls)

Red pepper flakes

Carrot ribbons (made by using a vegetable peeler)

Cucumber (diced)

Lettuce

Bean sprouts

Cashews

Cilantro (or coriander)

For the sauce (two people):

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons soy sauce

¾ teaspoon agave nectar

Recipe:

1. Stir-fry the tofu (until it’s golden brown) in the sesame oil, soy sauce and red pepper flakes. Just before the tofu is done, add the sesame and sunflower seeds so they will be slightly grilled, but not burnt.

2. Chop and prepare all the cold ingredients.

3. Cook the rice noodles and rinse in cold water* (move around under the faucet with a fork or your fingers to separate them). Shake excess water out of the colander and let sit a minute.

4. Prepare the sauce by combing the three ingredients and stirring.

5. Place noodles in bowls and cover with about half the sauce. Add the tofu, the veggies and then the remaining sauce. Decorate with the cashews and cilantro.

*The package always says to soak the rice noodles in water, but I’ve never been successful doing this. I just boil them like regular pasta (but only for about a minute- you have to taste) and immediately run them under cold water. Don’t let them cook too long or they’ll get mushy.

This is the perfect dish for a hot day, as the tofu can be prepared ahead of time and served cold.

As I’m writing this, there’s a brand-new jar of confiture de lait staring at me from across the table.

I’m opening the lid now- why not? Too curious to wait for the bread, I’m tasting the brown goo falling off the spoon- with my fingers, of course. Hmmm, not bad, not bad at all- sweet, and creamy. Not the same smooth texture as caramel, almost mealy- not in an old-rotten-apple kind of way, but in a this-actually-works kind of way. It’s sweet, very sweet. Maybe too sweet?

Now I’m eyeing the boring old peanut butter (the organic, no sugar kind that, at 5:00 on a Tuesday afternoon, just doesn’t cut it alone). Don’t know if this is allowed, but I’m spreading the purée de cacahuete over a torn-off piece of the baguette de campagne I just bought on my way home from work. And now a dab of this blissful “jam” (that isn’t jam at all). Wow! That’s good- might never stop.

I’m reading the jam jar now- goes on top of yogurt, bread, ice cream… This is a new find.

I’m looking on the Internet now…oh, I see. It’s like dulce de leche- it all makes sense.

I love big projects, especially cooking projects- big messy ones where you have long cleaning sessions afterward.

I, however, like most, don’t have endless hours each evening to spend concocting unknown dishes (nor do I always have the time to trek through Paris hunting down the various ingredients typically required of such ventures).  That’s why I have a secret store of “emergency recipes.” My definition of an “emergency recipe” is one that can be made easily, with easy-to-find ingredients, that is healthy, potentially 100% organic and, of course, tastes so nice you’d be looking forward to eating it again the next day (when you’ll be even busier and reheating is a wonderful solution to the day’s efforts).  This week’s “emergency recipe” only took half an hour and gave me the chance to dig into that package of quinoa/garlic/parsley spaghetti (organic, of course) I picked up at the health food store last week.  I also got to use up the crème légère impatiently waiting in the fridge, as well as part of the beautiful bouquet of parsley I couldn’t resist at the Tuesday market.

While the sauce was all my doing, I have to thank my Tout Robuchon (The Complete Robuchon) for inspiring the salad that accompanied our pasta dish. While we didn’t have any arugula for Robuchon’s Salade de roquette au parmesan, we did have a fresh endive that worked extremely well with his lemon/olive oil dressing and slices of parmesan.  Not too bad for a busy week night!

The sauce recipe below make enough for four:

Shopping List

1/2 onion (diced)

1 clove garlic (minced)

1/2 pound mushrooms (sliced)

1 cup crushed tomatoes

1/3 cup light cream

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes

1. Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until slightly transparent.

2. A mushrooms and cover, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and juice has begun accumulating in the sauce pan.

3. Add tomatoes, cover and bring to a slight boil.

4. Add salt and let simmer.

5. Just before serving, add the cream, pepper and some red pepper flakes.  Allow to warm and season as needed.

Pour over pasta, decorate with fresh parsley and serve with a salad.

The only thing that beats traditional basil pesto is its sun-dried cousin.

I first made this version on a Thursday evening as a thick sauce over baked salmon.  It worked well because the garlic and tomatoes were flavorful enough to counter balance the naturally strong taste of the fish.  To our delight, we had quite a bit of the pesto left over and used it in almost every meal for the rest of the weekend.  We made tostadas con queso, toasted bread covered with garlic-tomato spread (the pesto) and melted Manchego cheese from Spain; the basic idea we took from our favorite tapas restaurant hidden in Paris’ 12^th arrondissement: Corrida Café (88, rue de Picpus/metro: Daumesnil or Bel-Air).  Our pesto also found its way into a pasta dish and lazily spread over pieces of fresh baguette- yum, yum.

About the cheese: Instead of using traditional parmesan, I used pecorino pepato, an Italian cheese made from ewe’s milk and dotted with black peppercorns.  It definitely helped give this pesto its lively (and addictive) personality.

About the salt: I’ve been playing with all sorts of different French salts over the last couple months and this time I used gros sel de Camargue. It comes from the salt marshes in the Camargue- an area in southern France, just south of Arles, also known for its wild horses and pink flamingoes.  I like the large salt crystals and the way they mix into the rest of the ingredients while adding a little extra “kick” from time to time.  Add to taste.

About the olive oil: Depending on how dry the tomatoes are, you may have to adjust the amount of oil.  I started with a few tablespoons and just kept adding until the mixture was the consistency I wanted- nice and smooth, but not too liquid and oily.

Shopping List:

13 tablespoons olive oil

3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

4 large cloves of garlic (chopped)

Huge bunch of basil

1 cut (uncut) sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 cup pecorino pepato cheese (grated)

3-4 pinches gros sel de Camargue

Dash of freshly cracked pepper

1/4 cup pine nuts (slightly toasted in a skillet over medium heat)

Combine all ingredients in a blender.  Yes, it’s really that easy!