“And all the lives we ever lived and all the lives to be are full of trees and changing leaves.” Virginia Woolf It’s a bowl full of jumbled globes, the size of large olives or medium escargot, set casually to one side of the cheesemongers slab, that catches my attention. They are dusty-green, veined with … Continue reading Savage Fruit…
“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is really a large matter — it’s the difference between lightning and a lightning bug” Mark Twain A friend of ours, a restauranteur here in Arles, asked us to translate, or rather take a look at his English translation of their French/Lebanese menu. He’s … Continue reading Lost in French-lation: What’s on the Menu?
“We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.” David Mamet – Boston Marriage The French don’t do pies. They have ‘pie-like’ things: Tartes, mostly – Tarte aux pommes, Tarte Tatin (insert any fruit you want, add a little pastry cream); an argument could be made for clafoutis being vaguely, … Continue reading Sometimes, pie…
I felt once more how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut, a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else. Nikos Kazantzakis There’s a moment every year when I know it’s winter. It may not occur on the Solstice, and in fact often (usually) doesn’t. … Continue reading Winter is Coming…
Fat gives things flavor. Julia Child There are certain ingredients that seem to be heralded by cold weather. They’re not the exclusive province of cooler days, but they do fit well with blustery mornings and burnished afternoons – just as there are meals that get pushed to the forefront by longer days and heat haze … Continue reading Faux Gras ~ a sheep in wolf’s clothing…
“An egg is always an adventure; the next one may be different.” Oscar Wilde Maximilien’s latest favorite gouter (snack)? The hard-boiled ovum of Coturnix Coturnix. And whereas he has many of the same food limitations of other four-year-olds, he continues to walk his own path in many respects: He pleads for a couple cloves of … Continue reading Ouefs de Caille
“I asked the maid in dulcet toneTo order me a buttered scone;The silly girl has been and goneAnd ordered me a buttered scone.” ~ Punch Magazine, 1912 There are few things lovelier on a rainy morning, than a still-warm scone to crumble with your coffee. It’s basic, nothing complicated, and absolutely satisfying. If you have … Continue reading Rising Up…
…there’s this cookie in France. More of a cake-like thing, really. About the size of a Madeleine scallop, and made from a similar but less glorious yellow sponge cake, shaped like a bear. Where the paws are, there are dollops of chocolate. It’s called “Lulu l’ourson” – Lulu the bear. It’s nothing extraordinary – it’s … Continue reading Lost in French-lation, Misadventures in French Advertising…
Nature alone is antique, and the oldest art a mushroom… Thomas Carlyle Of all the smells of fecundity, of earth, of whispered dawn, of darkness at a somewhere depth pushing through to light, one of the most binge-worthy of harbingers (in my opinion) is that of mushrooms sautéing in butter, grind of pepper, sprig of … Continue reading Of the dark…
In Paris for a few weeks and travel and corralling kids has left little time for writing an entry, but here’s a picture of an awesome salad… I’m not sure how we originally found Le Relais Gascon. Probably just a stumble upon moment years and years and children ago. We were staying in a tiny … Continue reading A Quick Bite…
Chasing Snails (And Other Movable Feasts) 