The “It” Dessert in France: Café Gourmand. An espresso, surrounded by mini-desserts of all kinds. I do a “cheaters version” at home.
Greetings, everyone. Just got back from the Salinas Valley in California, best known as John Steinbeck country and the “salad bowl of the world.” I was checking out the ‘chockes (artichokes, that is) and the great Monterey County wines, among other things, and I’ll be writing a few stories about these in other outlets, soon. I’ll provide links to my stories as they get publish. What a fascinating place—so very down to earth.
Meanwhile, here’s what else I’ve been up to:
1. Café Gourmand. Remember Café Gourmand, that great dessert I told you about in France? I came up with a “Cheater’s Version” for times when you want to serve this fun plate of mini desserts, but don’t exactly feel like making five mini desserts. Here’s the story I wrote for Food Riot.
2. French Cocktails for “Cocktail Party Season.”
Peach-Raspberry Cosmo
I wrote a guest post for my buddy, Richard Nahem, at Eye Prefer Paris, about great cocktails for the coming party season. One of them features a new, limited edition of Grand Marnier—Raspberry Peach—in a French update of the Cosmo. Take that, Carrie Bradshaw!
3. Blanquette de Pork, Lamb, or Chicken, Anyone? I have three French Blanquette recipes out in the current edition of Better Homes and Gardens Soups and Stews magazine: Pork Blanquette, Lamb Blanquette, and Chicken Blanquette. The magazine is on newsstands right now. I’ve been writing for the BH&G family of publications for years, and was thrilled that they did an entire story featuring these great French stews. Sorry! No link yet—for now, they’re just in the magazine.
(PS: Here’s how to make Blanquette of Porc into a dinner party.)
Blanquette de Pork. Photo by Richard Swearinger.
4. How to Make Mascarpone Crepes on eHow. Well, here’s another video I did in my eHow video series. I must admit, I’m not crazy about these. I sound a little stiff, and that’s not me at all. But the information is good, so if you’re interested, it’s worth watching.
Watch the video here: I was going to embed it, but when I do that, it will immediately start playing the minute you get onto my blog, which I find SO ANNOYING. And friends, I do not want to annoy you.
These videos are a trip to do—I spend hours buying ingredients and outlining the text, and then they’re shot in about 10 minutes—no time to go back and add any personality.
5. Coming Soon: French Pasta eBook: My friend Richard Swearinger (former Senior Food Editor of Better Homes and Gardens Magazine) and I are putting together our next ebook. This one is on French pasta—and yes, the French love pasta as much as we do. They do great things with it, and we’ll have 25 recipes and loads of photos that prove just that. Look for it soon, but meanwhile, here’s a teaser:
French Pasta Forestière
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