Author name: Jim

Recipes | Savory Dishes

Gnocchi alla Romana

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Gnocchi alla Romana is a wonderfully comforting dish.  Bubbling and crispy with cheese on the outside, soft and rich inside, it makes a fantastic side dish with a roasted leg of lamb or even as the center of the plate with grilled asparagus.  It was also a trademark dish for my mother-in-law, Marianne, who almost […]

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Gnocchi alla Romana is a wonderfully comforting dish.  Bubbling and crispy with cheese on the outside, soft and rich inside, it makes a fantastic side dish with a roasted leg of lamb or even as the center of the plate with grilled asparagus.  It was also a trademark dish for my mother-in-law, Marianne, who almost

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Recipes | Veggies

Celery root “frites”

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Wondering what to do with that celery root that came in your CSA farm box? Here is an idea that may sound a little out-there but really works:  celery root frites!  These are really quick and easy, and roast up tender on the inside and even a bit crispy on the outside, especially if you

Celery root “frites” Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

Wondering what to do with that celery root that came in your CSA farm box? Here is an idea that may sound a little out-there but really works:  celery root frites!  These are really quick and easy, and roast up tender on the inside and even a bit crispy on the outside, especially if you

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Stuff

Duck confit

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Duck confit is THE arch-typical dish of the Southwest of France.  It is, at the same time, a way to use duck parts left over when the fat liver is harvested for foie gras in late fall and winter, and a preservation method that allows us to enjoy duck well into the spring. This winter,

Duck confit Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

Duck confit is THE arch-typical dish of the Southwest of France.  It is, at the same time, a way to use duck parts left over when the fat liver is harvested for foie gras in late fall and winter, and a preservation method that allows us to enjoy duck well into the spring. This winter,

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Recipes | Savory Dishes

Chicken liver mousse

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A recent inventory of my freezer revealed a significant number of chicken livers, the result of my inability to waste anything that can be later turned into something yummy!  To explain, each time I buy a whole chicken, the carcass, heart and gizzards all go into stock.  Chicken livers, on the other hand, are no

Chicken liver mousse Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

A recent inventory of my freezer revealed a significant number of chicken livers, the result of my inability to waste anything that can be later turned into something yummy!  To explain, each time I buy a whole chicken, the carcass, heart and gizzards all go into stock.  Chicken livers, on the other hand, are no

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Savory Dishes

Yogurt Curry with cauliflower and crispy tofu

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This recipe, featuring the snap of yogurt, is inspired by a recipe from the excellent Vancouver BC restaurant Vig’s.  The very simple curry sauce works well also with chickpeas, diced sweet potato or winter squash, and also makes a great accompaniment to a poached whitefish filet, like cod or halibut. Serves 4

Yogurt Curry with cauliflower and crispy tofu Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

This recipe, featuring the snap of yogurt, is inspired by a recipe from the excellent Vancouver BC restaurant Vig’s.  The very simple curry sauce works well also with chickpeas, diced sweet potato or winter squash, and also makes a great accompaniment to a poached whitefish filet, like cod or halibut. Serves 4

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Restaurants

Restaurant Pluviôse, Saint-Jean-de-Luz France

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What a pleasure to find a restaurant so utterly concentrated on making simply-delicious food from the freshest possible, ultra-local ingredients and trusting that it will be beautiful, without any flourishes!  In this age of tweezer-food, micro-flowers, sauce dots and Instagram-able plates, it’s like dining in a monastery! And here, the monks dine very well! Located

Restaurant Pluviôse, Saint-Jean-de-Luz France Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

What a pleasure to find a restaurant so utterly concentrated on making simply-delicious food from the freshest possible, ultra-local ingredients and trusting that it will be beautiful, without any flourishes!  In this age of tweezer-food, micro-flowers, sauce dots and Instagram-able plates, it’s like dining in a monastery! And here, the monks dine very well! Located

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Savory Dishes

Creamy polenta

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In his book “The Unprejudiced Palate” (which is part personal history, part practical garden and kitchen guide, part cookbook, and all a fun and interesting read), Dr. Angelo Pellegrini says that soft polenta in Italy has roughly the same relationship to pasta as brown country bread has to the baguette in France: it is what

Creamy polenta Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

In his book “The Unprejudiced Palate” (which is part personal history, part practical garden and kitchen guide, part cookbook, and all a fun and interesting read), Dr. Angelo Pellegrini says that soft polenta in Italy has roughly the same relationship to pasta as brown country bread has to the baguette in France: it is what

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Stuff

‘Tis the season for oysters and wine from Olivier Pithon

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Yes, I know, it’s almost Christmas and oyster season started long ago.  However, I would argue that the rule about only eating oysters in months with an “r” tells you when you CAN eat oysters, not when oysters are at their best.  Plus, these are real beauties and were really delicious with a glass of

‘Tis the season for oysters and wine from Olivier Pithon Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

Yes, I know, it’s almost Christmas and oyster season started long ago.  However, I would argue that the rule about only eating oysters in months with an “r” tells you when you CAN eat oysters, not when oysters are at their best.  Plus, these are real beauties and were really delicious with a glass of

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Petites Histoires

Restaurant Lucas Carton, place de la Madeleine, Paris

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Lucas Carton is one of a handful of legendary temples of Paris fine dining. It first opened as a restaurant in the 1860s (!!) and, through a number of  changes (chef, restaurant name, fashion, the world around it, basically!),  has remained one of the City of Light’s most elegant tables. Of course, part of its

Restaurant Lucas Carton, place de la Madeleine, Paris Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

Lucas Carton is one of a handful of legendary temples of Paris fine dining. It first opened as a restaurant in the 1860s (!!) and, through a number of  changes (chef, restaurant name, fashion, the world around it, basically!),  has remained one of the City of Light’s most elegant tables. Of course, part of its

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Meats | Recipes

Whole skin-on pork shank roasted with leeks and cauliflower.

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  I was recently in Segovia, Spain, where we enjoyed the local specialty, roasted suckling pig…crackling, mahogany colored skin on the outside and meltingly tender meat on the inside. Yum!  However, getting hold of a sucking pig is not the easiest  thing for most people. So instead, here is a recipe for roast whole pork

Whole skin-on pork shank roasted with leeks and cauliflower. Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

  I was recently in Segovia, Spain, where we enjoyed the local specialty, roasted suckling pig…crackling, mahogany colored skin on the outside and meltingly tender meat on the inside. Yum!  However, getting hold of a sucking pig is not the easiest  thing for most people. So instead, here is a recipe for roast whole pork

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