Please check out my latest podcast on DocSmo.com! Doc Smo is a pediatrician and prolific podcaster with whom I’ve collaborated to bring you interesting tidbits about kids and food. Here are some notes and highlights from our conversation about how cultures around the world introduce their babies to the world of food! Visit your … Continue reading Baby Food World Tour
There are two foods that are traditionally eaten by Jews on Chanukah (Hannouca in French): latkes and sufganyot, or jelly-filled donuts. This Chanukah, I had the idea to make a treat that is similar to sufganyot, but is a traditionally eaten in France at carnaval. In the St. Etienne and Lyon area, where my husband … Continue reading Bugnes de Hannouca
There it seems that every area has its own specialty (near St. Etienne where I was there are Le Puy Lentils, Verbena liquor, quenelles- a puffed dumpling- just to name a few) or delicacy that is made exactly as it was in pre-industrial times. Continue reading Local Eating?
Movie Review: Les saveurs du palais (Haute Cuisine in English) This charming movie is based on the true story of a woman who served as personal chef to the French president Francois Mitterrand. As Danièle Laborie arrives at the Elysee palace accompanied by suited men in a limousine, she thinks there must be some mistake. … Continue reading La cuisine du souvenir
Recently I had my first canning experience. Actually it was not out of adventurousness but rather necessity. OK, I’m perhaps being a bit dramatic, but I brought home a couple of jars of Apricot Vanilla jam from France and it has quickly become a kind of jam obsession. The sweet, floral taste of the apricots is … Continue reading Canned Sunshine
Today I want to share a simple carrot soup that my son really loves. It has a bright sweetness and is richly satisfying without being heavy. In a way it is a kind of soup version of the classic French dish called Carottes Vichy, which are carrots cooked in a small amount of buttered, slightly sweetened … Continue reading Carrot Sweet Potato Soup
These past couple of weeks, Denis’ mother and cousin came to visit from France. I’ve always enjoyed cooking with my mother-in-law, and this trip was no exception. We have significantly influenced each other in the kitchen, she teaching me traditional French wisdom like how to make homemade liqueur the old-fashioned rural way or how to … Continue reading La Pâtisserie de Tom
This past New Years, my husband made a Bûche de Noel (Christmas log) that we hoped would be reminiscent of the kind of desserts one buys in a fine French pastry shop. One of the hallmarks of French desserts and candies is the use of hazelnut, and the recipe he found offered a variety of … Continue reading Holy Hazelnuts
Today, I would like to introduce you to a food that I tried for the first time in a little bistro in Paris. It took me by surprise because it’s a simple food but with a very unique texture. It’s called Aligot and it’s basically mashed potatoes with cheese. But the unique thing about aligot … Continue reading Aligot d’Aubrac
As promised, I am returning to the topic of baby food products in French grocery stores, which I skipped in my grocery tour. As I browsed the baby food section in the store near my in-laws’ house, I found a few interesting things. One is the presence of an intermediary formula for ages 1-3 called … Continue reading French cuisine, baby style
The Children's Table 