Author name: Jim

Stuff

Swallows, summer, Place Saint-Pierre

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I never get tired of watching the swallows in the evening! This year they seem especially plentiful around the 14th century Église Saint-Pierre, where they make there nests under the church’s ancient tiled eaves. Seated at a terrace table with a glass of good wine, watching them circle is better than Paris people watching!

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I never get tired of watching the swallows in the evening! This year they seem especially plentiful around the 14th century Église Saint-Pierre, where they make there nests under the church’s ancient tiled eaves. Seated at a terrace table with a glass of good wine, watching them circle is better than Paris people watching!

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Desserts and Sweets | Recipes

Cherry Clafoutis

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In the yard next to ours, there is a huge old cherry tree that seems to be mostly untended.  Every year in late may, the starlings, black birds and magpies come to feast on the ripening cherries and our neighbor picks a few bags for himself and for friends from the low hanging branches that

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[portfolio_slideshow]

In the yard next to ours, there is a huge old cherry tree that seems to be mostly untended.  Every year in late may, the starlings, black birds and magpies come to feast on the ripening cherries and our neighbor picks a few bags for himself and for friends from the low hanging branches that

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Recommendations | Restaurants

Restaurant Pont Vell, Besalu, Spain

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Last spring, we had the chance to visit our friend James Miller at Mas Costa Besalu just outside the town of Besalu, in Spanish Catalonia. What an amazing experience! Besalu, it turns out, is a quiet little town of about 2500 people, which is a 45 minute walk from the Mas.  The town has retained

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[portfolio_slideshow]

Last spring, we had the chance to visit our friend James Miller at Mas Costa Besalu just outside the town of Besalu, in Spanish Catalonia. What an amazing experience! Besalu, it turns out, is a quiet little town of about 2500 people, which is a 45 minute walk from the Mas.  The town has retained

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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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[portfolio_slideshow]

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,

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[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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