With the amount of food shopping I habitually engage into, you’d think I would know better than to go to the grocery store with my stomach rumbling so loud it could be heard over the loudspeakers’ cheesy music.

Having come in with the intention to buy just plain yogurts to start a batch of homemade ones, I managed to walk away with two other types of yogurts, my favorite Krisprolls (the “Special” flavor with sunflower seeds), two different gâteaux au fromage blanc (the French cheesecake, light and moussy), malt swirl crackers, chocolate covered biscuits, the crêpes and the little pains au lait Maxence likes for breakfast, and a loaf of raisin bread. Can you tell it’s carbs I crave when hungry?

Continue reading »

[Swiss Chard and Squash Seeds Tart]

Had you been in my kitchen last week, you would have heard a small squeal of joy. That would have been me, unloading the contents of my weekly Campanier basket of fruits and vegetables, and discovering a lush bunch of swiss chard.

The next day found me picking up a couple of ingredients from the grocery store, then getting on to make this Swiss Chard Tart. I have recently bought a bag of squash seeds and a bottle of squash seed oil that I seem to throw into everything I make these days, and it turned out to be an excellent mix of flavors. In passing, squash seed oil is apparently excellent for your prostate, should you be in possession of one.

This tart is second cousin to a swiss chard pie I had made back in October of last year, which included raisins and pinenuts. This time, I decided to purée the cooked chard mixture before putting it in the pie shell. I like it both ways in terms of texture, but this second method makes for a much nicer appearance.

Continue reading »

[Spiced Carrot Fries]

Winter is the blessed season of root vegetables. Since it is noticeably drawing to a close here – longer days, sunny and mild weather, daffodils all around -, now’s the time to make the most of the kind of carb comfort our winter friends have to offer, before we turn the page and say hello to nature’s spring collection.

Having a bunch of carrots to use up, I decided to go for my favored cooking method for root vegetables, oven-baking. I considered cutting them in slices, but in the end decided faux fries were the way to go.

The faithful readers among you will certainly notice that this recipe is but a variation of the root vegetable fries I talked about recently, with the additon of honey and carrot-friendly spices (cumin and ginger). Baking carrots really concentrates their sweet taste and underlines their depth of flavor. Carrot fries are pretty and fun to eat, and are also very easy to make, although they do take a little while to cook.

On an unrelated side note (I love these), I went to the Belle & Sebastian concert at the Grand Rex yesterday, and had the most wonderful time. I do wish they had sung Like Dylan In The Movies, but I guess Get Me Away From Here I’m Dying more than made up for it…

Continue reading »

[Goat Cheese and Sprouted Seeds Tartine]

And today is the day of the Tartine Edition of the world famous Is My Blog Burning? distributed blogging event! Please meet the tartine I made as my contribution : a tartine with goat cheese, ham and cherry tomato jam, decorated with sprouted seeds and served on a bed of watercress.

As with most tartines, it is easy (it’s mostly just assembling ready-made ingredients) and fun to make : I love the sort of artistic attention and care involved, when you line up the tartines and try to reproduce the same harmonious arrangement on each of them, and then when you plate them, correcting the shape of the watercress bed to ensure that it frames the tartine in a flattering way, tilting your head to the right to get a sense of the general picture. It also turned out really tasty : what more could one ask of a tartine, I ask?

This would make a really nice opener, if each guest gets one small tartine, or it could be served as a light main course, in which case two tartines each is good.

It happens to use several ingredients featured here in the past : the wonderluscious olive bread I buy at a nearby boulangerie, the cherry tomato jam I made at the height of last summer, and mixed sprouted seeds, proudly home-grown.

I am maintaining a rapidly growing record of all the participants’ contributions, check back tomorrow for the complete list!

Continue reading »