Food Minia

Lemon verbena infusion is one of these tried and true "grandmother's remedies" that are really enjoyable. Drink a cup after a heavy meal and you won't suffer indigestion. Not only is this drink good for your gut, it freshens the mouth and gives you the perfect excuse for a relaxing break during your day. Time will stop for a few minutes while you sip your hot " verveine ." People in France love herbal teas. Actually, when I am in France, I am offered an herbal tea after every single meal—lunch and dinner, heavy or not. Stores in France offer an incredible selection of tea bags filled with all kinds of tasty herb and flower mixes, but many families still grow (or pick) and dry their own medicinal herbs. Some very common examples are lime blossom (linden tree flower— le tilleul ), chamomille, thyme, mint, and of course lemon verbena . All can be brewed and turned into delectable beverages and have specific benefits. Chamomille and linden are great bedtime rela...

I brought dessert to a party a couple weeks ago and everyone asked for the recipe, so here it is. :-) For a 10" tart (plus some left-over pastry): 1 egg 1/2 tsp salt 125g sugar 250g flour 125g butter 2 or 3 ripe pears (d'Anjou or Bartlett) ground cinnamon almond powder or thin almond slivers (optional) Prepare the  pâte sablée  pastry as follows: Beat the egg, salt, and sugar in a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, until they become foamy and turn to a pale yellow. (Note: why use a stand mixer when you can have a free workout?) Sift all the flour at once over the egg and sugar mix. Start mixing slowly with the wooden spoon, then use your fingers to mix all the ingredients. Rub small amounts of dough between your fingers or hands to turn the mix into a grainy "sand." ( Pâte sablée  means "sanded dough.") Cut the butter into small parcels. If the butter is very cold, heat up in the microwave for a few seconds. Add to the mix and knead the dough with your hands...

A few souvenirs from my recent trip to Lyon... Christmas lunch at my parents' Shrimp, avocado, and grapefruit salad Stuffed duck with truffles, sautéed potatoes, and mushrooms Tome de Savoie , Beaufort , Charolais , Fourme d'Ambert , Saint-Félicien , and other delicious cheeses Fruits déguisés ("costumed fruits"—dried dates, prunes, figs, and walnuts, stuffed with almond paste) Dinner at my aunt's and uncle's Raw oysters from the Atlantic ocean Another lunch at my parents' Beef roast just about to go in the oven Sautéed zucchini and tomatoes Baked apples sprinkled with cinnamon, butter and a little bit of sugar (I believe they were Golden Russets— Reinettes grises du Canada ) Lunch at my parents-in-law's Quail eggs Saucisson de Lyon (regional cooked sausage. This one came from Pierre's grandmother's butcher.) Pierre's aunt Suzanne's famous Christmas cookies

Eggs à la coque are so simply delicious! Click here for the recipe.

I don't know if this is due to my lyonnaise origins (Lyon is renown for its fine  charcuterie , or deli meats), but if you ask me what my favorite food is, there is a good chance I'll answer pâté (pronounced pah-TAY). It's hard to explain, but just thinking of it makes me salivate. There are all kinds of pâtés. Some can be spread on bread, others are sliced and eaten with a fork and knife, like this one. Some are baked in a crust (my favorite). Others are baked in a terra cotta or ceramic dish, called a terrine . Although originally a country dish, they can be very refined—some contain truffles, foie gras , or other fancy ingredients. There's one for every taste (and in my case, I love them all!). If you ever go to France, stop in a charcuterie-traiteur (deli shop) and try a few. Each region has its own specialties.  Since I am far from France, I make my own pâté from time to time. I tried various recipes over the years, but the one I'm about to give is my favori...

The other day we made a delicious kale and walnut pesto based on this recipe by Shutterbean . We ate about half of it with fresh pasta (yum!), and used the other half for this tomato tart. I used my beloved quiche crust recipe , but used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose, and replaced the cream with water. Actually, I had made the dough in advance (I double or triple the proportions then divide the dough into small balls and freeze them), so I just had to unfreeze a ball of dough (20 seconds in the microwave), roll it out on parchment paper and voilà. I poked a few holes in the crust with a fork to let air go through and prevent the crust from bubbling up while baking, spread the kale pesto evenly, then laid thin tomato slices in concentric circles, starting from the edge of the dish. I sprinkled with a little salt and pepper, then baked at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 30 minutes.

I think I had my first pork ribs on the banks of the Danube in Vienna some 15 years ago. I was touring Austria with my parents and my sister, in one of the very rare organized trips we ever took. We had hotel reservations for two weeks all around the country, but our days were unplanned and we visited whatever interested us on our own. No guided tours. But as we crossed the same travelers every evening at the hotel, and sometimes randomly during the day if we happened to be visiting the same attractions, we started building bonds. That evening in Vienna was one of our last before the end of the trip, and we decided to all have dinner together. The 12-or-so of us sat at a long and narrow rectangular table, the kind you see in movies where an idealized Italian family has lunch al fresco on the patio of a beautiful country house in Tuscany. Except that the table was on a river bank, a few yards from water on the majestic Danube. Not bad either. It was a really festive and joyful, warm sum...