ffwd – french lentils – a basic recipe

French lentils have to be one of the handful of my very favorite recipes in Around My French Table. And one from which I learned the most. I had never been a fan of lentils. I like beans of most varieties, and love split pea soup - but lentils? Then the revelation of these wonderful small … Continue reading ffwd – french lentils – a basic recipe

ffwd – chanterelles with napa and nuts

The photo of the chanterelle mushrooms is one of the enticing things about this recipe. They are indeed beautiful. I was even able to find some. Of course, they are wildly expensive, so I decided to make this more of a mixed wild mushroom dish. I opted to use some fresh shitakes and a few … Continue reading ffwd – chanterelles with napa and nuts

CCC – Cottage Cooking Club – August Recipes

This month's recipes at the Cottage Cooking Club were perfect for summer. Plenty of tomatoes, and other summer produce. I stopped by my favorite farm stand, knowing that I had some interesting, great sounding recipes to make.We have great corn here, which wasn't really on this particular menu, but also a couple of kinds of … Continue reading CCC – Cottage Cooking Club – August Recipes

ffwd – couscous salad

This week's French Friday challenge is another grain-based salad. I only have one rice salad that I make consistently, so these are always a bit different for me. This one is generously flavored with spices in the stock for the couscous. Cumin, tumeric, ginger and cinnamon are the warm spices used here, along with the … Continue reading ffwd – couscous salad

ffwd – gâteau basque

Home made strawberry jam, wrapped in a crunchy, buttery cookie-like cake. An oh so elegant version of a simple jam cake. That said, this was really quite easy, split into 2 steps, with a chill in between, But it made for a dramatic presentation. The dough was simple: butter; brown and white sugars; vanilla and … Continue reading ffwd – gâteau basque

CCC – Cottage Cooking Club, July Edition

This month in the Cottage Cooking Club, we had another wonderful selection of recipes to make and enjoy, all out of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's lovely cookbook - River Cottage VEG. I committed to three, but then, well, I still had other meals to cook, so I ended up making a few more... I wanted to be … Continue reading CCC – Cottage Cooking Club, July Edition

ffwd – provençal vegetable soup

As one of our French Fridays recipes for the month of July, the conversation around this has been as much about the weather as anything else. Since I'd already been behind on recipes this month, I felt bad for not completing this one, so I went out and picked up the remaining ingredients I'd need. On … Continue reading ffwd – provençal vegetable soup

ffwd – coddled eggs with foie gras

Let me just start by apologizing to the extremely talented Doristas who chose our recipes this month. So far I'm 0 for 3 in on-time posts, and only 1 for 3 altogether - I might end up batting .250 if things hold up (and I'm allowed to count my late post). Not too bad for … Continue reading ffwd – coddled eggs with foie gras

CCC – It’s June! tomatoes, potatoes, eggs and herbs

I thought that with my busy June schedule, I'd pick recipes that were related somehow. With a common thread connecting them. I do that all the time with dinner parties and celebratory feasts - if there's something that provides a degree or two of separation to other items on the menu, then you can be … Continue reading CCC – It’s June! tomatoes, potatoes, eggs and herbs

ffwd – guacamole!

This version of guacamole is a crunchy, veggie-filled mixture. There are so many ways to make guacamole, that it's fun to try something different. I've always loved avocados (plainly sliced with a nice sprinkling of salt - yum), and guacamole, for me, is not an exception. I'm always surprised to find people who don't like … Continue reading ffwd – guacamole!