ffwd – sausage-stuffed cornish hens

It was kind of fun to make a game hen again. I've probably made them once in the last couple of years, but probably not for quite a few years prior to that. When I saw them already thawed at Whole Foods though, it made this a lot more do-able. No defrosting! Then it becomes … Continue reading ffwd – sausage-stuffed cornish hens

ffwd – two tartines

Dorie's recipe recalls a favorite cafe of hers in Paris, La Croix Rouge. The recipe is for "tartines", or open-faced sandwiches - in this case two different combinations: rare roast beef and cornichons (the saint germain), and the other smoked salmon with capers (the norvegienne). Of course, on some beautiful bread. In Phoenix, we have … Continue reading ffwd – two tartines

ffwd – garbure from the supermarket

For our French Friday challenges, I really do try not to research what any other participants have found - I'm always hoping that I can make it, decide for myself... and then have my mind completely changed by all of the fabulous cooks in our group. I have to admit that I did see a few comments … Continue reading ffwd – garbure from the supermarket

Honey Rosemary Roasted Nuts

This recipe is for one of my favorite spiced nut treats. I've had many over the years, and have enjoyed them, but this is the one I like best. The original recipe suggests four types of nuts (2 c each) almonds, macadamias, cashews and walnuts. Over the years, I've substituted what I've had on hand, … Continue reading Honey Rosemary Roasted Nuts

ffwd – butter and rum crepes

I might as well just start with... this was an epic fail. I made the batter ahead. I felt fairly confident that they would be nice. But I just couldn't get them to cook right. I haven't made crepes for a long time, and to be honest, probably my most consistent efforts have been using … Continue reading ffwd – butter and rum crepes

ffwd – helene’s all-white salad

This week's recipe is for an all-white salad, made with celery, apple, fresh mushrooms and napa cabbage. The dressing is a kind of mayonnaise made with Greek yogurt. Mostly it reminded me of a story in Emeril Lagasse's cookbook Everyday's a Party.** In it, for Ash Wednesday, he tells the story from a novel set in … Continue reading ffwd – helene’s all-white salad

ffwd – dilled gravlax with mustard sauce

I'm a little behind, but still wanted to complete this recipe. It ended up as a New Year's brunch offering, as well as a light dinner. I have resolved (we'll see how long this lasts) to only eat home made bread this year (which so far means that I've baked more bread, not eaten less...), … Continue reading ffwd – dilled gravlax with mustard sauce

ffwd – dressy pasta “risotto”

WOW! This was an unexpected surprise. Maybe it was the concept or the multiple "bonne idee"s that threw me. Once started, I had my reservations about the long cooking time. The two things that really stuck with me when I read the other ideas were: wine. and truffles. I thought that those items would definitely … Continue reading ffwd – dressy pasta “risotto”

ffwd – sugar-crusted french toast

French Toast. Real French Toast. I suppose. This is definitely a different version than I would typically find here in the states. But, then again, this is also presented as dessert. The real departure is the amount of sugar in the egg batter. Here we have eggs, an egg yolk (I only made 1/3 recipe), cream … Continue reading ffwd – sugar-crusted french toast

ffwd – salty-sweet potato far

I don't actually know what to say about this recipe. Pretty easy list of ingredients. This part looks pretty good. And then there's: Oh wait, where did that photo come from....? Oh yeah, that's Christmas dinner a few years ago. We're having those stuffed green chiles and cornbread dressing this Thanksgiving too. But I digress … Continue reading ffwd – salty-sweet potato far