FOODIE

  Marshmallows are one of my favorite candies. Actually, I should backtrack a little and say that marshmallows are at the very top of my list of all-time favorite foods. I adore their fluffy softness and tender sweetness with vanilla undertones. You're right if it sounds like I'm getting a little Proustian for them. I recently made several batches for some projects, which not only rekindled my love of them, but when I brought them to a few parties, everyone was amazed at how good they were and couldn't stop raving about them. Of course, all compliments are appreciated. I'll take them whenever they come my way. But making marshmallows isn't difficult, and anyone with a few extra egg whites and a sturdy mixer can make world-class marshmallows right at home. They're extremely simple to make; if you can whip egg whites, you can make marshmallows. It's also a lot of fun. After whipping the stabilized meringue, you can swirl and spread it on a baking sheet and cut...

Salade de carottes râpées, or grated carrot salad, would be near the top of my list of the top five National Dishes of France. It's all over. It's on many café and bistro menus, charcuteries sell it by the kilo, and supermarkets sell it in rectangular containers, ready to go, which office workers and others enjoy for a quick lunch. My French partner, Romain, makes an excellent version of this salad. It is not difficult to prepare. All you need is a bunch of fresh carrots, some dressing ingredients, and a little time to grate the carrots. I resist the temptation to add other ingredients to this French classic, though if you have some beets, grate them in raw (or use all beets to make this salad), but as a Californian, I'll admit to occasionally tossing in cubes of avocado at the last minute. But, as a Frenchman, Romain prefers to keep things simple. And, as a recipe writer, I appreciate the fact that French cooks and recipes in France frequently call for ambiguous quantities...

Tartiflette is a French dish I've never made. It's one of those things you eat after a day of skiing down alps, which I did once with a family of expert skiers, only to realize too late that my intermediate-level skiing couldn't compete with my friends, who pointed their skis straight down the top of the alps and took off. I tried my hardest to keep up, but despite the breathtaking scenery, I realized my skills were better in the kitchen than on the slopes, especially when compared to a French family of élite-level skiers. If you go to street fairs, markets, or village festivals in France, you'll find it made in huge vats and sold in barquettes (containers) for people to take home and reheat, or to enjoy at communal wooden tables with glasses of crisp Savoie white wine. Tartiflette, on the other hand, is simple to prepare at home. And when I saw a recipe in Chez Lesley, my friend Lesley Chesterman's fantastic new cookbook, I decided it was time to make it. Lesley wo...

During the summer, you'll find me on my hands and knees at outdoor flea markets and brocantes, searching through boxes jam-packed with stuff, because you never know what you'll find. I'm especially interested in finding vintage French baking items, though I've learned that all those pretty little tin tart molds are better left to clutter someone else's kitchen drawers. I have to leave those kinds of treasures behind because I can't use them for sharing recipes because I'm guessing not many of you have a set of 8 to 10 French mini barquette molds. While I've had to restrain myself from purchasing mini tart pans and savarin rings, ceramic kugelhof molds (the first time I found one, I was overjoyed, but later trips to flea markets revealed that they're pretty common...and cheap), various small, brightly-colored kitchen appliances from the 1950s and small cordial glasses, I realized that once you have a set, Despite the fact that it has never stopped me ...

In the winter, we frequently look to the tropics for our fruit fix. Bananas are the most popular fruit in America, and they're popular all over the world. I'm content with oranges, grapefruits, and chocolate  but every now and then it's nice to mix things up, and I'll grab a pineapple, some kiwifruits, a few avocados, or a bunch of bananas when I go grocery shopping. While I was waiting for my yellow bananas to ripen, I came across these red bananas at the market a few days later. I adore red bananas, which have a stronger flavor than yellow bananas but are difficult to find in France and elsewhere. So I grabbed the bunch as soon as I saw it, and placed them in my fruit bowl to see who would ripen first. XEM THÊM :  Dàn đề 6 số | Hướng dẫn cách lập dàn đề 6 số chuẩn nhất Speaking of differences, I have a low-fat Banana Chocolate Chip Upside Down Cake on the site, but I wanted to do a skillet version. I also wanted to experiment with cereal grains, a whole grain flour t...