Girls' Guide to Paris

Tomato and Onion Tart

7/16/2010 10:01:00 AM

Here is a savory tart that will take you to the South of France. The base is a mass of caramelized onions, cooked slowly with thyme and bay. Thinly sliced tomatoes, a young goat cheese and plenty of fresh herbs complete the package. >> Read more

Duck Confit, Potato and Green Bean Salad

6/18/2010 11:33:00 AM

By Barbra Austin

This is a summer dish that features something I typically associate with cold-weather cooking: duck confit. In France duck confit is widely available preprepared. Sometimes it is in jars, and sometimes the legs are individually vacuum packed. In the States you can find it in specialty shops or online from D'Artagnan.

The duck is already fully cooked. You have only to warm it gently to render the fat, then turn up the heat a bit to crispen the skin. Some of the fat is used to cook the potatoes to a nice golden brown. Green beans, a vinaigrette laden with herbs and mustard, and frisée complete the salad. Serve with bread, a hunk of blue cheese and red wine for a great warm-weather meal. >> Read more

Creamy Asparagus and Leek Soup

5/18/2010 11:52:00 AM

By Barbra Austin

Here is a pretty, pale green spring soup, easy to make for a casual meal but elegant enough to serve to guests. Recipes for pureed vegetable soups are among the most forgiving. Because the ingredients need to be soft, there is little risk of overcooking. Most recipes follow the same basic method: onions or other aromatics (in this case, leeks) are cooked, the main vegetable is added, then all the ingredients are covered with liquid and simmered until the vegetable is tender enough to be blended. >> Read more

Chicken with Morels

4/17/2010 12:23:00 PM

By Barbra Austin

There is no surer sign that spring has arrived than the appearance of morels on Paris menus. Unless you are a wandering mycologist, fresh morels can be hard to find. This recipe uses dried morels, which plump up beautifully and absorb all the flavors of the pot.
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Cannelés

3/9/2010 8:50:00 AM

By Barbra Austin of Serve It Forth

Though irrefutably Bordelaise, the little cakes known as cannelés have conflicting origin stories. One attributes their development to a group of nuns. A more sentimental spin credits resourceful Bordeaux residents, who scooped up flour spilled from sacks during unloading at the port and used it to make the cakes for impoverished children. >> Read more

Daube de Boeuf

1/25/2010 3:30:00 PM

By Barbra Austin of Serve It Forth

Though loyal to Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon, I felt like a change this winter. There is a recipe for beef stew in Alice Waters’s The Art of Simple Food, and I was surprised to see the addition of orange peel and cloves to the pot. >> Read more

Chocolate Cake

12/18/2009 11:57:00 AM

By Barbra Austin of Serve It Forth

Standing in line at the Raspail market on a recent Sunday, I overheard a woman telling her young granddaughter about the meal they were going to have later.
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