A bit earlier this month, my good friend Jackie posted a recipe for a watermelon and feta salad.

I was at my desk when I read her post, working through lunch, and all I wanted at that moment was to jump through the screen and eat that salad. I came home that day and flipped through my copy of the Frenchie cookbook, and lo and behold: a watermelon salad.

Continue Reading

Posted in: appetizers, cooking, salads | Tags: feta, food, frenchie, fruit salad, greg marchand, gregory marchand, melon, mint, paris, paris at home, paris restaurant recipe, pine nuts, recipe, salad, travel, watermelon | 2 COMMENTS

Tomato season! Tomato season! Hurrahhhhhhh!

One of my colleagues grew these adorable and flavorful cherry tomatoes in his backyard. One day when he brought a tupperware full of them to work, I couldn’t resist eating a few every time I stopped by the kitchen, and he mentioned that soon he would have more tomatoes than he and his family could possibly eat.

So, I made him a deal: bring me tomatoes, and I will make something with them for the office.

Flaky pie dough is rolled out into a big circle and filled simply with sweet, fresh tomatoes and just enough goat cheese and basil to make it interesting. The edges are folded up rustically, brushed with cream, and the whole thing bubbles in the oven, just until the tomatoes soften and pop and the crust gets all golden at the edges.

Is it weird that I accidentally woke up at 6am and decided to make a tomato tart? Maybe. Was I still pretty jetlagged? Certainly. Did bringing this in to work make me way more popular that day? You betcha.

Continue Reading

Posted in: appetizers | Tags: basil, cherry tomato galette, cherry tomato recipe, cherry tomato tart, galette, pâte brisée, pie dough, savory tart, tart, tomato recipe, tomato tart, tomatoes | 11 COMMENTS

It’s story time with Miss Diane! Gather ’round kids.

Once there was a little girl who was a very picky eater. She didn’t like spicy foods, she didn’t like foods that were “too green,” and was generally scared of foods she’d never tried before. Eventually, the little girl grew up to be a college student who, while still being a picky eater, loved to eat.

One day, the girl had a realization. If I get over my pickiness, she thought, I can eat more food! Maybe I don’t actually hate the things I don’t think I like… maybe I never gave them a proper chance.

And so she started with mushrooms. She took some plump, pretty mushrooms, and stuffed them with everything she liked: bacon, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic…

If I don’t like them stuffed with all these good things, she thought, then I probably actually hate them. She took a fat, juicy stuffed mushroom between her fingers and took a bite. She’s been loving mushrooms ever since.

Continue Reading

Posted in: appetizers, cooking, party food, sides, snacks | Tags: appetizer, bacon, bread crumbs, cooking, food, mushrooms, side, snack, spinach, story time, stuffed mushrooms, tomato | 3 COMMENTS

Hello from Nice! I’m spending a few weeks here on the French Riviera to get away from the gloom and doom of Paris. Sad part? Spending Thanksgiving alone. That does feel a bit wrong, even if I did go to that awesome Friendsgiving party last week.

This is a dish I made a couple weeks ago, but I think it would be great to bring to a Thanksgiving potluck or, as in my case, to have as an alternative to a huge turkey (because turkey for one isn’t really plausible, is it?). It’s vegetarian but substantial, with the meaty texture of the mushrooms mixing with the crunch of the nuts. And sage mixed with nuts always tastes vaguely like sausage to me, so I don’t really miss the meat.

If you want extra credit, make this with my recipe for homemade pie crust, but it works just as well with store-bought. Since it’s a rustic galette, there’s no pinching and shaping of dough, just a pretty, lazy folding up of the sides.

Yes, please.

Continue Reading

Posted in: appetizers, cooking, mains, sides | Tags: appetizer, crimini, food, fried sage, mushroom, mushroom galette, mushroom pie, pied de mouton, savory pie, side dish, thanksgiving, thanksgiving potluck, vegetarian, walnuts | 5 COMMENTS