One of my favorite sandwich combos is creamy brie or camembert with sliced apples or pears. There a couple of places around town that serve these – toasted or pressed or cold, on brioche, ciabatta or baguette. I can’t resist ordering when I see it on the menu, but of course I also make them for myself occasionally. When I was planning out soup month on The Spoon, I was at first … [Read more...] about Camembert and Apple Soup
French
Fromage Fort or Lou Cachat
I have always been an avid entertainer. I made a living out of planning parties for awhile. And I have frequently used this clever French trick to transform the bits left over from the cheese plate. Fromage Fort or Lou Cachat are two versions of this bit of culinary trickery which blend all those leftover pieces with a little alcohol to create an utterly new dish. I’ve seen … [Read more...] about Fromage Fort or Lou Cachat
Gruyere Soup with Onion Jam
I marked a recipe for Gruyere Soup in an old community cookbook years ago. It was very plain, nothing fancy, but I marked it thinking that I could doctor up the recipe with vegetables or herbs or wine or any manner of ideas. But when I came around to making the soup, to test out my theories, I suddenly had the idea that instead of complicating the soup, I could turn it into a … [Read more...] about Gruyere Soup with Onion Jam
French Lentil Salad with Walnuts and Goat Cheese
When the weather turns chilly, it may seem that the time for cold salads has past. But this lovely, homey lentil salad is perfect for fall. The ingredients for this could not be humbler, but somehow the whole comes off as sophisticated. This is the kind of dish I imagine a French home cook would whip up if you just dropped by unexpectedly. This salad is great beside a … [Read more...] about French Lentil Salad with Walnuts and Goat Cheese
Blanquette de Veau (Creamy Veal Stew)
Blanquette de veau is a delicious, classic French dish with a real difference. I’ll admit though, I’d never really considered tackling it, because, at first look, it seems a bit complicated. But I recently hosted a book club at my house to discuss the book Five Quarters of the Orange by Joanne Harris, a rich, evocative story laced with memories of classic French food. So of … [Read more...] about Blanquette de Veau (Creamy Veal Stew)
