Green Beans, White Peaches, and Almonds
Makes 6 servings Credit for this dish goes to Chef Alain Passard of the restaurant Arpège, in Paris, where I tasted it some years ago. What I loved most about it were the immature green almonds sprinkled on top. They are the perfect, tender-crisp foil for the juicy white peaches and succulent green beans, an […]
Brazil Nut Pesto with Pasta
Makes ¾ cup (185 ml) The crisp crunch of Brazil nuts yields an unexpected pesto. A delicate anise flavor from the basil makes it familiar, yet the herbal zest of flat leaf parsley adds a new dimension. This pesto can be used like any other—on pasta, under the skin of chicken destined for roasting, as […]
Eggplant with Saffron Walnuts
Makes 6 servings Walnuts, eggplant, saffron, and fresh herbs are combined in this rustic dish. Make it at the height of summer when eggplant is plentiful. Serve it warm or at room temperature as a first course, alongside grilled fish or meat as a side dish, or as the main course of a vegetarian meal. […]
Green Mango or Papaya Salad—SomTam
Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer I had not been in Chiang Mai, Thailand, for more than ten minutes before Iwas speeding down side roads, over the Ping River, through harsh sunlight and down a dusty street where my friend and guide, Sunny Bovormat, screeched to a halt. With Andy Ricker, Thai food expert, […]
Walnut and Cheese Crackers
Makes about thirty-six 4½ × 2½-inch (11 × 6-cm) crackers These will remind you of Cheez-Its, those bright orange squares some of us loved as kids, though these are so, so much better! Here, walnuts provide a nutty flavor that is balanced by the cheese and butter. These are delicious as appetizers—try them with some […]
Dukkah
Makes 1½ cups (375 g) Dukkah was one of those words I kept hearing from my cooking students during the spring of 2007, when this savory mixture was just becoming popular in the United States. Everyone seemed to be sprinkling this savory, spicy, crunchy, nutty mixture atop everything. I’d forgotten about it until Iwent to […]
Savory Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Pine Nuts, and Pistachios
Makes 1 loaf; 10 to 12 appetizer servings A friend of mine, Marie Boivin, who is also part of a wine-tasting group that meets monthly at my home, brought this one evening, and it was the hit of the soirée. Savory and tart, tender and toothsome, it is such a very French appetizer. Appetizers like […]
Savory Squash and Cheese Bread
Makes 8 to 10 servings The texture of this savory gâteau de potimarron au Comté lies somewhere between that of a crustless quiche and the Savory Bread with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, Pine Nuts, and Pistachios that follows. It makes a wonderful accompaniment to a rich white wine, such as one from Château Turcaud, sliced into thick […]
Dried Apricot, Lemon, and Almond Bread
Makes 10 to 12 servings This wonderful sweet and savory bread, called a “cake” in France, was inspired by one I tasted at the salon de thé in the garden of the Musée de la Vie Romantique in Paris. Chef and owner Didier Bertrand gave me his recipe, and I tweaked it just slightly until […]
Muhammara—Heavenly Red Peppers and Walnuts
Makes a generous 2 cups (500 g) I ate this marvelous mixture—which is similar to a sunset-hued tapenade, only sweeter—in southeastern Turkey every chance I got, which was often. It is served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, always accompanied by the region’s pillowy bread. What I learned in Turkey was that any cook worth his […]