all the recipes

sweetened chestnut cream : chunky, coarse or smooth
sweetened chestnut cream : chunky, coarse or smooth

It’s as easy as 1-2-3, or to be more precise 3-2-1. It’s all MATH, 3 PARTS prepared (boiled & peeled) CHESTNUTS (from a jar or a can) + 2 PARTS SUGAR + 1 PART WATER or 1 PART CHESTNUTS + 1 PART CHESTNUT SYRUP (instead of the sugar & water) … I’ve decided to take it easier this year by using canned or jarred...

24.11.2018
chunky vegetable & feta quiche with the incredible 2-ingredient breadcrumb & mayonnaise crust
chunky vegetable & feta quiche with the incredible 2-ingredient breadcrumb & mayonnaise crust

It’s super CHUNKY as you can see, from the filling to this incredible & thick 2-ingredient breadcrumb crust. It’s also adaptable & modifiable, but less painful than dealing with DST or Daylight Savings Time. It’s all about adding & subtracting. The 2 crust ingredients are dried breadcrumbs and mayonnaise....

03.11.2018
sweet & spicy rustic pumpkin pie
sweet & spicy rustic pumpkin pie

A.K.A. the "SPY-PIE". . . but please let me explain ! I'm sure you're all familiar with the 1977 British fictional Bond movie called "THE SPY WHO LOVED ME", right ? But are you familiar with the 2009 French movie and non-fictional spy story called “FAREWELL” or "THE FAREWELL AFFAIR"...

14.10.2018
3 oven semi-dried vegetables & their 3 spreads : green peppers & red tomatoes & white mushrooms
3 oven semi-dried vegetables & their 3 spreads : green peppers & red tomatoes & white mushrooms

It’s officially the END OF SUMMER & the BEGINNING OF AUTUMN. It’s the end of some things that you will miss and the beginning of other things to look forward to. It’s okay to miss things and to want them back. It’s okay to not have them and wait for their return. It’s okay to pursue new things and put...

22.09.2018
picnic focaccia with tomato-water dough & the 'freshest hand-crushed & no-cook heirloom tomato sauce' topping
picnic focaccia with tomato-water dough & the 'freshest hand-crushed & no-cook heirloom tomato sauce' topping

And finally PART 3 which wraps up the summer tomato mini-series. Yup, it’s about time ! This time, the “freshest hand-crushed & no-cook heirloom tomato sauce and/or spread” (see the last 2 posts here & here) is strained to its maximum to utterly become a chunky "spread” that is used as a topping for...

24.08.2018
spiced cookie-crusted & dried fruits & nuts-stuffed oven-baked apples
spiced cookie-crusted & dried fruits & nuts-stuffed oven-baked apples

It’s nevery easy trying to describe a new kind of autumnal THANKSGIVING celebratory recipe or any newer kind of thing, for that matter. The title could have actually been longer like “butter, sugar and apple juice poached apples, stuffed with dried fruits and nuts and then crusted (or coated) in crushed spiced cookies and then...

16.11.2018
extra-black olive & anchovy bread buns
extra-black olive & anchovy bread buns

MONSTER EGGS ?! No ! POISONOUS LAVA ROCKS ?! Nooooo ! BACK TO BLACK with STRANGER THINGS (I wish but I’ll explain) for a scary, slightly frightening & weird HALLOWEEN treat ! I’m disappointed that this series I love, called “STRANGER THINGS” which I thought was launching its 3rd season...

27.10.2018
macaroni & roquefort 'blue cheese' casserole
macaroni & roquefort 'blue cheese' casserole

I still remember the BOXES of MACARONI & CHEESE by KRAFT DINNER we had as kids growing up in Montreal ! You boiled the dry pasta in water then strained it, then you added the milk and butter and the packet of processed cheese powder, mixed and served. This was a treat for us. It’s actually considered a national dish and Canadians consume...

06.10.2018
wholewheat & kefir 'irish-mediterranean' soda bread & buns
wholewheat & kefir 'irish-mediterranean' soda bread & buns

It’s only MID-SEPTEMBER so STOP YOUR WHINING because you can still fire up that barbecue (that’s probably still out lying there in the yard or balcony) and pretend it’s still SUMMER … because it is technically ! Here’s an  easy, no-fuss, no-mess, delicious and tender IRISH that has become kind of MEDITERRANEAN...

15.09.2018
cold pasta salad starter with 'the freshest hand-crushed & no-cook heirloom tomato sauce'
cold pasta salad starter with 'the freshest hand-crushed & no-cook heirloom tomato sauce'

And here’s part 2 (of 3) of the summer tomato mini-series, called “REVENGE IS A DISH BEST SERVED COLD” (but does that refer to picnic food and cold starters too ?!) . . . One of my dearest, darling, overseas cousins that I spoke to last night had mentioned over the phone that the no-cook & hand-crushed heirloom...

19.08.2018
roast pork (or veal) in milk & sage with baby potatoes & pearl onions
roast pork (or veal) in milk & sage with baby potatoes & pearl onions

This weekend on SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11th 2018 is the 100th Anniversary (the Centenary or Centennial) of the ARMISTICE or End of the First World War. Sixty heads of State and 120 dignitaries will be in Paris for an international ceremony to commemorate the event, to celebrate the peace and the end of that war, even though other wars,...

09.11.2018
chocolate-coated cookie & peanut butter cup candy bites
chocolate-coated cookie & peanut butter cup candy bites

Need a new idea for HALLOWEEN ? Who doesn’t ? Here’s a home-made chilled treat for everyone, young and/or old or just not so young. This year it’s gonna be a  combination mini “reese’s peanut butter cup” and “ice-cream sandwich” all-in-one number because I’m all...

20.10.2018
‘figs in syrup’ preserves
‘figs in syrup’ preserves

LAST CHANCE to save those LAST FIGS ! You began by eating them whole and fresh in August, then a few weeks later you probably sliced them in half and added them to salads or to accompany sweet and savory preparations, then you went a step further and baked them in different preparations and maybe you made some jams too at the beginning of...

29.09.2018
greek yogurt & dark chocolate mousse
greek yogurt & dark chocolate mousse

THIS IS HOW YOU DO IT . . . because even though I do not claim to have imagined nor invented this yogurt-version of a traditional well-known dessert, it seemed like an “intervention” was necessary (even when on my vacation) because all the existing versions that were brought to my attention by my friends were wrong ! Why ? Because one...

08.09.2018
the freshest hand-crushed & no-cook heirloom tomato sauce and/or spread
the freshest hand-crushed & no-cook heirloom tomato sauce and/or spread

PART 1 (of a summer mini-series) of 3 episodes ! ... Here’s a story about how refreshing and surprisingly vibrant RAW & UNCOOKED (and yet still slightly prepared) FRESH & RIPE HEIRLOOM TOMATOES can be and how you can accentuate these same flavors and prepare them without cooking (I mean without applying heat) during a...

15.08.2018