David Lebovitz's Blog, page 130

Eggless Chervil Mayonnaise

You might have passed chervil by when shopping, thinking it was a wimpy version of parsley. The wispy, thin leaves don't look very tempting. And you might be tempted to overlook it, unaware of its powerful aroma that it lends to certain dishes. But if you've never had it, add a handful of chopped chervil to a salad. You'll wonder why you don't pick up a bunch more often.

Which was a position I was in last week, when for some reason, I saw nice bunches at the producteur stand my...

Chervil Mayonnaise

You might have passed chervil by when shopping, thinking it was a wimpy version of parsley. The wispy, thin leaves don't look very tempting. And you might be tempted to overlook it, unaware of its powerful aroma that it lends to certain dishes. But if you've never had it, add a handful of chopped chervil to a salad. You'll wonder why you don't pick up a bunch more often.

Which was a position I was in last week, when for some reason, I saw nice bunches at the producteur stand my...

Moro's Noodle Pudding

I've had all three cookbooks from Moro in London stacked up in my apartment for about a year, and haven't made anything from them. They're very personal cookbooks, the recipes and photos invoking a time and place, with the food arcing between Moorish cooking and the foods of North Africa, along with the Middle East, nodding toward sustainability. I keep picking them up, leafing through them and looking at the lush, yet unfussy photos of food, but never tried any of the recipes.

...

How to Make Clarified Butter

One uses clarified butter (sometimes called 'drawn' butter) in places where you'll be frying something either for an extended period or over high heat. And for those times when you want the flavor of butter, rather than oil, you'll want to use clarified butter, which, unlike oil, can stand being cooked longer and to a higher temperature. Clarifying butter removes the milk solids and moisture, which makes this possible.

Many Indian cooks use ghee, which is similar, except it's...

Berlin

A few things to know if you go to Berlin. Don't cross the street unless the crosswalk light is green (you'll likely get a scolding), hardly anywhere takes credit cards (cash works everywhere—and people are happy to give change), the coffee is great (so drink as much as you can, since you'll need it), and the city changes quickly, from being gray and bleak at one moment, changing into a sunny and inviting place just after you turn a corner.

Another thing to know is to remain on the...

Poached Prunes and Kumquats

Prunes are serious business in France and unlike Americans, it doesn't take any name-changing, to get the French to eat them. Prune fans, like me, are partial to those from Agen, in Gascony, which are mi-cuit; partially-dried. Their flavor is as beguiling and complex as a square of the finest chocolate.

Interestingly, the prunes cultivated in California are grafted from the same prunes grown in the southwest of France.

Continue reading "Poached...

Bleu de Termignon

One thing I've learned in France, is that if someone who's an expert tells you to eat something—you should eat it. (Except squid, of course.) When I lead tours, right before I place their hand on the bible, I make guests promise that if I tell them they have to try something, they will. It's not that I'm on commission, it's just I've sifted through a lot of stuff and it's not worth filling up on the bland when the extraordinary is within equidistant tasting distance.

When my...

Banana-Brown Sugar Ice Cream

My recent banana windfall gave me the chance to play around a bit with various banana ice cream combinations. Although I loved the taste of this one, frankly, I wasn't sure I should post the recipe.

Since bananas are such a natural partner for coconut, I reasoned, "Why use milk or cream when there's coconut milk? So I reached for a can of it. Continuing with that train I thought, I had a bag of jaggery, raw cane sugar that's used in Indian cuisine.

I'd bought the husky...

Roast Chicken with Caramelized Shallots

I'm always surprised when people say that they don't have time to cook. I mean, aside from reproducing, physiologically, we don't really exist on this earth for any other reason. (Unless someone knows something that they're not telling me.) Feeding ourselves is really our most basic human need.

Now if someone said, "I don't have time to clean up afterward", then I can totally relate. I spend at least 40% of my life standing in front of a sink, washing dishes. When people ask if they can ...

Banana and Chocolate Chip Upside Down Cake

I'm happy to be taking care of two things with this recipe. One is that about a week ago, I was late to the market, arriving near the end, when everyone was packing up to leave. Scanning quickly to see what I could procure in a short amount of time, I passed by a stand when one fellow had an enormous pile of organic bananas, and he was hollering, "Un euro, deux kilos!...Un euro—deux kilos!"

Since that's roughly a buck for a little over four pounds of fruit, I stopped right there, and...