Recipes – Page 3 – CYNTHIA D. BERTELSEN

Les Quatre Mendiants au Chocolat, A Candy Offshoot of Provence’s Thirteen Christmas Desserts

December 8, 2010

Gorgeous, huh? Yummy? You bet! And the best part is that, with a quick flick of a switch and your wrist, you too can make these beauties, part of the Thirteen Desserts of a Provençal Christmas. Mendiants au Chocolat Noir ou Blanc Makes about 75 – 100 candies, depending on size of circles 1 pound … More Les Quatre Mendiants au Chocolat, A Candy Offshoot of Provence’s Thirteen Christmas Desserts

Idylls of Cuisine, #89

November 21, 2010

[A photograph, and nothing more, for silent contemplation.]

The [Culinary] Heroes of France

November 10, 2010

They’re not in the Panthéon in Paris, where France entombs her heroes, but from all the adulation they receive, you’d think they would be. France not only treats its chefs like celebrities or royalty, but the country sometimes even views these men (usually they’re all men) like gods. Here’s a taunting image by photographer and … More The [Culinary] Heroes of France

Saffron: The Gold We Eat

July 29, 2010

Once used as money instead of gold in Don Quixote’s Spain, saffron costs upwards of $1000 US per pound. Indeed, the world’s costliest spice. Most likely you will not have ever seen saffron for sale in your local grocery’s spice department. Knowledgeable customers ask the store managers for it; they keep it behind the counter, … More Saffron: The Gold We Eat

From Mother Russia with Love: Meaty Mushrooms and Relentless Lent

March 25, 2010

One of her greatest pleasures in summer was the very Russian sport of hodit’ po gribi (looking for mushrooms). Fried in butter and thickened with sour cream her delicious finds appeared regularly on the dinner table. Not that the gustatory moment mattered much. Her main delight was in the quest. ~~ Vladimir Nabokov, Speak, Memory … More From Mother Russia with Love: Meaty Mushrooms and Relentless Lent

Idylls of Cuisine, #52

February 28, 2010

[A photograph, and nothing more, for silent contemplation.] *I usually don’t write anything for these “picture-only” posts, but I encourage readers to check out the “Shelf Life” Web site, because of the clever commentary on packaged foods and retro food-product ads. A column, “Shelf Life,” appears monthly in the National Toronto Post as well.

Of Carrots and Things

August 7, 2009

Never bolt your door with a boiled carrot. Irish Proverb A memory, augmented and tempered by time … and carrots. I close my eyes and scraps of the past flicker through my mind. The last carrot rasped against the finest “teeth” on the four-sided grater, orangy juice pooling slowly into a small puddle in the … More Of Carrots and Things

Diana Kennedy’s Menu for Charles, Prince of Wales

July 20, 2009

In 2002, Diana Kennedy, well-known author of Mexican cookbooks, served the following menu to the man who would be king, Charles, Prince of Wales:* Cocktails & Appetizers Tequila Apéritifs Fresh Tortillas Small Pumpkin Seeds Toasted and Ground with Roasted Habanero Chilies Guacamole Enhanced with Grapes and Pomegranate Seeds Meal Cream-of-Squash-Flower Soup Pork Loin Baked in … More Diana Kennedy’s Menu for Charles, Prince of Wales