So why call this recipe French meatballs? Honestly, I can’t really claim this recipe to be authentically French, nor did I ever have anything like this in France. In truth, the recipe actually draws on a very delicious ready made, just pop-in-the-oven, meal I once bought in a little shop in torvehallerne in Copenhagen, an upscale street food market in the middle of the city. Pricy and quite hipster, it is honestly a great place to visit if you get the chance to visit the capital of Denmark. I’m not sure the shop still exists and I forget the name of it, otherwise I would surely have given a referral.…
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Toast for fall
This October I find myself cooking a lot with zucchini, almost to the point where you’d think I grew them in my own garden. Maybe you’re growing them yourself and are trying to find good use for the overwhelming yield this sturdy little plant produces, or maybe, like me, you just brought home a whole bunch for the price of almost nothing. Either way, these zucchini toast with fresh herbs are a wonderful way to make the most of this very reasonably priced, yet very delicious vegetable. As the days are getting shorter (way too fast!), and there’s no way of ignoring that fall is here, I really like cooking…
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Cajun shrimp bread
We spent this March break doing a road trip through Louisiana and Texas, and had some pretty amazing encounters with real southern food classics. Even just writing about it makes me hungry! This Cajun shrimp bread was inspired by a Cajun crawfish bread we had one sunny afternoon in Louisiana. If you can get your hands on crawfish, I’d use that instead of shrimp, but alas, we don’t all live down south, and shrimp will also do nicely. The Louisiana kitchen is world famous for its spicy and flavorful Cajun and Creole tastes. In my mind, this recipe represents quintessential Louisiana food culture: great shellfish combined with hot Cajun spice,…
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The ultimate winter soup
In my book no soup beats a well-made classic French onion soup as the ultimate comforter on a cold winter’s day. It’s packed with taste, easy to make, not expensive and healthy too. The first time I had onion soup, though, I have to say I was a little suspicious. And it’s true that with its muddy brown color this dish will probably never win any beauty contests. But its understated appearance completely fooled me, and I was taken aback by this rich and flavorful soup. Though I try a lot of new dishes all the time, I very rarely get a really powerful tasting experience that immediately wins me…
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Creamy chicken tarragon
Béarnaise sauce is one of my family’s absolute favorite sauces, and if I was prepared to make it every day, I’ve no doubt they’d eat it. Though the sauce for this creamy chicken tarragon is not butter, egg yolk and vinegar based like real béarnaise, it does have a very similar taste. But with this recipe you don’t have to frantically whisk the sauce right up to the moment before serving. In fact, you can easily keep this creamy chicken tarragon in the fridge or the freezer without the sauce splitting. Instead of including vinegar this sauce gets its acidity from mustard and white wine. The balance of the sour,…