Michelle

An “au revoir/auf wiedersehen” to apples

December 4, 2011 by Michelle

Steve has probably purchased his last batch of local apples for the year, and since he snacks on several per day (there are many, many doctors out there, after all) he’ll soon be buying what he calls “crapples” at the grocery. Michelle, however, has higher standards, and refuses to cook with the flown- and trucked-in Braeburns, Fujis or sappy-sweet HoneyCrisps that Steve brings home. While that means Tarte Tatin and apple clafoutis must wait until next fall, Michelle recently managed […]

Categories: Apples, Cooking, Food, France, Fruit Desserts, Nuts, Pies & Tarts, Recipes

Brassicas (broccoli + cauliflower) and the last bit of bitching about winter

November 30, 2011 by Michelle

A combination of Thanksgiving over-planning and continued concern over our vanishing seasonal vegetables recently deposited pounds of broccoli and golden cauliflower in our refrigerator. But thanks to Michelle (and of course, our voracious and demonstrably-upset-at-the-arrival-of-cold chickens), very little of our efflorescence of florets went to waste. One preparation was a last-minute substitute for a creamier broccoli salad, as we realized our Thanksgiving meal’s butterfat quotient was beginning to approach Brillat-Savarin cheese levels. This version mixed broccoli and golden cauliflower into […]

Categories: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cooking, Food, Recipes, Salad, Soups & Stews, Vegetarian

We just can’t quitaly: butternut squash & mushroom ravioli en brodo

November 13, 2011 by Michelle

Yeah, we wrote earlier about avoiding Italian. But Steve never meant for ravioli to be included in that resolution. He still looks for just about any excuse to make pasta, especially now he knows 00 flour is available locally in 5-kilo bags. And while we still have a pile of butternut and other winter squash on our counter, this batch actually came about as we prepared to greet our new upright freezer. (Hail, god of chilly overabundance! Thank you for […]

Categories: Cooking, Food, Italy, Mushrooms, Pasta, Recipes, Vegetarian, Winter squash

Chicken zucchini

September 22, 2011 by Michelle

Gourmandistan has temporarily relocated to Italy, and we have been a little remiss in making contributions to our blog while we lap up wine, antipasti and atmosphere. To ease your angst over our absence we’ve given our good friend (and Michelle’s college chum) Susan Thomsen a turn. Since 2005, Susan has written about children’s books at her delightful blog, Chicken Spaghetti, which she named after a favorite Southern casserole. (She’s originally from Jackson, Mississippi.) Once upon a time Susan worked […]

Categories: Food

Honey-Rosemary-Ginger Ice Cream with Peaches

August 21, 2011 by Michelle

While we enjoy rosemary and ginger, we really never considered using them together—and especially not in ice cream. But while pining for something dessert-ish, Michelle found this recipe in Patricia Wells’ The Paris Cookbook and decided to give it a go. She was a little dubious even as she steeped the ginger and rosemary custard, but started to be convinced by its savory aroma. The recipe comes from Alain Dutournier’s Carré des Feuillants, a wonderful restaurant we visited with Michelle’s […]

Categories: Cooking, Food, France, Fruit Desserts, Ice cream, Peaches/Nectarines, Recipes, Vegetarian

The trouble with tomatoes.

August 10, 2011 by Michelle

Slime. Goo, guck, glop. Or whatever you want to call the viscous heart of just about every raw tomato. That (and lots of little tough seeds) is why Gourmandistan can be very, very wary of its fresh “love apples,” much to the dismay of many of our friends who eat tomatoes out of hand in their gardens. We certainly think bacon, lettuce (or avocado) and tomato sandwiches are delicious, but (at least in our world) only require very thin slices […]

Categories: Cooking, Food, Pasta, Recipes, Tomatoes, Vegetarian

Knights in white pizza.

August 5, 2011 by Michelle

Cold hearted orb, that rules the night. Its passage has removed almost all tomato sauce from Gourmandistan’s sight. And before the arrival of San Marzano season we need every bit of sauce for an eggplant parmigiana we plan to have on the next family visit. But alas, a block of mozzarella was in danger of reaching the end—so we breathed deep the gathering gloom, and decided to use the cheese in a white pizza. Actually, white pizza sauce often rivals […]

Categories: Cooking, Food, Pizza, Recipes, Vegetarian

Elevating a half-hour quesadilla into a half-day salbute.

July 28, 2011 by Michelle

A can of beans, another of tomatoes and some canned or jarred chipotles in adobo, cooked with some onion and garlic and maybe some frozen corn. A pack of store-bought tortillas, a little queso fresco or mild feta cheese and some chopped cilantro. Mix, heat, season. Spread, sprinkle, cover with second tortilla, grill. One slightly tricky turn in the pan, and your dinner is served. Quick, simple, and for a long time quite the Gourmandistan staple. We’re still open to […]

Categories: Beans, Cooking, Food, Mexico, Recipes, Vegetarian

Creamed carrots, a cookbook, and the customs of Gourmandistan.

July 23, 2011 by Michelle

“I don’t think these are all that good” said Pavel, our Foxhollow CSA farmer, as he handed us a fat bunch of carrots at a recent market. We accepted the ill-omened roots as part of our share graciously, as the laws and customs of Gourmandistan forbid the flinging of substandard produce back into a farmer’s face. (Beware, visitor: unless you are a farmer, you have no absolute guarantee this custom will hold for you.) We like Pavel and his products, […]

Categories: Carrots, Cooking, Food, Nuts, Recipes, Vegetarian