French Foodie Baby

Strawberry rhubarb apple tart... & mindful eating

2013-05-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

The other day, as we were enjoying a family dinner, my husband spotted a recipe book on the table and started to look through it as we were eating. (It happened to be the amazing and ever so appetizing Small Plates & Sweet Treats by Cannelle et Vanille's creator, Aran Goyoaga). As we were eating, we started to get excited about the many recipes we were going to make off that book.

"You're really turning into a Frenchman. Talking about food while eating", my mother commented.

Indeed this is something French people love to do. Talk about food while eating food. Going on and on about it in fact!

I realized that unknowingly, the French are actually practicing mindful eating.

"Focus on the task at hand", our teachers, or mothers, or grandmothers said. I guess this was another way to ask us to be mindful. To be in the moment with whatever we were doing.

This has been something I've been very consciously practicing with Pablo. Trying to stay away from outside distractions while at the table whenever possible. So while I do occasionally indulge Pablo with a small toy if he's particularly tired and impatient at dinner time, I try as much as possible to keep our family engaged with our meal, with each other in conversation about our day, with the food we are eating (or will be eating), the cooking of it, the shape, flavor, color, texture of it. A lot of playfulness can arise with the "crunch crunch" of the butter lettuce, the fun of making a mini-kebab by prickling a piece of tomato with a piece of hearts of palm on the fork, or Pablo's new favorite game, calling every item on the dinner table "Monsieur" : Monsieur Patate, Monsieur Radis, Monsieur Pain (Mr Bread) etc. (Yes, barely bearable cuteness ensues.)

I remember reading about mindful eating in Karen Le Billon's book, French Kids Eat Everything, as one of her strategies to convert her picky eaters. It's not about hiding broccoli in some pasta or baked good, or trying to distract our children into eating well, or rushing through meals to get them over with. It's about showing them that eating is a pleasure.

And to find that out, you've got to pay attention while you eat.

Pay attention to how the food feels, how it tastes. Be mind and body (aren't our best, happiest or most fulfilling moments in life when we are engaged both mind and body?). I remember how she described making a game of eating a chocolate mousse as slowly as possible, as a family, and talking about the experience together. What a clever idea to get kids engaged in the wonderful, vastly underestimated, communal, cultural and pleasurable experience that is the family meal.

Beyond easy and quick recipes, convenience and logistics, beyond calories and "healthy eating", making cooking and eating about connection and pleasure, vs obligation and nutrition, is the core of this education of taste journey I've been documenting here. A journey that makes our life so much richer, each and every day.

Sharing today a seasonal variation to the French classic tarte aux pommes. It's the first year I am experimenting cooking with rhubarb and its lovely flavor. This is really two recipes in one: one for the compote, which can be made on its own. But should you have a couple of apples lying around, the tart is a delicious way to put them to good use. Basil goes surprisingly well with strawberry and rhubarb, and adding it to the spelt crust was a fun, and successful, experiment.

Strawberry rhubarb apple tart on basil spelt crust

Serves 6-8

Prep time: 45 mn
Cook time: 15 mn + 35 mn

Age for babies: The compote by itself is great for a baby from 5 months on, though be sure not to use honey for a baby under 12 months. Add just a sprinkle of sugar. What you don't use within a couple of days can be frozen for a couple of months (individual serving containers make it easier).
The tart can be given in small pieces (as long as no honey was used) from 8-10 months.

For the strawberry rhubarb compote

Yields about 2 cups.

2-3 stalks of rhubarb
1-2 cups of strawberries
2 tbsp of sugar (or honey)
1 tsp lemon juice

Peel the rhubarb by making a diagonal incision at the top and pulling off the stringy part. Repeat from both end, until all strings are gone (you will be taking off the pink part.)

Then cut the rhubarb in small pieces, place in a bowl with half the sugar (or honey), and let macerate at least 15 minutes. (The rhubarb with produce some juice in that time).

In the meantime, wash and cut the strawberries.

In a pan, place the rhubarb and its juice, strawberries, remaining sugar or honey and lemon juice. Cook over medium high heat for about 15-20 minutes, stirring often.

Mix in food processor or blender until very smooth. Pour through a fine mesh strainer, pressing with a spatula, for added smoothness.

For the basil spelt crust

1 cup (150g) spelt flour
5 tbsp (75g) butter, softened and cut up
4-5 large leaves of basil, minced
1.5 tbsp ice water
1 egg yolk
1 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt

In a bowl, mix the flour, minced basil, sugar and salt.

Pour the dry ingredients on a work surface. With your hands, work the soft butter into the flour mixture, by rubbing your hands together, until you get a sandy texture. Then place the flour/butter mixture in a circle with a whole in the middle. Place the egg yolk and water in the middle, and mix with your hands until you obtain a ball of dough.

Then fraise the dough: flatten the ball into a rectangle (of sorts), and with the heel of your hand, press the dough, little by little, onto the work surface. This is very simple (and therapeutic!), but a picture is worth a thousand words on this one, so you can get a visual here. Do it a couple of times.

Wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for 10 minutes.

To put it all together

2 apples
4-5 oz rhubarb strawberry compote
2-3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter + for mold

Preheat the oven at 375°F.

Butter a tart pan (preferably with removable bottom).

Roll dough onto a lightly floured surface so it's slightly bigger than your pan.
Press the dough into the pan, pressing the sides with your thumb.

Spoon and spread the compote over the dough.

Peel and core the apples, reserve the peel. Slice them thinly. Gently place the apple slices on top of the compote, in a circular motion around the pie pan (I can never do this perfectly by the way, there's always an odd piece of apple that doesn't fit!)

Sprinkle with a bit of sugar, and add a few bits of butter throughout.

Place in oven for about 30-35 minutes, until the apples are soft.

While it's in the oven, boil 1/2 cup of water with the apple peel and sugar for about 10/12 minutes.

When you bring the tart out of the oven, brush some of that syrup over the apples for a nice gloss.

Let cool and eat warm, or cold.

An herbed chickpea feta salad, and Pablo's weekly menu

2013-05-14T15:57:00.001-07:00

I had a lovely Mother's day spent mostly between the kitchen and the table. Even though I was exhausted by the end of the day, I wouldn't have it any other way. I was imagining what a Mother's Day with brunch at a restaurant would be like, for example. And that would be lovely, of course, but celebrations where I don't cook feel slightly off to me, as if something is missing. I realized that cooking and sharing a homemade meal with loved ones is truly my way to celebrate. When I first lived in the US, I was always puzzled at the fact that the expression "partying" was synonymous with drinking. Because to my French self, "partying" (faire la fête) had always been synonymous with a good meal. A "feast" of sorts. And a feast we did have.

Our meal was quite delicious (quite a few shots of it on Instagram if you want to check it out), in particular these beet tartlets which I highly recommend, and the chickpea, feta, cilantro salad I'm sharing here. I was looking for a Greek recipe for our menu and found this lovely salad in the beautiful family cookbook I got as a gift for my birthday, Falling Cloudberries, by Tessa Kiros. I love how it connects cooking, family and culture as inextricable.

And this salad... So flavorful and simple. I take a bite, close my eyes, and can see myself sitting at a terrace by the sea with my Greek sister and niece, feeling the warm, dry, salty air of Greece on my every pore.

Here's the recipe. And scroll down further for our week's menu... A lovely spring week to all.

Chickpea, feta & cilantro salad

Barely adapted from Falling Cloudberries by Tessa Kiros

Serves 6 as appetizer or side dish

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes

Age for babies: 10-12 months, the chickpeas make a nice finger food.

1 can of chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans)
1 cup of olive oil (Greek, if possible)
1 large red onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 2/3 cups of crumbled Feta (about 5-6 oz)
4 scallions (green part)
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1 small bunch of Italian parsley (depending on size, basically twice as much parsley as cilantro)
Juice of one lemon

Open the can of chickpeas, drain and rinse them well. Set aside in a bowl.

Chop the red onion and garlic cloves finely. Chop the scallions.

Wash the cilantro and parsley, pick the leaves off the stems. Process together in a food processor until finely chopped. (Or chop by hand).

Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the red onion gently, until cooked through and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a few more seconds, until you can smell the garlic. (Do not brown the garlic.) Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely.

Add the mashed feta, the chopped cilantro/parsley, scallions and lemon juice to the chickpeas, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the onion/garlic mixture (Make sure it is completely cooled, if it's still warm, the feta will melt). Then the remaining olive oil (a little over 3/4 cup left.).

Mix very well. You can make a few hours ahead of time or even the night before. You can let it marinade at room temperature and serve.

It keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days.

And sharing our week's menu :-)

Cheeses of the week: Following French tradition, I always offer a little bit of cheese at the end of every meal, between the main course and dessert. Rotation this week: Camembert, Gouda, Goat Brie.

Desserts: At lunch, I offer a fruit yogurt (or plain yogurt with fresh fruit), but at night, I prefer sticking to plain yogurt (regular homemade* whole milk, sheep’s milk, goat's milk and Greek yogurt for extra protein) to avoid too much sugar before bedtime.

If you would like a particular recipe on the menu, feel free to contact me! (I marked with a * the recipes that will be the topic of upcoming posts).

MONDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Spring pea salad
Main course: Leftover paella from Mother's Day lunch

Goûter (4pm snack) – Dark chocolate fondant*

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Artichoke leaves with vinaigrette
Main course: Pan-fried garlic shrimp & this braised fennel, potatoes & radishes in brown butter lemon sauce

TUESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Authentic Greek salad
Main course: Sardines, baby bok choy puree

Goûter - Apple-strawberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Endive & goat cheese salad with beet greens walnut vinaigrette
Main course: Herbed lamb meatballs in coconut milk over quinoa

WEDNESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Green beans, cauliflower, Italian parsley salad
Main course: Turkey filets & snap peas in mustard cream sauce*

Goûter – Strawberry rhubarb compote*

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Chards, blood orange, goat cheese salad from Vanilla Bean blog
Main course: Pan-fried Dover sole filets, spinach broccoli puree

THURSDAY

Lunch - Picnic at the park
Grated carrots French-style; hard-boiled eggs; mixed quinoa salad with cherry tomatoes, avocado, hearts of palm, beans, bell peppers, cucumber; bread & cheese; grapes.

Goûter - Pear-blueberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Pea, edamame, mint soup from Gourmande in the Kitchen
Main course: Oven roasted pork ribs, blue potatoes

FRIDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Warm leeks with vinaigrette
Main course: Mushroom prosciutto tartine

Goûter - Homemade rhubarb raspberry mint ice cream*

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Shredded Brussels Sprouts with walnuts & dates from Food Loves Writing
Main course: Duck filets with braised radishes

SATURDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Orange tomato gazpacho
Main course: Chicken liver salad with raspberry vinaigrette

Goûter - Apple

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Lentil shallot salad
Main course: Trying the braised fennel with saffron & tomato from Green Kitchen Stories

SUNDAY

Lunch/Brunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Zucchini mint terrine
Main course: Smoked salmon, avocado & radish garnish

Goûter - Kiwi

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Asparagus, arugula & avocado soup with crab*
Main course: Eggplant au gratin

A personal tale of two mothers, & a stuffed lemon appetizer

2013-05-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

As mother's day is upon us, I wanted to share a personal story, go down memory lane with you here.

Before I do, I would like to wish all moms out there a wonderful, joyful Mother's Day, where all that you do and all that you are is acknowledged and celebrated. Starting with my own mother, whose influence, support, love and help are still invaluable and precious today as they always were, and who is as giving and loving a grandmother to Pablo as she was a mother to me. Bonne fête des mères, maman.

From about the age of 4 until 22 (at which time I came to live in the United States), my mother and I celebrated Mother's Day the same way: I would cook a meal for her.

But not just any meal. A six course lunch with a cold and hot appetizer, a fish dish, a meat dish, cheese and dessert, including the most complicated recipes I could get my hands on, on which I worked for several days to plan and pull off.

I was raised alone by a single mom, who worked very hard, out of town most of the week, for most of my childhood. So the times we did have together were very precious, and my principal motivation throughout my childhood was to do whatever I could to make my mother happy.

Thinking back on this tradition we had for so many years, perhaps because of being a mother myself now, I have come to think of my young self almost as a different person. As the child that I was. With more understanding, and more empathy than before. Children do what they need to do to fulfill their needs, and they are incredibly resourceful in doing so. And as it turns out, this need to make my mother happy and proud, was in part how I learned how to cook. I have no formal training, I never took cooking classes, what I know about cooking comes from my mother cooking for and with me whenever she could, taking me to fine dining restaurants and giving me a love of gastronomy, and from those 18 meals I cooked for her on Mother's Day.

For a number of years, I had enlisted two other children, who also had a single mom, to embark on this adventure with me, and I am so thankful to them for putting up with me then, as it makes me laugh today how pushy and bossy I was! This was cooking bootcamp! I had sheets of planning, cooking durations, shopping lists, task lists, to-do lists etc. We would barely eat all day (we would not sit down to eat with the moms, but served them restaurant-style).

Very fortunately, the cookbook I used the most for those meals somehow followed me through the continents and years, and flipping through it now, what astounds me is the complexity of the recipes I chose, especially given the fact that we had no Cuisinarts or blenders or even hand mixers at the time. It was three kids, a tiny kitchen with basic equipment, and a very tall order.

I found post-its with definitions of things like a sieve, caramelizing and flambeing... The book was divided into recipes for family meals, casual get-togethers, healthy meals, "reception meals", with the level of complexity. I would of course exclusively pick recipes from "reception meals", preferably with 3 or 4 complexity marks. So what are some of things I made? Here's a sample, just for fun, because I am astounded today at how ambitious I was... Fish soup with lumpfish roe, stuffed leg of lamb en croute, Cornish game hens in a champagne sauce, pike quenelles... you get the idea.

The stuffed lemon recipe I am sharing here is the only recurring recipe I made for my mother as an apéritif to the Mother's Day lunch.

I recall one year in particular, I was on my own, probably about 7, when the recipe called for homemade fish broth. Per the instructions on the recipe, I had asked the fishmonger to give me fish bones to make the broth. But as fate would have it, the fish bones were way too big for the pan I had. And very hard. Being unsuccessful even after going at them with a hammer (!), in desperation, I had to ask my mother for help. (I can imagine her in the living room, being forbidden entry in the kitchen, wondering what I was doing in there with a hammer!)

Writing this, I suddenly fear the post might come though as bragging. Actually, this is a post of healing for me, a way of treating myself on Mother's Day; and one of gratitude for my mother.

First, it is an homage to the amazing trust and freedom my mother left me, to do this on my own for her, not trying to control, letting me learn, problem-solve... I remember she would give me really supportive, constructive criticism and praise. She would be honest about what dish she preferred and why. This benevolent trust and support ultimately taught me to be resilient (in the face of large fish bones and other life trials:-)), it gave me confidence. She let me do my thing, let me be myself, and this was such an enormous gift.

And then, I am suddenly overcome with emotion, as I think of myself trying so very hard. Because the other part of this post, is being able to tell the little girl that I was, the lonely, but resourceful little girl that I was: you did good. You are enough. You are worthy of love and connection. With or without the six course meal.

We learn from hardships and wounds. That's just evolution, I suppose. And children shouldn't feel their parents' happiness depends wholly on them. But even though much sadness and loss goes with that burden, it taught me a lot. It made me who I am today. It gave me the love of nurturing, an ability to be attuned to others' needs. It made me a better parent.

And it gave me cooking. It always gets back to that these days, it seems. Cooking was my resource, a quiet friend always standing by me, an old companion in my childhood quest to bring joy, to give myself, to be loved and valued.

In the past year, I have explored cooking in many new ways I had never seen before. I have loved sharing with you here the invaluable life lessons to be learned and taught in the kitchen and at the table. Yet still today, these many years later, an ocean away, cooking remains my dear old companion.

To bring joy. To give myself. To be loved and valued.

Interestingly, I've just read an article on the value of learning how to cook very young, and I am certainly very lucky and grateful that I did acquire a love of cooking at such a young age. And I'm thrilled to pass on this gift to Pablo, who is already excited about cooking (unsurprisingly, as so much of our daily life revolves around cooking!) He's already told me today he wants to make "Pacho!" again, i.e. Gazpacho. We made this one together a couple of weeks ago, and this is a perfect dish to make with a toddler. He washed the tomatoes, broke down the watermelon, poured the oil in the blender, watched it whirl. He had a blast.

I wanted to leave you with a recipe and a menu... This recipe for tuna-stuffed lemons is very easy, and a great recipe for a child to make. Remaking it for the first time in years for this post, I found myself filled with sense memories. Emptying the lemons, I remembered feeling the same sting on the picked skin around my fingers. Mashing the butter, tuna, lemon pulp together, I remembered the feeling of that texture.

It is a very simple, tasty refreshing appetizer, with a fun festive presentation.

As you probably have gathered, I will be cooking a Mother's Day lunch on Sunday, side by side with my mother and my son. Except this time, I will be sitting down to enjoy it too. Because cooking (and eating) makes me happy and brings me great joy. As does celebrating with the people I love.

As our family is a mix (among other things) of Spanish, Greek and French roots, I wanted to honor that in our menu, with some added fun little things too...

Mother's Day Lunch

These beet tartlets on spelt crust from Vanilla Bean Blog

Chickpea feta cilantro salad

Andalusian gazpacho

Seafood paella

Cheese (you know, being French and all...)

Chocolate soufflé, homemade raspberry rhubarb mint ice cream

~~~

Stuffed lemons

Serves 4 people

Prep time : 15 min
No cook time.

Age for babies: 10 months and up

4 lemons
1 can of wild albacore tuna, in water (drained) (Sardines are also an option)
3 tbsp butter, room temperature (or in microwave for 12 seconds)
1 dozen pitted green olives, chopped
1 pinch of piment d'Espelette (optional, or Cayenne pepper)
Salt & pepper
2 tbsp of minced chives
Microgreens for garnish

Cut off the lemons' hats, and cut a little bit of the lemon at the foot, so it can stand on its own.

With a spoon, empty the lemons out, placing the pulp and juice in a bowl. Make sure to keep the lemon shell intact. Use your hands to peel off the skins inside the lemon. Doesn't have to be perfect.

Pour the lemon contents through a fine strainer, reserving the lemon juice. Remove all the seeds, and thick skins, until you are left with just the lemon pulp.

With a fork, mash down the tuna, add the softened butter, then the lemon pulp. You can use your finger to mix it thoroughly. Add the chives, the olives, salt, pepper and piment d'Espelette. Taste, add a few drops of lemon juice if needed. (If not, keep the lemon juice for other use, vinaigrette for example.)

Spoon the mixture inside the lemons. Keep in the fridge until serving.

Serve on a plate or bowl with some microgreens for garnish, maybe a few extra olives or cherry tomatoes.

Radicchio à la mozzarella... & the open mind

2013-05-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

"Don't wait for it to happen. Don't even want it to happen. Just watch what does happen."

Who knew Sean Connery could give such sound parenting and life advice? This is actually a David Mamet line from the movie The Untouchables. And it struck me as being so immensely wise.

The epitome of open-mindedness really. Insightful for life. For parenting. For cooking.

For a long time, I thought there was no other alternative than either having high expectations (and often setting oneself up for disappointment), or low expectations (which seems so negative and cynical, and perhaps self-fulfilling). But I see now that both are very inorganic, constructs of the mind, defense mechanisms designed to protect ourselves. So what I've been working on is to exude trust and be completely open to what unfolds.

Take the steps that make sense, following what feels true and right to me, and just focus on the process, forgetting any results I may want, watching and taking in "what does happen". Because things will happen in time. Good things too. Or helpful things. Or useful things. Growth will happen. And that's what life is all about.

I think this might also be the secret to keeping a sense of awe and wonder. There's something so special about people who have kept that intact.

As always, the kitchen is a wonderful place to practice this. Open a recipe book you like (or pick a photo on Pinterest, or follow an idea you have, or revisit a family recipe). Pick a recipe that inspires you, that makes you salivate. Listen to what your palate is craving, and just follow through step by step, giving little thought to the result. And watch it evolve, a loaf swelling, a quiche setting, a soup becoming fragrant. And savor every bite with that open mind. It might need to be tweaked next time, it might not be perfect, but you made it, it is yours. Nothing can take that away. That experience, you can take it with you.

I know time is a-lacking, tiredness weighs in, and chaos can surround us. Let us go back to cooking, even if it's not always quick and easy. Not just for convenience, but to ground ourselves, nourish mind and body, to truly live. Every day.

Another parcel recipe we really enjoyed, hope you will too. Pablo has been getting a bit more involved in the kitchen recently. And parcel making is particularly engaging to him. He says we're making dinner cadeaux (gifts), he gets his own little surprise package to unwrap on his plate. It's such a joy to watch his wonder as he opens it up.

Radicchio à la mozzarella

Serves 4 parcels (this is a somewhat small portion for an entree, but with a good size vegetable first course, like a soup or salad, it leaves you room for a piece of cheese - or two - after :-))

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time : 10 minutes

Age for babies: 10-12 months, cut up.

12 leaves of radicchio (from 2 heads)
5 oz fresh mozzarella
2 tbsp grated Manchego (Parmesan, Pecorino would do nicely too)
1/2 slices of smoked salmon or lox (optional)
1 sprig of dill (Alt: fresh oregano)
8 leaves of basil
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt & fresh ground pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Preheat the oven at 400°F.

Cut the head of radicchio at its foot and peel off the larger leaves whole, being careful not to tear them. (To get bigger leaves, I peeled the outer leaves from 2 heads and kept the rest for a salad).

Rinse the leaves, and plunge them in the boiling water for 30 seconds (better to go 3-4 at a time so as not to overcook some). Then place them over a kitchen towel to drain and let cool a bit.

Slice the mozzarella, wash the herbs, cut the salmon in small pieces if using.

Cut four pieces of parchment paper. For each parcel, brush the center with a bit of olive oil. On top, place three leaves of radicchio on top of each other. Then add a couple of slices of mozzarella, a couple of slices of basil, and a couple of pieces of salmon (if using). Put a bit of dill on top (I just use kitchen scissors to cut the dill), add some freshly ground pepper, and a bit of grated Manchego.

Close up the parcels (not too tight). Place in a baking dish, and in the oven for 8 minutes. (Don't overcook it as the mozzarella is best just melted.)

Serve the parcels directly on each plate.

Coconut rosemary carrots, lamb chops... and a quiet day

2013-05-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

A strange afternoon. A few quiet hours. The house is silent, and yet loud by what it’s missing: the hustle-bustle of the playing toddler, playing and busying elsewhere. I am left with my thoughts. With myself.

Yesterday, I longed for it. Today, I’m not sure what to make of it. My mind swirls, unproductively. Doubt, insecurity, idleness, questioning. And planning, listing, comparing, anticipating. It’s quiet on the outside, but I feel unsettled on the inside. I can’t see my North. Like standing in the middle of a large deserted intersection, not knowing where to go. Feeling like I should. I should know.

That “should” is a bad word.

So I decide to sit in the middle of that intersection. Ground myself. And see what happens.

A strange afternoon. A few quiet hours. I wasn't sure what to make of it. So why not improvise an apple tart, thought I.

A botched attempt. Flavorful, but unsatisfactory. Crust too crumbly. Falling apart within my hands. Just not coming together. A lot like this day.

So I try it again tomorrow. What else can one do? Learn. Try again. That was my Thursday.

That, and a simple dinner, in the haven of the garden. Some spring carrots. And lamb. And rosemary too.

Rosemary carrots in coconut milk baked in a parcel & lamb chops

Serves 2-3

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 + 7-15 min for the meat

Age for babies: You could make this into a baby puree steaming together a bit of lamb with carrots, mixing to desired consistency with milk or coconut milk (which you steep the rosemary in before adding.) You can give from 8 months on. If you give the carrots alone, cook them as described below, they make an easy finger food, also from 8 months old on. (I used ground lamb for Pablo's baby purees mixed with vegetables starting at 6-7 months).

Note: I am a big fan of cooking in parcels as I've blogged about before. It's easy, it's very healthy, it keeps the nutrients and flavors in. No downside really.

1 bunch of new carrots
2 sprigs of rosemary
3/4 cup coconut milk
salt & pepper
2 cloves of garlic
Lamb chops (however many per person you would like. I recommend the thicker pieces with two chops, unless you like your meat well done, in that case, you could get a thinner piece.)
Olive oil

Peel the carrots, and cut them up.

Preheat the oven at 425°F

In a pan over medium heat, bring the coconut milk to a simmer for 2 minutes. Take the rosemary leaves off the stem, wash them, mince them (I cut them up with kitchen scissors) and put them in the coconut milk. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for a few minutes.

Place one sheet of unbleached parchment paper on a baking dish. Place the carrots in the center. Spoon the rosemary coconut milk over them.

Fold up the parchment paper over the carrots to make a parcel. You can use string, or I just fold and crumple up each side.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Open the parcel when ready to serve (it will keep hot if closed).

Meanwhile, brush the lamb chops with some olive oil (rosemary olive oil if you have some, or put some rosemary in the olive oil for a few minutes before brushing). Rub the chops with the garlic cloves.

Cook the lamb chops as you prefer. For convenience, we often just pan-fry them (we like them rare, so it usually takes about 7 minutes total over high heat, turning them on each side. About 11-12 minutes for medium rare).
Of course, you can also cook them in the broiler (turning them over half-way through), or on the grill.

A creamy mushroom tartine & an ode to eating outside (+ Pablo's menu too)

2013-04-28T12:38:00.001-07:00

The warmer weather is upon us in Southern California, and this has revived one of the fondest summer traditions of my childhood: being able to eat outside. Raised in Normandy with many, many days of grey and rain (admittedly accountable for the amazing grass and thus, very healthy cows producing amazing cream and cheeses), I grew up valuing and savoring every second of sunny and warmer days. Meals savored outside felt like a joyous celebration of the end of the dreary tunnel that winter in Northern France can be. It felt like a rebirth, like one could finally fill one's lungs with a deep breath of fresh air. To sit down, feeling the sun on my back, listening to the sounds of the world out there, and eat a simple crudités salad, dipping bread in its vinaigrette... what a way to commune and connect with loved ones, with oneself, to slow down, take time.

To take our time. The very opposite of losing or wasting time. For being in the moment is the best possible use of our time. Cooking, eating are golden opportunities for us, to reclaim time.

The other night, after a long day of cooking and preparations for Pablo's birthday picnic, a day of people in a small kitchen, ovens going and stifling heat in the house, I suddenly felt the walls around me. I peered out the window to the garden, and just the thought of eating in the quiet dusk outside made me feel relieved, calm, like a sigh, an exhale. When we eat indoors, our meals are lovely, we take our time, we bond, we laugh and savor together, but everyday life is still there, around us, lurking. The cleaning, organizing that has yet to be done. The objects around us remind us of the past, sad or happy. Photos of lost ones. Gifts from the estranged. Images of past voyages. (Though this is the burden of adulthood, as young children do not (and cannot) project in this way. They are wired to be fully in the moment. There's too much fascination in the present to bother about the rest. Yet.)

In contrast, when we eat outside, I glance at my herbs and strawberries in becoming, and I feel surrounded by the present and the future, by inner and outer growth and ripening. The descending light makes our other senses more attentive to the world around us: the smell of sundown, of the neighbors barbecuing; the song of the tireless mockingbird, of a firetruck in the distance, of an airplane going to a faraway land; the sensation of a passing evening breeze on the skin; the flavors on our plates.

I don't know much about what the future holds, but I do know we shall be savoring most of our meals outside for the next few months (and cooking them outside too whenever possible).

So should the weather show some clemency wherever you live, I wish you many meaningful, mindful, delightful meals outside, precious celebrations of the timeless here and now.

I have become a big fan of "tartines" in the past few months, simple open-faced sandwiches. They are as scrumptious as easy to make, and ever so versatile. It is such fun to experiment with the ingredients and different combinations. It allows us to think with our palate. They make a lovely lunch, along with a salad. Children and grown-ups can eat with their fingers. And indeed with this one tartine I'm sharing today, all our fingers were thoroughly licked. Hope you enjoy!

And scroll down for our upcoming week's menu... :-)

Mushroom comté prosciutto tartine

Adapted from Petit Larousse des Recettes aux Légumes du Potager by Valérie Lhomme

Makes 4 tartines

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Age for babies: 12 months and up, they will most likely eat the components of the tartine with their fingers, which is fine.

1 lb mushrooms

1 sprig of thyme

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp coconut oil

2 tbsp crème fraîche (or heavy cream)

3.5 oz grated comté cheese (or pecorino, manchego, gruyere, any flavorful hard cheese or your liking)

4 thick slice of good country bread

4 slices of prosciutto (San Daniele is very good and not too salty)

4 pinches of nutmeg

Salt & pepper

Clean the mushrooms, cut off the tip of the foot, and slice. Wash the thyme and remove the leaves from the stem.

In a pan over high heat, melt the butter and coconut oil, and toss in the mushrooms. Cook over high heat for about 5 minutes, then add the thyme leaves, a pinch of salt and pepper, and continue cooking over medium heat for another five minutes.

Drain the mushrooms. In a bowl, whisk the crème fraîche and add in the mushrooms, gently stir to combine and set aside.

Preheat the oven at 450°F

Toast the bread slices lightly. Place a slice of prosciutto on top of each slice. Add some creamy mushrooms, some grated cheese, a pinch of nutmeg, and place in the oven for 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Onto our and Pablo's menu this week...

Cheeses of the week: Following French tradition, I always offer a little bit of cheese at the end of every meal, between the main course and dessert. Rotation this week: Pont L'Eveque (a classic French cheese Trader Joe's just started to carry, give it a try!) Goat brie, Stilton.

MONDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Cooked cold zucchini with mint vinaigrette
Main course: Sardines, creamed spinach

Goûter (4pm snack) – Banana

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Butter lettuce hearts of palm + lots of herbs salad, radishes
Main course: Pan-fried skirt steak with celeriac puree

TUESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Authentic Greek salad
Main course: Ham, simple ratatouille

Goûter - Apple-strawberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Pan-fried baby artichokes
Main course: Pan-fried Dover sole fillets with coconut milk rice

WEDNESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Green bean blue potato parsley salad
Main course: Hard boiled egg, peas

Goûter – Strawberry rhubarb compote*

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: White asparagus in tarragon yogurt sauce
Main course: Pan-fried veal liver, chards with sesame dressing inspired from this recipe

THURSDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Grated carrots French-style
Main course: Smoked salmon, baby bok choy puree

Goûter - Pear-blueberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Pea, edamame, mint soup from Gourmande in the Kitchen
Main course: Braised ham & endive au gratin (quinoa bechamel)

FRIDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Avocado & cherry tomatoes
Main course: Shrimp & lime with quinoa

Goûter - Passion fruit

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Cauliflower, peas, chives salad
Main course: Roasted squabs with raisins & new potatoes

SATURDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Warm leeks with vinaigrette
Main course: Dutch oven chicken, pan-fried thyme eggplant

Goûter - Apple

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Quinoa, corn, bell pepper, garbanzo bean salad
Main course: Lamb chops, rosemary creamy carrots in a parcel

SUNDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Spring pea salad
Main course: Leftover cold chicken with mustard, broccoli florets

Goûter - Kiwi

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Leek & chive flan
Main course: Mozzarella stuffed radicchio leaves, baked in a parcel*

A birthday picnic menu, a lentil salad, & a short journey in the future

2013-04-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

This Moment, by Eaven Boland

A neighbourhood.
At dusk.
Things are getting ready
to happen
out of sight.
Stars and moths.
And rinds slanting around fruit.
But not yet.
One tree is black.
One window is yellow as butter.
A woman leans down to catch a child
who has run into her arms
this moment.
Stars rise.
Moths flutter.
Apples sweeten in the dark.

It is April 2055. I have just celebrated my 80th birthday. I am sitting on a bench at dusk, reading this poem. And like Alice in Wonderland, I plunge into the rabbit hole that is memory lane. I think of you, my son, love of my life, and that night 42 years ago, that night before we celebrated your 2nd birthday. It was the night before the storm, the whirlwind of party preparations, cooking and more cooking side by side with my mother, planning and organizing, listing and anticipating. The night before the cheers, the laughter, the hugs and songs, I remember a moment of calm, before the festivities, everyone asleep; I took in that moment, with all its thoughts, and tucked it away in a hidden treasure box, close to my heart. Tonight, I can open that box and treasure it once again. This moment of gratitude, of love, of acknowledgement of my life transformed for the better, of the many lessons already learned thanks to you, this moment of realization there really was so much to celebrate. Life is full of these treasure boxes. This one, I shall leave out, open, as it radiates the tranquil warmth that is the meaning of my life.

Menu for Pablo's birthday party/picnic/bbq at the park

Four savory cakes (they could also be called "breads" or loaves): mixed herbs; ham & green olives; goat cheese, walnut, raisins; asparagus mushrooms.

Chicken gouda muffins

Ratatouille feta muffins

Tray of crudités (carrots, cucumber, tomatoes), with hummus and creamy feta dip with mint parsley pesto

This leeks, feta, lemon quiche with homemade spelt cream cheese crust

French-style grated carrot & parsley salad

Mixed quinoa salad (with beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, olives...)

Lentil shallot salad (recipe below)

Potato salad

Cheese platter with homemade bread

And some hamburgers too :-)

Chocolate cake made by my good friend Elleni at Deer Eats Wolf

Fresh fruit platter

Lentil shallot salad

This very simple recipe is a staple in our family, we have it almost every week. It can be made ahead and keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days. It's an easy first course, and so delicious.

Serves 6-8

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes

Age for babies: 10-12 months (avoiding the raw crunchy shallots)

12 oz Du Puy Lentils (or green lentils)
1 onion
4 cloves (optional)
4 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, peeled and whole
4-5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 large shallot
Dill for garnish (optional, substitute any herb you like or have on hand)

Dressing:
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
5 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp walnut oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper

Rinse the lentils in a colander. In a large pot, place the lentils, the whole onion (pricked with cloves if using), whole garlic cloves, bay leaves, the thyme leaves and enough water so the onion is immersed.

Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes. (Taste for consistency, should be soft but not mushy).

Meanwhile, prepare your dressing by combining all the ingredients and reserve in a bowl.
Dice the shallot.

Drain the lentils, discard the onion and bay leaves. Let cool to room temperature.

Then add the shallots and dressing, and combine. Add dill for garnish if desired.

Serve cold or at room temperature.

A savory cake... & "exuding trust"

2013-04-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

I recently fell in love with an expression I read in this insightful parenting article : "exuding trust".

It is the perfect way to express something very intangible. A way to be within oneself that can be sensed by others. All between the lines. Just a feeling, an impression of someone. I have found this to be one of life's best kept secrets. Sometimes we get so anxious, scared, threatened, insecure, competitive. We project too much into the future, our expectations are unrealistic, projections of our neurosis. Too many nervous "what ifs". And when we feel all those things, I am pretty sure what we "exude" to those around us is a far cry from trust.

In the past, I have often felt that I needed to have things "figured out", and have felt uneasy and anxious about life's uncontrollable variables. Pablo is turning two in a few days, and interestingly, my recent birthday had me thinking about my shortcomings, whereas his birthday is reminding me of how much he has taught me.

And he has most certainly taught me the importance of exuding trust. An inner trust in the process of things, in trial and error. A trust in the beautiful struggle that life is. A trust that things will happen naturally, when and how they need to happen, even if I have no idea when and how just yet.

It's being optimistically open-minded, in a serene, peaceful way. I'm pretty amazed I'm even able to achieve that state. Not 100 % of the time of course, but getting better at it.

The thing about this open-minded-optimism-trust-exuding business, is that it is self-fulfilling. Just like the anxious-insecure-stress-inducing-doubt-exuding is. And the serenity that comes out of that trust, is contagious (just like the antsiness that comes out doubt and fear.) When someone we trust exudes trust, it is so reassuring, isn't it?

With Pablo, it's been about exuding trust that he will learn what he needs to learn when he is ready to do so, that his strong emotions (i.e. tantrums, he is 2 after all) are normal and come and go, that he can listen to his body... This inner trust makes me feel grounded, gentle, clear and calm, and I can be the gentle leader he needs in order to thrive.

I have also found this to be very true at the table. Having this inner trust that my child will enjoy good food, if not the first time, then the next time or the 10th time, that he may like something I dislike, that he will eat what his body needs. I am always optimistically open-minded about food, and as a result, so is Pablo.

When it came to food and Pablo's education of taste, maybe because of my culture or upbringing in France, I never had doubts, I trusted that if I exposed him to good foods, he would enjoy them. Or at least some of them. I had this inner (somewhat unconscious at first) certainty that the enjoyment of good food, of a pleasant meal, would not be a problem. That it would be a natural thing. And so it is.

Applying that trust in other areas of my life has been the real lesson for me. In parenting, writing, marriage, work... Letting go of doubt, of those uncontrollable variables, and trust that life will take its course as it must, and that I will learn, survive, grow from what it brings.

Perhaps exuding trust is simply being able to tell oneself (and believing it), "It's going to be okay, even if I don't know how (or when)."

I am facing a considerable trust-exuding challenge this coming weekend as we are preparing for Pablo's birthday party. Much much cooking, and logistics, will be involved. In the past, I have faced such events with a lot of stress and have spoiled the mood a bit for those around me.

This time, I am exuding trust that things will be great even if they are not perfect, that Pablo will have fun and feel loved and celebrated, that our friends will have a nice time and enjoy good food. I shall report back on this and let you know how I did :-)

In the meantime, I would love to share the recipe for one of my favorite "party foods": the savory cake. There are countless versions of it, it is fairly easy to make, and most definitely a crowd pleaser. Kids usually love them, it is similar to a savory "bread", a fun finger food. I make them on a regular basis for barbecues, picnics or potlucks. They also make an easy and delicious cold lunch (very convenient for a lunchbox as well, I would think).

Spinach, watercress, fennel cake

Adapted from Les Cakes de Sophie by Sophie Dudemaine

Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min

Age for babies: 10-12 months.

3 eggs
1 heaping cup of flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup (4.5 oz) whole milk
3.5 oz grated Swiss cheese (mozzarella could work too, though less flavorful)
1 bunch of watercress
2 bunches of spinach
1 medium fennel bulb
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
1 pinch nutmeg
2 pinches salt
2 pinches pepper

Preheat the oven at 400°F.

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cut the stems of the fennel off and discard, wash the bulb. When the water is boiling, place the bulb in and blanch (cook) it for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, wash the watercress and spinach leaves thoroughly, cutting off the thicker parts of the stems.

Remove the fennel bulb with a slotted spoon (keep the water). Run the fennel under cold water, then place in a kitchen (or paper) towel to absorb moisture.

In a pan or Dutch oven, melt 1 tbsp butter and § tbsp coconut oil over medium-low heat. Cut up the fennel into small pieces, and add it in with a pinch of salt & pepper, the sesame and 1 tbsp of water. Let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often (don't let the fennel brown), until soft.

While that cooks, put the watercress and spinach in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes.
Drain the watercress/spinach well (pressing with a spoon to squeeze the water out) and put in a kitchen (or paper) towel to absorb moisture.

In a pan over medium low heat, melt 1 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of coconut oil. Add in the watercress/spinach, a pinch of salt and pepper, and the nutmeg. Let cook for 5 minutes, stirring often (at that point, you're stirring both pans simultaneously, the fennel and the greens).

Warm up the milk (I like to use baby bottles for measurement, you can stick it for 1 min in the microwave).

In a bowl, mix the flour and baking powder together, add the eggs in and whisk with a fork (I find the fork easier than the whisk in this case, as the mixture is quite thick).

Little by little, whisk in the oil, then the warm milk. The mixture will become thinner and easier to whisk. Stir in the grated cheese. Then add the watercress/spinach and the fennel.

Butter a rectangular cake mold and pour the batter in. Bake for about 45 minutes (it is done when a knife or toothpick comes out clean.)

Let cool. Eat at room temperature.

Spring's bounty & Pablo's weekly menu

2013-04-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

I am posting our week's menu a bit late because of Monday's post for a good cause. And given its content, I have been especially grateful recently, for all the beauty and bounty Spring has brought us.

Today Pablo shelled fresh peas with his grandmother, eating five and putting one pea in the bowl for every pod. He tried to peel an onion. He tasted a radish and found it spicy. He kept munching on it anyway. He said, "Happy radis". I guess Pablo thinks radishes are a happy food. And he's become quite the radish connoisseur, from French radishes to watermelon radish to black radish.

His table vocabulary has expanded lately, and we hear a whole lot of "Mm, bon" (Yum, good) at the table. He's starting to know his foods, to have his idiosyncrasies. He likes to drink soup from the bowl, to dip his bread in vinaigrette, to drizzle that vinaigrette over his asparagus, to sprinkle the sugar over his plain yogurt. He's creating his rituals.

Is there anything warmer to a mother's heart? Not just that he appreciates what we cook for him, but also that these positive associations will hopefully remain an integral part of his childhood. There's such a tight bond between food, family and childhood.

Life is full of messiness. Well, mine is anyway. Things undone, piled up. Unresolved and pending. There's tiredness and juggling, sadness and worry. But then, there's joy. Tonight, I was able to put all those things aside for the time of a meal, a spring meal in the growing evening light, of young peas and onions and carrots and herbs, all to the tune of "Happy holidays", because Pablo is obsessed with that song and asks to listen to it every night at dinnertime. I just realized, writing this, how appropriate it is: mealtimes are happy holidays for us, from the drearier parts of life.

Tonight, there was laughter and joy at the table. Youth, felt by all generations.

Immensely blessed and grateful for that.

Turkey eggs, we tried for the first time this week.

On to the week's menu.

Cheeses of the week: Following French tradition, I always offer a little bit of cheese at the end of every meal, between the main course and dessert. Rotation this week: Roquefort, Port Salut (cow cheese), Goat brie, truffle Italian cheese.

MONDAY

Lunch - OUT at Le Pain Quotidien (great kids menu with ham cheese tartine, cucumber and carrots with dill aioli, cup of fruit, along with gazpacho and avocado shared with mom.)

Goûter (4pm snack) – Chocolate pudding, kiwi

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Grated carrots French-style, watermelon radish
Main course: Chicken basquaise

TUESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Sauteed red chards, orange, goat cheese salad inspired by Vanilla Bean
Main course: Leftover Chicken basquaise over buttermilk quinoa

Goûter - Apple-strawberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Oysters on the half shell
Main course: Turkey eggs sunny side up, sauteed brown beech mushrooms with garlic & rosemary, flageolets beans French-style

WEDNESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Green asparagus with vinaigrette, saucisson
Main course: Smoked salmon, avocado, quinoa

Goûter – Banana-peach compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Spring pea salad, French radishes
Main course: Pan fried lamb chops with vegetable jardinière (using green garlic, baby turnips and fresh peas!)

THURSDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Green beans, potato, spring onion (from my friend's garden) & feta salad
Main course: Steak tartare (you know, the raw meat stuff) with butter lettuce in tarragon pesto dressing from Food Loves Writing

Goûter - Pear-blueberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Pea, edamame, mint soup from Gourmande in the kitchen
Main course: Dover sole fillets with micro-radish potato puree

FRIDAY

Lunch

Appetizer / Finger Foods: Sauteed French radishes and fava beans, another recipe from Gourmande in the kitchen !
Main course: Shrimp with lime over coconut rice

Goûter - Muscat grapes

Dinner - OUT (I'm afraid I'm getting a year ~~older~~ hopefully wiser...)

SATURDAY

Lunch - OUT

Goûter - Apple

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Watercress sorrel soup
Main course: Mustard pork tenderloin with blue potatoes

SUNDAY

Lunch - OUT

Goûter - Mango compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Endive, almond, blue cheese salad
Main course: Ham, vegetable noodles

A Post, and a recipe in the fight against Hunger...

2013-04-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

"50 millions Americans exist without enough to eat in a nation with more than enough food."

This is what I learned thanks to the eye-opening documentary about hunger in America, called A Place At the Table.

When Pablo was three weeks old, we realized he wasn't gaining weight. I was breastfeeding exclusively at that point, and wasn't producing enough milk to feed him sufficiently. When I found this out, I had this feeling of panic, guilt and overwhelming sorrow. If Pablo had been crying so often, it's because he was hungry. I thought, "I am a mother, and I have been starving my child."

This terrible feeling I had, resolved in a matter of hours by supplemental formula and a reassuring pediatrician, this unbearable feeling is felt by millions of mothers and fathers on a daily basis as they face the unfathomable burden of food insecurity. They do not know where their or their kids' next meal will come from. 1 out of 5 children, 16 million kids, struggle with hunger in America.

Levels of food insecurity match high rates of obesity. Some children are obese and hungry because they eat nothing but chips, cookies and sodas, as those are the only "foods" their family can afford. Meanwhile, our government is massively subsidizing the huge agro-businesses producing these non-foods.

So the most affordable food is often the unhealthiest.

How can this be possible?

I am not an activist at heart. I often feel helpless in larger causes, and feel my only way to make a difference is to try to focus on nurturing the Good around me, one person at a time.

And I suppose this post is one very small way to do that.

The challenge set by The Giving Table for Food Bloggers Against Hunger, was to present a "budget-friendly" recipe, and reflect on what I would do if I was hungry. At first, I had planned on posting a soup recipe, before realizing families on food stamps most likely do not have blenders or mixers. So I tried to come up with a nutritious meal with minimal means.

If the food stamp program gives about $4 per day per person, that meant I had 16 dollars for a family of 4, a little over $5 per meal. I went to the supermarket with my $5 budget in mind. I walked in, passed the $4.99 box of cookies, and $5.99 cheeses, and started looking for my ingredients, counting pennies. Organic was out of the question, of course. I splurged with the sardines in olive oil (vs. the less expensive ones in soybean oil). Buying dill was a downright luxury. The lemon, I got from my neighbor's tree to stay within budget.

Bottom line is, I'm humbled and I take a lot for granted. I can't really imagine what it would be like to live like this, day in and day out. I can't imagine not feeding Pablo any fruits and vegetables.

I have been sharing with you here my journey nurturing my son. I am always in awe of potential. Of how much is possible, if we can nurture our children and help them grow a healthy body and mind. Like a gardener feeling a profound need to nourish his seedling, to create all the right conditions for it to grow, to protect it.

This potential is being destroyed, malnourished, starved, for millions of children, with devastating mental and physical consequences. Today. Right here. Millions of futures are stunted.

If you feel strongly about it, here are some things you can do:

- Get informed, starting with the Share Our Strength website.
- Go to this link and take 30 seconds to send a letter to Congress asking them to support anti-hunger legislation.
- See this documentary either in theaters in your city, or on demand through iTunes or Amazon.

And on a personal level, let us continue to promote the family meal and the use of real food by supporting local organizations focusing on education about real food, by talking about it around us in the community, by finding out where our food comes from and boycotting processed junk foods if possible, and by cooking at home and appreciating the immense value of real food. Let us revive the lost of art of homemade family cooking, of gardening one's own foods, within our family, our circles.

And let us be grateful for the access to those real foods and the ability to have a place at the table.

Sardines two ways

Inspired by "Sardines en boîte, les 30 recettes cultes" by Garlone Bardel

Note: This is two separate meals, feeding 3-4 people each.

Age for babies: 8-12 months

Grilled sardines with onion, garlic and lemon

1 can of sardines in olive oil
1/4 small onion
1 garlic clove
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 potatoes
1/2 cup peas
2 slices of wheat bread

Quarter the potatoes, place them in cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

Open the can of sardines, and pour 1/2 of the oil into a frying pan.

Dice the onion, slice the garlic. Slide the slices of garlic between the sardine fillets in the can. Add the onion on top. Drizzle the juice over it, and place the can in the broiler for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat, add the peas and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Remove the peas, reserve the oil. Place bread slices in the frying pan and toast/fry with the little bit of leftover oil.

In a plate, mash the peas with a fork. Spread on the fried bread.

Serve the grilled sardines with half a mashed peas toast and a couple of pieces of potato.

Sardine, cottage cheese & pea tartine

1 can of sardines in olive oil
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup cottage cheese
4 slices wheat bread
1 tbsp diced onion
1/4 cucumber, diced
2 sprigs of dill

Open the can of sardines, drain and reserve the oil.

In a frying pan, heat a bit of the oil over medium heat, add the peas and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Place the peas on a plate. With the remaining oil, fry the bread slices over medium-high heat until just brown on one side (one at a time, adding a bit of oil every time, if frying pan is small).

In a bowl, mash the sardines, peas and cottage cheese together with a fork. Stir in the onion.

Spread the mixture over the bread, add a few pieces of cucumber and a bit of dill for garnish on top.

Celeriac sunchoke soup (+ list of good soups) & Pablo's menu

2013-04-01T21:16:00.000-07:00

There's something magical about soup. Something about finding a perfect osmosis of ingredients. About creating such an interesting dish, in color, in texture, in flavor, such a delicate dish from the rough fruits of the earth. The French word "velouté" for soups says it all (basically a soup that's blended and smooth). It means "velvety". How inviting. Sensual even.

In more practical considerations, it is such a great way to start a meal, it makes the perfect vegetable first course, so easy to make, and convenient (you can make ahead, freeze). Yet you can get really creative with the combinations, with the accompaniments, from crème fraïche or heavy cream, to coconut cream to pesto. Infinite possibilities. It has been quite the fun food for Pablo as he has learned to drink from his bowl. And a perfect way to introduce new flavors, new vegetables. (With the warm season, I'll be making more and more cold soups as well.)

So sometimes I share poetry, sometimes inner ramblings, sometimes parenting thoughts. And sometimes, I like to share lists. Because they're kind of useful, right? So I'd love to share 10 soups we've really enjoyed recently. Nine + 1 recipe here. In no particular order.

1. Cold pea soup from Tastefood

2. Artichoke soup

3. Apple celery root with smoked trout from Cannelle & Vanille

4. Beet soup from Mowielicious

5. Watermelon tomato almond gazpacho from Cannelle & Vanille

6. Lentil leek soup from Vanilla Bean

7. Pumpkin coconut soup from Lovely Pantry

8. Carrot ginger soup from Deer Eats Wolf

9. Cream of fava beans with goat cheese from My Little Fabric

... and this celeriac sunchoke soup recipe I'm sharing today.

Do you have any great soup recipes or links to share? Please do so in the comments! Let's form a soup exchange! :-)

Hope you have a lovely week, scroll down further for Pablo's menu this week...

Celeriac sunchoke soup with cilantro hazelnut pesto

Inspired by a celeriac soup we recently had at The Black Cat Bistro in Cambria, California

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Age for babies: 6 months and up (skipping the pesto at first).

1 shallot, minced

1 tbsp butter

1 celery root, peeled, cut up

1 pound of sunchokes, peeled, cut up

6 cups of water

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Handful of fresh cilantro

3 tbsp of hazelnut oil

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook over medium heat until translucent (don't let them brown).

Add the water, celery root, sunchokes, salt and pepper, bring to a simmer, cover and cook over medium low for about 20-25 mn, until the vegetables are tender.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender or in a blender until very smooth.

Put the cilantro and hazelnut oil in a small food processor and pulse until cilantro is finely chopped.

Pour the soup in bowls, and with a small spoon, stir in some of the cilantro pesto. Add additional salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Cheeses of the week: Following French tradition, I always offer a little bit of cheese at the end of every meal, between the main course and dessert. Rotation this week: Brie de Meaux, Goat brie, Petit Basque (sheep).

MONDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Cucumber in creamy tarragon yogurt sauce
Main course: Ham & hard boiled egg (one of the pink ones from Easter :-)), flageolets beans French-style (leftover from Easter lunch!)

Goûter (4pm snack) – Chocolate pudding

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Butternut leek fennel soup
Main course: Buttermilk-brined chicken thighs, fingerling potatoes

TUESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Boiled leeks with vinaigrette
Main course: Mushroom prosciutto Comté cheese tartine*

Goûter - Pear-blueberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Green bean, cauliflower, tomato salad
Main course: Bison patty and creamy rosemary carrots baked in parcel*

WEDNESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Grated carrots French-style
Main course: Trying this harvest (sweet potato, chards, onion) tart recipe found on Food Loves Writing

Goûter – Apple-mint compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Spring pea salad
Main course: Albacore with avocado and cilantro, baked in a parcel*

THURSDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Leftover grated carrots French-style
Main course: Sardines, baby bok choy puree

Goûter - Mango compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Artichokes with vinaigrette
Main course: Oven roasted mustard pork tenderloin, peas & carrots jardinière

FRIDAY - VISITING RELATIVES FOR THE WEEKEND

We'll see what good things we find to eat! Perhaps urchin and oysters at the San Diego Farmer's Market?

Fruit compotes, Spring & embracing our struggles

2013-03-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

I talk a lot about process here. Enjoying the journey. Being in the moment. All that good stuff.

I do because it’s not an automatic for me. I have to keep reminding myself, to keep practicing it.

It’s sometimes a struggle. To enjoy the journey for journey’s sake, no matter the outcome.

Pablo is really into puzzles these days. He can really focus on them and he seems to enjoy figuring them out. In order to nurture his patience, his perseverance, I try to be as hands off as possible. The other day, I watched him struggle a bit putting some pieces together, getting some pieces wrong, some pieces right. He was really profoundly in the moment, enjoying this process, with no concept of success or failure, just pure journey. It took him a while to get it done, but he did. I said, ‘Well done’, myself feeling some accomplishment for him. But within 5 seconds, he took it apart, put it away and moved on to something else.

At first, I was a bit surprised. If it were me, I would have taken a moment to contemplate what I’d done.

A couple of weeks later, thinking back on this, I realized this was the epitome of journey for journey’s sake. He did not do the puzzle with any particular destination or goal in mind. Doing for doing, not for having done. He did it because he enjoyed the process, so the result was completely irrelevant to him.

Could I relearn this? Bake a bread just for the sake of baking, no matter how good or bad it tastes when done? (Probably the only way to make good bread, ironically.)

I suppose it is only human to be somewhat goal-oriented, but society seems to put so much emphasis on goal, success, trophies, results. All meaningless without a struggle. Without an interesting journey.

Pablo somehow knows this balance. He knows when he does something for a specific goal, and he knows when he wants to do something for its very process. Wise little guy he is. I learn from him every day.

I read this poem today. It hit me like an arrow in the bull’s eye. An excerpt from "Spring" by Jim Harrison (whole poem here) (bold emphasis is mine):

Something new in the air today, perhaps the struggle of the bud to become a leaf.
Nearly two weeks late it invaded the air but then what is two weeks to life herself?
On a cool night there is a break from the struggle of becoming.
I suppose that's why we sleep.
In a childhood story they spoke of the land of enchantment.
"We crawl to it, we short-lived mammals, not realizing that we are already there.” [...]
Of late I see waking as another chance at spring.

Maybe that's why spring feels so kindred to me this year. "The struggle of becoming". The beauty and truth of that phrase moves me. Because I am learning what my 2 year old already knows: the struggle of becoming is what makes life worth living.

In celebration of spring, we had a backyard picnic for our goûter yesterday. Sit in the grass, smell the jasmine, have some tea and homemade fruit compotes.

Finally sharing these terribly simple compote recipes, as some of you requested.

Wishing you and yours a lovely Easter and spring season.

Fruit compotes

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15-20 minutes

Age for babies: 4-6 months (individual fruit compotes first)

Note: I decided to share three flavors here: apple-mint, pear-blueberry, apple-mixed berries, all fruits that are available and seasonal at the moment. Many variations will soon be possible with summer stone fruits (I had blogged about a raw peach compote last summer). Obviously, this is a very flexible recipe, you can have more or less fruit, mix and match pretty much any fruit of your liking, add cinnamon, honey, lemon zest, thyme, basil, whatever you like. I use a blender as mine does a smoother puree than my food processor.

For apple-mint & apple-berries(Yields about 1 cup each)

3 apples peeled, cut up
5 sprigs of mint, leaves only
1 cup frozen mixed berries

Steam the apples and mint leaves (mint on one side only) for about 20 minutes, until apple is tender.
Steam (separately) the frozen berries for about 7 minutes.

Puree half the apples + mint in a blender with 1/4 cup of cooking juices (add a couple of tbsp if compote is too thick).

Puree the other half of the apples + berries with 3-4 tbsp of cooking juices (adjust to obtain desired consistency).

Let cool, and eat at room temperature or chilled.

For pear-blueberry:
(Yields about 1 1/2 cup)

2 medium pears, peeled, cut up
1 cup of fresh blueberries

Steam the pears and blueberries for about 10-12 minutes, until pear is tender.
Puree in a blender with 2-3 tbsp of cooking juices (adjust to obtain desired consistency)

Let cool, and eat at room temperature or chilled.

I usually keep enough for the next day, and freeze the rest for later use. (They can be thawed in water bath or microwave).

Pablo's menu this week...

2013-03-27T22:28:00.000-07:00

Posting our menus late this week as we took a short trip to the seaside near Cambria, California, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A wonderful combination of sea and countryside.

I thought I'd share in this week's menu what we picked for Pablo when we ate at restaurants. I'm always baffled at kids menus here, offering nothing but dry chicken with steamed broccoli, overcooked beef patties, fries or spaghetti. We chose from the appetizer menu for him to have smaller portions, and shared some of our dishes with him, he loved to get a little taste of everything. This makes the restaurant experience just as exciting for him as it is for us (he already does get excited when I tell him we're going to eat at a restaurant!). We have always taken Pablo out to eat since he was a newborn, not often, but on a semi-regular basis, so having a meal out with him has never been an issue. I'm also thinking that eating family meals together with Pablo on a daily basis, in courses (taking about 1 hour for dinner), is really what makes it feasible - and pleasant - to go out to dinner with him, he is fairly well-behaved (i.e. engaged) and stays seated with us for the duration of the meal (with minimal entertainment if the wait's a bit long, like a book, maybe a toy car or a couple of crayons).

We brought back some wonderful fresh fish, which we're cooking up this week. Sharing some images of a simple baked fish as my mom made it, with lemon, onions and fennel, as well as some gorgeous brown beech mushrooms we got in our CSA basket, which we also cooked simply with olive oil, parsley and garlic. With fresh quality products, the simpler the better.

Hope you are having a flavorful week, and have been feeling Spring "whispering", as Sarah Kieffer so poetically writes it here.

Cheeses of the week: Following French tradition, I always offer a little bit of cheese at the end of every meal, between the main course and dessert. Rotation this week: "Coupole" aged goat cheese from Vermont Creamery (amazing), Gruyère, Babybel for the road.

MONDAY

Lunch (picnic at the beach)
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Shallot lentil salad, cherry tomatoes, saucisson (dry salami)
Main course: Prosciutto, avocado.

Goûter (4pm snack) – Brioche (on the road)

Dinner (at Robbin's in Cambria)
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Carrot ginger soup with coconut cream
Main course: Hanger steak, creamed spinach

TUESDAY

Lunch (at Dockside in Morro Bay)
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Baked oysters with lemon/garlic (Pablo just loved those)
Main course: Pink shrimp, rice pilaf & coleslaw

Goûter - Clementine

Dinner (at The Black Cat in Cambria)
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Celery root soup with cream of cilantro* (this was amazing, I will be experimenting with this recipe to share it here)
Main course: Mushroom sage gnocchi, vegetable cheese polenta

WEDNESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Tomatoes & cucumber salad
Main course: Tofu, baby bok choy puree

Goûter – Pear-strawberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Spring pea & chive salad
Main course: Dorados (brought fresh from Morro Bay!), jasmine rice in coconut milk

THURSDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Grated Carrots French-Style
Main course: Beef patty, quinoa noodles

Goûter - Banana

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Sunchoke soup
Main course: Soles fillets with micro-radish puree

FRIDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Avocado, cherry tomatoes
Main course: Ham, purple potatoes (boiled, with little butter and salt)

Goûter - Mango compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Cauliflower & green beans salad with lots of herbs
Main course: Duck confit, cannellini beans

SATURDAY

Lunch- OUT

Goûter - Pear-blueberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: White asparagus in creamy tarragon yogurt sauce
Main course: Buttermilk chicken thighs, creamy rosemary heirloom carrots baked in a parcel*

SUNDAY - Happy Easter!

Lunch (with friends)
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Andalusian Gazpacho
Main course: Grilled leg of lamb with flageolets beans French-style

Goûter - Chocolate pudding (it is Easter after all!)

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Watermelon radish, endive blue cheese salad
Main course: Cold leg of lamb with mustard (the best!)

Spring lamb meatballs... & living life in the slow lane

2013-03-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

I often feel like I'm galloping through life at full speed, and pulling on the reins as hard as I can, to slow down, to really feel my life, to see it and enjoy it in a palpable way. But time has that sand-going-through-your-fingers quality, and for some reason, that sensation seems exacerbated when you have children. How can Pablo be almost 2 already?

So I'm searching. I'm searching for the secret to living life in the slow lane.

My jasmine brought this to mind. We are blessed with a large wall of jasmine, and its scent pervades our backyard for a couple of months a year. I mentioned it a couple of times recently... I can see it through my window from my desk, where I spend a lot of time. I look at it, like an anchor. I watched it dormant this winter. I smiled when I noticed the pink buds multiplying a few weeks ago. Then the first couple of white flowers came out last week. And today, it's in full bloom. I just wish it would stop there, stay there.

At night, I stick my nose out my window just to smell it a few more seconds. I just want to be with it.

I know the art of slow living has to do with being in the moment, but ironically, the times we are in the moment, are the ones that go by the fastest. And yet that are the most worthwhile. So you see my conundrum.

Or is it about being content? When we are content, life slows down a bit. When we remember it's not going to last and start wanting more, it accelerates again. Life has sometimes felt jerky that way.

So between deadlines and to-do lists, I struggle to find ways to take my time. To reclaim it. It's hard. This blog has been a great opportunity to do that: in order to write the posts I want to write, I have to take my time, slow down. To cook the recipes, to photograph them, to write my thoughts here.

And I suppose that, as always, it's the little things that help the most. Looking for slower moments every day. Opportunities for slowness. Moments of awareness, of enjoyment, or even of sadness or worry. Just being with it. Moments when we do not think of what comes next, but focus on the here and now. Like dancing with Pablo. Gardening (or trying to...). Cooking. And meals.

Meals are such moments for us. That's why I cherish them so much. Far from wanting to get dinner over with, we consciously try to slow it down, trying to be mindful while we eat (I remind Pablo - and myself - to eat slowly several times a meal. It's not about what we're eating next, but about what we're eating now.)

And these things have helped me pull on the reins of time a bit. But it does fly...

I think of my jasmine again. In January, I trusted the rain was feeding its roots to make it grow and bloom when it would be ready (with a hint of impatience). In March, I am enjoying it in all its glory, I take seconds every day to smell it and marvel at it (with a hint of helplessness, at how fast it will fade away). In August, I will accept it has gone through its cycle, and will be grateful for the joy it gave me (with a hint of sadness).

Trust that things will happen as they need to, enjoy the worthwhile moments as best you can, accept the fluctuating and cyclical nature of life. In short, go with the flow. All a work in (slow) progress here.

In the meantime, we shall have our meal outside tonight. Just for the smell of jasmine in the spring.

I have been enjoying thoroughly cooking from Small Plates & Sweet Treats by Aran Goyoaga (I talked about her inspiring blog when I shared her leek flan recipe a while ago). This lamb meatballs recipe has become one of our family favorites, and is especially appropriate with the spring season (I usually cook leg of lamb for Easter). We love lamb meat and have it on a regular basis (I started giving it to Pablo around 7 months). It is so flavorful, and this easy preparation really brings out the best of its flavor.

Herbed lamb meatballs in coconut milk, with quinoa

Very lightly adapted from Small Plates & Sweet Treats by Aran Goyoaga

Serves 4

Prep time: 20 mn
Cook time: 20 mn

Age for babies: I would offer this between 10-12 mo because of the egg.

1 lb ground lamb
2 slices of bread, crust removed, crumbled (I used a ancient grain spelt bread)
1 clove of garlic
1 egg
1/2 bunch of Italian parsley
10 sprigs fresh mint
4 sprigs fresh oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup sheep's milk yogurt (or whole milk cow if you can't find sheep)
Juice of 1/2 lemon

For the quinoa:
1 cup of quinoa
2 cups of vegetable broth (or water)
Leftover coconut milk (*I usually use cans of coconut milk, and using 1 1/2 cup above, there's a bit leftover, which I add in to cook the quinoa)

Peel the garlic, pick the leaves of the mint and oregano off the stems. Place the garlic clove, oregano, mint and parsley in a small food processor to mince them very finely. (Alternatively, you can mince everything by hand).

Beat the egg lightly with a fork.

In a medium bowl, combine lamb, crumbled bread, minced garlic & herbs, egg, 1/2 tsp salt, paprika and black pepper.

With your hands, mix just enough to combine. Form the meatballs and set aside on a plate.

In a large shallow pan, bring the coconut milk and 1/2 tsp of salt to a low simmer. Add the meatballs (they will not be submerged in the liquid). Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Make the quinoa: in a fine strainer, rinse the quinoa until the water runs clear, drain well. Combine the quinoa and broth (and little bit of coconut milk if using) in a medium pan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until translucent and you can see the germ spiraling out of the grains, about 15 minutes.

Remove the meatballs from the pan. Stir the yogurt and lemon into the sauce.

Serve the quinoa in bowls. Add the meatballs. Drizzle some of the coconut/yogurt sauce on top.

Simple chocolate pudding... and the fight against junk food

2013-03-19T22:58:00.000-07:00

First things first: happy spring everyone! It's official, t'is the season of rebirth, and I for one, am excited about it. Secondly, a bit of "spring" housekeeping, I have finally posted a couple of new pages which I hope will be helpful...

- The 8-12 months section of "Feeding Baby" (finally!)

- A new FAQ page, with various questions I have received from readers and my answers.

Now... (deep breath, it's a long one...)

This article written by Yoni Freedhoff, MD, called "Why is everyone giving my kids junk food?" was recently brought to my attention, and several people have asked me (and I have been asking myself!) how I would deal with the onslaught of junk food out there in the world towards our children, whether at school, at birthday parties, playdates or at any other kid events and venues.

I have been baffled to encounter this even as early as now (Pablo is 22 months), in a toddler art class, as I shared previously. From the looks of it, it’s going to happen a lot more in the coming years. This is certainly a dilemma I never expected, which French parents mostly don’t have to deal with. Without overgeneralizing, I can say that it is widely accepted in France that you do not eat between meals or snack indiscriminately throughout the day, that children will eat vegetables and have a balanced diet and not eat n’importe quoi. (An expression particularly hard to translate into English, used to designate things done without care or attention or reason.) So French parents don’t have to have that impulse I think a lot of us have (given the response to that article, there are quite a lot of parents in this boat), to protect our children from the world and the “assault”of junk food given everywhere. And actually, I wouldn't be too happy about not just junk food, but also snacks and juices, however “healthy” they may be, given at any occasion outside of meal times. (And I do have the somewhat convenient excuse to give to other adults in these circumstances, that being French, we don't do that; the cultural explanation has sometimes been my easy way out, I must admit.)

The author did a good follow-up article on helpful ways to deal with the institutions or people that might be giving the junk food, which I highly recommend. And the good news is, more and more parents in the US (and perhaps other countries where this might be happening?) have objections to it, and so I think the seeds of change have been planted in that area...

That said, how will I deal with this, with Pablo, in the coming years?

Well... I’ve decided I’m going to do my very best to trust him.

The fact is, our children don’t live in a bubble. They will be confronted with all kinds of undesirables throughout their childhood and life, that are out of our control, whether it’s the food they’re offered, or the entertainment they’re offered, or disrespectful children and adults they may encounter... That’s life, isn't it?

We can't remove all the undesirables. But we can prepare them to deal with them (and potentially learn from them). We can’t fight all of our children’s battles for them. And I don’t think that we should. My goal is to raise a resilient human being, who feels capable of sound judgment, capable of going through the process of dealing with the world, capable of developing a filter, his own filter, before doing something. And as hard as it can sometimes be for me, I am committed to let my child experience trial and error. I feel I would otherwise be robbing him of a valuable learning opportunity.

BUT... we can lay the groundwork.

The first couple of years of life are so crucial this way (though I do believe you can do it with older children or adults too, it’s never too late, perhaps just a little bit more challenging). And so here are some of the things we are doing now, and have been doing ever since we begun this journey of Pablo's education of taste, which will hopefully help him make better decisions later on.

1. Nurture his ability to listen to his own body

I find this fascinating about babies and toddlers. This is an ability I envy very much, and which I’m relearning with my son. As a teenager, I definitely went into emotional eating to fill some voids and gaps in my life, and it’s taken years (still a work in progress) to become attuned to my body again and regain a healthy relationship with food. Young children do know how to listen to their body. And I am convinced that if we provide the right environment or context to nurture that ability, it will grow and stay with them. They know when they’ve had enough to eat. Basically young children can hear their body loud and clear, provided there is no interference, from us. They even know what foods their body needs. And we want them to keep listening – to themselves. That’s why I steer away from any emotional association to food (no, “one last bite to please mommy”, no “come have a cookie to make you feel better”, no “no dessert if you don’t behave”, you get the idea...) If he lets me know he no longer wants to eat, I comply. I also let him feed himself as much as possible, so he knows he is in charge of his intake.

I have found that the 4 meals a day structure with no additional, on demand snacks, as well as eating slowly and in courses teaches delayed gratification. And it helps differentiate between the “desire to eat” vs. actual hunger. If we give a snack to a child every time he “feels like eating”, whether truly hungry or not, they don’t get to really sense hunger (I’m talking reasonable hunger here, not starvation obviously.) Just before mealtime, Pablo is definitely hungry (which is why he eats so well, and gobbles with amazing appetite his watercress soup and boiled leeks in vinaigrette under my proud eye ;-)) He has an awareness of his body telling him it needs some nourishment. The experience of that bodily sensation, in part due to delayed gratification, I think contributes to keeping this symbiotic relationship between mind and body. (I have actually experienced this myself as an adult.)

2. Prevent emotional eating later on

In a much broader sense, insuring a healthy secure attachment to our children (I found much wisdom in author Daniel Siegel's work, as well as in RIE and Janet Lansbury's work in that area) also makes it possible for them to listen to their body, to learn from the world, and develop a sound body and mind. I found in my own experience, that emotional eating can come from a void in that area. And attachment issues certainly have been known to affect a child's way of dealing with peer pressure, which can come into play when it comes to eating junk food.

Ideally, food isn't a tool, a means, emotionally speaking. For reassurance, for comfort. Yes, it a means of nourishment obviously, but I think it should be considered an end in itself. This way, it is separate from other activities, which we do also as ends in themselves (more on this here). We eat because it is a pleasurable experience and an opportunity to connect with our loved ones.

3. Avoid GUILT like the plague

One instance where I have seen older children “binge” on sweets or junk foods at parties, is because they feel they should do it while they can, as a product of frustration. And then the whole guilt vicious circle kicks in, which tends to stay with us through adulthood. I have talked about this telling study I read in Karen Le Billon’s French Kids Eat Everything of most Americans’ response to the picture of a chocolate cake, vs. most French people’s reaction: Americans think “calories” and “guilt”, the French think “pleasure”, “celebration”. I find this so revealing. Nothing like guilt and dieting to make you want to inhale a whole chocolate cake or pint of ice cream!

The French tend to talk much more about a balanced diet, than a healthy diet, they talk about “paying attention” to what they eat, vs. dieting or self-depriving.

French children definitely enjoy sweets or savory treats, and mostly, I think they do so guilt-free. Snack time (430p ish) is usually the opportunity to have a sweet treat, for example, a piece of cake, a pastry even, something of their choice usually. It makes those treats, in moderation, commonplace, no big deal, not something to pine for and gorge on at the first opportunity. A lot of French families bake together with children on weekends, and the cake is kept for snack time, creating a wonderful sense of anticipation, and creating a pleasurable experience.

The French would also let their kids have things like a few pieces of candy, French fries, some potato chips or cheese crackers, a soda or juice, on special occasions, on vacations, for the occasional apéritif (pre-dinner snacks and drinks usually offered to guests at a dinner party, to munch on before sitting at the dinner table.) So instead of creating guilt around those things, they create a sense of pleasure, celebration, and moderation at the same time. A sense that these things are special, to be enjoyed thoroughly - which is a nice little lesson in the enjoyment of the present moment as well. Guilt-free.

That will absolutely be my strategy with Pablo, while emphasizing enjoyment, the “special” factor, moderation, the need for balance. I don’t want to instill in Pablo a sense of guilt every time he has, or wants a “treat”. The fact is, there are times where we all feel like eating something, even though we may not be hungry. Denying that is futile. Acknowledgement, enjoyment and moderation are key.

4. Explain it to him

That each family has their way, that we don’t snack indiscriminately so we better enjoy meals together. I have done this already. At 20 months, he understood that we didn't eat the popcorn offered in art class because we’re going to eat lunch soon, and it’s going to be delicious and we don’t want to spoil our appetite. Basically, let’s wait for something better. (And I guess a prerequisite for that, is that lunch is in fact better, i.e. that we eat well, things that are really good and enjoyable and flavorful. That argument might be less convincing if we were going home to eat boiled broccoli with dry chicken.) Which brings me to my next point...

5. Show him how good, good food can be

Meaning, cooking delicious meals, making the food taste good. And this is a commitment, for sure. A lot of people have told me they just don’t have the time, and absolutely, this is a significant time, and to a certain extent, financial commitment: to buy quality products, variety, to spend the time to cook them in different ways.

6. Be a model

Really, this is the most important way in which our children learn anything. They’re watching us, all the time. If we snack all throughout the day, yoyo diet, binge on junk food and then deprive ourselves of everything (all things I have done in the past, before I had Pablo), then that’s the model we give our children. In our family, we have really found a balance which I’m happy with as a model for Pablo: we eat well during mealtimes, do not eat between meals, we rarely have junk food, we splurge on little treats once in a while, in moderation, and this guilt-free, thoroughly enjoyable way to eat has, quite simply, improved the quality of our life.

Well, if you've made this far into the post (sorry, it's a bear!) you deserve a sweet treat... (Oh, sorry, we don't use food as rewards, forget that then ;-)) I have recently made chocolate pudding for Pablo’s “goûter”, inspired by a type of pudding I used to love as a child in France, named Danette (a household brand name in France). You have gathered, I'm sure, from some of these images, that Pablo enjoyed it thoroughly!

This is very easy to make, and incidentally, it has the same quantity of sugar as a fruit compote, if not a little less. Chocolate has many health benefits as well (cocoa is high in magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron...), and French children eat it in moderation, guilt-free, especially at snack time.

Chocolate pudding (homemade "Danette")

Serves 6

Prep time: 10 mn (+ rest time in the fridge 2 hrs or more)
Cook time: 5 mn

Age for babies: 12 months and up

2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup quinoa flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup organic cocoa powder (unsweetened, non-alkaline)

In a pan (but not over heat yet), combine the flour, sugar and cocoa powder. Incorporate the cold milk, whisking vigorously (still no heat). Now turn on heat on medium and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. As soon as it boils, remove from heat, and keep stirring, until thicker (it comes to the consistency of yogurt, or maybe a little bit less thick).

Place in individual ramekins or a larger bowl, cover with plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Stir before serving. (It can keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.)

I served it to Pablo (I had some too!) with a couple of Petit Beurre cookies (basically simple butter biscuits).

Sunchoke gratin dauphinois... & a secret of good living

2013-03-15T01:12:00.000-07:00

It took parenting and cooking to teach me how to live my life.

This sentence could very well be a description for this blog. That’s what I've been wanting to share here: parenting, cooking, life (and a French touch). Not necessarily in that order. Their connection never ceases to amaze me.

What I mean by that, is that the ~~meaning~~ meat of life, the secret to happiness and fulfillment, the secret to no-regret-living, is to live for, and by, the journey. Or the process. (Journey’s a pretty word for process, really.) Or at least, I'm pretty sure it's a big part of it.

And as life would have it, parenting and cooking are both process-oriented experiences. In fact, they are experiences that only work if you focus on their process, if you’re able to enjoy their process. If you’re able to trust their process.

Through both, I am learning to let go of expectations, to be present in the moment, to nurture instead of control. For both, I am finding that learning from others and trusting one’s own instincts is not contradictory, but complementary. Thanks to both, I am learning to be attuned to myself and to the world.

I’ve been struggling to write for many years. Wanting to, and yet finding it excruciating, or myself incapable of it. But I see now writing is much like cooking and parenting. It’s all about the process too. The end result, well... it’s not what matters most. And it shouldn't be the motivation for it. If it is, it comes out shallow, inauthentic, mediocre. Just like cooking to impress. And how absurd - and damaging - would it be to have a child only for the picture-perfect lawyer or doctor we would like him to become?

We must live for living's sake, cook for cooking's sake, eat for eating's sake, write for writing's sake, and nurture for nurturing's sake. A thing that is an end in itself, is always worthwhile.

So I am writing, here, finally. Perhaps I couldn't write before I learned that lesson. Parenting and cooking might have just made a writer out of me. How wonderfully and poetically surprising life can be, when our minds are open enough to take it in.

I could bitch about how I wish I learned these things earlier in life. And I do sometimes. But to heck with hindsight, it was just part of my journey to learn it this way. And the onslaught of spring is making me feel optimistic. The jasmine has burst out into the night air, heavy enough to carry the mockingbird's relentless nocturnal song of seduction. (I can hear him in the darkness as I'm writing these words.) So I wanted to say it: I am grateful for this unforeseen revelation, this new understanding of life. I’m just so glad about it. And when one is glad, one should say it. Or write it. Share it, in short.

Or cook it. And can I just say gratins are a perfect way to share gladness?

I have blogged about sunchokes before, we have enjoyed many sunchoke soups this winter, simple ones and fancy ones, and I recently cooked them in a gratin for the first time. This is a twist on the classic French potato gratin. A very tasty twist indeed. I hope you enjoy!

Sunchoke gratin dauphinois

Adapted from Petit Larousse des Recettes de Légumes du Potager by Valérie Lhomme

Serves 4

Prep time: 30 mn
Cook time: 65 mn

Age for babies: 10-12 months

2 lbs sunchokes (try to get larger ones that are not too quirky shaped, for ease of peeling and slicing)
1 1/4 cup whole milk
1 bay leaf
1 whole garlic clove
4 tbsp butter
1 1/4 cup heavy cream (or crème fraîche)
2 eggs
2 pinches of ground nutmeg
3.5 oz of grated Swiss cheese (Comté is a good one. Manchego works well too, or other flavorful hard cheese)
Salt & pepper

Peel the sunchokes, putting them in cold water as you go. Then slice them either by hand or with a mandoline or with the slicing accessory of your food processor.

Preheat the oven at 350°F.

In a medium pot, bring the milk and bay leaf to a low boil, remove from heat, cover and let cool to lukewarm.

Peel the garlic clove. Rub your baking dish with 2 tbsp of butter, and rub the bottom of the dish with the garlic clove.

Lightly beat the eggs in a small bowl. Remove the bay leaf from the milk. Whisk in the cream, the eggs, the nutmeg, and salt and pepper.

Place one layer of sunchoke slices in the baking dish, pour some of the milk/cream mixture on top, sprinkle with cheese, then add another layer of sunchokes, pour the rest of the milk/cream mixture and sprinkle the rest of the cheese (do one more layer of each if needed). Top with small dabs of butter, and bake for 1 hour.

Check if the sunchokes are done with a knife, should go in easily, like for a potato.

We have served this as a side dish with a roasted chicken, or a duck stew. Or it can be savored on its own with an endive salad.

Pablo's weekly menu... and a shrimp & lime recipe

2013-03-11T12:09:00.002-07:00

Oh the guilt, of this week spent away from this space. Alas, I didn't make my mid-week recipe post... :-( Work has been overwhelming, and I am actually pretty grateful I was able to keep up with our planned menu (By the way, if you want to have a look at some of the recipes I try during the week and our other adventures in food, join me on Instagram, I will be sharing even more now that we set the clock forward... later daylight = prettier pictures!)

I am working on a longer post for this mid-week, but in the meantime, I'll replace some of my talking with some listening! (Always a good thing.) I would love to hear your thoughts on these (I'll start...)

What is one of your favorite recipe/post from this blog?

Baked apple goat cheese in a parcel

What food blogs do you love?

So many. Check out some of the blogs on my Blog Love column on the right!

What recipe you've never tried, would you love to finally make?

Puff pastry, popovers, homemade cheese.

How much time do you spend cooking on a typical weekday (for all meals)?

60-90 minutes

Besides the week's menu (scroll down for that), I wanted to share this very easy and delicious shrimp recipe found in a family cooking magazine I got while queuing at a French supermarket during my last visit there (it was advertised as: "Our best recipes for less than 1 euro per person!")

Hope you enjoy!

Sautéed shrimp with lime & coconut rice

From the French magazine "Best of Gourmand"

Serves 3

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time : 35 minutes

Age for babies: 12 months and up

12-15 large shrimp (depending on size)

1 lime

1 rosemary sprig

1 sprig of lemon thyme

2 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 cup of rice of choice (I used Jasmine)

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 tbsp sunflower oil (coconut oil would be good too, I think!)

A few drops of sesame oil

Salt & pepper

Rinse the rice. In a large pot, sauté the rice with 1 tbsp of oil, until translucent. Pour the broth over it, and cook over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed. Then add the coconut milk little by little, stirring constantly, until absorbed. (By then, rice should be tender. If not, add a tbsp or two of hot water or coconut milk, until rice is tender.) Add salt & pepper to taste, stir and cover to keep warm.

Wash and dry the lime, slice them. Wash and dry the herbs, and pick the leaves off the stems.

In a frying pan, heat the remaining sunflower oil and sesame oil. Add the shrimp, lime slices, rosemary and lemon thyme leaves, and cook over high heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle with salt & pepper.

Serve immediately, over the coconut rice.

Now for our week's menu...

Cheeses of the week: Following French tradition, I always offer a little bit of cheese at the end of every meal, between the main course and dessert. Rotation this week: Italian truffle cheese, Goat Brie, Enoteki (sheep's milk).

MONDAY

Lunch (picnic at the park)
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Grated carrots French-style
Main course: Prosciutto avocado tartine

Goûter (4pm snack) – Pear-apple compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Watercress carrot greens soup
Main course: Lemon chicken thighs, parsnip puree inspired by The Food Dept

TUESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Endive, blue cheese, walnut salad
Main course: Beef patty, peas

Goûter - Apple compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Leeks with vinaigrette
Main course: Shrimp & lime over coconut rice (recipe above!)

WEDNESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Rainbow chards goat cheese salad with blood orange dressing from Vanilla Bean (we loved is to much last week, having it again this week!)
Main course: Lamb meatballs in coconut with quinoa*

Goûter – Kiwi

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Shallot lentil salad
Main course: Veal blanquette

THURSDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: White asparagus in yogurt tarragon sauce
Main course: Feta, mint, zucchini quiche

Goûter - Banana

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Portuguese white gazpacho from Leite's Culinaria (1st gazpacho of the season!)
Main course: Sardine eggplant brandade

FRIDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Leftover white gazpacho
Main course: Turkey breast and snap peas in creamy mustard sauce*

Goûter - Mango compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Green beans, tomato, cauliflower salad with lots of fresh herbs
Main course: Oven roasted pork ribs with fingerling potatoes

SATURDAY

Lunch- OUT

Goûter - Pear-blueberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Authentic Greek salad
Main course: Whole grilled branzino, Moroccan style

SUNDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Cucumber in creamy dill sauce
Main course: Smoked salmon, avocado, mascarpone tartine with poached egg

Goûter - Sumo tangerine

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Broccoli spinach soup
Main course: Tofu & coconut rice

Pablo's weekly menu... & a crisp pea salad

2013-03-03T22:58:00.000-08:00

I think I'm getting into a groove here, posting a simple salad or soup recipe with the menu on Sunday or Monday, and another recipe mid-week, Wednesday or Thursday. How does that sound to you, my good readers? (So thankful for you, by the way). I have a very bad tendency to overextend myself and spread myself too thin, but I'm slowly improving on that front (I think.) So this should be a reasonable compromise for the time being...

Scroll down for the week's menu, we had some changes of plans last week, so you will find some of the dishes I didn't get to try last week. My mom visited the fair city of Seattle and brought back several dozens oysters and clams and a gorgeous fresh Pacific lobster tail. We savored it simply grilled and topped with crème fraîche and fleur de sel... What a feast! The excitement was such I didn't even think of photographing it! I never want to eat frozen lobster again...

By the way, I wanted to invite you to follow me on Pinterest if you're not already, where I pin recipes I have tried and loved, or want to try, in case you're looking for extra inspiration!

Speaking of inspiration...

A piece of spring

Pierced me with love for this empty place

Where a prairie creek runs

Under its cover of clear ice

And the sound it makes,

Mysterious as a heartbeat,

New as a lamb.

(Excerpt of "In the Late Season", by Tom Hennen)

I know it's only March 3rd, but I'm feeling the breath of spring... And a bite of the lovely pea, herb & spring onion salad I'm sharing today, made it even more palpable.

Spring is far from the words above in Southern California... No covers of clear ice here. But that ice breaking to release a rushing creek is a perfect metaphor for the season of renewal. There's just something in the air right now.

The other day, I noticed our jasmine bush was full of buds, soon to invade the air with its intoxicating scent. And as I looked up, our resident mockingbird was sitting on the line. Not calling for love at all hours of the night quite yet. But thinking about it.

T'is the season of anticipation.

May this crisp salad ease you into it...

UDPATE: Turns out what I used above wasn't spring onions, but green (or spring) garlic! They do look strangely similar! And you could make it with green garlic as I did (unwittingly), but it has a serious kick! Meanwhile, can't wait to find real spring onions here (like scallions, but with more of a rounded bulb). May just have to grow them myself! And since green garlic season is in full swing, am currently working on some recipes to share soon :-)

Pea, herb & spring onion salad

Adapted from Petit Larousse des Recettes aux Légumes du Potager by Valérie Lhomme

Serves 3-4

Prep time: 10 mn

Cook time: 3 mn

Age for babies: 8-10 months, omitting the dressing. Peas are a great first finger food. If used as finger food, only give the peas, as the spring onions & herbs would be too hard to chew. You could also finely mix peas/chives together with a drizzle of olive oil as a cold puree.

3 cups frozen peas (fresh peas are hard to come by here, if you can find them, all the better, use about 2 pounds unshelled)

1 handful of chives

5 sprigs of Italian parsley

3 spring onions (or scallions)*

1 handful of micro broccoli (or microgreens of choice) (optional)

*Note: Spring onions definitely have a kick to them, you can make them milder and more tender by soaking them (once chopped) in cold water for 1 hour (up to 24 hours in the fridge). Otherwise, go for scallions, shallots, or omit entirely.

Dressing:

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

Drizzle of honey (optional)

Salt & pepper

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Put the frozen peas in and let cook 3-4 minutes (from the time you put them in, not when it starts boiling again.)

(If you're using fresh peas, cook them 4-5 minutes).

Drain them and pour them in a large bowl of cold water and ice cubes.

Wash the herbs and microgreens. Chop the chives and parsley with scissors. Cut off the dark green ends of the spring onions, keeping only the bulb and light green stem. Wash and chop the onions (*see note above on soaking).

Prepare the dressing by combining all the ingredients.

Drain the peas, mix with onions and herbs.

Just before serving, add in dressing and mix well.

Onto the week's menu... Wishing you a crisp, flavorful week.

Cheeses of the week: Following French tradition, I always offer a little bit of cheese at the end of every meal, between the main course and dessert. Rotation this week: Goat gouda, Comté (type of Swiss), Enoteki (sheep's milk).

MONDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Pea, herb & spring onion salad above!
Main course: Smoked salmon, dill, endive tartine

Goûter (4pm snack) – Homemade chocolate pudding*

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Oysters on the half shell
Main course: Roasted chicken thighs with clementines from Sassy Radish (we didn't get to make it last week, had lobster brought back from Seattle instead!) + leftover sunchoke gratin dauphinois*

TUESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Avocado
Main course: Trying this leek feta lemon quiche from London Bakes

Goûter - Apple compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Turnip and turnip greens velouté*
Main course: Lamb chops, creamy carrots & rosemary baked in a parcel

WEDNESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Authentic Greek salad
Main course: Duck breasts with braised pink radishes*

Goûter – Homemade chocolate pudding*

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Cauliflower, green beans salad
Main course: Dover sole filets with micro broccoli puree

THURSDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Cucumber Feta rolls from Good Life Eats
Main course: Ham, quinoa

Goûter - Banana

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Tomato, heart of palm, purple potato salad
Main course: Mushrooms stuffed with cream of sardines

FRIDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: White asparagus in creamy tarragon sauce
Main course: Tuna steak baked in parcel with avocado and cilantro*

Goûter - Pear-blueberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Artichoke soup, a recipe I found here
Main course: Pan fried skirt steak, & the Swiss chards with blood orange dressing from Vanilla Bean

SATURDAY

Lunch- OUT

Goûter - Kiwi

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Leftover artichoke soup
Main course: Shrimp & lime over coconut rice

SUNDAY

Lunch - OUT

Goûter - Tangerine

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Butternut leek soup
Main course: Oven roasted pork ribs, fingerling potatoes

Leek & chive flan... & searching for life's poetry

2013-02-28T17:28:00.002-08:00

A few years ago, I read Eat, pray, love, and was struck by a Balinese story/tradition she describes in the book (and I am paraphrasing from memory here): that each one of us is born with four invisible “brothers” to help us and guide us throughout our life and whom we need in order to be happy. In any difficult situation, you can call upon any of these four brothers for help. They are intelligence, friendship, strength and poetry.

Children are taught this from an early age, and it’s such an immense gift, these four essential and amazing resources to get through life’s trials. A toolbox for the soul.

So, I must admit I have a favorite brother... I have a real soft spot in my heart for poetry. How does one practice, or experience, poetry in one’s life? It’s not about reading Baudelaire cover to cover (as lovely as that may be). It goes further than that.

I know when I find something, a moment, a blog, an image, a smell even, poetic, but it’s quite difficult to describe or define why. I guess it’s something I find beauty in, but a grounded, real sort of beauty, with a touch of lightheartedness. Poetry is soft to me, it’s gentle. It’s warm, like one of Pablo’s hugs or a kiss in the neck. It’s light, like a child running after a feather. It’s moving, like a grandfather and grandson holding hands. It’s embedded in the preciousness of the present moment. It’s the kind of joy you experience with your eyes closed and a smile on your face.

A giant breath of poetry came into my life when I had my son. And another nice warm breeze of it, when I started this blog. I wanted to open up my mind's eye to the poetry around me, so I could share it with my son and here. It felt like I started practicing and experiencing poetry on a daily basis. Because children and food are poetic to me. I realize that’s what I’ve been writing about here – or trying to. In our busy lives, the kitchen and the table are places where we can find, and share, poetry. The body feeds on food, the soul feeds on poetry, and cooking, savoring, enjoying good food can provide both.

When I discovered the world of food blogs less than a year ago, I fell in love with the blog Cannelle et Vanille. The crisp beautiful images, the gentle, evocative writing, the very nature of her posts struck me as so poetic. So enriching. I was just in awe (and still am) of the beauty Aran Goyoaga creates and shares there.

And her recipes are not only my favorite kind of recipes (especially the savory ones), but they have been flawless so far, and I’ve tried many of them and have learned a lot thanks to her blog. So I was very thrilled to receive her book, Small Plates & Sweet Treats, as a Christmas gift, and have found so much inspiration there. Today, I’d like to share my very simple rendition of her amazing leek and chive flan recipe.

I blogged about a chive and parsley custard, and an artichoke custard, and have been a big fan of vegetable custards recently. They are so light and delicious. They are awesome for entertaining and never fail to impress. And they are just great for children. For moms out there trying to introduce new vegetables or herbs, this is an awesome way to do it. Pablo always enjoys having his own little cup.

I have to say this particular flan/custard is my favorite so far. The combination of flavors is just perfect. We served it as our vegetable first course along with watermelon radish, which we eat French-style, sliced with butter, salt & pepper on it.

Do you find poetry to be essential in your life? Where are you able to find it?

Leek & chive flan

Taken pretty much word for word from Small Plate & Sweet Treats by Aran Goyoaga

Serves 4-5, depending on size of ramekins

Prep time: 20 mn

Cook time: 25 mn

Age for babies: 10-12 months because of the eggs.

2 tbsp olive oil

2 medium leeks, white and light green part only

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup chicken stock

1 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 oz fresh goat cheese

3 eggs

2 tbsp of chopped chives

Preheat the oven at 325°F.

Cut off the dark green ends of the leeks. With a knife, make a lengthwise incision and wash leeks well under running water. Then chop.

In a medium sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and 1/4 tsp of salt. Cook over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, until the leeks are soft but not brown. Add the chicken stock and cook another 5 minutes.

Transfer the leeks/broth to a blender. Add the coconut milk and goat cheese and puree.

Strain the mixture through a sieve into a mixing bowl, using a rubber spatula (this is really necessary as leeks tend to be stringy).

Whisk the eggs together and pour into the leek mixture, add the chives, 1/4 tsp salt and whisk together.

Pour the custard base into ramekins or oven-safe cups.

(Note: I used cups with different heights, which affected how long they needed to cook. I would stick to fairly low ramekins so the cooking is even. If you use deeper cups, make sure to test doneness all the way to the bottom, as the top may be set but not the middle... Guess how I found this out ;-))

Place the ramekins in a baking dish and pour about 1 inch of hot water in the baking dish (for us, that was about 1/3 the way up the ramekins).

Bake for 20-25 minutes, until it's set. (Check with a knife or toothpick, it should come out clean.)

Let cool, and serve lukewarm or room temperature. Aran suggests serving it with smoked salmon and a Greek yogurt garnish (will have to try that next time.) We served it accompanied by watermelon radish.

Pablo's menu this week... & a couple slices of his life

2013-02-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

It's Friday morning. It's 8 am, but the ankle-biter (more like knee-biter now) has been busy already. Busy cuddling, reading, running around, puppet playing, resisting diaper change, resisting sitting down for breakfast, watching the neighbors come and go... Busy little man he is.

But none of that matches the excitement of the hour: the CSA delivery.

The box of fresh fruits and vegetables is here, sitting in our kitchen, unopened, hiding treasures of potential scrumptiousness. And I smile, because Pablo knows this. He's so excited, he opens the box, takes every piece of vegetable and fruit out, examining it, smelling it. Might as well be Christmas morning. We grab an orange from the loot, and breakfast has just become a lot more fun.

"A table!" It's dinner time and Pablo is engrossed in his favorite firetruck puzzle. He repeats, "A table!" (Dinner's ready!). It's pretty darn cute. But he's 22 months after all, and transitions are... well, sometimes challenging. "Why would I stop doing puzzles to go have dinner? Beats me", thinks Pablo.

And Pablo protests vehemently. He skirts the issue, wanders around the house, stalls. Writes mental notes of our reaction to his resistance. "Note to self. Button pushed here. Fascinating", thinks Pablo. My MO is to stay nonchalant, patient. Up to a point, that is. "It's dinner time. Now", thinks maman. With much trial and error, I'm getting pretty good at dealing with power struggles and refusals, tantrums and outbursts (thanks in great part to the awesome wisdom of Janet Lansbury, btw), and I'm not afraid of a crying toddler, I can handle it calmly. But well, it's dinner time, and I'm French, after all, dinner time is sacred, I don't want to stress out, this is the time to unwind, connect, sit down, relax.

So... as Pablo's getting upset, giving me a lot of "Non! Non!", I peak in the kitchen and notice the roasted chicken (from this awesome recipe) my mother so kindly cooked and wrapped in foil so it would stay warm. "Look, the chicken is hidden over there, shall we take a peek?" "How exciting", he thinks. The toddler is interested, rises to the bait. So we go play peekaboo with the roasted chicken while very much anticipating eating a leg with our hands. He sits down in his chair like a charm, and we proceed to enjoy our dinner. Sigh.

You get my meaning here: the enjoyment of food isn't just about meals & nutrition.

I wanted to share this thin slice of our life, as I found recently that engaging Pablo with the food, the meal and its preparation, experiencing it, talking about it, getting excited about it, was a great way to deal with potential resistance, or impatience / antsiness at the table...

Sometimes, you just have to stop and smell... the chicken.

Or fennel, as the case may be.

Enough slices, let's get to the meat of it. Moving on to our week's menu, which I apologize for posting a bit late this week.

Wishing you a week full of tasty treats.

Cheeses of the week: Following French tradition, I always offer a little bit of cheese at the end of every meal, between the main course and dessert. Rotation this week: Goat brie, Comté (type of Swiss), Danish blue.

MONDAY

Lunch - OUT

Goûter (4pm snack) – Apple-blueberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Spinach broccoli soup
Main course: Bison patty, vegetable noodles

TUESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Cucumber in dill yogurt dressing
Main course: Cold roasted chicken, dino kale mash

Goûter - Apple compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Dandelion greens, bacon, comté salad with mustard vinaigrette
Main course: Pan-fried veal liver, sweet potato puree

WEDNESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Green lentil shallot salad
Main course: Mixed crab crudités salad

Goûter – Kiwi

Dinner - OUT TO DINNER (yay)

THURSDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Cold pea & chive salad
Main course: Trying this leek feta lemon quiche from London Bakes

Goûter - Homemade chocolate pudding*

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Avocado fennel grapefruit velouté*
Main course: Poached salmon & edamame in coconut broth*

FRIDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Grated carrots French-style
Main course: Mushroom caps stuffed with cream of sardine

Goûter - Banana

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Trying this beautiful beet soup from Mowielicious
Main course: Duck parmentier (we had leftover duck stew which we pureed together with potato, and froze)

SATURDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Cucumber Feta rolls from Good Life Eats
Main course: Sautéed shrimp with lime and coconut rice*

Goûter - Mango compote

Dinner (simple tonight, maman's going out!)
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Cauliflower, green beans salad
Main course: Ham & quinoa

SUNDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Authentic Greek salad
Main course: Smoked salmon dill avocado tartine

Goûter - Tangerine

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Artichoke soup, a recipe I found here
Main course: Roasted chicken thighs with clementines from Sassy Radish, with sunchoke gratin dauphinois*

Cod & Brussels sprouts in garlic cream... & planting seeds for the pleasure of eating well

2013-02-20T15:30:00.001-08:00

I was talking to the mom of a 12-month-old boy the other day, and as we were casually chatting about germs and toddlers putting everything in their mouth, I mentioned that the old French remedy pediatricians would give to moms 50 years ago in France, was to feed their babies blue cheese, Roquefort and the like, to boost their immune system and help them with digestion. (I have certainly followed that advice, and gave Pablo blue cheese fairly early on, probably around 10 months. Pablo loved its strong flavor.) She was very surprised at the idea, so I marvelled at how children have such open minds about flavors and textures at that age, and you can get them to try a wide variety of foods.

She responded something like, “Yeah, and then at 4 years old it’s all over, they don’t want to eat anything anymore.”

This isn’t the first time I encounter this sort of attitude, and have heard the same type of comment from moms of grown-ups, “Yeah sure, you’re happy your kid is eating vegetables etc, but it’s not going to last, you’ll see.”

I dare say this attitude bugs me to no end. I guess it does because the subtext I’m hearing is, “Just give up on it now, it’s no use offering your kid a wide variety of foods because he may reject it all down the road."

And my answer would be: isn’t it worth it to offer babies and children good real foods, even if they taste it and enjoy it just once? Even supposing (and I don’t even believe that supposition to be valid) that tomorrow, Pablo starts rejecting every single vegetable or food he eats now, he has been eating good, real, flavorful and balanced foods for the past 18 months, and those 18 months are completely worthwhile. It’s not lost or wasted. The enjoyment, the positive food experience, the introduction of colors, textures, flavors, scents, all that is in his brain somewhere, it’s a seed that is planted and will somehow grow and takes its course.

It would be almost like saying there’s no point in playing with your infant or showing him things because later on, he may be completely disinterested in these same things and not even remember them.

A few months ago, I blogged about my friends at Gopher Springs Farm, and their desire to grow quality sustainable foods from the soil up, making the best possible compost to get the richest possible soil to plant seeds in and let them grow, their roots strong, fulfilled.

It’s kind of the same thing here. We know in child development the first three years are so crucial in every aspect, how we relate to our babies, how they learn, how the type of attachment we create during that time will define them in many ways. And I believe this applies to food and the education of taste. Those first couple of years of life, exposing them to a wide variety of real foods, getting them engaged, interested in the eating experience in all its sensory glory, showing them the excitement of trying something new, nurturing their open-mindedness about flavor and textures, sharing meals with them as an opportunity to be in the moment and focused on the pleasure of eating and doing so in each other’s company... All these things make up this rich soil, this crucial foundation in their mind and their body. It’s planting the seeds of a life of balanced, enjoyable eating. It's never too late to start the education of taste, it can be done at 1 or 6 or 50, but if you have the opportunity to start early, why not do it?

I don’t even think it is true that all children start to reject all “good” foods at 3 or 4 or 12. That is definitely not the case for most French children (including myself), who are expected to eat “everything” – and they do, mostly (Karen Le Billon explains this in detail in her aptly named French Kids Eat Everything.)

Yes, neophobia (the fear of new foods, an interesting scientific study on it here) can be common among toddlers, but it usually dissipates by age four. A couple of thoughts on that:

1/ If a child does have this fear of new foods, this is the time for a parent to hang in there and keep offering and gently challenging the child to eat good balanced foods, finding fun playful ways to do it, and certainly not the time to throw in the towel and just give in to the pasta/cheerio diet.

2/ If you expose your infant/young toddler to a wide variety of foods and vegetables on a regular basis before age 2, these foods won’t be new to them and not so scary.

I also suspect one of the biggest culprits for toddlers and young children not eating well is the snacking on demand throughout the day... I was asked recently how come Pablo eats so well during meals, and part of the reason is that when he comes to the table, he’s hungry. His body knows he’s not going to be snacking 1 or 2 hours later, so he eats well. And he enjoys the meal all the more.

Should Pablo go through a more resistant phase, where he doesn’t embrace all foods as enthusiastically as he does now, I will consider it exactly as that: a phase. I will certainly not label him as “resistant” and give up on his education of taste altogether. I will keep challenging him and offering him new foods, good foods, keep engaging him. Because the seeds we plant when they’re infants and toddlers, need to be nurtured so they may grow strong. We don’t just give up on them at the first sign of resistance. The education of taste is an ongoing, lifelong process.

I guess the other aspect of this “what’s the use?” attitude that bugs me, is that it feels like putting the blame on the child. "The child is resistant." "The child won’t eat vegetables." "The child refuses." I don’t think that’s fair. I believe in the old saying, “There is no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher.” It’s up to us as parents to keep offering, to model balanced eating habits, to make it possible for our children to keep experiencing the pleasure and fulfillment that sharing a good meal of real foods, give their body and soul.

All right, all done rambling on. The recipe I'm sharing here is one of those "Really!? You're feeding that to your kid?" recipes... Yes. Fish with Brussels sprouts and garlic cream, cooked in a parcel... Do not shiver, just try it. If you have never liked Brussels sprouts, this dish might make you a convert.

Cooking them this way takes away the bitterness, and those caraway seeds you might have had sitting on your spice rack for years (as was my case) will find their true calling here (they go well with all types of cabbages). As for the garlic cream, it makes the whole thing simply scrumptious.

I talked about the benefits of cooking in parcels before. It is very playful for kids, Pablo is always excited to be getting a cadeau (present) for dinner, the excitement when you unwrap it, the fun of pouring the sauce over it, of having your own little mystery package. You couldn't sugarcoat it any better than that... (sans sugar, that is).

Parcels of black cod & Brussels sprouts in garlic cream

Adapted from Petit Larousse des Recettes aux Légumes du Potager by Valérie Lhomme

Serves 4

Age for babies: 8-10 months, if necessary, mix it into a puree (you could mix the cod/Brussels sprouts and a head of baked garlic adding formula milk to desired consistency)

Prep time: 20 mn

Cook time: 35 mn

1 lb Brussels sprouts

5 garlic cloves

1 1/4 cup heavy cream

1 lb black cod

4 thin slices of pancetta

4 pinches of caraway seeds

Salt & pepper

Preheat the oven at 350°F.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Grossly quarter the Brussels sprouts and wash them. Plunge them in the boiling water for two minutes, drain them and cool them off under cold running water. Set them aside on a kitchen towel.

Wrap the garlic cloves (unpeeled) in parchment paper and bake them for 15 minutes.

Remove the skin and mash them with a fork. Combine with the heavy cream in a small saucepan and set aside.

Cut the cod into four pieces, and cut 4 squares of parchment papers.

On each square of paper, place a bed of Brussels sprouts, a piece of black cod and a slice of pancetta on top. Sprinkle with pepper and some caraway seeds.

Wrap the parcels hermetically, tying each end with kitchen string. (Note: you can make these ahead of time and keep them in the fridge until ready to bake)

Place the four parcels directly on the bottom of the oven and bake 10-12 minutes.

Place the saucepan with the garlic and cream over low heat. Add a sprinkle of salt and some pepper. Bring to a low simmer.

Place each parcel on a plate, open it and pour the cream of garlic over the fish.

Pablo's weekly menu, & a pastel Romanesco salad

2013-02-17T23:20:00.000-08:00

With much excitement (because we get excited about such things...), our CSA basket brought us a couple of heads of Romanesco broccoli last week. This Madonna-reminiscent bright green vegetable is somewhere between broccoli and cauliflower, with a very subtle flavor and pleasant texture, soft and crunchy at the same time.

Its vivid beauty inspired me to improvise something colorful and fresh for lunch, in the way of this salad, which I am sharing with you today, along with the week's menu (scroll down below the recipe for it.)

Wishing you a wonderful, fragrant week.

Romanesco purple potato smoked salmon salad

Serves 4

Age for babies: 8-10 months (Romanesco florets make a great finger food)

Prep time: 15 min

Cook time: 25 min

1 head of Romanesco broccoli, florets separated and washed

4-5 purple potatoes

4 slices of smoked salmon

Fresh dill

Half a lemon

Dressing:

1 shallot, finely minced

A few sprigs of fresh dill

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

5 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp hazelnut oil

1 tsp mustard

Salt & pepper

Place whole blue potatoes in a pot of cold salted water. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and cook until tender, about 15 minutes depending on their size.

Bring another large pot of water to a boil.

Meanwhile, separate the Romanesco florets and wash them.

Cook the Romanesco florets in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Let potatoes and Romanesco cool down to lukewarm.

Combine all the ingredients of the dressing.

Peel potatoes and slice. Place potatoes and florets in a bowl, sprinkle with fresh dill, pour dressing and mix well (but gently).

Serve in salad plates or bowl, adding small pieces of smoked salmon on top, and some more dill if desired. Drizzle lightly with lemon.

On to the week's menu now...

Desserts: At lunch, I offer a fruit yogurt (or plain yogurt with fresh fruit), but at night, I prefer sticking to plain yogurt (regular homemade* whole milk, sheep’s milk, goat's milk and Greek yogurt for extra protein) to avoid too much sugar before bedtime.

For afternoon snack, lately, Pablo has been enjoying the traditional French Petit Beurre along with his compote.

If you would like a particular recipe on the menu, feel free to contact me! (I marked with a * the recipes that will be the topic of upcoming posts).

MONDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Watermelon radish, olives
Main course: Mixed hard boiled egg, tuna, tomato, potato salad with lots of herbs

Goûter (4pm snack) – Leftover pear almond clafoutis from the weekend, great recipe from Taste Food

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Celeriac Japanese yam fennel soup from Cannelle & Vanille
Main course: Crock pot duck and wild mushroom stew, sunchokes gratin

TUESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Leek & chive flan*
Main course: Sautéed shrimp with lime and coconut rice*

Goûter - Kiwi

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Garlic soup*
Main course: Endives & ham au gratin with quinoa béchamel

WEDNESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Lentil shallot salad
Main course: Roast beef, peas

Goûter – Apple compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Smoked salmon green beans rolls
Main course: Cauliflower stuffed bell peppers from Food Loves Writing

THURSDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Lentil shallot salad (leftover)
Main course: Turkey breast in creamy sauce with snap peas and chanterelles*

Goûter - Pear blueberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Fennel, shallot potato soup
Main course: Slow cooker lamb tagine*

FRIDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Leeks with vinaigrette
Main course: Hard boiled egg, leftover couscous from tagine

Goûter - Banana

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Creamy cucumber in yogurt dill dressing
Main course: Sea scallops (trying the recipe from Inspiring the everyday), potato chards puree

SATURDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Grated carrots French-style
Main course: Sardines & quinoa

Goûter - Apple-blueberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Authentic Greek salad
Main course: Roasted chicken with rosemary grapefruit sauce from Vanilla Bean

SUNDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Artichokes with vinaigrette
Main course: Bison patty, vegetable noodles

Goûter - Tangerine

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Spinach broccoli soup*
Main course: Pork tenderloin with country mustard sauce, vegetable jardinière

Smoked salmon green bean rolls, & the generosity in cooking

2013-02-14T14:50:00.000-08:00

As a child, I learned about generosity through food. My mother would cook simple things most days, but when we had company, when friends came over for dinner, the meal in itself became a special occasion.

Growing up raised by a single working mother, with always a bit of envy for other children who had large families (while they may have longed for the solitude I enjoyed... because the grass is always greener on the other side...), I placed tremendous value on having friends over for dinner. If I didn’t have a large family of my own, I was determined to build one, a chosen family. Nurturing, literally feeding those friendships was of crucial importance to me.

And what better way to show gratitude and love, than a good meal?

Not just a good meal, but the thought and effort that go into it. The true gift, is the thoughtfulness of it.

I grew up learning that cooking a meal was a way to love, and something to be loved for.

A way to say thank you. For being in my life. For loving me.

I never ever take that for granted. It is too precious.

And how beautiful it is, to give a moment of pleasure to those we love.

A scrumptious bite. A subtle flavor. A burst of sweet.

Preparing a meal for someone, is giving a bit of oneself.

It is an act of love, of friendship. It’s a hand extended out. Open arms. And a plate.

To this day, shared meals remain the cradle of our friendships. A way to cherish my loved ones. To put my cooking where my heart is, if you will.

And I am thrilled Pablo is bathed in this. The kitchen, the dinner table are such rewarding places to learn what generosity means. What loving and sharing mean. They are what makes us feel full in life (pun intended). It goes so much further than sharing a toy at the playground, doesn’t it? And what a thrilling, rich feeling it can give us, this gift of self, this gift of good food.

So... since today is a celebration of love, like every day, I will cook for my loved ones, so we may share a meal, yet another precious moment of togetherness.

And for you... I have a simple, yet flavorful bouquet of sorts...

This easy recipe makes for a festive appetizer, and a fun finger foods for kids of all ages (Dipping is so fun it makes the food taste better in and of itself!) It's a nice mix of textures and colors. You could even make them the night before and have a couple for lunch on the go.

Smoked salmon & green beans rolls, with a grapefruit dipping sauce

Adapted from Petit Larousse des Recettes des Légumes du Potager, by Valérie Lhomme

Serves 4

Prep time - 20 mn

Cook time - 5 mn

Age for babies - 10-12 months with very little dressing, baby can pull the roll apart and munch on the ingredients.

1/2 lb fresh green beans (the smaller haricots verts if you can find them)

8 small slices of smoked salmon or lox

A handful of sunflower sprouts (can be radish sprouts, or other sprouts of choice)

4 circles of rice paper / spring roll wrappers*

(*Note: You could use scissors before softening the rice paper to make squares instead of circles, which might make the rolls easier to roll and the end result more even and prettier to look at. Didn't occur to me to do that until just now, so I winged it with the half circles)

Dressing:

Juice of half a grapefruit

Juice of half a lemon

5 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground ginger

1 drizzle of honey

Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut the ends of the green beans, and plunge them in the boiling water for 5 minutes.

Drain them and pour ice cold water over them right away to stop the cooking. Set aside.

To soften the rice paper: Place one circle of rice paper over a damp towel or cloth, place another damp cloth over it, place the 2nd circle of rice paper on top, and another damp cloth on top, and so on with the 4 circles. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, until soft.

Cut the rice paper circles into half circles.

Place one half circle, round side up. Place one slice of smoked salmon along the edge. Place a few green beans (cut them in half if they are too long), and a few sunflower sprouts on top.

Then from the side, roll the rice paper wrapping the beans, like a spring roll. If you want very even ends, you can cut them off. Or crumple up the rice paper on one end like a little bouquet.

Repeat with all 8 rolls. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the dressing, combine all ingredients in the blender and mix to obtain a very smooth dipping sauce (it will be thin - if you have leftover, this also makes a great salad dressing for greens like mâche, baby spinach or watercress).

A Japanese salad... and the ability to see beauty

2013-02-07T22:44:00.001-08:00

I always knew it would be a priority to initiate my son to the pleasures of the palate, that his “education of taste”, as we call it in French (éducation du goût), was something dear to my heart. For many reasons. Because we just love good food so much. Because it’s the way I was raised. Because it’s good for his health. Because it’s a big part of his French culture.

As I started on this journey and writing this blog, I realized that it went beyond that. Food and everything about it (cooking it, growing it, shopping for it, eating it, learning from it, approaching it from the five senses, among many other things) have become a golden learning opportunity. For me and for him. I have talked about how food can be a bias to practice patience and anticipation. And learning to be in the moment. And appreciating the process. And experiencing human connection, friendship.

It’s also a way to experience beauty.

Our society tends to have a very limited, narrow-minded vision of what beauty is nowadays. Yet, here’s what Merriam-Webster has to say about it:

beauty - the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirit

Beauty is in the soul and mind, the wide-open mind, of the beholder.

In this sense, young children know how to see beauty, almost everywhere. Their mind is completely open to things of amazement and interest, unspoiled by expectations, preconceived notions, prejudice, judgment. To Pablo, a garbage truck is a thing of beauty. Or a worker painting a window. Or ducks and squirrels. Or the ocean. The snow. A guitar. A voice.

Or an artichoke, a carrot, a gratin hot out of the oven. A colorful salad.

Knowing how to see beauty around us, sometimes having to pry our grown-up minds open to do so, our senses on alert, fully connected to our world body and mind: now there’s something worth living for.

And very dear to me is the desire to preserve and nurture my son’s open mind, share with him how rich life is when we can see beauty. When we see it a lot, every day, particularly in the little things. That’s where it’s the juiciest and most delicate. In the little things.

We expect children to get excited about garbage trucks and ducks on a pond. Grown-ups, myself included, tend to pump them up about such things, anticipating their thrill.

And perhaps the best tip to parents out there wanting their children to enjoy eating well, the best “education of taste” tip I have, is to apply that same excitement to food. I get excited about food because it is a thing of beauty. And that excitement is contagious. And I am happy to report that after 21 months of lots of food-related excitement, Pablo gets it.

The definition above could very well be the definition of good cuisine. Eating and sharing a delicious food is experiencing beauty with body and mind.

Food is a rich way to experience beauty from a very young age. With all five senses.

See the beauty of an endive, for example. Oblong and smooth, pale nuances of green and yellow. Its smell fresh, almost like rain. When you squeeze it, you hear it crack a little. After you feel it crunchy on your teeth, you taste its light bitterness.

Yes, an endive is a thing of beauty.

(This, by the way, is an “exercise” of sorts I like to do with Pablo and will be doing a lot more.)

Now. Let's travel together.

I have been in love with Japanese cuisine and culture for many years. I was lucky enough to visit Japan a few years ago, and realized how kindred in spirit the French and Japanese are, particularly in regards to food. Great care is devoted not only to the flavors of the foods (and how to combine them artfully and deliciously), but also presentation, color and texture.

Subtlety – or the ability to see the value in the little things – is embraced. The sushi chef, like a painter adding touches of paint and brushstrokes of color to his work, adds a pinch of special sea salt on a scallop, a leaf of shiso, a dash of pickled plum, a few seeds of sesame over rice that is in itself a work of art, just the right texture, just the right temperature. Those things make a difference. Their sum is the experience of beauty at every bite.

I am no expert at Japanese cuisine. I know I love it. (I have learned so much about it thanks to the wonderful Nami at Just One Cookbook, I highly recommend her easy and delightful recipes.)

So I just improvised this ridiculously simple Japanese salad just combining different ingredients I like. It’s a nice little “visit to Japan” the time of a meal, so if you get a chance to stop by a Japanese grocery store in your area and pick up some of these ingredients, give it a try (if you are unfamiliar with raw seafood, this is definitely a salad for the fearless and open-minded!)

A lot of Occidentals have issues with the textures of raw fish and seafood, but toddlers can be very open-minded on this front as well. Pablo adores raw oysters, fish, clam, urchin and salmon roe. Perhaps your child, or yourself, will see the beauty of it too?

Japanese tofu seaweed salad

Makes 2 servings

Age for babies: I started giving raw seafood (once in a while) to Pablo past 12 months. Check with your pediatrican. You can of course make a vegetarian version of this salad, skipping the seafood.

Prep time: 15 mn

Note: All quantities are really up to you and can be adjusted to your taste.

Half a package of soft tofu

1 cup seaweed salad

4 tbsp salmon roe (ikura)

Sea urchin

Yamaimo root (optional)

2 shiso leaves

Sesame seeds

1/4 cup soy sauce (or Ajipon sauce if you can find it)
Juice of one lemon (omit the lemon if you have Ajipon)

Assorted pickled vegetables - eggplant, daikon radish, plum.

Cut up the tofu in bite-size pieces. Dispose in each plate or bowl. Drizzle half the Ajipon over it (or the soy sauce and lemon whisked together).

If you are using yamaimo: cut a thick slice. Peel it quickly and run it under cold water, chop finely and as quickly as possible so it doesn't get too slimy. (Yes, I know, it sounds gross, but it adds a nice crunch to this salad. For more information on yamaimo, go here. Some people with sensitive skin get itchy after manipulating yamaimo, so if you are, you might want to wear gloves to cut it up, or wash your hands well right after.)

Add the chopped yamaimo over the tofu (if you were hardcore enough to give it a try!), and the seaweed salad on top.

Chop the shiso leaves and sprinkle over the salad.

Spoon the salmon roe over the top of the seaweed salad, and finally a couple of pieces of sea urchin.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Drizzle the rest of the Ajipon and serve with some pickled vegetables on the side.

Pablo's menu this week

2013-02-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

I'll make it short and sweet, sharing this week's menu, and some images of what's cooking in our kitchen. We're certainly embracing the winter vegetables!

What dishes have you enjoyed most this winter so far?

Hoping our menu will spark some ideas, and wishing you another flavorful week.

Sunchokes, winter roots at the Farmer's Market, and a kabocha squash

Desserts: At lunch, I offer a fruit yogurt (or plain yogurt with fresh fruit), but at night, I prefer sticking to plain yogurt (regular homemade* whole milk, sheep’s milk, goat's milk and Greek yogurt for extra protein) to avoid too much sugar before bedtime.

For afternoon snack, lately, Pablo has been enjoying the traditional French Petit Beurre along with his compote.

If you would like a particular recipe on the menu, feel free to contact me! (I marked with a * the recipes that will be the topic of upcoming posts).

MONDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Cauliflower, blue potato, green beans salad
Main course: Tofu, baby bok choy puree

Goûter (4pm snack) – Crêpes!
(Feb 2 was Candlemas, traditionally French families make a meal of crêpes, savory and sweet, on that day).

Dinner

Appetizer / Finger Foods: Tomato mozzarella salad + Watermelon radish
Main course: Oven roasted mustard pork tenderloin, broccoli spinach puree

TUESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Romaine and apple salad in creamy yogurt vinaigrette
Main course: Beef patty, red quinoa

Goûter - Prune-pear compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Sunchoke celeriac soup*
Main course: Lamb chops, cannelloni beans

WEDNESDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Smoked salmon green beans rolls*
Main course: Haddock and Brussels sprouts with cream of garlic*

Goûter – Apple-blueberry compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Leftover sunchoke celeriac soup
Main course: Ham wrapped endives braised in quinoa béchamel

THURSDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Grated carrots French-style
Main course: Simple ratatouille, soft boiled egg

Goûter - Apple pear compote

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Lentil shallot salad
Main course: Pan-fried Dover sole fillets with microgreens puree

FRIDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Leftover lentil shallot salad
Main course: Cold chicken, peas

Goûter - Kiwi

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Baby spinach, pear and pomegranate salad
Main course: Stuffed kabocha squash*

SATURDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Grated carrots French-style (leftover)
Main course: Pan fried chicken livers over butter lettuce with raspberry vinaigrette

Goûter - Tangerine

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Authentic Greek salad
Main course: Crockpot veal osso bucco, spelt spaghetti

SUNDAY

Lunch
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Green asparagus with vinaigrette
Main course: Sardines, cauliflower florets

Goûter - Tangerine

Dinner
Appetizer / Finger Foods: Boiled leeks with vinaigrette
Main course: Oven roasted pork ribs, fingerling potatoes

French Foodie Baby

Strawberry rhubarb apple tart... & mindful eating

Strawberry rhubarb apple tart on basil spelt crust

An herbed chickpea feta salad, and Pablo's weekly menu

Chickpea, feta & cilantro salad

A personal tale of two mothers, & a stuffed lemon appetizer

Stuffed lemons

Radicchio à la mozzarella... & the open mind

Radicchio à la mozzarella

Coconut rosemary carrots, lamb chops... and a quiet day

Rosemary carrots in coconut milk baked in a parcel & lamb chops

A creamy mushroom tartine & an ode to eating outside (+ Pablo's menu too)

Mushroom comté prosciutto tartine

A birthday picnic menu, a lentil salad, & a short journey in the future

Lentil shallot salad

A savory cake... & "exuding trust"

Spinach, watercress, fennel cake

Spring's bounty & Pablo's weekly menu

A Post, and a recipe in the fight against Hunger...

Sardines two ways

Celeriac sunchoke soup (+ list of good soups) & Pablo's menu

Celeriac sunchoke soup with cilantro hazelnut pesto

Fruit compotes, Spring & embracing our struggles

Fruit compotes

Pablo's menu this week...

Spring lamb meatballs... & living life in the slow lane

Herbed lamb meatballs in coconut milk, with quinoa

Simple chocolate pudding... and the fight against junk food

Chocolate pudding (homemade "Danette")

Sunchoke gratin dauphinois... & a secret of good living

Sunchoke gratin dauphinois

Pablo's weekly menu... and a shrimp & lime recipe

Sautéed shrimp with lime & coconut rice

Pablo's weekly menu... & a crisp pea salad

Pea, herb & spring onion salad

Leek & chive flan... & searching for life's poetry

Leek & chive flan

Pablo's menu this week... & a couple slices of his life

Cod & Brussels sprouts in garlic cream... & planting seeds for the pleasure of eating well

Parcels of black cod & Brussels sprouts in garlic cream

Pablo's weekly menu, & a pastel Romanesco salad

Romanesco purple potato smoked salmon salad

Smoked salmon green bean rolls, & the generosity in cooking

Smoked salmon & green beans rolls, with a grapefruit dipping sauce

﻿

A Japanese salad... and the ability to see beauty

Japanese tofu seaweed salad

Pablo's menu this week