This recipe produces a classic iteration of the madeleine. The madeleines taste of buttery deliciousness and are moist bites that most children will adore. I love that this madeleine recipe is pretty forgiving and can […]
Tag: French
Why I absolutely love Les Amis
I grew up in Manhattan in the 1970s and early 1980s (the second half of that decade was sadly spent in Washington DC). Back then, for my family and for many our our peers, the […]
Pantry Basics: Chocolate Financiers
These rich and moist chocolate financiers are remarkably easy to prepare. They’re an adaptation of my favourite matcha financier recipe from TWG Tea’s executive pastry chef, Philippe Langlois. I’ve only created this version because my […]
Pantry Basics: Best Financiers Ever
TWG Tea‘s matcha financiers are by far my favourite–not because I’ve spent many years working with the brand, but because I adore both matcha and financiers, and have tasted innumerable iterations before returning to TWG […]
Pantry Basics: A great beurre blanc
It is often said that the foundation of French cuisine is its sauces. This is something that I’ve come to appreciate more as I’ve aged. With my own cooking, I once spent a lot of […]
Two simple Sea Urchin pasta recipes – Kimiko Barber & Eric Ripert
My wife and I recently hosted dinners on back to back Saturdays. Because we wanted to save some prep time–and because a lot of our ingredients could be made ahead and frozen or stored in […]
Creme de marrons
Chestnuts are one of my five-year old son’s favourite snacks. In Singapore, street vendors roast them in a covered urn or wok, filled with charcoal bits. You crack open the shell, and the flesh within is creamy, sweet, fragrant, and extremely addictive. My family goes through a 600g bag whenever the craving strikes. But recently, I have also developed an appreciation for the cooked and peeled chestnuts that come in foil packs, sold in convenience stores and supermarkets. With a few of those packets in hand, whipping up this crème de marrons is a piece of cake.
Galatee – A Divine Taste: a haute couture collection of wines in Hong Kong
Ms Galatée Faivre comes from a family of winemakers and merchants, and grew up among the vineyards in Southern France. She has been a chief wine maker, consultant and wine critics for the past 15 years in France on the most famous French wine regions, and her family has been making or selling wine since the 1830s.
P. Bistro: Great pastry and good, simple, real food at proper prices in Singapore
Far too often, new restaurants and cafes in Singapore disappoint me. Most often, I leave upset because I’ve been overcharged for mediocre food that may look okay but usually lacks flavour. I also leave perplexed because so many of these places are able to fill their seats, night after night, with (young) customers whose expectations must simply be lower than mine. So, I was thrilled recently to discover a new place (in my own neighbourhood no less) that offers simple, tasty, well-cooked dishes and pretty awesome pastry at sensible prices.
Know your limits – Dinner and conversation with Xavier Beaudiment at Chefs With Altitude
In The Five Obstructions, one of the strangest documentaries I’ve ever seen, the notorious filmmaker Lars von Trier challenges the equally controversial Jorgen Leth to remake his most famous short film, The Perfect Human, five times, each with a set of constraints of von Trier’s choosing. The stipulations – the film must be reshot in Cuba; it must be made into a cartoon; Leth himself must play the leading role – are patently ridiculous, as are the remakes, which manage to be even more avant garde than the original.