The Miracle of Mirepoix

I’m gonna teach you about something so elementary that it will seem almost silly.  Being in possession of this grand culinary secret will make you feel like a gourmet insider.  It may be what some of you need to leap from recipe slaves to recipe architects. Read more

Classic French Chicken Stock

The odds are high that people will make fun of you for making your own chicken stock.  “Don’t you know you can buy that at the store?” “ You really don’t have anything better to do?”  And so on.  Be confident. You’ll have the last laugh. Read more

Pan-Roasted Grouper with Provençal Vegetables

Adapted from The Best of Cooking Light

This is my favorite kind of recipe.  Elegant enough for a dinner party but simple enough for a weekday without skimping on nicely developed flavor.  It works equally with grouper, cod or halibut.  Snapper or salmon could be nice too. Read more

Boeuf Bourguignon

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, March 2001

This is the classic French stew.  So amazing and complex.   I actually just served this for a dinner party of 17.  It was perfect because I was able to do it a day ahead. Read more

Rustic French Meatloaf

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, April 2009

When I first made this meatloaf and caught my family’s reaction, I knew this would likely be the kind of dish the kids would ask me to make when they come home from college for the weekend.  I’m not a big meatloaf lover but we all went crazy for it.   Read more

Spaetzle

Adapted from The Betty Crocker Cookbook, 40^th Anniversary Edition

Spaetzle [shpet-sluh, -suhl] are wonderful, light, tiny dumplings that just love anything made with a gravy or sauce.  They couldn’t be easier to make (buying a boxed version of these is unthinkable).  Think about substituting spaetzle for noodles in a chicken or beef soup. Read more

Steak au Poivre

I spent a few years looking for a great recipe for Steak au Poivre.  It is my husband’s very favorite dish, and is sort of the quintessential man-food.  This dish is great as special weeknight fare because it is so easy, but is also sophisticated enough for a dinner party for up to eight (You can only cook 2 steaks at a time in a pan, so it would be very hard to scale beyond eight and still enjoy your guests). Read more