Provencial Tomato Tarte

This quick summer treat is so easy and elegant!  With just a few basic ingredients you'll be ready for a decadent brunch dish.  Or, it pair with a green salad for a refreshing dinner.  Its the perfect way to showcase your homegrown tomatoes, or the beautiful seasonal tomatoes on display at your local market.

Try a2 Milk®...and win a trip to Australia!

 In France, they say that you tell exactly where a cow is from, based on the flavor of its milk.  Depending on the climate and grazing pastures, each region's cows are influenced by the environment and give the milk its own variation on flavors.  I love that attention to the origin of foods, and the connection between the earth and our own bodies.

Lemon Poppy Seed Madeleines

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MeAndMyTea #CollectiveBias

As the weather gets chilly outside, there is nothing better than waking up in the morning and warming up the house with a warm oven and the smell of freshly baked French pastries!  These Lemon Poppy Seed Madelienes are simple, elegant, and the perfect snack with your favorite hot beverage.

French Onion Soup / Soupe a l'onion

 In France, French Onion Soup...or Soupe a l'Onion...is more than just a tasty, hearty soup or bistro appetizer.  It is the sign of a great party that lasts late into the night! 

Eggplant Parmesan Gratin

I love eggplant season!  The plump purple veggies are so versatile and with a tiny bit of effort the results can be amazing.  Sure, they're now available year-round, but there is something special about enjoying them during the late summer / early fall when its their time to shine.

This recipe for Eggplant Parmesan Gratin is a huge favorite in our house and presents beautifully.  Its a hybrid between an Italian Eggplant Parmesan and a French Gratin, and is a knock-out served with spaghetti.  Its a great way to make a simple spaghetti dinner into a dish to entertain with.

Country Quiche

Brunch is hands-down my absolute favorite meal.  Its the best of breakfast and a full meal, rolled into one relaxed gathering.  I love that it starts late in the morning, or sometimes into the afternoon, and I love that it is an opportunity for friends and family to start their days together and spend relaxed time enjoying each others company.

French Almond Yogurt Cake with Pears

It seems like every French home I've visited has some version of this quick, tasty recipe taped to the inside of a cupboard door.  This is a simple dessert that is perfect for making together with the kids because the measuring is so wonderfully simple.

This version is topped with fresh pears, which adds a luxurious flavor and appearance to the cake.

Cooking in a French Farmhouse with Mimi Thorisson

A Kitchen In France: A Year of Cooking in my Farmhouse is an adorable peek into French farmhouse life and homemade meals a la francaise.

French Financier Almond Pastries

These light, airy French Financier pastries are a delight.  Financiers are traditional French bite-sized cookies that have a texture reminiscent of sponge cake but with a hint of almond.  The name is said to come from the fact that they look like adorably delicious little bars of French pastry gold when they come out of the oven.

Financiers are the perfect afternoon tea snack, or really...the perfect anytime snack because they're so good!  I like to eat them on weekend mornings, dunked into a warm Cafe Latte.

Measure or Weigh - Which is Better?

The idea that one miss-scooped cup of flour will ruin a baking attempt is a scary one, and makes baking seem intimidating.  Why deal with all that risk when a boxed mix is a sure bet?

One way to ensure correct proportions, especially in a new recipe, is to use a kitchen scale.  Instead of measuring ingredients using cups and spoons, a kitchen scale gives accurate measurements in grams.  This helps alleviate the question of how firmly packed the brown sugar should be, or if the cups of flour are sifted or not.

My Paris Kitchen: Poulet a la Moutarde

This recipe is directly from My Paris Kitchen, a book by David Lebovitz that delves into his experiences as an American chef living and eating in Paris that I reviewed here. 

I've made today the recipe on the cover of the book, which, surprisingly could be done entirely with basic ingredients I already had in the kitchen. 

I will definitely be making this recipe again. My sweet neighbors, who happened to stop in for dinner, are still talking about how great it was!  

My Paris Kitchen

As I prepared my carry-on bag for the next day's flight to Paris, a delivery arrived on my doorstep.  I opened it, discovering My Paris Kitchen.  As I felt the slightly rough pages and flipped through its beautiful photos of grey skies and sophisticated skylines, I instantly felt like I'd already been transported back to France.  

Mushroom Quiche

Quiche is one of those quintessential French dishes that sounds intimidating, but in reality is so simaple to make.  

This recipe is for mushroom quiche - portabella mushrooms happened to be in abundance at the farmers market!  It's basically a twist on a more traditional Quiche Lorraine.

French Madeleines - Easy French Pastries!

Madeleines are the traditional french cookies that are finally making a big move to the US...much to my joy!  

Save yourself a trip to the boulangerie...or the line at Starbucks... and make these very simple, delicious Madeleines at home in minutes.  Really.  Minutes.