Chocolate Truffles

A classic for holiday giving, this recipe is one with a lot of opportunities for experimenting with flavors and toppings to make special creations. Have fun with things you have on hand! One batch yields about 20 truffles Ingredients: 8 oz baking chocolate (bittersweet, semi-sweet, milk, or even white chocolate works. Don’t use chocolate chips…

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Tarte au Citron (Lemon Curd Tart: no bake!)

Summer is still upon us, in the practical sense, so I though this no-bake Lemon Curd Tart was a fabulous way to eke out a bit more sunshine before we all head off leaf peepin’ here in a couple weeks. This is a staple I pick up multiple times on trips to France, and it’s…

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Homemade Vanilla Extract

This is one of the recipes that proves that ingredients can make all the difference. Using homemade vanilla extract is extremely cost effective compared to store bought vanilla extract (even the giant bottles from warehouse stores, which are, objectively, not awful), but more importantly, it’s an easy way to customize your baked goods with a…

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Easy Quiche Lorraine

French cooking is known for being fussy, but this recipe is an exception to that rule. Quick, simple, and elegant; if you enjoy eggs, this will quickly become a weeknight staple in your repertoire. I **highly** recommend making two in one go: one to eat, one to freeze and eat later! Or make two for…

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Galette aux Fruits

The galette is the more rustic answer to the fruit-based pie. While pies can be simple or intricate in their decoration, the galette is invariably a no-fuss affair, which I find makes it all the more elegant for its simplicity. Perfect for seasonal fruits, I couldn’t help but make mine with the famed Palisade Peaches…

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Laurent’s Clafoutis aux Fruits

Clafoutis is a great entry-level recipe for French baking. It’s elegant in its simplicity and is a great way to use up some extra fruit you might have that risks spoiling–which is the likely origin of the recipe. Have fun experimenting with this one and let me know what fruits and liqueurs work well for…

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Micheline’s Rose Petal Jam

This recipe is a special one. I have always thought there was something otherworldly about food made with flowers. Like somehow we’re trespassing in the domain of fairies or some such. This lovely rose jam is no exception, especially made with love as Micheline made hers for Laurent. Yields about 6-4oz. jars. Ingredients: 1.5 cups…

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Lisette’s Sablés (French Butter Cookies)

Intro Video: IMG_2828 These simple butter cookies are far more elegant than one might expect from such a simple recipe. The are called “sanded” cookies because the dough is shaped into a log, coated in egg wash, and  coated in sugar for a lovely “sandy” edge. I use vanilla sugar for an extra flavor boost,…

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Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

One of my signature recipes is dark chocolate cheesecake….it is the height of rich, decadent flavor. Though this recipe is neither French, nor from A Bakery in Paris, it’s probably the sweet treat I make the most often, at the request of my darling husband. When we were dating, I brought this very recipe to…

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