It’s been a heck of a week out here in the Hamptons with lots of dinner parties and fancy guests staying over at Big Bossman’s house. The abundance of fresh produce around me has been boosting my creativity but this dessert is one of the only thing i had the time to photograph in the midst of all the madness. The apricots, lemon verbena and blackberries were grown on the property and the ricotta used in the ice cream was homemade as well. It doesn’t get much more local than that.

I just wish i could have a quiet day to share the bounty with you but it hasn’t happened yet and it’s not happening anytime soon since my backup chef hasn’t reported to duty because of an injury. Don’t you worry for me though, i may be zen but i’m a warrior, which makes me a ninja.. err.. or something like that.

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When life gets hectic and stressful (and believe me, it does even for a zen chef), there are a few things that i found to be therapeutic and they include doing the dishes, baking and making pasta from scratch. Everything else related to cooking i classify under ‘work’. And there’s plenty of work these days starting with a party for 40 guests in the Hamptons in just a few days and plenty more fancy guests arriving in the following days. Think of it as a little Bed & Breakfast (..and lunch, and dinner) for the ultra rich. And if you want to know exactly how i’m preparing for it you should click here. It will take you to a post where i demonstrate my high levels of professionalism.

So what do i do when i get a day off? Well, i make pasta of course, because it relaxes me. On top of that i wash the dishes. Are you impressed yet or do you think i’m just plain weird?

Okay, err.. i guess i shouldn’t have asked.

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I wasn’t planning to post this recipe. Why? Well, because there’s no big mystery to it and you could probably figure it out just from looking at the pictures. Plus, i’m lazy. Okay, make that the main reason. Here’s the story, a layer of frangipane goes on top of crisp and buttery rounds of puff pastry, some perfectly ripe green figs are arranged on top and glazed with apricot jam and served with a delicious fig-balsamic reduction to cut through the richness and sweetness of it all. After posting a photo on twitter and getting a big enthusiastic response from my friends i thought that maybe i should after all. When the big enthusiastic response turned into menace and i was warned i would get stalked if i did not, i knew this was a winner.

So here you have it, stalker friends. You win again.

Of course, the quality of the figs make all the difference in the world and i could go on and on about how good it is but the result is of course relative to the quality of the ingredients you are using. I was thinking that miniature versions of these fig tarts could also be turned into accompaniments to a more sophisticated cheese course. Just an idea if you’re so inclined to play with your food.

Now, can i go back to bed?

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It’s hard not to come across a bakery in Paris that doesn’t sell large slices of the popular Flan Parisien (also known as flan pâtissier) with its delicious thick custard browned on top and a buttery pâte brisée on the bottom. This flan couldn’t be any simpler, quicker or delicious and can only get better after spending the night in the refrigerator.

You could think of it as the “not-so-distant” cousin of the delicious Portuguese egg custard tart so popular in Portugal and all over Asia under the code name Tan-Ta. Ah, the calories! After coming back to New York i knew the craving would get worse. And get worse, it did!  At least that’s how i interpret the eye twitch every time i catch a glimpse of the dry pignoli cookies in the window of my local bakery.

So for medical reason i had to make my own version, to see if at last, it would take care of that damn eye twitch. I couldn’t resist scrapping half a tahitian vanilla bean into the custard but consider that ‘over the top’ for this simple and humble flan. I, or even you could get slapped by my grandmother for it. So add it discretely, and at your own risk.

As for my medical craving, i think i temporarily took care of it. Not sure how long the relief will last though.

In the meantime, enjoy!

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I’ve had this salted-caramel macarons in my archives since last year and i’m not sure why i haven’t posted it yet. I’m getting nostalgic just from looking at them. Going on pilgrimage at Pierre Herme’s boutique in Paris two weeks ago and tasting the masterpiece reminded me that maybe i should publish this post after all. Damn, it was good. While the salted-caramel flavor combination is classic and less daring than let’s say… a strawberry-wasabi macaron, i dare you to find someone.. anyone who will not love this macaron at the first bite.

I remember struggling with the salted-caramel ganache a bit when i made those. The butter ratio seemed a little bit odd but it could be a mistake i made when converting the recipe which happened after a night of heavy drinking. It’s hard for me to accept there is such thing as too much butter in a recipe but i will double check from my informant on the other side of the Atlantic and adjust the recipe if necessary.

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I just came back from a much needed vacation with the family in France. This post is not the ultimate guide to eating in Paris, just a little glimpse at how we do it in the old country and it starts with a picnic at home. The abundance of delicious foods in every neighborhoods makes it quite easy to improvise a dinner. On the table some quiches, a jambonneau, a delicious pâté de campagne, a pig feet with sauce gribiche, olives and some truly incredible cheeses from Rodolphe Le Meunier (MOF) i brought back from a memorable adventure in Tours a day earlier. Add a few baguettes, a bottle of Bordeaux and a green salad and i’m in heaven.

For dessert we had some of the best chocolate éclair i ever tasted. They were bought at Le Furet Tanrade, a pastry shop around the corner from my brother’s apartment also famous for its homemade jams and that has been in business since 1728. Those éclair were deep, dark and perfect. My waistline is expanding just thinking about them.

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A quick little post before I head to France for a little break before the Hamptons season. Sorry for the lack of posting this past few weeks but a combination of work and not feeling too shabby have kept my blogging mojo on the low side. Hopefully this little vacation will recharge the batteries and i’ll come back with plenty of fresh ideas.

In the meantime, a pizza i’d take with me to my post-apocalyptic bomb shelter if i had one. That’s how good this is. You could call it a Spanish Pizza with its chorizo, piquillo peppers, sweet onions and aged manchego cheese and that may be what i’ll be munching on during the world cup final on sunday. Go Spain!

See you soon, friends!

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I’m pretty sure you’re already familiar with Peking duck, the famous roast duck from Beijing that has been prepared since the imperial era. The meat, or rather the crispy skin is served with steamed pancakes, scallions and plum sauce. The diners spread sauce over the pancake and it’s wrapped around the crispy skin with scallions and cucumbers and eaten by hand. And boy, it’s amazing.

Well, you can call this a Frenchman version of Peking duck with a little detour by the Mediterranean, Gascony, and back to China. It won’t earn you frequent-flyer miles though. A mix-match of flavors reminiscent of Peking duck but with a definite French flair to it because of the Mediterranean chickpea pancake (socca) and the duck confit, the plum sauce stays the same. I don’t mess with plum sauce, ever. I think i even added a few strips of lemon confit in there because i’m fun like that.

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By now you’re already familiar with my friend Olivier who’s done a few demos on this blog in the past. If you’re not you can read about his past exploits here and there. Olivier is a private chef and works in a penthouse apartment on Park Avenue overlooking Manhattan with an herb garden right outside his kitchen and an helipad for last-minute grocery shopping. Okay, maybe i exaggerate a little. Or maybe i don’t.

As usual, i’ve been bugging him to cook for us and this time he offered to do grilled Spanish mackerel prepared 3 different ways for this improvised cooking session. I hope these simple dishes by this skilled chef will inspire you to give it a try.

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If you can’t decide between a tartare, a crudo or a salad to start your meal, i’ve got the perfect dish for you. It starts with a layer of finely chopped tuna tartare, if you have access to o-toro or any fatty cut of tuna by all cost use it, you won’t be disappointed. Thinly sliced sea scallops  seasoned with lemon juice, good olive oil and pink peppercorns are arranged on top and a little salad of edible spring flowers, baby arugula and tender bits of frisee gently seasoned with more olive oil, lemon juice and sel de guerande turns this dish into something not only beautiful to look at, but delicious, refreshing and light. There’s not much more you can ask for in this warm weather.

I discovered at a dinner at Esca last year that fresh, pristine, and slightly marinated raw sea scallops have a special affinity for pink peppercorn. Pink peppercorns have a fragrant, sweet, and spicy flavor reminiscent of a mild citrus zest and sweet berries which is a match made in heaven for the sweet flavor and delicate texture of sea scallops.

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