Author Archives: brosbottom

A New Book Reveals the Secrets of French Joie de Vivre

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If you would like to learn how to wine, dine, and romance like the French, you will love the new book, Joie de Vivre, written by my long-time friend, Harriet Welty Rochefort. More than thirty years ago, the author, an American from Iowa, arrived in Paris where she soon met and fell in love with a Frenchman. As a wife, mother, and journalist, she spent the next three decades discovering why the French savor their pleasures like no other culture, and how they have perfected the art of savoir vivre.

Would you like to know why Parisian women look so chic and stay so thin, or why they part so willingly Continue reading →

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams – the Best of the Best

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Jeni Brixton Bauer, ice cream maker par excellence, started making ice creams 15 years ago when she was a mere 22 years old. Today she oversees Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, a Columbus, Ohio-based company that includes quite a few stores and a thriving mail order and restaurant business.

On a recent visit to Ohio’s capital, I stopped by one of her shops and was greeted by a welcoming staff who offered me samples of some of their best selling sweets. I was swept into ice cream heaven while I savored Salty Caramel; Ugandan Vanilla Bean; Pistachio and Honey; Wildberry Lavender, plus Mango Lassi Frozen Continue reading →

Cider-Baked Pork, Red Cabbage and Apples

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A Great Dish for Cool Fall Nights

When the first fresh cider arrives in our markets each fall, I buy a quart and bring it home, not only for sipping but also for cooking dishes like Cider-Baked Pork, Red Cabbage, and Apples. For this hearty casserole, sliced red cabbage, onions, and apples are sautéed in butter, then simmered in cider along with seasonings of sugar, vinegar, and crushed fennel seeds. The cabbage and apples are spread in an oven-to table dish, topped with pan-fried slices of pork tenderloin, and then baked. Although this main course is substantial enough to be stand alone accompanied by a simple salad, creamy mashed potatoes or buttered noodles would make tempting sides. Continue reading →

Arrows Restaurant, Oqunquit, ME

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Arrows Restaurant 41 Berwick Road, Oqunquit, Maine 02907, 207-361-1100

A few weeks ago my husband and I spent a summer weekend in Maine where I was teaching at the Stonewall Kitchen Cooking School. On one of our free nights I booked a table at Arrows in Ogunquit, an original restaurant set in an old, unpretentious farmhouse surrounded by gorgeous grounds. Approaching the house, you are struck by the finely manicured flower and vegetable gardens and an orchard of apple trees. The talented team of Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier (tapped James Beard Best Chefs of the Northeast in 2010) prepare creative menus that include the fresh produce from these fields. They also cure their own hams and smoke the fish offered at Arrows. Continue reading →

Dearie – The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spitz

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I’ve read many biographies of Julia Child over the years, including Appetite for Life, the first, comprehensive one by my friend, Noel Riley Fitch (published in 1997 and reprinted this year with a new intro by the author). My library also includes Alex Prud’Homme’s My Life in France (an account of Julia’s years in Paris and Marseilles in late 1940s and early 1950s), As Always, Julia, (the fascinating correspondence between Julia and her pen pal, Avis DeVoto) by Joan Reardon, and finally Julie Powell’s Julie and Julia (the story of a fledging cook, making her way through Mastering the Art of French Cooking I). Now comes a new volume–Dearie-The Remarkable Life of Julia Child by Bob Spritz. Continue reading →

Lime and Ginger Cream Cheese Bars

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Lime Ginger Cream Cheese Bars 1 3383x2728These rich creamy bars with their bracing citrus accent and crisp gingersnap crust are irresistible, yet quite easy to make. For the crust you’ll need only three ingredients–ground ginger snaps, sugar, and melted butter. This mixture, packed into a pan and baked for a few minutes, is topped with a cheesecake-type batter flavored with bits of crystallized ginger and lime. The mixture is baked 25 minutes, and then a final addition of sour cream, sugar, and lime zest is spread over the thin cream cheese layer. Five more minutes of baking and this dessert is done! Continue reading →

Tian of Tomatoes and Summer Squash with Basil and Mint

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Recently at my local farmers’ market, I was selecting tomatoes when the farmer whispered to me. “Better buy plenty because they’re not going to be around too much longer!”  I didn’t want to hear these words. I was hoping that the luscious red orbs that have been exceptionally sweet this season would last forever, but it was September, and I knew he was right.

I bought a bunch along with that some zucchini and yellow squash to make a Provencal dish I had been working on for the new book I am writing, Sunday Casseroles (it’s due in 2014). I’ve just started to create the recipes for this collection, and am happy to share one here. Continue reading →

Spring, Paris, France

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Spring 6, rue Bailleul, Paris 1, 01-45-96-05-72

Chanterelles with Diced Apricots from Spring

If you asked me where I had the best meal of the summer, the answer would be easy. It was in Paris last month at Spring, a fairly new restaurant whose chef and owner is Daniel Rose, an American from Chicago. For months, I had tried to get into this restaurant where inventive food is served as a multi-course meal both at lunch and dinner. Then my friend and respected food critic, John Talbott, invited me to join him and and his wife for déjeuner there. Continue reading →

Lobster! 55 Fresh & Simple Recipes for Everyday Eating by Brooke Dojny

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From the moment I first heard about Brooke Dojny’s new book, Lobster! 55 Fresh & Simple Recipes for Everyday Eating, I couldn’t wait to get a copy and cook from it. A long time contributor to Bon Appétit and the author of more than a dozen cookbooks, Brooke, who lives on the coast of Maine, gives readers 55 mouthwatering ways to prepare America’s favorite shellfish. Lobster pasta bathed in a rich tomato cream sauce, pizza topped with lobster and arugula, lobster and corn risotto, and much more will tempt you to pull out your lobster pot! Continue reading →

Corky’s Barbecue, Memphis, TN

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I grew up in Memphis, considered by many to be the barbecue capital of the South. My husband, a fellow Southerner, raised in nearby Alabama, is as crazy about pulled pork barbecue and ribs as I am. So, for his birthday last month, I organized a party for a few friends and picked up the phone to call Corky’s, the 28-year old barbecue restaurant that has been voted #1 in Memphis more than 22 times! You can order online or call, but either way, you’ll discover an array of products. I always opt for the six one-pound packages of pulled pork that cost $99 (including shipping) and feed 18 to 20. Continue reading →