Asparagus and Mushroom Tarts

Posted on May 4, 2011 by brosbottom

These elegant tarts look as if they take far more expertise to produce than the simple effort that is required. Using purchased puff pastry is what makes them so easy and quick to assemble. Count on 15 minutes to make the filling, and five for cutting out the puff pastry squares. Both the squares and the filling can be prepared several hours ahead so that at serving time you will need only to spoon the asparagus/ mushroom melange onto the pastries, and then bake them for 20 minutes. Serve the tarts as a first course or offer then with a green salad for a summer lunch or light supper.

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Hungry Mother, Cambridge, MA

Posted on April 25, 2011 by brosbottom

Hungry Mother 233 Cardinal Medeiros Avenue, Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA 617-499-0090

Potato Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Pea Shoots at Hungry Mother

Hungry Mother in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a restaurant I could return to week after week, for I know that I would never tire of the food. How to describe the cuisine and the rich menu? It has strong Southern country roots with sophisticated and original touches. Full disclosure: I was born and bred in Memphis, so soul food is in my DNA! Hungry Mother (the name of a state park in southern Virginia, the home state of talented chef, Barry Maiden) offers some of the most creative, enticing fare on either side of the Mason Dixon line. Continue reading →

Meat – A Kitchen Education by James Patterson

Posted on April 15, 2011 by brosbottom

A long-time fan of James Patterson’s award-winning cookbooks, I was not surprised by the breadth and encyclopedic details in his newest work. Meat – A Kitchen Education is a tome that all serious cooks as well as inexperienced ones should own. This collection includes more than 175 recipes and over 550 photos (of both recipes and step-by step techniques). You’ll find in it a cornucopia of information about familiar as well as under-used meats. There are entries for chicken, turkey, and duck along with those for quail, pheasant, squab, guinea hen, goose, and rabbit. Chapters devoted to pork, lamb, goat, beef, and veal, with detailed information about Continue reading →

Buttermilk Panna Cotta with Blueberries

Posted on April 6, 2011 by brosbottom

A classic Italian dessert, panna cotta (Italian for cooked cream) is a gloriously smooth custard made without eggs. It is bound with gelatin and served chilled. The recipe featured here is from Brian Alberg, chef at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. He cleverly uses buttermilk to add a bright tang to this confection, and to keep it from being cloying. Garnished with fresh blueberries and mint, this dessert is the answer when you want something that’s quick, make-ahead, and delicious.

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Risotto with Spring Asparagus and Scallops

Posted on April 6, 2011 by brosbottom

Among the more challenging dishes for home cooks is the ever-popular risotto. It requires patiently standing at the stove, slowly stirring simmering stock into a saucepan of sautéed aborio rice and onions. As the stock is added, a little at a time, the grains start to expand and soon absorb the flavorful liquid. For a typical recipe, you can count on about 20 minutes for this process. Continue reading →

Hermès, Paris, France

Posted on March 25, 2011 by brosbottom

Hermès on Paris’s Left Bank 17, rue de Sèvres, Paris 6 01-42-22-80-83

Although I own only two Hermès items–scarves that were gifts from students—I couldn’t wait to visit the new Hermès shop on the Left Bank in Paris. The just-opened (November 2010) flagship emporium, in the 6th arrondissement on the rue de Sèvres, boasts stunning interior architecture. This three-level boutique has tall (more than 25 feet) sculptural, latticed wood cages that enclose home furnishings. A stairway with massive curved wooden sides is a sculptural marvel. Almost half of the store is dedicated to home items, including arts for the table. There’s a bookstore, with art and design tomes, as well as a flower shop, Baptiste, right at the entrance, that displays some of Paris’s most beautiful blooms. I was only looking, but enjoyed every minute of my stroll through this special addition to Paris’s shopping scene.

As Always, Julia – The Letters of Julia Child and Avis Devoto by Joan Reardon

Posted on March 15, 2011 by brosbottom

A collection of letters written in the 1950s between Julia Child and her pen pal, Avis Devoto, this book reveals a fascinating correspondence between two women, both avid fans of French cooking, living on opposite sides of the Atlantic. Julia was in France when she read an article on knives in Harper’s magazine by Bernard Devoto (Avis’s journalist/ historian husband who taught at Harvard). In his piece he was crusading for American women to find good carbon steel kitchen knives, and Julia responded by sending him a French “couteau.” Avis wrote the thank you for her spouse, and the long correspondence began. A well connected book reviewer in the Boston area, Avis became Julia’s champion, Continue reading →

Gnocchi with Gorgonzola, Walnuts, and Rosemary

Posted on March 6, 2011 by brosbottom

Years ago when my husband and I were newly married, we were invited to dinner one night by another young couple, both of whom were Italian. Although the entire meal was delicious, the dish I remember best was their gnocchi made with farina. Gnocchi (Italian for dumplings) can be prepared with potatoes, flour, or farina, and are usually enriched with eggs and cheese. Today, flour-based gnocchi are fashionably popular, but farina ones have long been my favorite. These gnocchi, garnished with crumbled gorgonzola, chopped walnuts, and minced fresh rosemary can be assembled ahead and served as a first course or a side dish.
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A Chocolate Lover’s Cheesecake

Posted on March 6, 2011 by brosbottom

A friend of mine from long ago was a talented caterer who specialized in chocolate desserts. Less than 5 feet tall and tipping the scales at around 90 pounds, she openly confessed to me once that she weighed herself every morning just to see how much chocolate she could eat each day. I never weigh in, but over the years, I have indulged in some type of chocolate as a daily practice. Years of teaching have taught me that plenty of others share this habit. Continue reading →

Le Casse Noix 56, Paris, France

Posted on February 25, 2011 by brosbottom

Le Casse Noix 56, rue de la Fédération, Paris 15, Paris 01-45-66-09-01

Le Casse Noix, a new bistro located in Paris 15th arrondissement not far from the Eiffel Tower, was a great discovery on my most recent trip to the City of Light. Chef Pierre-Olivier Lenormand, who has cooked at the celebrated La Régalade in the 14th and also at such temples of gastronomy as Jamin and the Crillon Hotel, turns out excellent seasonal creations, all at a very reasonable prix fixe. Continue reading →

Betty Rosbottom

Food Writer, Cookbook Author, Cooking Teacher

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