Weekends in a French Kitchen: Almond Gazpacho

Weekends in a French Kitchen (click to read about the project: here) launched this month though I skipped last week because I was off on a 10-day camping trip with my family around northern California. See...here we are along Fern Canyon in Van Damme State Park.

And if you're game to join the fun, I'm including affiliate links to the cookbooks at the bottom of the post. Yesterday I posted from Daniel Boulud and Dorie Greenspan's cookbook. Today I'm sharing a dish from Mimi Thorisson's A Kitchen in France: A Year of Cooking in My Farmhouse.

Special thanks to the project organizers: Alice of A Mama, Baby and Sharpei in the Kitchen, Christy of Confessions of a Culinary Diva, Tammy of Telling Stories from Chez Nous, and Emily of Blue Bungalow.

This week's selection from Mimi Thorisson's A Kitchen in France: A Year of Cooking in My Farmhouse is Almond Gazpacho. You'll find this recipe on page 85 of the A Kitchen in France: A Year of Cooking in My Farmhouse...we will not be posting the actual recipes on our blogs.

Gazpacho and My Thoughts...

This was a quick lunch on a hot summer afternoon. My husband is doing a gluten-free experiment right now, so I used a gluten-free white bread. It worked well. And while I was dubious about the green grapes - I thought they would be too sweet - I was glad to be mistaken. The flavors were delicate and delicious. I will definitely be making this again soon.

Hot Chocolate Agasajo-Style {Spice It Up!}

photo by D For my Spice It Up! kiddos this week, I was looking for an exotic drink to serve while we learned about saffron. I found a recipe from food historian Maricel Presilla that mimicked traditional Spanish hot chocolate from the 17th century where it was served at lavish receptions called agasajos . When I teach, I don't always get to shoot photos. Thankfully, D grabbed my camera and snapped a few. Ingredients serves 14-16 1 gallon organic whole milk 3 T dried rosebuds - or 2 t rosewater 2 t saffron threads, lightly crushed 3 T ground cinnamon 3 whole tepin chiles, crushed 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 C organic granulated sugar 1 lb. bittersweet chocolate Procedure In a large soup pot that can hold a gallon plus, combine milk, dried rosebuds (or rosewater, if you are using that), saffron threads, ground cinnamon, chiles, vanilla beans, and sugar and warm over medium heat till it steams. Whisk to dissolve sugar, then lower heat an...

Ki Ngombo = Okra

In honor of Mardi Gras, I searched for traditional recipes for gumbo...only to discover that there is no canonical recipe for gumbo. It seems there are as many recipes for gumbo as there are cooks! The only two constants in a gumbo: variety and okra. The term 'gumbo' likely comes from an African dialect whose word for okra is ki ngombo . Gumbos can have meat, seafood, just about anything. In Mark Huntsman's "The History of Gumbo" he refers to written mentions of using muskrat and owl in gumbo recipes. I embraced the unlimited potential of ingredients and opted for a combination of fish, chicken, pancetta, oysters, mussels, octopus, shrimp, and squid...and lots of okra!

A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige #ItalianFWT on CulinaryCam.Com

I am in the process of migrating over to my new domain. Come on over to read " A Cheese Board Anchored on a Trio of Italian Cheeses + A Pinot Nero from Alto Adige " for December's #ItalianFWT.

Culinary Adventures with Camilla

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