Recipes – Page 14 – Rebecca Sherrow

I never profess to be a very good gardener, though I try. When we bought this house, we did so because of the land. It was on half an acre in a quiet suburb just outside the city, and though the house was old and a little quirky, the kitchen was small and the floors were in desperate need of refinishing, the yard was perfect for our greyhounds and the gardens had beautiful potential. I could see springs filled with fresh flowers and herbs and tender baby lettuce; summers overflowing with tomatoes, zucchini, cabbages and leeks; falls teaming with acorn squash, pumpkins and corn. There was a lilac hedge along the western edge of the property – so old-fashioned! A wild climbing rose traced thorny tendrils up the wall next to the kitchen window – so enchanting! Continue reading “Heirloom Tomato Tartines” →

You know that one line from that one movie that perfectly and concisely sums up the entire plot? One of my favorites is from the Audrey Hepburn film called Love in the Afternoon, which was released in Europe under the title, Ariane. If you haven’t seen it, you must, even just for the glamorous costumes alone! It’s set in beautiful, mid-century Paris. Audrey plays the very lovely, but very naïve Ariane. She’s the daughter of a private detective specializing in affaires d’amour, played by the ever-charming Maurice Chevalier. By a twist of fate, Ariane meets the subject of one of her father’s investigations – an extravagantly rich, handsome, (and much older) American playboy by the name of Mr. Flannagan (Gary Cooper), and when the two instantly fall for each other, Ariane coyly, and quite humorously, tries to convince him that she is just as well versed in the ways of love as he is, using all the cases in her father’s files as inspiration. Continue reading “Champagne Poached Pears” →