If you've ever traveled to the South of France or had the good fortune of trying the local confection Nougat de Montélimar you know that once you take a bite of that chewy bar filled with the heady taste of honey and the crunch of roasted pistachios and almonds, you're hooked. More

Did you know it's Independence Day in Belgium tomorrow? Neither did we. But as for an excuse to eat mussels (our love of them is well documented) and discover a new beer, it'll do. More

Can you guess what gives this Champagne cocktail its peachy-pink blush? After I sampled a glass of it, I just had to find out.

Pâté might not look too appetizing, but this spread made of ground meat (usually liver) and fat combined with wine and spices, cooked, and puréed into a smooth, spreadable paste is quite yummy. More

No cheese or charcuterie plate is complete without cornichons for me; I must have these tart, pickled French gherkins with them. I love them with a Ploughman's lunch, and they are a traditional accompaniment to raclette. But I started wondering; are cornichons just pickled baby cucumbers, or are they a specific kind of cucumber that grows very small? More

Definitely not a foolproof take-it-to-work lunch, but for those that work from home (or want to save this for the weekend), we love whipping together some crêpe batter the night before, letting it rest and then filling it with whatever we've got on hand for lunch the next day. It's warm, it's satisfying and it's quick. More

We have to be very careful not to have leftovers whenever we make a batch of crème anglaise, otherwise we find ourselves sneaking spoonfuls whenever we pass the fridge. Also called English or stirred custard, this is a rich sweet sauce perfect for drizzling over fruit, a slice of warm cake, or heck, even pancakes! More

If a recipe calls for "frenched onions" or tells you to french-cut your onions, this simply means to cut the onion into thin wedges from stem-end to root-end. This gives you very thin strips of onion that are (more or less!) the same length - great for stir-fries, caramelizing, and lots of other presentations. Here's how to do it! More

I'm teaching a class this evening based on the desserts in my book, The Greyston Bakery Cookbook and so this week I spent some time with the four recipes we'll be making, just for practice (it's been a while.) If you live under the illusion that baking is too scientific for your culinary skill set — nonsense — then this Free-Form Apple Tart is what you should make to prove to yourself that you can bake an elegant dessert. More

Croquembouche, a spun sugar tower of cream puffs, is French for "crunch in the mouth." Of course it's French - who else would concoct such a perilous pile of pastries?

Traditionally served at weddings and holidays, it's made of cream-filled pâte à choux pastry and anchored with caramel. And, along with most things having to do with weddings or French pastry, I have always considered cream puffs firmly outside my area of expertise. More