At Home with Kim Vallee

ENTERTAINING, HOLIDAY entertaining | October 29, 2009

Elegant Red and Black Candy Apples

The partner of food blogger Matt Armendariz of Mattbites made the most stylish candied apples I have ever seen. Matt qualified the result as pure magic and he is right. While you get the recipe take the time to check the beautiful still life picture he made with black wine goblet from Juliska that I introduced last [...]

CAKES and baked goods, ENTERTAINING | October 13, 2009

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Stylish Fruit Pastry Skewers by Fou de goût

I wish the fruity fine pastry skewers by Fou de goût were available in Canada. They would be awesome for the dessert table I am preparing for my husband’s 40th birthday party. Can you believe that these marvelous fruit pastries are available at the frozen counters at Monoprix? Once again, it shows the big gap in [...]

COOKING tools, DINING | October 12, 2009

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3 Mozzarella Slicers for a Chic Kumato Caprese Salad

I bought for the first time a package of Kumato yesterday. Called the brown tomatoes, the fruits exhibit darker green, brown up to a darker red. It is sweeter than the red tomatoes that we are accustomed. The producer of Kumato, Sunset says it has an intense aroma and surprisingly sweet, juicy flavor. The Kumato grabbed [...]

DINING, FOOD + drinks | September 24, 2009

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Repurposing a Food Presentation

When my eyes first saw the soft-cooked egg with caviar photo recipe of Chef David Chang, I thought “What a cool way to serve a Camembert”. The French girl in me is never very far. In the September 2009 of Bon Appetit, David Chang explained the story behind his signature dish. Like he said, eggs [...]

DINING, DISHING tips | August 27, 2009

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Donna Hay Brings a Special Touch to Everyday Food

If I had to resume in a few words the work of Donna Hay, I would say: Time-saving and Special Touches. Donna Hay’s philosophy fits very well within my way of life. This is probably why I am a long-time fan. The current issue, which is not yet available in Canada, will be her Entertaining Issue. [...]

DINING, DISHING tips | May 10, 2009

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Fun Dishing Ideas from Tapis Rouge at Cirque du Soleil’s OVO for Mother’s Day

It became a tradition. Every year, the weekend before my birthday, my husband invites me to a night of delight at Cirque du Soleil. We had fabulous tickets to OVO, seats 1 and 2 on the first row right in the center of the scene. Being that close enables us to see every details of [...]

TRAVEL | April 29, 2009

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The Exceptional Smushies at Café Royal in Copenhagen for my Gastronomic Wednesday

A 300-year old tradition got a makeover at the Café Royal in Copenhagen. The Danish smørrebrød was invented in Denmark when poor people could not afford two pieces of bread. Later, as people get more money the smørrebrød became more complex. It is a popular lunch dish. Do not be surprised of you do not [...]

DINING, DISHING tips | February 28, 2007

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Verrines are more than the latest trend in gourmet cuisine

As I was reading today’s edition of the food section on the Los Angeles Times, I was seduced by the verrines. I was familiar with verrines but I did not know the name of that technique until this morning. First of all, let me explain what a verrine is. This is simply a dessert or [...]