Tout va bien! ™

Adventures in Food, Wine, Art & Travel

I have a culinary bucket list that includes such diverse items as matriculating at the UC Davis wine program, dinner at the French Laundry, and attendance at Patricia Wells’ truffle class in France.  Work and cost have rendered the bucket list rather stagnant in recent years, but I finally was able to check off one item when I met Dorie Greenspan awhile back.  For those who don’t know, Dorie is something of a culinary goddess.  She has written eleven cookbooks of her own, co-authored or written cookbooks on behalf of celebrity chefs such as Julia Child, Daniel Boulud, and Pierre Hermé, and has won two IACP “Cookbook of the Year” awards, one for her Around My French Table.

Meeting Dorie Greenspan

When I learned Dorie would be only two hours away at a book signing of Baking Chez Moi in Pasadena, I enlisted Sous Chef as my driver, packed a suitcase for an overnight stay and, although suffering from a nasty bout of stomach flu, chased down one of my culinary bucket list items.  Dorie was as gracious, friendly, and interesting as one could hope and the experience remains one of my most memorable.

Morocco & Christmas 158

For the past several years I have been a member in good standing of the “Doristas,” a group that has been systematically working through the recipes found in Around My French Table and has less than twenty recipes left in order to complete the multi-year task.  With the end of that book in sight, I and a group of Doristas have embarked on a journey through Dorie’s most recent cookbook, Baking Chez Moi.  My passion for Dorie’s cookbooks, and my association with the Doristas, has become a lifestyle of sorts, one I call “Viva la Vida Dorie.”

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I find that I am preparing recipes from Dorie’s cookbooks several times each week in one adaptation or another.  They are part of my cookbook rota and have become my equivalent of the Betty Crocker Cookbook that Sous Chef still consults regularly.

Granola Energy Bars

Baking Chez Moi has already proven to be a treasure.  Although just released at the end of October, by my count I have already made fifteen of its recipes, many of them multiple times.  One of those is Granola Energy Bars.  While I make a killer granola, I never thought about making energy bars from it.  Now I am addicted to Dorie’s Granola Energy Bars to the point I am somewhat reluctant to make them from my own granola recipe.  These energy bars are crisp on the outside, moist on the inside, and filled with fruits I love.  Not too sweet, but sweet enough to curb a mid-day craving and filling enough to pacify a growling stomach.

BCM Jan Rose Souffles 097

My initial effort was not without problems, however.  When first I made the Granola Energy Bars, I was unable to locate brown rice syrup, so I substituted maple syrup which added a slightly sweeter taste to the bars.  I also overlooked that the recipe calls for one cup of dried fruit, not one cup of each dried fruit you are using.  Thus my energy bars were bursting with fruits—a result that I loved.  The second time I used brown rice syrup (found at Whole Foods) and the same exaggerated amount of dried fruits.  Both results were excellent, although I favor the taste of the ones using brown rice syrup.

BCM Jan Rose Souffles 027

Curious what “Viva la Vida Dorie” entails?  It is a sense of adventure in the kitchen, a willingness to try and experience new things, and a slew of cooking and baking pots and pans in various shapes and sizes.  Here are a few photos from my past month of Viva la Vida Dorie.

Curried Mussels
Curried Mussels – Adored this recipe and the ease, great for weeknight dinners!
Tartines with Walnuts
Tartines are always a crowd favorite!
Duck with Kumquats & Potatoes
Duck ala Kumquat with creamy, cheesy potatoes!
Breton Soup
Simplest Breton Soup
Rhubarb Lime Crisp
Rhubarb Custard Lime Streusel – Can’t wait for Rhubarb Season!
Cannelles
My first Cannelles
Rhubarb
Rhubarb Lime Custard Streusel

 

WRITTEN BY

Christy Majors

Food enthusiast, wine aficionado, BBC Food fanatic, and cookbook bibliomaniac, who suffers from an incurable case of culinary wanderlust. Creator of Culinary Diva (TM) where experiences in food, travel and wine are broken down for the home cook and traveler. Banker by day.
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11 Comments

  1. Hi Christy! I love your summary of “Viva la Vida Dorie”. So much good food on your table. And isn’t Dorie delightful? I somehow missed that sous chef had been ill. I apologize for not paying better attention. I hope that he is doing better, and I will keep you both in my thoughts. Take care!

  2. Wow, Christy! Each and every one of those dishes look like they turned out perfectly! I’m sorry to hear that sous chef was ill and I hope that he is doing better and that your year settles down! happy new year!

  3. Dear Christy, so very sorry to hear about your husband being ill – I honestly hope that things are better now and that he is feeling strong and healthy now!
    All of the dishes that you prepared from Dorie´s various books look amazing – glad that you enjoyed baking and cooking them all and had such a wonderful time meeting Dorie in person!
    All the very best and a nice weekend,
    Andrea

  4. Your dishes all look sensational. I enjoyed the granola bars and curried mussels form this week. BTW, I loved your Christmas card with your gorgeous doggies on it.

  5. I understand that your husband is out-of-the-woods, so to speak, but has to make lifestyle changes. Heavy sigh. We were scared for you both so are happy that this can be rectified with a few twists and turns along the way. Crossed fingers. You have cooked and baked and made some amazing food over the past month or two. Somehow it’s fun and overwhelming to see everything you have made all put together in one post. I also like Dorie’s new cookbook, Cooking Chez Moi. Although I cannot join the group, I still am cooking along when I can. The calories get a bit much. You’ve made wonderful contributions to our group, Christy, and we’ve all benefitted from your good cheer and contributions. May your husband and you enjoy a healthy and happy New Year with all the yuck stuff behind you.

  6. I hope Sous Chef is doing better, I wish you good health. You have been busy cooking and baking. Such lovely food. I need to make that rhubarb crumble it sound delicious. Happy New Year.

  7. Sorry to hear that Sous Chef hasn’t been doing well. Sending lots of positive thoughts your way.

    This was a great round up and I agree with Diane about that rhubarb tart.

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