Refreshing Carrot Salad

This is the perfect salad to make when you need a refreshing side dish but have a very sparse pantry. I was making crêpes complète (buckwheat crêpes filled with ham, gruyère, and a runny egg) and knew I would need a bright side salad, something with lemon, to cut through the richness. But I had no salad greens, and the only supermarkets within walking distance of my new home are grossly expensive. I always keep a package of carrots in … Continue reading

Panisses: Crispy Chickpea Batons

I just discovered the pure joy that are French panisses, and I must share that joy with you. Panisses are crispy on the outside, warm and soft on the inside, and made almost entirely of chickpea flour (hello, protein). The consistency is wonderfully reminiscent of a french fry, and the flavor is mild and chickpea-like. I’ve fried my panisses and baked them, eaten them as a snack and as part of a main course (braised chicken). They’re even fun to … Continue reading

Nutella-Banana Crêpes

Have you eaten your fill of savory crêpes yet? I certainly have, so it’s time for dessert. My favorite sweet crêpe filling is a classic: melty Nutella and warm rounds of sweet banana. My favorite Nutella-banana crêpe maker in Paris had a fancy way of slicing the bananas in the blink of an eye. He’d pull back a section of the banana peel and use a paring knife to deftly cut the banana into coins, all while it remained in … Continue reading