In the old days, about ten years ago, things were simple. I had just one binder where I kept all my French recipes. When I tried a new recipe, if it was declared to be a “keeper,” I transcribed it into my recipe file. When I started to post recipes as part of this website, if the recipe wasn’t already in my recipe binder, I’d add it. In addition to testing recipes for the website, I’ve also tried many new recipes that only went into my binder—actually binders—there’re now three of them. Over time I’ve noticed my web site and binders have been spinning apart. There were almost 150 recipes in my binders that never went online and an almost equal amount online that never made it into my binders.
Some of the recipes that never went online were tested sometime after an article where they would have fit went online. For example, since the sauce article went online on New Year’s Day 2002, I have tested and saved ten sauce recipes that were not used in some other article. Other recipes I tested never seemed to have a place.
In an effort to clean up the discrepancies between my online and paper worlds, I’ve decided to post at least some of the recipes from my binders that didn’t already have a place on the web. Below is a menu, as the French would say: la carte, of a selection of recipes, divided by course. Bon appétit!
les amuse-bouches
crème de pois chiches au romarin
les entrées
carpaccio de betterave à l’italienne
les plats
gratin de poisson à la crème de bacon et à l’emmental
magret de canard aux champignons sauvages
côtes de porc marinées, poêlée provençale
les légumes
les desserts