dynamite! If there are two things in our crisper that are often looking sad liek they are about to go south, it's a fennel bulb and a bunch of carrots. never again!

I've been using tarragon quite a bit more lately. It makes a potato leek soup taste authentic, and adds depth to broccoli soup.

I quite like golden beets, they don't stain the fingers and everything else like their red cousins.

Costco sell huge bunches of asparagus, so that helps defray the cost of this soup...

Philippe has a mad passion for celery root, so I'm hopeful for this soup.

Turnips? Turnips. Turnips!

From the San Francisco Chronicle, soups...

Fast, easy and tastes right. You can't argue with that. Found on epicurious, again!

The following is a fine recipe for quiche, which I ignore almost completely: still it is a good way to remember quantities, more or less. I prefer it with half as much or no milk (never skip the cream!) and I put what ever is in the fridge in it, reducing mushrooms, bits of double smoked bacon, sweet onions... I never prebake, I never prefreeze. and it's always damn good.

This is a recipe for pate brisee I found on epicurious that passes nicely for the french one Philippe's mother taught me. However, despite what they say, I think it's flakerier if you do it the slow by hand way. Perhaps it's because I get tired of making the butter very fine, and end up folding the dough quite a bit, as if it were puff pastry. Anyhow, it's good even if you are lazy and follow the instructions.

yum yum, with potato if not on south beach, without if you are being good... it's quite nice both ways.