lemon tart recipe on a plate image

Lemon Tart Recipe (Tarte au Citron)

One of my favorite parts about living in California is the abundance of citrus. I just love lemons and oranges, and I love that their trees can be found everywhere here. I regularly have fresh squeezed orange juice and lemon juice on hand for beverages and desserts, including this lemon tart, or tarte au citron as the French call it. Unfortunately for the French, they don’t have quite as much access to beautiful and delicious lemons like we Californians do.  While there are some lemons grown in the French Riviera, there aren’t quite as much, and they’re much pricier than the ones we get here in California.

french crepes with whipped cream and strawberries

French Crepe Recipe

I remember the first time I went to Paris, I made it a mission to stop and pick up a crepe from one of the street vendors. I didn’t care if I looked like an obvious tourist. I have been eating crepes in America since I can remember, and the chance to eat a real, French one was one of my life ambitions (kind of joking, but not really). That slightly sweet French pancake with cream and strawberries enveloped inside…mmm, I was a happy tourist indeed.

puff pastry turnovers

Puff Pastry Turnovers

When they say context is everything, it’s really true. The word chaussons means slippers in French, but it’s also the name given to puff pastry turnovers. Strange, right? That’s why you’ll usually hear the dessert version of the word followed by whatever fruit it’s been made with. Usually, that’s chaussons aux pommes (apple turnovers), or in this case aux fraises (strawberries). With the abundance of farm-fresh, aromatic, sweet strawberries, I can think of nothing better than using them in delectable puff pastry turnovers like this.

crepe cake

Salted Caramel Crepe Cake

Just when I thought I had salted caramel in about every dessert I could think of, I got the idea to create a salted caramel crepe cake. Known in French as a gâteau mille crêpes, a crepe cake is made up of “thousands” of crepe layers filled with pastry cream. A thousand (mille) layers is obviously an exaggeration, but it’s generally what the French tend to name desserts that are made up of many, many layers. 

pasta with asparagus

Pasta with Asparagus

When I was younger, I used to dread Sundays. As a child, it meant early bedtime for school the next morning, and as a teen, it meant a copious amount of schoolwork that had been left undone the entire weekend. Now, Sundays are one of my favorite days of the week. Sundays are a day for me to relax and refresh. I enjoy a lazy breakfast, pick up groceries and fresh flowers from the farmer’s market, and then I spend the day cooking and eating a long, languid meal with family and friends. Lunch might start with a little bruschetta or garlic bread, maybe some mixed olives. Then there’s a light arugula salad and a main course made with the seasonal produce I picked up at the market. This Sunday, the menu featured pasta with asparagus, mushrooms, and creamy chèvre. 

Sole Meunière: Fish pan-fried in a lemon-butter sauce. 10 minute meal! Recipe via MonPetitFour.com

Sole Meunière

While I’m usually prepared to slow-cook, braise, and marinade my meats and poultry, I can’t say the same for fish. I’ve learned that fresh, wild-caught fish is most delicious when it’s romanced with simple ingredients. This sole meunière is the perfect example of that. A light dredge in flour, then the fish is off to a pan of brown butter to become succulent and moist beyond belief. This easy fish recipe is then finished off with a drizzle of lemon butter sauce and a garnish of parsley.

Crème d'asperges: creamy asparagus soup via MonPetitFour.com

Crème d’Asperges (Asparagus Soup)

I always think it’s so interesting how our tastes change as we grow older. Things we used to love, we may not be as excited about anymore. Likewise, things we used to hate, we may have a newfound adoration for. Take asparagus, for example. I used to cringe when my mom would serve a platter of roasted asparagus with dinner. Now, I’m more than happy to find them on my dining table, as evident by the recipe I shared for asparagus with hollandaise sauce. Since asparagus season has begun, I thought it only right to share another one of my favorite asparagus recipes, crème d’asperges.