Quick and easy French dinner party recipes

Spicy Shrimp on Spinach

We made this as one of the dishes at our annual stay at the Koehler Winery near in Los Olivos near Santa Barbara. Everything we made was delicious,…

Mango Gateau with peaches and cream

A Gateau is a French style sponge cake traditionally made with cream and may be a multilayered cake. I made…

Scallops in Scallion Nests

This is an attractive, flavorful dish, ideal as the first course for an elegant dinner. The scallions, which are cooked briefly in boiling water and…

Grilled Tuna Steaks over Arugula Salad

I adapted this recipe from one in Cook's Illustrated and served it during a trip to San Luis Obispo with…

Strawberry Mousse Cake

A sweet & romantic treat!

My Old-Fashioned Delicious Red Velvet Cake

The colorful history of red velvet cake recipe dates back to the 1940s. It is said that the recipe was actually…

Molten Chocolate Cake with Fresh Raspberries

These individual molten chocolate cakes are simple and elegant, and they bake in under 10 minutes. You can use…

Tarragon Grilled Chicken Fillets over Salad

This recipe is adapted from one in Steven Raichlen's BBQ USA, which he in turn borrowed from a restaurant in…

Ganache Chocolate Nutella

Use this topping on any thing you wish to enhance with CHOCOLATE, from baked goods to ice cream. It will keep for a couple of days unrefrigerated -…

Crab Meat Broussard

Buttered Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts get a bad rap. Opponents of the vegetable swear it tastes like metal. Or worse, like feet. But when coated with the right…

Peach Tarte Tatin

Tarte Tatin is an upside down tart with caramelized fruit inside. Traditionally tarte tatin was made with apples and the apples were caramelized in…

Strawberry and Almond Clafoutis

Some call this something in between a cake and a custard. I call it a huge baking success. I baked these Strawberry and Almond Clafoutis pronounced…

Madeleines

I had been longing to make madeleines or small French Sponge Cake for quite some time. All this while, I postponed the idea of making madeleines…

Delectable Carrot Cake Dessert

Here is a tasty homemade carrot cake recipe that doesn’t take too much time; and it does not take a lot of effort either! These are two criteria…