Friday, 05 June 2026 15:09
Written by Madelaine Bullwinkel

DUTY FREE SHOPPING

Airport shopping is designed to relieve travelers of their last few Euros and ease the pain of separation as they head for home. In Terminal 2 at Charles de Gaulle in Paris passengers must pass through a sprawling mall filled with glittering luxury goods on their way to their departure gate. What will they purchase to save a few tax dollars and bring home as gifts?

As you may have already guessed, I seek out the speciality foods of France: its cheeses, chocolates and pâte de fruit, gelled fruit paste. These treats will be consumed quickly by family and friends. I’ve learned to combat the cultural withdrawal that follows, by making one last stop at the massive Relay, the mall's all-purpose convenience shop.

From the long rack of periodicals, I look for Marmiton. The name refers to a kitchen helper, one who attends to the evening’s stew (marmite). The magazine first appeared in 2010 as the outgrowth of a ten-year-old internet site on which home cooks posted recipes and responses to them. Contributors are home cooks, rarely professionals. The dishes are familial, prepared using basic techniques and seasonal ingredients. The recipes have few ingredients and are easy to assemble.

The big drawback, of course, is the fact that the text is in French and the measurements are metric. Non-French speakers can use a dictionary or smartphone and their years of high school French. A motivated novice with an inquisitive appetite and a kitchen scale can also succeed.

I began cooking from the June issue this week with a two page article on yogurt. The editors had managed to stage six recipes on one page by using emoji for the ingredients and embedding measurements in telegraphic-style directions. The first recipe for Verrine à la Rhubarbe Craquante (Crunchy Rhubarb Parfait) is simply alternating layers of yogurt, stewed rhubarb and crushed shortbread cookies. You can adjust the volumes according to the size of your parfait glasses (verrines).

Here is another French take on an a classic dessert that I plan to make often this summer.

CHEESE-CAKE EXPRESS AU CITRON (QUICK LEMON CHEESECAKE)

1 1/4 cup shortbread cookie crumbs

4 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 cup regular plain, full-fat yogurt

1 cup plain Greek, full-fat yogurt

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

1 package unflavored gelatin

1/3 cup sugar

Mix the melted butter into the cookie crumbs and line the bottom and sides of a 6”-8” springform pan with this mixture.

Stir together the two yogurts.

In another bowl, stir the gelatin into the combined lemon juice and water. Heat this mixture in a microwave for 15 - 30 seconds, then stir to dissolve the gelatin. Add the sugar to this mixture.

Stir the sugar mixture into the yogurt and pour into the lined pan. Cover and refrigerate for 3 - 4 hours, until set.

Wednesday, 29 April 2026 19:34
Written by Madelaine Bullwinkel

A PERFECT VACATION MEAL

Interior of Capital Coal Neighborhood Eatery, Santa Fe

Spring cleaning at my house includes the refrigerator. What better time is there than after a vacation when it's empty? As I rearranged jars of ancient condiments in the crowded door bins, I recalled the most satisfying dining experience I'd had in Santa Fe.

Four of us friends since high school spend a week together every year after Easter in a warm weather city. Santa Fe's vibrant artistic vibe, its museums and historic churches made it this year's choice. The town's thriving food scene also figured into our decision.

Rather than trust the many crowdsourced restaurant guides, I looked at upscale places endorsed by critics and journalists for our principle meal of each day. We entered the iconic Coyote Cafe on our first night in town to find it packed and so noisy we couldn’t hear one another speak across the table. We wondered why the young people seated at tables on either side of us were drinking and not eating until we saw that entree prices started at $40. The appetizers we shared were also pricy and looked better than they tasted. Two nights later at Restaurant Martin I ordered (in a momentary lapse of judgement) an $86 bottle of white Sancerre which was brought to the table warm rather than chilled. Soon afterward, a small basket of bread ($3.50 per person) arrived half-filled with a hot rock to keep its contents fresh. You get the picture.

Elk Chili at Capital Coal Neighborhood Eatery

Our unexpected dining sweet-spot turned out to be new New Mexican venture, Capital Coal Neighborhood Eatery, a micro food hall near the train station in the historic Guadalupe district. Several concept restaurants with limited menus and a bar shared its light-filled, airy open space. Our meal choices included a platter of House Fried Corn Tortilla Chips, Queso, Monterey Jack Cheese, Queso Fresco, Pico de Gallo, Lime Crema, Red or Green Chile and an Arugula Salad with Lemon Roasted Artichoke Hearts, Goat Cheese, Crispy Proscuitto, Cider Poached Prunes, Warm Crostini, EVOO, Lemon Juice. All our large, attractively presented plates cost no more than $16.

The first food halls in America began as extensions of indoor markets in the 19th century. Food halls are experiencing a resurgence in today's economy because they are affordable, high quality incubators for young chefs and entrepreneurs to refine new concepts with less financial risk. Whose idea was it to create Capital Coal? The female partner in this venture is Chef Dakota Weiss, the former chef at Coyote Cafe.

Our foursome found the historic Pinon Court inn an perfectly situated and friendly place to stay. The staff kept us well supplied with fresh chips, salsa, margaritas and a light quesadilla supper on the evenings that we opted to eat in their cozy dining room. We played bridge, snacked and enjoyed each others company with the same abandon we had after school in our teens.

Photo on the wall of Coyote Cafe

Monday, 23 March 2026 00:26
Written by Madelaine Bullwinkel

Making Sense of Spices

Think what you will of my spice drawer pictured above. One thing is for certain; the sheer number of jars in my assortment does not make me an expert. The “tell” is their arrangement in alphabetical order not by where they grow or how often I use them. If the labels were visible, it would also be clear that there was not one jar of generic, premixed spices among them. In the words of Tina Turner, “I don’t do nothin’ nice and easy.”

As a born and raised corn-fed Midwesterner, I reach for aromatic herbs fresh from my garden to season my cooking. These plants pair well with European dishes, especially countries around the Mediterranean basin where they originate. Aside from mint and tarragon, their effect is purely aromatic, and it is driven off by cooking. A single herb, added at the end of the cooking process, gives a dish its signature aroma. To extend my enjoyment of their essential oils, I combine herbs in marinades, embed them in butter and doughs, steep them in oil, vinegar and tea, and simmer them in stocks.

I recently rekindled my desire to explore the use of spices in the world south of the Equator. After a trip to the Rajasthan region of India in 2020, I purchased the small metal spice box I had seen in the homes we visited. It’s seven compartments contain ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, cardamom, ginger and chili pepper. They constitute a vocabulary of warm, sweet, sour, bitter or spicy sensations. Learning to speak this language is work in progress.

On a tour to Morocco this October I plan to seek out the basics of which spices to add and when. Why go to Morocco? It happens to have been a unique crossroads of spice traders in the Southern Hemisphere since the 7th century.

We are not going to experience Morocco Tina Turner way, “nice and rough”, but in comfort with cooking classes led by professional chefs. We will seek out the food and spices brought from the Middle East, Africa and Spain. Our visit to each of the four royal cities will add to our understanding of the evolution of Morocco's unique cuisine of layered flavors.

Take this opportunity to throw out jars of seasonings more than two years old (I promise, I will too), join me the fall and learn how to build exciting flavors with spices in Morocco.