http://food.praestigiare.com Mon, 08 Oct 2007 18:03:54 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en When the afternoon sun is at its most vicious; and you are beginning to seriously second guess that distant ancestor who first crawled out of the sea onto the hot, dry shore; and you have been having fantasies of some kind of stellar catastrophe ejecting your home planet into the ... http://food.praestigiare.com/2007/10/08/senegalese-gingembre/ Today I made my first real sourdough. Well, to be precise, today I baked my first real sourdough. Overall, the making of it was a three day process. I am posting a picture for now, and will be filling in the details, with a recipe, later. http://food.praestigiare.com/2007/06/19/sourdough/ On my first day in Dakar I had yassa, a Senegalese onion and lemon sauce, and I knew I was going to be enjoying the food for my whole stay. But it would be two more weeks before I was to taste what became my favorite Senegalese dish. A neighbor ... http://food.praestigiare.com/2007/04/17/maffe/ If you were to stop your car in the far end of my neighbourhood and ask for the toubab* girl with the scooter, I'm sure someone would be able to take you to my house. Living in Yoff, a sandy fishing neighbourhood north of Dakar, certainly has its perks: food ... http://food.praestigiare.com/2007/04/17/penne-alla-sorrentina/ These came to me in a dream. Well, not quite. I was lying in bed, and my mind was drifting around like it usually does right before I fall asleep, and all of a sudden I was thinking of the loukamades a friend of mine made a few weeks ago. ... http://food.praestigiare.com/2007/02/19/beignet-minute-de-chevre-frais-aux-epinards/ This recipe came from really wanting potatoes for dinner, and really wanting dinner soon. I figured it was probably unreasonable, but I try not to let that stop me. Now, I am a fan of the potato, from latkes to shepherds pie. It's one of my favorite foods, and this ... http://food.praestigiare.com/2007/02/11/fast-roasted-potatoes/ I have still not quite adjusted to a kitchen that is stocked for one person. All my life I have been in kitchens with food for six or eight. As one person it is difficult to keep five kinds of cheese on hand. Or to have ten pounds of various ... http://food.praestigiare.com/2007/01/23/bunuelos-de-bacalao-a-la-caribena/ I spent December at home, between jobs, and devoted the whole month to concocting new plans to fatten up my parents and sisters. This recipe for chocolate cakes from Louis XV's pastry chef Becary, posted at La Tartine Gourmande, seemed to work best. My family is always glad to have ... http://food.praestigiare.com/2007/01/22/louis-xv-chocolate-cakes/ In response to Teresa's orange tart, I offer a dessert that is both complex and inelegant. But it is very good. I had my first gob (I did not name them) less than a month ago, but I already consider myself a devoted fan. The concept is simple: A soft, cake-like ... http://food.praestigiare.com/2007/01/20/goblets/ When I was little I didn't have a very good sense of holidays and special occasions. Sure, I loved Christmas as much as any kid, but at five years old, as far as I was concerned Christmas was something that had happened three times in the history of the world. ... http://food.praestigiare.com/2007/01/17/32/