escoffier

  • Dining at Downton: Gilded crust (pain perdu)

    When I took French in middle school and high school, I particularly loved the words that had both literal and figurative meanings. “Petit chou,” you might call your sweetheart, meaning…”little cabbage.” “Pomme de terre” was on the list of grocery… Continue reading

  • Dining at Downton: How to serve plum pudding

    We had a relatively quiet Christmas here in Ohio, seeing family and telling funny stories and going for long, snowy walks and eating good food. As per tradition, we served plum pudding for dessert on Christmas night, along with a… Continue reading

  • Dining at Downton: How to steam plum pudding

    On Saturday we talked about how to make your own plum pudding, the most classic of British holiday desserts. (Yes, I am still wondering where the plums are in the recipe.) Today we’ll discuss the cooking process, which is a… Continue reading

  • Dining at Downton: How to make plum pudding

    This time of year, my family is all about tradition. Previously I wrote about the Brunswick stew we’ve kept from my mom’s side of the family, though I tested out a Williamsburg variation of the recipe. That’s still on the… Continue reading

  • Dining at Downton: Mulled wine

    It’s getting to be that time when I start glancing at the calendar to see how many days are left. Not before Christmas (though that’s another kind of concern) but before the premiere. Yes, you know. The U.S. premiere of… Continue reading

  • History 101: Downton Abbey

    While Downton Abbey is purely fiction (in all its soap operatic glory), it’s based largely on fact. Julian Fellowes, the creator of the show, is known for writing well-researched films set in earlier days of the British Empire (like Gosford Park,… Continue reading

  • Dining at Downton: Afternoon tea

    When I graduated from college, I moved to New York City to work at a children’s literary agency. I knew almost no one and quickly discovered that I am really not cut out for big city living. While I quietly… Continue reading