watercress and orange salad with cumin flavoured vinaigrette and pistachios
We have had a very chilled-out long Jubilee weekend holidaying at home. Drawers have been tidied, cupboards organised, films watched, knitting nearly finished... but the thing that I have enjoyed most over all has been cooking some recipes from this beautiful and inspiring book.
© la tartine gourmand all images used with permission
Beatrice Peltre is a Frenchwoman living in the USA who cooked and blogged, blogged and cooked and took gorgeous photo’s of her dishes.
© Beatrice Peltre la tartine gourmand
It was the photo’s of the food that initially caught my eye as they inspired ideas for paintings (more on that when I’ve created something to show you).
© Beatrice Peltre la tartine gourmand
I love the way she styles the food with beautifully coloured dishes and fabric.
© Beatrice Peltre la tartine gourmand
I sat in bed a few nights ago and decided to read through it like a novel and I’m glad I did because her writing is so personable and inspiring – it’s full of her stories of family life and events that have given rise to the recipes.
Coriander-flovoured carrot and zucchini tartlets
I’ve only read 117 pages of the 300 and I’ve made five dishes over this long bank holiday weekend.
Carrot and red lentil soup with coconut milk
Some of the groceries and techniques have needed a google translation to help me proceed; Cilantro = parsley, broiler is some kind of grilling, Comte cheese is like Gruyère and there is no shop nearby that sells any of the recommended 12 types of flour, but I have adapted anyway and the outcome has still been delicious.
Basil-flavoured zucchini and Comte muffins
So with all that cooking and eating, I think a bike ride might be order today.
Tartine with walnut, lemon, ricotta pesto and sautéed mushrooms
Maybe to the shop for more ingredients…
PS, not to be outdone, my other half made a cake (he is usually strictly a chef and not a baker) but it was magnificent (rather like my waistline now).
10 comments
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June 6, 2012 at 10:51 am
carole
Hi Claire, wow-that cake looks delish….I can’t resist coffee and walnut ! I’ve been following “La Tartine Gourmande” blog for a while now and her photos and recipes are lovely.If you haven’t already come across it,another fabulous blog for pics ,recipes and a good read generally is “Tartelette” ;Helene Dujardin is another French woman living in U.S. and her styling of the finished recipes is just gorgeous-i think you would be very inspired by those too.Look forward to seeing your “foodie paintings” ! Carole x
June 6, 2012 at 11:10 am
Claire
Thanks Carole – I just had a quick look at Tartelette and it’s gorgeous – got my next painting idea from there in three looks at the photos!
June 6, 2012 at 11:05 am
Anna
Looks beautiful
June 6, 2012 at 1:24 pm
Jenny
you minx..i’ve just had lunch and you’ve got me salivating for more
If only I had the same passion for cooking as I do creating…..x
June 6, 2012 at 2:09 pm
anne
Gorgeous post, Claire! That book looks like just the sort of thing I would LOVE. Reading cookbooks, especially when they have gorgeous photos, too, is one of my favorite things to do! And of course, eating yummy food. Looks yum, yum, yum!
I feel sad that you don’t have cilantro where you are. I like to grow it in my garden and it tastes so good. I use it in Mexican and Thai inspired dishes. I couldn’t imagine salsa without it!
Can’t wait to see your paintings!
June 6, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Claire
Thanks Anne. We do have Cilantro here, it’s just called Parsley instead! Like Eggplant is Aubergine and Zucchini is courgette
I am learning to speak American 
))))
June 6, 2012 at 8:29 pm
Abs
NIce! No wonder we couldn’t tempt you with ice cream. What a lovely book – I am going to add that to my amazon wish list
June 7, 2012 at 6:52 am
Sue Webb
What a gorgeous book Claire, I love reading cookery books and trying out new recipes, it’s having the time to do it isn’t it! That cake looks delicious too a real tea time cake!
Hope you don’t get
a. drowned
b. blown away
on your bike ride. I’m just going to go out on mine foraging for bread, via the seafront of course…………..wheeeeeeeeeee!
June 11, 2012 at 8:46 am
Galia Alena
Looks yummy, but thought you might like to know that cilantro is corriander, not parsley (much yummier).
June 11, 2012 at 7:54 pm
Claire
Thanks Galia – that will make all the difference