Chiffonade

Is it a musical movement? Perhaps a type of fabric? Or maybe a retro hairdo? Nope, nope, and nope, guess again…

Chiffonade means to cut food, particularly leafy herbs or vegetables, into strips or shreds, like little streamers. Chiffonade can also refer to the resulting shape.

To cut a chiffonade is very easy. Arrange the leaves into a neat stack.


Roll the stack up tightly.


And slice thinly.


Continue until the entire roll of leaves is sliced.


Then gently separate the individual pieces.


When cutting a chiffonade, use a very sharp knife. A dull knife will crush delicate leaves and cause the cut edges to discolor. Basil and mint are especially tender and can turn black quickly, so chiffonade them at the last moment before use.

The chiffonade is a very versatile shape. Prepare leafy greens like spinach, chard, or kale to be sautéed by cutting them into a coarse chiffonade. A chiffonade of cabbage, baby spinach, or romaine lettuce makes a pretty addition to a salad. Chiffonaded herbs such as mint, sage, and basil make great garnishes. Basil chiffonade is especially lovely scattered over a pasta dish. This is one knife cut that’s certain to add both visual and textural interest to your cooking.

How to Eat Ice Cream

Why have ice cream in a waffle cone when you could have it in a waffle? This is an important question worth pondering. And it fills me with endless joy to think that others before me have devoted themselves to the pursuit of an answer. Like the good people at Flavour Spot.


This is what they’ve come up with.


Chocolate and vanilla swirl whole milk soft serve ice cream wrapped up in a warm, fluffy, freshly baked waffle, with whipped cream on top. A worthy and decadent solution if ever there was one. A messy one, too.

An Ode to Garlic

I love you Garlic.
Potent, pungent,
Purple, white, and elephant,
Or roasted golden, sweet and mellow,
I can even kiss my fellow.
A must for pasta sauce,
Into stir-fries I toss,
Raw, minced in salad,
You satisfy my palate.
I love you Garlic.

Quick Aïoli
Printable Recipe

1 large egg
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 to 3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the egg, garlic, and mustard in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. With the motor running, add the oil in a thin stream.


Add the lemon juice and pulse again. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Makes about 1 ¼ cups. Traditionally, aïoli is made with just egg yolk rather than whole egg, and it’s made with a mortar and pestle or whisked by hand. I’m all for short cuts, so I use my trusty food processor. But since a single yolk wouldn’t come up to the blade in a food processor, making it difficult to get the emulsion started, I use the whole egg. The result is slightly less thick but still absolutely delicious. By the way, if you’re uneasy about eating raw eggs, use pasteurized eggs. For a milder tasting aïoli, use half olive oil and half grape seed oil or just a light olive oil. Store-bought mayonnaise pales in comparison to homemade aïoli. Try aïoli on sandwiches or as the base for salad dressings. Stir in minced fresh herbs and use as a dipping sauce for crudités, French fries, or calamari. Really, garlicky aïoli is great on just about everything. Keeps for a day or two tightly sealed in the refrigerator.

A Year Ago

Exactly one year ago, I was in Provence.


I can’t believe it’s already been a whole year. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about that magical trip, I wish that I could be there now.

I cook in the Provençal style often, it keeps the memory of that trip alive. Poulet rôti, redolent of Herbes de Provence, brings me right back.


(And it happens to be a fun excuse to fire up the rotisserie.) A pinch of piment d’espelette, and roasted potatoes with onions have a French accent. And if a colorful gratin of summer vegetables, also with its fair share of Herbes, doesn’t say summer in Provence, then nothing does.


Provençal Summer Vegetable Gratin
Printable Recipe

Unsalted butter, for greasing the baking dish
1 medium zucchini, cut on a bias into 3/8-inch thick slices
1 medium yellow zucchini, cut on a bias into 3/8-inch thick slices
2 medium tomatoes, cut into 3/8-inch thick slices
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Herbes de Provence
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup grated Parmegiano-Reggiano

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Generously butter a 12-inch oval baking dish. Combine the zucchini, yellow zucchini, tomatoes, garlic, Herbes de Provence, oil, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper in a large bowl and gently toss to coat. Layer the vegetables into the dish, arranging them in neat, overlapping rows.


Drizzle with the accumulated juices from the bottom of the bowl and sprinkle evenly with the Parmegiano. Bake for about half an hour, or until the vegetables are tender. Serve immediately.

Serves 4. This definitely qualifies as a quick and easy and also versatile dish. If you cannot find yellow zucchini, by all means use yellow crookneck squash. And if the eggplant at the market looks fantastic, add it too. Serve with plenty of French bread for sopping up the juices.