Dateline: Loire Valley; France

While eating lunch, the French discuss dinner. While eating dinner, they discuss the next dinner. Or the quality of the food and wine they are presently eating [which can cause raised voices]. Or what they ate last night [clenched fists, dirty looks]. Or the merits of particular cheeses [family estrangements, marital breakups]. Or the best place to buy cheeses, sausages, meat, wine, bread, olives...

My hostess, Marie-Denise, is a wildly energetic cook and gardener, the producer of exquisite meals taking three to four dreamy hours to consume [and far longer to digest]. She's the kind of kitchen magician you think of when speaking of French home cooks. Last night she whipped up this delicious, visually pleasing starter in just 5 minutes. Best of all, this can be made 6 hours ahead and only improves with refrigeration. What more can a harried hostess want? Click to read more...