WHERE:
My apartment on the Île Saint-Louis overlooking the Seine with the Pantheon in the distance.
WHAT:
A nostalgic American holiday buffet with a Southern twist. I started serving this same dinner 30 years ago when I had a house in Charleston, South Carolina.
- A glazed ham with a sweet salty - almost charred - crust
- Gnocchi à la romana (gratinéed discs of baked grits!)
- Lima bean salad (lemon and olive oil, parsley and minced red onion)
- Jammy roasted tomatoes with thyme and shallots on a bed of rocket
- Coconut cake with layers of lemon curd and crème pâtissière. Then a meringue icing with toasted coconut.
WHEN:
Between our American Thanksgiving and everyone’s Christmas!
WHY:
Who has ever had a baked ham for dinner in Paris? My lima beans are always a revelation to all, particularly the French and Italians who generally eat their beans HOT (if I can’t find them, I’ll use frozen flageolet). It is always particular fun to prove to Europeans that Americans can cook well too!
WHO:
A wide ranging and international group ….francophiles to the extent they’ve chosen Paris as their home. Of course there are some French still left in Paris too!
Shop Tom's edit HERE.
