HOSTED BY TOM: Interviewed by ZdG

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.