Inspiration

Recent Reads

March 16, 2019 By Allison

These days, I’m living my best book life. I have short, precarious stacks of books all over the house: travel guides, novels, poetry, cookbooks. I love my books, but I am hard on them. I make copious notations, I stash them in my bag when I’m on the go, and if I sense someone needs my book more than I do, I give it away.

Our winter wasn’t as cold and snowy as some, but it was grey and damp. I spent those months dabbling, skipping from book to book, and rereading a few favorites. If I begin reading a book and I’m not hooked after a few chapters, I set it aside. I spent ten years as a student of literature, and I always read what I was instructed to read. Now I’m more reckless. Sometimes I purchase a book simply because it has a pretty cover. I read more in English. Unfinished books linger. It’s glorious to flit between subjects and genres and to touch so many different books in one sitting.

For this post, I gathered a selection of some recent and favorite reads that might lead you to your next book. Dainin Katagiri’s The Light That Shines Through Infinity has been a steady, insightful spiritual companion that I have already gifted to a friend and that I will reread multiple times. Michelin’s guide to Brittany has had me dreaming about France’s rugged coasts, and Alexandre Maral’s Versailles: côté ville, côté jardin has furthered my research on the Royal City. My cookbook collection is unmanageable, but Emeril Lagasse’s review of Bottom of the Pot made Naz Deravian’s new book on Persian cuisine irresistible.

A few months ago, I embarked on a poetry project with a friend. Each month, we read one poem by Irish poet Eavan Boland. We stay with that poem for a whole month, and then we each compose our own poem that is inspired by and seems to grow from the month’s poem. Writing and sharing poetry terrifies me, but our Eavan Boland project has helped me to go deeper with poetry and to feel brave enough to write my own poems.

If English is my first and most comfortable language, French is my chosen and beloved language. My French winter reads were delightful. I’ve been enjoying random selections of François Cheng’s De l’âme (About the Soul). He unfailingly brings me beauty as he bridges philosophies of the East and the West. In Le camélia de ma mère (My Mother’s Camellia), Alain Baraton, the head gardener at the Château de Versailles, sings the beauty of his mother’s favorite flower. And after teaching L’Elégance du hérisson (The Elegance of the Hedgehog), last spring, I am treating myself to a third or fourth reading of Muriel Barbery’s novel on the beauty of friendship.

Inspirations

Discovering Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca

Thoughts on beauty and grief

Creative Spirits: Bourbon Hot Chocolate

February 24, 2019 By Allison

On the rare occasion that someone tells me they are not fond of chocolate, I wonder what is wrong with them. How could someone not love rich, decadent chocolate desserts? A chewy brownie, a slab of homemade chocolate cake, or a square of dark chocolate as an afternoon pick-me-up…

Of course, high-quality chocolate can be rich, dense, and overwhelming. I can’t count the number of times I have given myself terrible stomachaches by overindulging in chocolate. As an adult, though, I’ve learned to be more measured in my chocolate consumption. I’ve never been a daily consumer of chocolate. I just needed to learn not to overdo it on the rare occasion that I bake a cake or a pan of brownies. If I bake and give it away, there won’t be any chocolate to tempt me back into the kitchen in the evening. If I freeze squares of brownies, I’ll forget that they’re in the freezer.

Another way to moderate my chocolate passion is through bourbon hot chocolate. My recipe makes two espresso-sized servings. One serving satisfies my craving, I serve the other to a friend, and since there are no leftovers, there is no risk of a tummy ache. Serving this treat in vintage demitasse cups makes the occasion and the dessert feel special.

This is an old-fashioned hot chocolate that comes together in about five minutes. With only three ingredients, it makes a quick, impromptu late afternoon treat or an elegant, unctuous dessert. Use the best bittersweet chocolate you can find. When I used Vietnamese chocolate from Eritaj, my hot chocolate was earthy and nuanced. My favorite grocery store chocolate is Green and Black’s 70% Organic Dark Chocolate Bar. Don’t shy away from whole milk, as it makes the hot chocolate deliciously creamy. But if you have none, use 2% or skim milk. The bourbon adds a honeyed sweetness that helps marry the chocolate and the milk. Skipping the bourbon is no problem if you prefer to keep your hot chocolate alcohol-free.

If, God forbid, you do happen to be one of those people who just isn’t into chocolate, you may want to try my Maple Pecan Tea Toddy. It is warm, sweet, and comforting without the richness of bourbon hot chocolate.

Bourbon Hot Chocolate

Created by aconnolly24 on February 24, 2019

Yield: 2
Category: Celebrations, Small Bites, Sweets, Tea and other Drinks

Ingredients

1 c whole milk
2 1/2 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. bourbon, optional

Instructions

Heat the milk in a small saucepan, without bringing to a boil.
When the milk is hot, remove from heat and whisk in the chocolate. When the chocolate is melted, return to heat and cook at a very low boil for 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Do not step away during this time.
Remove from heat. Stir in optional bourbon.
Serve warm in demitasse cups.

Love Musings

February 16, 2019 By Allison

Photo courtesy of Shelley Richardson

Those who love use their imagination to discover solutions where others see only problems. Those who love help others according to their needs and with creativity, not according to preconceived ideas or common conceptions.
–Pope Francis

Valentine’s Day can be fraught. Although I see the holiday as a sweet reminder to celebrate all kinds of love, I understand the loneliness that can accompany this overwhelming greeting card day. It is difficult to be alone on Valentine’s Day when you feel like everyone you know is sharing a cozy dinner with their sweetheart. I have been in that sad emotional space, but several years ago, I released those feelings of inadequate solitude because they were holding me back.

Love is so much more than chocolate, flowers, and candle-lit meals! We have a responsibility to inhabit love—to be love—each day. Love is a powerfully creative act: “Those who love help others according to their needs and with creativity.” It is a dynamic, ever-evolving energy that moves us through our days. Love involves interplay, cooperation, and patience. It is neither formulaic nor superficial. It is practical, messy, and beautiful. As I have written before, love is our duty and our pleasure.

Love is too abundant, too expansive to be contained in one grey February day. Maybe it is a bit silly to dedicate one day of the year to a concept that is so vast yet so vague, but I am content to embrace Valentine’s Day as a moment to celebrate love and to reevaluate my thoughts on love. This year, I recommit to allowing the energy of love, whatever unexpected or unconventional form it may take.

Tiny Tea Set, Lively Energy of Life

February 8, 2019 By Allison

In the realm of space, your life is nothing but the lively energy of life, interconnecting with everything.
–Dainin Katagiri

Every so often, I spread the pieces of my childhood tea set on my bed. It’s in pitiful shape—broken, glued, re-broken, re-glued. I love that I played so hard with these tiny, clumsy cups and plates. I almost remember my gracious, chubby fingers pouring imaginary tea as I brushed wisps of long, brown hair out of my eyes. I can almost see myself breaking piece after piece in my basement playroom.

No one in my family drank tea, so I must have created my own imaginary tea stories. I don’t recall my solo tea parties, yet when I lay my hands on the shards, I access the lively energy of life that children incarnate. This cherished energy still resides deep inside me. Light, open, and expansive, this part of me responds to people who are patient and curious. Sometimes I forget the connections that defy time and geography, but the energy of this homely wabi-sabi children’s tea set transcends place, space, and culture. Through it, I recall that it was a gift from Grandma Rose Mary. She couldn’t have known that tea would become my language and my passion. In this sense, her gift of imaginary tea was prophetic. Grandma’s gift allowed me to create my first tea rituals and to explore what it might mean to share tea with others. My tea rituals have evolved, but I embrace the awkwardness of human connection as it plays out over shared tea moments.

In the realm of space, my life is nothing but the lively energy of life, interconnecting with everything.

La rue des Deux Portes

January 12, 2019 By Allison

la rue des deux portes versailles While the grandeur of Versailles resides in its Château, its charm is surely in its diminutive streets, passages, and courtyards. Lying in the shadow of the Château, la rue des Deux Portes (The Street with Two Doors) has mixed residental and business since the 17^th and 18^th centuries. Connecting the rue Carnot to the Place du Marché, boutiques and restaurants saturate this short pedestrian way. La rue des Deux Portes is lively, local, and picturesque, well worth a quick visit after your market trip or Château visit. Alternatively, make an afternoon of shopping on this street and in the antique district, le Quartier des Antiquaires, also located close to the Place du Marché.

Allison’s Tips
Access
Leaving the Château, take the tree-lined avenue de Saint-Cloud to the avenue de l’Europe. Take a sharp left on the rue Carnot, where you immediately see the south entrance to the rue des Deux Portes.

Coming from the Place du Marché, the north entrance to the rue des Deux Portes branches off the rue Ducis, on the west side of the Place.

Boutiques
Coffee and Tea Merchant—La Finca 15, rue des Deux Portes

Kitchen Store–Culinarion 13, rue des Deux Portes

Hat and Glove Shop–Falbalas Saint Junien 10, rue des Deux Portes

Toy Store–La Palette de Jeux 12, rue des Deux Portes

Cuisine
Maison Sephaire 17, rue des Deux Portes
Traditional French butcher and caterer that provides high end, traditional French food to go: artisanal charcuterie, pâté, roast chicken, and various sides such as carrot salad

Les Biscuits de Madame Georges 7, rue des Deux Portes
British inspired afternoon tea featuring homemade Bundt cakes

Eléphant d’Argent 6, rue des Deux Portes (Thai restaurant)

Crêperie des Deux Portes 12, rue des Deux Portes

Nightlife
BiBoViNo Versailles 15, rue des Deux Portes
Wine shop and bar featuring high quality « bag in box » wines. BiBoViNo’s liquor license requires that food be served with alcohol, so patrons must also order charcuterie and/or cheese boards to accompany their wine.

L’Equilibre 8, rue des Deux Portes
Trendy tapas bar with more than thirty wines by the glass. Happy hours from 5-8 p.m. Arrive early to grab a table!

Creative Spirits: Maple Pecan Tea Toddy

December 26, 2018 By Allison

Do you have a few neglected bottles of liquor gathering dust in a cabinet? Since I like the idea of spirits more than I actually like to sip them, my tiny selection of whiskeys and liqueurs is neglected most of the time. This winter, I’ve decided to get creative with the spirits languishing on my bar cart, and I’m inviting you along for the ride! In the next few months, my Creative Spirits series will provide straightforward beverage recipes made with accessible ingredients. For those of us who aren’t likely to serve stronger alcohols, I will develop recipes that incorporate modest amounts of whiskeys and liqueurs to complement other ingredients in the drinks. This is not a time to pull out your finest bourbons. Aim for reliable middle-of-the road spirits that are appropriate for mixing, rather than your expensive bottles that should be saved for tasting.

Let’s begin with my Maple Pecan Tea Toddy. I suggest serving this as a soothing dessert on a chilly night. I begin by preparing Southern Pecan Black Tea and adding maple syrup, a little bourbon, and finishing it off with a cinnamon stick. Easy as pie. Happy Holidays!

Maple Pecan Tea Toddy

Created by aconnolly24 on December 24, 2018

Tiny white chocolate chips add a creamy sweetness to Elmwood Inn’s Southern Pecan Black Tea. I add a touch of maple syrup to this Tea Toddy, which pairs well with the caramel notes of Kentucky Bourbon.

Category: Celebrations, Tea and other Drinks

Ingredients

4 fl oz brewed Elmwood Inn Southern Pecan Black Tea
1/2 fl oz wheated bourbon, such as Maker's Mark
1 tsp. maple syrup, or to taste
1 cinnamon stick, optional

Instructions

Add bourbon to hot tea, then add maple syrup, stirring to dissolve. Serve with cinnamon stick, if desired.

Inspirations

Having fun with iced tea garnishes

Sparkling Apple Spice Tea Cocktail

Timeless Strasbourg

December 12, 2018 By Allison

All moments, past, present and future, always have existed, always will exist.
–Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five

Strasbourg, France is one of my moveable feasts. Years on, my glorious and trying stint in Strasbourg moves with me and through me. The city has accompanied me in my successive endeavors. I protect Strasbourg. I revel in Strasbourg. I share Strasbourg. On occasion, I return to this cherished touchstone city.

Last night, when tragedy struck in my old stomping grounds, I realized that a part of me still inhabits Strasbourg. If I’ve kept this place with me through the years, I now understand that I also left a slightly younger, more naïve self in the stunning city on the banks of the Ill River. Removed from time, I still gaze at the pink sandstone cathedral in the center of town, I wander the uneven pedestrian ways of La Petite France, and I frequent the Marché des Producteurs on Saturday mornings. I pop into chic boutiques, and I track down the flakiest baguette in the city.

The Christmas market violence that rocked Strasbourg also shook me. It rattled all of us who entrust our more innocent, wide-eyed selves to this timeless place.

Inspriations

On Love graffiti in Paris

A favorite Strasbourg tea spot

Color Crush

December 6, 2018 By Allison

I love a beautiful cheese board. I love savory and toothsome charcuterie. This holiday season, though, I’m making a departure from my savory standbys. This year, I want bright, crisp vegetables to take the place of the denser, fattier meats and cheeses that I usually serve.

As much as possible, I’m keeping fresh, chopped vegetables on hand—endives, bell peppers, celery, and cucumbers. And I’m experimenting with creamy and delectable vegetable dips that get their heft from tahini, nuts, or dairy. I am not depriving my guests or myself! My colorful combos make for a sturdy snack or a pleasing appetizer. They can also stand in for salad at dinnertime.

So what’s my strategy? I pull out the food processor and whip up a few dips. Since I keep my food processor in a storage closet, I make good use of it and prepare a few dips at once that will keep for several days in the refrigerator. I aim for different colors and textures in my vegetable and dip boards. Endives are a favorite dipper, due to their shape and their mild bitterness. Sliced bell peppers are always in the rotation. Everyone reaches for the whole wheat pita triangles. I favor under-appreciated celery.

I’ve found so many recipes for vegetable-based dips—all perfect in their own way—that I have yet to develop my own recipes. Below, you will find the links to three of my favorites, all of which will keep in the refrigerator for at least 4 days. Just make sure to give them a good stir and to freshen them with a little salt, pepper, or olive oil, if needed.

Roasted Butternut Squash Dip, Bon Appétit

Greek Goddess Dip, New York Times

Muhammara, New York Times (there are so many recipes for this Syrian spread on the internet!)

Nana Ding: Lessons of Tea

October 2, 2018 By Allison

…le mouvement de la vie est pris dans un réseau de constants échanges et d’entrecroisements
…the movement of life exists in a network of continual exchanges and intertwinements
François Cheng, Cinq méditations sur la beauté

Nana Ding’s tea shop is on a quaint street in Strasbourg, France. Quiet and elegant, the rue des Charpentiers winds behind the Gothic cathedral. When I was visiting in March, her toasty shop was a welcome escape from Strasbourg’s damp and chilly weather. When you step into Nana Ding Thés d’Exception, you enter a tea haven. Delicate Chinese tea objects occupy every shelf and corner—tiny Yixing tea pots, painted gaiwans, fragile tea bowls, all selected by Nana Ding during her trips to China. Behind the counter reside rare and special teas that she sources from China. Puerhs, oolongs, rock teas, green teas, red teas, white teas… how to choose?!

Madame Ding and I spent two lovely mornings together, infusing, sipping, and observing. Our encounter felt hushed and sacred. The teas she shared with me were ethereal. A green tea from Sichuan Province that we steeped six times and a red tea from Yunnan Province harvested from uncultivated tea trees that are more than 2,000 years old. I found both teas to be otherworldly and subtle.

I often sip exceptional teas with tea-loving friends. Over tea, we learn from one another. Nana Ding taught me that the tea itself speaks to us. Each infusion seemed to unlock and share a lesson—lessons that I continue to unravel, many months after our tea mornings.

Since those blustery March moments, I have taken to honoring the tea leaf. I sip more slowly, I infuse more respectfully, and I attune myself to the messages that each tiny cup of tea offers me.

…the movement of life exists in a network of continual exchanges and intertwinements

Nana Ding Thés d’Exception
13 rue des Charpentiers
67000 Strasbourg

Ore: a golden pause

September 8, 2018 By Allison

Visiting the Château of Versailles can make for a long day: lines, crowds, and so much sumptuous history to take in! For sanity’s sake, why not break up the day with a calm, delectable lunch?

Located on the grounds of the Château, Chef Alain Ducasse’s ORE serves carefully prepared, high-end café fare in a light, airy setting. Ore means mouth in Latin and also plays on the French word for gold (or). The gold décor and sunburst tableware speak to the historic setting, and the menus correspond to the seasons. On my last visit I ordered a perfect spring vegetable tartelette resting on a green pea purée, followed by a verbena and raspberry soufflé. Disconnected from the effervescent commotion of the Château, my friends and I enjoyed classic French cuisine graced with touches of modernity, all in a discreet, elegant setting.

At ORE, The service is attentive and efficient, the food beautifully plated and delicious. After a quiet, relaxed lunch, you will be ready to continue your visit of the Château.

Allison’s Tips
ORE teams up with the Château of Versailles to offer breakfast or lunch followed by direct access (no lines!) to the Château and its grounds. Reserve for breakfast + direct access (40€) or lunch + direct access (60€). The set menus vary according to the season.

Make a reservation for breakfast (starting at 12€), lunch (starting at 16€), or afternoon tea (35€)

Make a reservation for evening dinners, offered on select dates throughout the summer

Reserve ORE for a private evening function by calling +33 1 30 84 12 97

Access: ORE is on the second floor of the Pavillon Dufour at the Château of Versailles. From the security checkpoint on the Place d’Armes, enter the Cour d’Honner and hang left as you approach the Cour Royal and the Pavillon Dufour. From the gardens, follow the signs to the Cour des Princes and access the Pavillon Dufour from the Cour des Princes courtyard.

« Previous Page