Virginie Degryse - Crave and Cook: Home Cooking During the Holidays

Home Cooking during the Holidays: Recipes and Advice from a Belgian mother in a California kitchen. WRITTEN BY Virginie Degryse FOREWORD MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN MICHAEL RIVA JR. ART DIRECTION & DESIGN
ALEKSA MARA Introduction Breakfast Starters & Sides Soups & Salads F Entres (Meat) Stuffed Chicken Entres (Vegetarian) Sweets & Desserts Cafe Liegois Eggnog Panna Cotta Chocolat Pot du Creme Roasted Apples with Speculoos Poached Pears FOREWORD When I lived in Paris I learned a lot about cooking by watching women like Virginie as they went about their shopping at the street markets in my neighborhood. They were as busy as the next person -- on their way to or from work, dropping off or picking up their kids from school or preschool but that never seemed to stop them from thinking about making dinner. They always seemed to know what they wanted, to identify what looked good, and to know what nourishing and delicious meals they were going to prepare for their families in under thirty minutes when they got home. When Virginie moved from Brussels to Los Angeles with her husband and three young children five years ago she brought a passion for cooking along with this innate European know-how.

Both blossomed and flourished in the California sunshine. Here she discovered all the produce she had loved at home and more, and all of it with longer growing seasons. The California bounty made it easy for Virginie to follow her mothers good cooking advice in her new home to get information from books and recipes, but to add her personal touch and never be afraid to improvise. This is what she does with the healthy, vibrant dishes she publishes on her Crave and Cook blog, made without fuss and irresistible to kids and adults alike. But in November, even under the blue skies of an 80-degree afternoon, Virginie becomes nostalgic about the cooler-weather recipes that go hand in hand with the holiday season in her native Belgium. She craves the chestnuts that every child (and adult) in Europe looks forward to in December, root vegetables like clriac that she mashes with potatoes, and cold weather chicories like endive and radicchio.

When Virginie craves something, she cooks. She braises her endives, and as her mother used to do to sweeten their bitter edge, caramelizes them with a little sugar. She tosses radicchio with sweet pears and inter vegetables into potpies with buttery puff pastry lids, and crumbles the Belgian spice cookies (called Speculoos) that she loves over baked apples. She serves festive blinis with assorted toppings on Christmas Eve, and makes an indulgent Christmas morning French toast casserole with challah, soaked overnight in a mixture of eggs and eggnog, then baked until golden while she and her family are opening their presents, a wonderful holiday twist that goes right to the heart of her mothers advice never be afraid to improvise. Virginie knows how to simplify preparations so that even a complex dish is easily accomplished in minimal time. This is one reason why her holiday recipes are so appealing: they are doable.

She knows when its okay to use store-bought ingredients. Why not use good packaged puff pastry for winter vegetable potpies and put the time and effort into assuring that the filling is delicious. No need to make the blinis if you can find good ones in the supermarket; the focus here is on the toppings. A wonderful chestnut soup or puree is easy to accomplish with a good jar of chestnuts. The comforting recipes in Virginies Crave and Cook Holiday Cookbook are inspired by old and new world ingredients and traditions, a touch of Europe warmed by the California sun. Like Virginie, they bring together the best of both worlds.

MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN Cookbook Author & New York Times Contributor INTRODUCTION For as long as I can remember, cooking has always been an important part of my life. I started baking with my mother after school when I was just a little girl. We would make chocolate cakes, chocolate truffles, strawberry shortcakes. Once I was hooked to baking, she started to teach me my way around the kitchen. She used to tell me to get inspiration from books but to always add your personal touch and never be afraid to improvise. Through the years, Ive continued cooking what I love and sharing it with my closest loved ones; my husband and my children.

For me, family and cooking are profoundly linked and my greatest pleasure is to cook for them. Having dinner together as a family is the perfect time to bond and check in on one another, to make sure everyone is all right. To even have the time to ask, how was your day? When I cook for my family I try to be mindful of everyones different taste while making sure to provide the opportunity of getting out of their comfort zone. Trying to teach my kids to be adventurous and open to new cuisine and flavor variety is a driving force for me. A few years ago, we moved from Belgium to Los Angeles. With Whole Foods, farmer markets and fresh organic produce everywhere we turn, the local resources in this city are truly inspiring.

I have always loved to cook ingredients as they are, to leave them true to their character and try not cover them with too much spices or sauces. Moving to California has pushed me even more in that direction. Brussels, Belgium The winter flavors and Holiday dishes are my favorite. They take me back to my childhood and I am flooded with memories of family gatherings when I was a little girl. We had a routine: We would all share a house by the seaside for Christmas and New Year. My grandma would be cooking with my mom and my aunts.

My cousins, brother and I would be running all over the place having a blast. All of us kids slept in the same room where we shared stories over laughter at night when we should have been asleep. We would have a delicious dinner for Christmas Eve and then go to midnight mass. The next day, when we woke up to all the presents Santa had brought us, there would be crepes and hot chocolate with whipped cream for breakfast with Christmas carols in the background. The joy was always amplified by the food. I keep these memories in mind when I prepare Holiday meals today.