CondimentClaire

This week, right in between my ratatouille corner and watermelons, we planted nearly 100 saffron bulbs. Supposedly, in 6-8 weeks we’ll begin to see little purple crocus flowers, each one, with three teeny tiny thin red threads waiting patiently inside. It will be unbelievable (if we did it right and if it works). Here’s the thing, I’ve never grown saffron nor have I ever harvested it before so isn’t a “here’s how it’s done” post, it’s more of a “come try this out with me” one.

If you’re anything like me, September 1st feels like more of a new year than January 1st ever does. Since today marks the very last day of August, I guess summer “holidays”are officially over, it’s time for me to get back to London and get back to biz.

This week, I came back to my family home in France where fig season is still very much in full swing. We’ve made 50+ jars of fig jam andalready this summer so it was time to dive into savory territory with our bounty. fig mustard recipe here My family and I have been making these little fig parcels for the past 5 summers and cannot get enough of them.

Next week, I’m traveling to Limpopo to learn all about BALENI SALT. I found out about this special salt when researching for my book, The Condiment Book, and had the privilege of finally tasting the rarity last December when I hosted a salt event with Studio H in Cape Town! In preparation for the salty upcoming trip to Limpopo, I wanted to share with you the salt excerpt of TCB. Stay tuned for next week’s salty piece! Salt is a controversial condiment.

There are still 46 days of summer left, but I’m off to Cape Town(!!) where it’s winter, so my season’s over. It flew by, but here’s what got me through it! Beauty - Travel Friendly Clothes - Caffeine - Summer Flavors - Travel Moisturizer: All summer I’ve used this duo of daily / nightly moisturizer which has been great for my combination skin.

In America, most cookbooks with include a small army of dough recipes for a handful of desserts. It’s COMPLICATED. You’ve got flaky all-butter pie crust or shortcrust for a classic Thanksgiving pie spread, a graham cracker crust for cheesecake and a pâte sucrée for French-like fruit tarts. Sweet and savory bakes not only get different fillings but also different doughs, techniques, and overall ingredients! Now, in France, most home kitchens (mine included) only use ONE dough.

Okay so you learned all about French sirops, their cultural significance, uses, and brand history here so now it’s time to learn how to make your own. Although I love using them for this, syrups aren’t JUST for morning coffee and matcha. They are the perfect last minute glaze for a cake or pie, refreshing in daily water, can transform milk into a childhood treat, and can even be used in marinades or glazes to give whatever you’re cooking a hint of sweet kick. The best part?

Tell me if I’m wrong but when people say syrups they automatically think of coffee shop flavorings - vanilla, caramel, etc. While these are in fact, delicious, with the right amount and paired properly, in France syrups, called sirops, are used for so much more. In the same vein apéro is a way of eating and that the petit déjeuner complet is a way of having breakfast, the sirop is a way of drinking. Regardless of your mood, age, the time of day, or year there’s a sirop for very occasion.

Every summer, there’s a kind of chaos that happens in my kitchen during fig season. At the mills, we have 6 fig trees and 3 of them give twice during the summer into early autumn… They’re also GIANT. Let’s just say, we’ve made lots of fig jam. This year, I wanted to try something new. Fig mustard sits at the intersection of everything I’m obsessed with: it’s sweet, salty, tangy, sharp, a bit crunchy, and kind of unnecessary but so fun?

Mirabelle season lasts two weeks… That’s IT. I always try to go back to my family home in France during this time to capture this fleeting moment. That said, there is a French answer to this problem. You don’t fight the two weeks, you jar them up instead. That’s the best part about jam - you can literally jar up a memory, a specific day, a moment in time. Every year I forget how short the season is and just how delicate these little yellow plums are.