My Madison Bistro

I did it!!! After last year’s failed attempt at finding a recipe for my favorite soup, I thought I’d never be able to make not just a decent broccoli cheese soup, but a really good version. It had to be thick and creamy – perfect for dunking warm bread – with a light taste of […]

Eclairs. Fruit Tarts. Napoleons. Cakes. Cannolis. Fruit Pies. Cream Pies. What do these desserts have in common? They all can include pastry cream, a silky custard that is an important component to many recipes, but is also rather decadent on its own. You’ll find this custard filling an éclair, topping the prebaked pastry shell in […]

My arms hurt. My lower back is sore. This was the view outside my front door yesterday. The cars look like they’re huddled together in an attempt to ward off the sustained 30+ mph winds we experienced for about 12 hours at that point. Most of the city, half of the state, and a good […]

For my next installment of French country cooking, I wanted something fairly simple, yet seasonal. This winter vegetable soup seemed perfect. I had to trek to a couple of grocery stores to find celery root, though around here that’s not all that surprising. This soup is perfect for a cold winter’s night, and it will […]