Signeture.Living

Salt is like a good humor, and nearly every thing is better for a pinch of it. - Louisa May Alcott

No matter how small is the poulet rôti bought at our local butcher shop or chicken roasted at home, there are always some leftovers. Sometimes for a meal, sometimes for two. Closer to the fall and through the squash season the salad gets a new addition — roasted squash. The rest of the year it gets avocado, cucumber, fried zucchini, or radishes.

2 medium-size heads Romaine or iceberg lettuce
240 g canned, drained chickpeas
400 g roast chicken or any amount you have, in pieces
croutons if desired

squash:
400 g mealy, unpeeled squash (I like to use butternut or Red Kuri), in pieces
30 ml olive oil for frying
1 tsp anise seeds
1/2 freshly ground pepper
1/3 tsp cumin seeds
sea salt to taste

sauce:
1 egg yolk
1 medium garlic clove, grated
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/3 tsp honey or a tiny bit of demerara sugar
40 ml grape seed oil
20 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
sea salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste


Heat the oven to 200°C. Combine all the squash ingredients, place in a single layer in a pan, and bake for 25–30 minutes until golden.

While the pumpkin is baking, make the sauce. In a bowl, combine egg, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and honey. Whisking all the time, add the oil (this will make the sauce creamy). Finally, mix in cheese, salt, and pepper.

In a bowl, combine the lettuce, chickpeas, chicken, and sauce. Place on individual plates or on one large serving platter. When the squash is ready, place it on top and around the salad and serve. Sprinkle with croutons if you wish.

Serve with Pouilly Fuisse

With a bit of an obsession (as stated on the bag), I step into this week leaving behind the twists and turns of the last one. A week where a soufflé recipe from 1971 was something of a disaster, whereas riz à l’impératrice was a triumph. A week where I looked at my body—my face in particular—from a different perspective (thanks to a facial aesthetic procedure), realising just how much tension we carry around.

It was a week that began so differently that I expected bringing a whole baggage of emotions—something only a therapist, and a touch of girlfriend support, could resolve. A week where the dishwasher is still broken, my leg hasn’t healed yet a lost package containing a blender somehow found its way back to our door (no call, nothing).

And then, a trip to Bordeaux—with its beautiful weather, houses, food, and people—ending much earlier than expected. But all’s well that ends well.

With flowers, great food, family, and friends.
Oh, and yes—I must share my two latest recipes: coffee crumble cake and a cookie dessert.

People and addresses to keep in mind in Lyon:
Faceplastie (AMAZING) - .faceplastie.lyon
Flowers -
Sunday coffee -

Bordeaux. Save this for some good tastes:
Caneles. The real ones that locals get - La Toque Cuivrée
pastries and sandwiches - The French Bastards
Amazing pasties del nata - l’Atelier des Pasteis
Coffee - L’Alchimiste
Award winning chocolates - Hasnaa chocolates grands crus

Still my favourite place – rue Notre-Dame
Excellent canelés and cookies – Pure Pâtisserie
Coffee – La Pelle and L’Alchimiste Torréfacteur
The oldest boulangerie – Au Pétrin Moissagais
Food, shopping and the place to be – Darwin