Gourmet Live Blog

Location: Switzlerland

What’s the first meal you ever made?
My sister and I played “restaurant” with our neighbor Cindy. We would get out all my Mom’s cookbooks and concoct gourmet meals using everything exotic we could find in the cupboards and refrigerator. I remember making Chicken Marengo and Beef Stroganoff with egg noodles. I’m not sure if it was good, but it was certainly better than most of the 50s- and 60s-style food we were accustomed to eating. We made cream puffs for dessert and ate the whole batch. I thought I would melt with joy.

If you had to blog about one ingredient every day, what would it be?
That’s a difficult question, because I love almost every food for different reasons. If it were a question of what food I’d like to eat every day when I get to heaven, I’d say Alfonso mangoes, the most perfect food on earth. But writing about one ingredient is another matter. I think it would be foie gras, shame on me.

What’s your go-to quick and easy dinner?
I have a farmer deliver fresh organic eggs to the house every two weeks. There are loads of easy, healthy dishes you can make with them: omelets, quiches, oeufs mayonnaise, eggs poached on top of sautéed vegetables or salsa. I also cook a lot of wok meals using lots of vegetables with a bit of pasta or whole grains. My absolute favorite is extra-thin, artisanal Italian egg noodles with canned tuna, onions, garbanzo beans and fresh oregano.

Who would you love to have over for dinner?
Barack and Michelle Obama. Michelle has worked so hard to improve Americans’ eating habits and teach children how to eat healthily and Barack is such a decent, likeable guy (and handsome too). I bet we’d have a lot of laughs. And maybe they could bring Jamie Oliver along just for fun. I really love the things he’s been trying to teach children about eating properly.