A time for tajine

Rien de tel qu’un bon tajine pour se réchauffer....

 Paris' packed restaurants make it seem like *everyone* is always eating out, but like most Parisians, I prefer my own cuisine: you will note that cuisine in French means... kitchen. (As a child in the U.S. we had an uncle who used to visit and, at the table, he'd roll his eyes back while blotting his lips and tell my mother, in his French accent, "I love your kitchen!")

There is no getting around the maghrébine gastronomic influence in the capital, and on cold evenings there's nothing like a hearty tajine. Its cone entraps the steam and inverses it, slow cooking ingredients on the lowest heat possible. A perfect winter dish, tajines contrast sweet, salty, spices and textures, and create a combo of flavors that are both satisfying and decadent at once. - BPJ

Above: sea bream w/caramelizzed garlic, onions, spices and eggplant melt into a sauce

 

Below: skinless chicken breasts (I prefer with skin) w/leeks, dried apricots, almonds; salmon tajine w/green olives, artichoke, cilantro, preserved lemon; a serving of lamb tajine w/garlic, toasted almonds, chick peas, cinnamon, dried figs atop couscous