DavazNet

Sandwich has the power to transport you to France

Wed, 16 May 2012 08:53 GMT

Pan Bagnat (pahn bah nyah, saying the 'n' in pan through your nose) is a make-ahead sandwich from the south of France that's a whole meal, perfect for picnics. The filling is tuna, tomatoes, olives, some greens and a garlicky olive oil. And anchovies. Don't let the anchovies scare you away. If you love anchovies, the more the better. If you don't, adding a small squeeze of anchovy paste to the dressing will add depth, but you probably won't realize exactly what it is. Squeeze out about as much as the amount of toothpaste you'd use. Make sure you use a…

Eliot’s spring training

Sun, 13 May 2012 05:26 GMT

Eliot loves sports and particularly Oregon football. He joined hundreds of kids from the community and a bunch of Duck football players on Saturday, May 12, at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene.

It’s julep time

Wed, 02 May 2012 07:18 GMT

It isn’t every sporting event that has its own designated drink and dress code, but when it comes to the Kentucky Derby, it’s the mint julep and a hat that makes a statement. The drink is easy: muddle some fresh mint and sugar in the bottom of a silver julep cup, fill with crushed ice, add bourbon and top off with a healthy sprig of mint and a short straw. (The short straw is so your nose will be buried in the fragrant mint as you sip.) All you need now is a big hat and you’re set for this Saturday’s…

Baby hats, 2003-2012

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:49 GMT

A collection of baby hats and other knitting projects by Kim Davaz over the last few years.

Roast a whole chicken

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:01 GMT

One of the best ready-to-eat foods available at the grocery store is the whole roasted chicken. Bring one home and you have - depending on how many you'll be serving - a meal plus leftovers. Buying or roasting a whole chicken works best when you have people who will eat every part of a chicken. If you are serving only white-meat eaters, then a whole chicken is not the way to go. Even though a store-roasted chicken is so easy, roasting your own gives you the option of choosing your own flavorings. There are so many possibilities because chicken takes to…

Asparagus is a great excuse for Hollandaise

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:00 GMT

Asparagus is one of the vegetable world’s harbingers of spring. It may be tempura-ed, stir-fried, made into a cream soup, wrapped in thin slices of ham, put into an omelet or frittata or tossed with pasta. For me, asparagus is most appealing at its simplest: boiled, steamed or roasted, then dipped in Hollandaise sauce. I used to choose only the thinnest of spears, looking askance at the sturdier stalks, but recently I’ve come to appreciate asparagus in all its variety of sizes. Whether you prefer skinny or chubby, for ease of cooking, pick stalks that are generally the same in diameter…

Easter traditions

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 07:14 GMT

Easter is a holiday I associate more with two of my favorite baked goods than with jelly beans or chocolate rabbits. Hot Cross Buns, fragrant with spices and full of dried fruit, are traditionally made on Good Friday. Hoska is a braided, fruit-and-nut-laced bread from my husband's maternal grandmother's family from the Czech Republic. I make it every Easter and Christmas, and lately, every time I visit my mother-in-law. The original recipe for Hoska made one very large, very impressive four-layer braid. I made that once and realized it wouldn't fit in a zip-sealing plastic bag to keep it fresh. Now…

A favorite biscuit recipe fit for inexperienced cooks

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 07:00 GMT

I once shared a driveway in Missoula, Mont., with Carol, a transplant from Jackson, Miss. She was an enchanting anomaly, with her thick Southern accent and dainty shoes. Among other things, she introduced me to Sherwin Williams "Peanut Cookie" paint, Spode "Buttercup" china and the Jackson Junior League cookbook, "Southern Sideboards." One of the recipes I've used most often is for "Bride's Biscuits," a cross between a biscuit and a roll. They rise from three leavenings (baking powder, baking soda plus buttermilk and yeast.) Maybe either the bride or the one who gave her the recipe thought even the most inexperienced…

Eliot and Mitchell help Oregon win the day over Iowa in the NIT

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:43 GMT

Final faces of the season

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 22:44 GMT

Eliot and his happy teammates after this season’s last basketball game.

Remembrance and honor

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 19:02 GMT

Col. Carl G. Davaz, USA (Ret.), was buried with military honors at the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Wash., on Monday, March 5, 2012.

Glorious macarons

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:15 GMT

PARIS - In pâtisseries all over the City of Light, the almond meringue delicacies called macarons are proudly displayed front and center. Some might have a few macarons to choose from, usually vanilla, chocolate, coffee, pistachio and raspberry. Other very upscale pâtisseries will have gorgeous displays of macarons in colors and flavors that dazzle: anise, rose, violet, basil, salted caramel, green tea. Smooth and shiny, from palest ivory to intense fuchsia to ebony - sandwiched with a scant filling of fruit jam, ganache or buttercream - macarons are among the gems of the pastry world. They can be the size of…

Huge cookies have space for lots of love

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 07:16 GMT

If you’d like to give your chocolate-loving Valentine something homemade this year, bake a tin of deeply chocolate cookies. Make them large or small, topped with a sprinkling of sugar, or use frosting to write words of endearment. Make one very large cookie for a grand gesture. It would give you enough room for a marriage proposal or a short poem. When you make large cookies, they almost always get distorted when you transfer them to the baking sheet. It’s easier to roll the dough out on the parchment paper, then put the whole thing on the baking sheet. Cut out…

Eleven is a lucky number

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 21:24 GMT

Eliot plays YMCA basketball in Eugene on Saturday, Feb. 4.

Nous sommes tous Américains

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 01:17 GMT

"We are all Americans" wrote Jean-Marie Colombani in LeMonde on Sept. 13, 2001, after the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. on Sept. 11. In 2002, a tree was planted at the Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris to honor the victims. It's our favorite park in Paris and over the years since then we've stopped by to make a simple picture or two. This is the inscription on the plaque next to the tree: "This American oak is dedicated to the memory of the victims of September 11, 2001 in the United States of America. Gift of the American…

For one or for a crowd, lamb is a winter wonder

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:28 GMT

Lamb has always been a favorite of mine. A roasted leg of lamb was my first choice for childhood birthday dinners, and it’s hard to imagine anything that smells better than crispy grilled lamb chops on a bed of rosemary. On a cold winter evening, this recipe from the Cordon Bleu in Paris is just what I want. When you lift the lid on the cooking pot, a cloud of herby, garlicky, lamby steam is released, revealing browned chops on a bed of sliced potatoes. For this recipe you want the larger, flatter blade-cut shoulder chops that take well to braising,…

Getting from Charles de Gaulle Airport to central Paris

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:16 GMT

The most inexpensive way to get to central Paris from Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is the Roissybus. In 2012 the fare for a one way ticket was 10 Euros and it takes about 45-60 minutes to get from the airport to Opéra, where it’s a short walk to the Métro. Look for the Roissybus signs in terminals 1, 2 or 3. Tickets can be purchased on the bus. Other ways of getting to and from the airport include taxi, the Air France bus, RER B suburban train or prearranged airport shuttles. More information can be found at the Paris airports…

Pies in all shapes and sizes and tastes to please everyone

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:28 GMT

Try topping with peanuts and chocolate chips People who say they don’t love pie are not to be trusted, says Dani Cone, pie queen and owner of both High 5 Pie and Fuel Coffee in Seattle, in the introduction to “Cutie Pies: 40 Sweet, Savory and Adorable Recipes.” I must be very trustworthy then. I love pie. Cone loves her pies, too, making them in all sorts of shapes and flavors. The first chapter covers four crusts: all butter, vegan, gluten-free and graham-cracker crumb. I admire Cone’s honesty about gluten-free pies. Cooking without gluten can mean using ingredients you might not…

Pour a little gourmet on a plain dish

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:15 GMT

I first tasted Ginger Sesame Salad Dressing at The Mustard Seed restaurant in Missoula, Mont. I can’t recall anything else from the menu, and I ate there often, but the salad dressing was memorable. I would go there just to have the salad. I’ve had this recipe for so long, there is no paper trail as to where I found it, but I’m glad I did. This delicious blend of fresh ginger, toasted sesame seeds and soy sauce fancies up almost any salad or vegetable, so you can use it to perk up a plain main dish. The one essential piece…

It’s just about 2012

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 06:57 GMT

It’s just about 2012. About a year ago I called Brian to see if he wanted to go to lunch. We met at the Metropol Bakery down on Willamette St., had a quick visit and a sandwich. As ever, we made jokes about practically nothing and laughed. We had done that, off-and-on for about 37 years. The next time I talked to him, he was in Seattle, getting ready to photograph Bill Russell for Sports Illustrated, the next morning. It was the third to the last time I talked to him. When I look back at 2011, a lot of not-that-great…