Lisa Chontos

12 years experience in marketing writing and patient education
8 years experience in French and Spanish translation
Graduated magna cum laude from UT San Antonio with an English degree and a specialization in writing
Recently earned certificate in Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing from the American Medical Writers Association
Key clients include hospitals and pharmaceutical companies

When I’m not hard at work at my computer, I’m contorting myself for yoga and pilates, taking interesting walks anywhere, planning another adventurous trip (Costa Rica, Tanzania, Switzerland, Japan), gathering friends around my table, or rambling through a forest with my dear Frenchman.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves 2

1 large head broccoli, about 1 2/3 pounds (750 grams)
Olive oil for cooking
2 big handfuls chopped fresh herbs, like cilantro or tarragon
1 tablespoon tahini (sesame paste, available from natural food stores)
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (a little less than the juice of half a lemon)
1 ripe avocado, diced
A handful of roasted pistachios
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Optional topping: freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 400° F/200° C.
Cut the broccoli by separating the florets from the stem. Then cut the florets in half or thirds.
Put the broccoli on a baking sheet that has a rim, drizzle it with a large amount of olive oil, and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Put the sheet in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, until charred at the edges.
While the broccoli is roasting, prepare the dressing by putting the herbs, tahini, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
Stir dressing with a fork to combine, and add a little fresh water, teaspoon by teaspoon, continuing to stir until you get a dressing that’s creamy but not too thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
When the broccoli is done roasting, add it to the bowl containing the dressing. Add the avocado and roasted pistachios, and toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning again.
Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, optional cheese, and serve. It can be eaten right away, but it can also sit a little bit at room temperature or be refrigerated.

Adapted from the wonderful blog of Clotilde Dusoulier, who I met at a reading in Paris.

Serves 4

2 medium oranges, cut into chunks
2 tsp. mild honey (mild honey is lighter in color, while stronger honey is dark)
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/3 lb. (600 g) French endives
1 cup (100 g) walnuts, roughly quartered
2 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract

Cut the oranges into chunks and set them aside. Collect the juice and put it in a medium bowl.
Add honey, mustard, and salt to the bowl, stirring until smooth.
Whisk in olive oil.
Quarter the endives lengthwise, throwing away the core. Then cut the leaves crosswise into pieces measuring roughly 1/2 inch (1 cm). Add to bowl, tossing to coat.
Mix in the oranges and walnuts. Serve right away, or let it stand 1 hour max.

Note: The acid of the orange continues to break down the other ingredients, so unfortunately, you can’t keep any of this as leftovers. But it’s so delicious and fresh, you’ll be happy to have an excuse to empty the bowl. :)

Adapted from: The French Market Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes from My Parisian Kitchen, by Clotilde Dusoulier

Makes about 16 bars
Prep: this entire recipe is made in a blender.

1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (65 g) sugar
1/4 tsp. salt/li>
8 tbsp. (115 g or 1 stick of butter in the US) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, and additional butter for greasing
the pan

1 small-to-average lemon (roughly 4.5 oz. or 130 g)
1 1/3 cups (265 g) sugar
8 tbsp. (115 g or 1 stick of butter in the US) unsalted butter, cut into chunks
4 large eggs
2 tbsp. (15 g) cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 350° F/175° C. Prep an 8-inch square pan by lining it with a large piece of parchment paper running along the bottom, and then laying a second piece of parchment paper perpendicular to the first. After making sure the whole pan is lined, lightly butter the paper.
Putting the pan aside, make the crust by blending flour, sugar and salt together in a blender. Add butter and pulse until powdery. Pour mixture into prepared pan and press dough evenly across bottom of pan.
Pierce the dough all over with fork and bake for 20 min., until lightly golden. Leave oven on.
While dough bakes, make filling slicing the lemon and removing the seeds. Then put all the slices in the blender, including the flesh and the peel, add the sugar, and blending until smooth. Add eggs, cornstarch, and salt and pulse in short bursts until evenly mixed.
Pour the mixture over the crust and bake 35-40 min. Filling is set when it jiggles just a little bit.

Adapted from: The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, by Deb Perelman

This is a French family recipe—perfect alongside a crusty baguette sandwich filled with your favorite French cheese.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Serves 4

2 cucumbers
3 tbsp. crème fraiche or thick, creamy Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. vinegar
freshly ground pepper
Optional: fresh parsley

Peel the cucumber and then use the peeler to grate along the length of the cucumber, slicing it into long, thin ribbons, and letting the ribbons fall into a medium-sized bowl.
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Refrigerate before serving.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups frozen cranberries (if you’re in France, cerises griottes/sour cherries are a fantastic substitute)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup (113 g) butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 350° F/176° C. Grease a square pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
Stir in cranberries and nuts, and toss to coat.
Stir in butter, beaten eggs, and almond extract.
Spread batter into prepped pan.
Bake at 350° F/176° C for 40 min. Cut into squares

Optional topping: 1/4 cup nuts, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp. butter, 2 tbsp. flour

Note: Bake 1 day ahead for less potent cranberry flavor.

Adapted from recipe found on Cooks.com many years ago.

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. fish sauce or Worcestershire sauce (I use Worcestershire)
1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced or 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 medium green papaya, peeled, and then shredded using a grater (If you can’t find green papaya in your area, Granny Smith apples are a workable substitute)
2 large carrots, peeled, and then shredded using a grater
1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced or 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Handful of cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
Handful of cilantro
1 dozen mint leaves, torn
Optional: green beans cut in half on the diagonal, and a handful of roasted peanuts

Prep vegetables and toss them together in a large serving bowl.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients for the vinaigrette.
Add the vinaigrette to the large bowl and mix well, then serve and enjoy!

Adapted from foodconfidence.com

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Serves 12

1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 tbsp. (87 g) unsalted butter at room temperature
4 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
11 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted (2.5 cups chopped, or 311 grams)
36 raspberries (3 for each muffin cup)
Optional: powdered sugar, vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 400° F/205° C. Take a muffin tin and line the 12 cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl with a mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until it’s light and fluffy, roughly 2 minutes.
Add eggs one by one, beating well after each.
Put mixer on low, and beat in the flour and salt.
Beat in the melted chocolate until just combined.
Divide half the batter among cups, add three raspberries to each, then top with remaining batter.
Bake until the tops are just barely set and no longer shiny, 10 to 11 minutes, then let the cakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Can serve them just like that, or dusted with powdered sugar, with a scoop of ice cream.

Adapted from a chocolate ad seen in a magazine many years ago.

Makes 4 glasses (Can be stretched to 5 max)

1 cup (250 g) mascarpone
100 g sugar, divided in half (1/4 cup, added at 2 separate times)
3 eggs, left at room temperature a bit
zest of 2 limes
2 cups (300 g) of a mix of strawberries and raspberries
8 cookies—you can use ladyfingers for a lighter, more sugary taste, or something like the French cookie La Grande Galette 1905 for a more complex mix of sweet and salty.
You’ll also need 4 short, clear glasses to hold your finished dessert.

Combine the mascarpone, 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar, 3 egg yolks and the grated lime zest and stir well until smooth.
In a separate bowl, beat the 3 egg whites until foamy.
Add the foamy egg whites to the mascarpone batter, stirring slowly to mix it.
The fruit coulis is made out of red fruit and 1/4 cup 50 g sugar, blended in blender until smooth.
To prepare the glasses, crumble the cookies into the bottom of each glass (keep some in reserve to sprinkle on the top at the end). Add a layer of fruit coulis, then a layer of mascarpone, and another layer of fruit coulis. Do not use the remaining cookie crumbs held in reserve yet—just put them aside.
Refrigerate the glasses for 1-3 hours.
Just before serving the glasses, top each with the cookie crumbs held in reserve.

Note: Don’t make this too far in advance, or else the cookies get gummy. Chilling it about 3 hours is great; 24 hours is too much.

Adapted from recipe found online many years ago.

Traveling and cooking are two of my passions. Traveling expands my perspective, and cooking gives me time and space to think. The travel photos and recipes shared here give you a more complete picture of me and the full range of ideas and inspiration I bring to my work.

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lisa@lisachontos.com
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210 454 3160
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+33 (0)1 47 88 66 55
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Lisa Chontos

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© Lisa Chontos