Last winter a small box arrived in the mail that had the faintest sounds coming from it. When I held the box in my hands it was warm and seemed to vibrate. Inside were our 22 new baby chicks, two days old, huddled together in clean sawdust, peeping and keeping each other alive. We ordered them through the mail because we wanted something more than the generic brands our local feed store offers year after year. We wanted something exotic. And we got it.

French food gets a bad rap. It’s often viewed as pretentious, fussy, and rich. Yet it can, in fact, be simple and rustic — especially when its preparation is a process that is never rushed and its main ingredients are fresh and in season.

Tender shoots of ostrich fern pushing their furled tips through the ground . . . fiddleheads are a sure sign of spring in Maine and a delicacy to be savored for but a brief time. 

Inevitably, we all end up with the task of making hors d’oeuvres. Whether making them for our own dinner parties or taking them to friends or family, the same hors d’oeuvres appear time and time again. We become efficient and confident with certain preparations and when the feedback is positive, it becomes even easier to prepare the same recipe.