Travel adventures filled my 2024 – some close to home and others overseas.
From Tyler, Texas, and Billings, North Dakota, to Nice, Barcelona, Tangier, Gran Canaria, and Paris, every visit introduced me to new flavors, gastronomic traditions, and mouthwatering dishes.
Scores of photographs captured at every opportunity now provide a catalog of my epicurean discoveries. East Texas barbecue, Marseille’s fresh markets, Barcelona’s paella and roasted lamb hip, the fragrant spice markets of Tangier, and in Paris – decadent pastries, chocolates of every shape and size, colorful macaron, and gorgeous wines tantalized my palate.
This year promises to be similar. This spring I’ll take my first transatlantic cruise from Miami to Lisbon with stops in the Caribbean, Bermuda, and the Azores.
In early summer, we’ll be back in Colorado gathering with friends while grilling or cooking over a live fire, and in August a New York film crew arrives to film another season of At Home with Christy Rost. I’ll rejoin Atlas Ocean Voyages in October as a guest chef when we cruise from Dublin to Lisbon – a voyage that’s certain to result in recipe inspiration.
Before boarding the ship, Randy and I will explore and taste our way through Ireland to sample its rich culinary traditions and today’s epicurean trends. Always searching for stunning, but easy recipe ideas to share with my readers and TV audience, I’m looking forward to stops in France and Spain before we dock in Lisbon.
This month’s Valentine dessert was inspired by my visit to France for a Paris Fashion Trip.
French apple tarts are melt-in-the-mouth, personal-size pastries served warm from the oven with or without a scoop of ice cream.
Thinly sliced apples accented with cinnamon sugar, nutmeg, and cardamom are cradled in puff pastry, then baked shortly before serving for an impressive, yet easy grande finale to a romantic dinner or a gathering with friends.
Christy Rost is a cookbook author, host of Celebrating Home cooking videos, and longtime resident of the Park Cities and Preston Hollow. Her ‘At Home with Christy Rost’ cooking series for Eat This TV Network airs on AmazonFire, AppleTV+, Roku, Samsung TV, and YouTube. Visit christyrost.com for details and recipes.
