Secrets of Elysium, Bread, and Bouquin - and Sushi!
Dear friends of flame and flour,
There’s a secret way to even say it.
Eleusis.
Now Elefsina, this once-sacred place was home to the Eleusinian Mysteries—rituals so powerful and transformative, they were forbidden to be spoken aloud. But like breadcrumbs scattered on an ancient path, they’ve called to me, and to the characters who inhabit the world of The Elysian Legacy.
The mysteries were divided—Greater and Lesser. (Isn’t that perfect? More or less. Just like life.)
These rites protected knowledge too potent to be exposed: truths about death and rebirth, about descent into the underworld, and the return with light. As I followed this path, I found not just myth, but the culinary remains of vanished kitchens. And Madame Bouquin—keeper of recipes and ruins, of tart and tapestry—emerged as their guardian.
Madame Bouquin’s shop, Le Graine in Nérac, may be shuttered. Her ledgers faded. But her whispers endure. She’s still with us, in every pan where duck fat shimmers, in every bite of apple and chive-studded tabun bread that makes you remember something you never lived—but always knew.
This search—begun with four women I called my mothers, and one burning need to uncover a lost dish at the heart of myth—has led me around and around. Not aimless. Like a spiral. Or a dance. Like rising dough.
Want a taste? Keep reading. The recipe is below!
But wait….Celebrate Spring With Fantastic Flavor and Fun! As the ancient world honored renewal with foraged grains and first fruits, we invite you to honor your senses—with sushi!
C’est si Bon! Cooking School’s Date Night Pop-Up is back April 18 & 19. Whether you’re fierce about flavor, or just really into rolling your own nigiri, come feast with us.
Hands-on. Fun-filled. Unforgettable. (Get all the spicy details—and to book your place at the table!)
Back to more lore of spring. As the old Attic calendar turns to Thargēliōn, the season of first fruits, I find myself marveling at the ancient Greek offerings of thargelos—a sacred dish made of boiled grains and vegetables, a kind of collective thank-you to the gods for the bounty of spring.
Oh! And this is something eery, and more, uh, something haunting about Thargēliōn, too.
The Pharmakoi Ceremony, part of the purification rituals, called for two scapegoats to absorb the community’s sins—before they were cast out. It makes me wonder… was Madame Bouquin one of them?
In my upcoming novel, The Mistress of Apples and Bécasse, Madame Bouquin is no stranger to rejection.
Neither is the Mistress history they tried to erase. But what if their exile carried power? What if what was lost… has been waiting?
Are you local? Don’t forget come visit me at the Asheville Bread Festival. April 26th!
There will be dried levain, labeled with some of the more cooperative Mistresses lore—and yes, even a secret or two.
And without any further delays, here’s one of my favorite seasonal dishes from The Bread of Dreams:
Spring Violets, Wild Onions, and Dandelions for Salad
Spring Freekeh Salad with Dandelions, Violets, and Wild Onions
The traditional Middle Eastern salad of tabbouleh uses bulgur wheat, a cracked mature wheat, but this version—made with freekeh, a roasted green wheat harvested in springtime—is truly a dish of renewal. Add foraged greens, violets, and herbs, and you’ll taste the season in every bite.
Makes 8 servings
For the Freekeh
1 pound freekeh, (can be ordered from Lakeview Organic Grain or search out a local Middle Eastern shop)
water, salt, cracked black pepper
For the Salad
1 bunch wild onions, finely chopped
handful each of fresh dandelions, mint, violets, and parsley, washed and chopped
For the Dressing
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ cup white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon lightly toasted cumin seeds, ground, more to taste
4 garlic cloves, minced with salt
¼ cup fresh lemon juice, more to taste
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Heat a medium-size heavy saucepan over medium-high heat and add freekeh. Toast in the dry pan, shaking pan or stirring, until freekeh becomes fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 cups water and salt and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20 to 25 minutes or until water has been absorbed. Turn off heat and uncover. Place a clean dish towel over the pot and return lid. Let sit at least 10 minutes. Uncover and allow freekeh to cool another 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together Dijon, lemon juice, cumin, garlic, salt and olive oil. Then toss in a large bowl with cooked freekeh, dandelions, violets, mint, parsley, and wild onions. Toss well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve right away or refrigerate to develop more flavor. Allow to come to room temperature for an hour before serving.
Cook with fire. Feast like a goddess.
~ Dorette