I often find that I have a harder time posting about the recipes which I didn’t enjoy. This, at any rate, is my excuse for why I’m running so late with a few of the November French Fridays with Dorie recipes, Chestnut Pear Soup and Salty-Sweet Potato Far.

Let’s start with the soup. Chestnuts are easy enough to come by around here this time of year and I usually enjoy them. Particularly the fresh roasted ones which come piping hot in little paper cones at the Christmas Markets. Oooh, and I especially love the candied ones which can be found in fancy chocolate shops. I was, therefore, intrigued to try Dorie’s soup. But the flavors seemed somehow wrong to me. The pear was too sweet and the chestnut flavor too bland and it just didn’t work.

As for the Far, well, this one was a challenge. The first 5 times I read the recipe I was just confused because I couldn’t find the sweet potatoes. Then I read it another 5 times or so, trying to figure out what the heck I was supposed to be cooking. Dorie describes it as a bit like a cross between a cake and a pancake. I was with her so far. But then she suggests adding prunes, raisins, and grated potatoes, and she lost me.

I’m still not entirely sure what this dish was supposed to be but I’m guessing that it was supposed to taste better than mine, which came out dry and overly starchy. Maybe one of these days I’ll try a classic far recipe and see what that’s like.

And on that upbeat note, I’m signing off for the holidays. Hope everyone else is enjoying theirs.