51 Comments

Dear David, I made your tapenade twice, once without the basil, because I didn’t have, any the second time with the basil. DEFINITELY worth the trip to the grocery store. Thank you for sharing it,

Michael.

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I’m inclined to lightly toast the almonds. Has anyone tried this?

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This looks lovely, especially with the last minute addition of the basil providing maximum flavor. Would it be possible to provide a Printable recipe link? It would save a lot of cutting and pasting and formatting to save recipes.

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I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS!!! I somehow missed the basil when I was making my shopping list, so substituted parsley (which I needed to use up anyway!) and it was really excellent.

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Hi David. Two questions not connected to this post, but ones I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while. Hope that’s ok:

1. Do you have a conversion between French grey sea salt and Diamond brand? Are they kind of equal in strength?

2. I once read in one of Doris Greenspan’s posts that, rather than form pastry into a disc, chill, a

and then struggle to roll it out after refrigeration, roll it out after you make it, insert into pie dish, and then chill. I’d love your opinion on this. I’m about to make Lindsay Shere’s almond tart.

Thanks so much!

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Slightly off topic - You say to use the ingredients in the order they are listed .. is that a general rule in recipes! (I did not know that, only a beginner, 45 years at it)

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Yes, it is for recipe writing.

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There is nothing more annoying than for the ingredient list to be out of order!

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My great friend and mentor, Nathalie Waag, taught me to make this decades ago. Her secret - light on the lemon juice, add a tablespoon of Armagnac or Marc!

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I've seen tapenade recipes that use Armagnac or Cognac...or fresh tuna (!)

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What herb would you suggest to replace the basil, ie. during the winter? Maybe Itallian parsley?

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Parsley would be fine, or a little tarragon, but just a bit as it's quite strong.

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This looks so good -- I may make a half-recipe just for myself to go with leftovers. I have to keep gluten-free these days, so especially appreciate something like this that I can pair with some GF crackers (there are good ones these days) and enjoy. (PS - if you cook for someone w/celiac disease or a gluten allergy, read the label on your nuts! Some of them in the US very surprisingly include wheat.)

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Love your “My Paris Kitchen”! All well tested recipes!

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Is that 2 cups net green pitted olives?

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It's 2 cups of olives, that get pitted

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This recipe sounds fabulous and I plan to make it very soon. But I assume you meant to include adding the olives aloing with the other ingredients in the food processor in the directions...

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yes, it's listed first in the instructions - if you don't see it refresh the page on your browser and it should show up or go to the web version here: https://davidlebovitz.substack.com/p/green-olive-and-almond-tapenade

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I’m addicted to your basil vinaigrette which aside from tasting great, it never darkens. I make it two ways, smooth and chunky. I will try the chunky version in the tapenade and see how it goes..

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I like that too! (I'm always surprised when I make it how much it brightens everything up) Enjoy the tapenda ~!

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I love this recipe and often make it for dinner parties or bringing it to guests when we potluck. I use Castel Vetrano green olives. Always a hit!

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Have you ever tried nasturtium buds to sub. for capers? The taste is different, but very nice. Also, of course, the blossoms in a summer salad, but . . . Nasturtium Buds

"Recommended option for the creative home cook.

"The nasturtium is an edible flower that can be used as a backup plan when capers aren’t to your liking. Rather than going for a bitter taste, choose nasturtium for a robust peppery flavor.

[just start a few seeds in a kitchen window and give 'em a try. Going allll kitchen garden, you can do succession planting in pots, or bribe someone to plant a dozen for you so there are enough buds to process.]

". . . pick the buds while they’re still young and green. Pop them into a small jar of vinegar, onion, dill, and garlic until you need to use them. When it comes time to cook, remember that the nasturtium flower makes an impressive-looking garnish."

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This tapenade with a fresh baguette and a glass of wine would start the festivities off the right way. It’s perfect for a vegetarian Thanksgiving too!

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