Two Things

Our Old Neighbor
Some 20 years ago, our next door neighbor was a woman named Caryl Thornton. She was single until she took a trip to Nepal -- and brought back a husband! Nima was Caryl's trekking guide and she fell in love with him, the life style and Nepal itself.

Nima is one of the most gentle men I have ever met. But he was also tough enough and strong enough to climb K22 there. He's an excellent cook and we loved to have dinner at their house.

Yesterday I got an e from Caryl promoting the book she's written about all of the above. She'll be doing a book signing at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 17th at Pages, 904 Manhattan Avenue, Manhattan Beach. To learn more, visit carylsherpa.com

Tasting...
I can't stop circling Dore Greenspan's French table (previously reviewed) and stealing little bites. I would never have dreamed that "carrot salad," found here in delis, cafeterias and school lunches is a very popular French food!

CARROT SALAD aka in France "carottes rapees"
1 lb. carrots, peeled and shredded
handful of raisins (optional)

Dressing
2 T Dijon mustard
1 T honey
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup mild oil
Beat together, squeeze any water off of the carrots and toss.

Scallops are already sweet but she says that her Caramel-Orange Sauce for them merely plays up the sweetness.

CARAMEL-ORANGE SAUCE
1 lb. sea scallops, cleaned, sauteed and set aside somewhere that they will stay warm

2T sugar
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup orange juice
1 T sweet butter, cut into thirds.

Start the sugar in a dry pan, stir it until it browns. Then add in the white wine and orange juice all at once. BE CAREFUL as it will bubble up. Cook down the sauce until it's half of what you started cooking. Cut in the butter, a chunk at a time, add a little white pepper and serve over scallops.
handful of walnuts (optional)