Fry

These crunchy thyme-flecked nuts are delicious served with sherry and slices of Manchego cheese.

Any bread is lovely in this buttermilk batter.

The crêpe batter can be made through step 1 up to 1 day in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. When assembling the gâteau, do not spread the cream and jam to the edges on the bottom layers, because the weight of the top will push out the filling. The gâteau should be assembled no more than 2 hours before serving.

The crêpes can be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated, wrapped in plastic wrap. To reheat, wrap them in foil and warm in a 200°F oven.

For best results, use a heavy-bottomed sauté pan.

Baby spinach is easy to find—either loose at farmers’ markets or prewashed and bagged at supermarkets. If possible, get the curly-leaf (crinkled) type, as it doesn’t shrink as much during cooking as the flat-leaf variety does.

To fry the sage leaves for garnish, place them in hot oil until they start to curl, about 3 seconds; remove with a slotted spoon.

After it has finished cooking, this soup will continue to thicken; thin it with hot chicken stock or water, if desired.