Food Network star aims to help women win

THE SILVER Honda Odyssey with the bright-yellow "TWINS ON BOARD" sign slapped on the back is the first clue that we've arrived at Food Network star Melissa d'Arabian's gray clapboard house overlooking Lake Washington.

Once the front door opens, there's no question that the confident blonde in the fuzzy pea-green sweater is none other than the 41-year-old, stay-at-home mother of four young daughters who walked away with television's greatest prize — her own show — after winning season five of "The Next Food Network Star" in August 2009.

As two photographers and I follow her through the airy Kirkland home she shares with husband Philippe d'Arabian (a native of France and a product manager at Microsoft), 2-year-old twins Margaux and Océane, 3-year-old Charlotte and 4-year-old Valentine, I marvel at how tidy it is, even down to the wall-to-wall white carpet. A Disney Princess birthday banner stretches above the tulip-lined windowsill.

"Who wants chocci? Do we want chocci?" d'Arabian asks, approaching the girls with a bag of semisweet chips in hand.

"Chocci, chocci," the tutu-clad twins squeal, jumping up and down.

D'Arabian effortlessly alternates between English and French as she patiently coaches her daughters through a recipe for Chocolate French Toast, aka Pain Perdu. Margaux nestles safely in "mère's" arms or behind her knee, while Océane mugs for the camera and plucks chocolate chips from a glass ramekin. She eats them daintily, one by one, until there's more chocolate on her face and fingers than in the bowl.

The sugar rush sets in as d'Arabian and her "sweet angels" whisk and whirl, chop and chatter. Océane falls off her chair and cries plaintively until one of the photographers puts a plastic tiara on her head. Polite little princess that she is, she rewards him with a chocolate.

"You can see why I do most of my recipe testing at night," d'Arabian says as she logs onto the Food Network Web site from her sleek mini-notebook computer. "Even people with kids can't believe it when all of us are cooking together."

D'Arabian spent nine grueling weeks to win her show, "Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian" (Sundays, 12:30 p.m.), all the more remarkable because she has no formal culinary training.

Other impressive facts: D'Arabian holds an MBA from Georgetown, was first runner-up in the Miss Vermont pageant (twice) and worked on a cruise ship as an entertainer. She and Philippe met while both worked at Disneyland Paris.

"My strategy is to play a game I can win," she explains, her voice ringing with the authority of a motivational speaker. "I can't win the 'knife skills' game, but I know I can win the game of 'cooking for four screaming kids while stretching a dollar.' I know that I can play that game better than anybody else."

Life has certainly changed since she won the game. D'Arabian admits she still struggles to find balance between home and work. It's tough to say goodbye to Philippe and the girls when she travels to New York City to tape a season of "Ten Dollar Dinners" and is gone for three solid weeks. Now she thinks long and hard before saying "yes" when she's asked to make public appearances in far-flung cities.

Yet she describes television as an incredible medium and still marvels that fervent fans recognize her at the grocery store.

"Those are my people. They look in my cart and tell me the bargains they've found and how they use my tips and recipes in their lives," she says.

As the kitchen fills with sweet smells from the oven and the twins' sugar high begins to wane, d'Arabian talks about her life mission — to help other women along their paths of success — whether that be "my friends, a worthwhile charity or the four women I am raising. Being able to connect with so many people and have a job that furthers your life mission is the greatest gift one can have."

Braiden Rex-Johnson is a Seattle-based cookbook author and food and wine columnist. Visit her online at www.NorthwestWiningandDining.com. Ken Lambert is a Seattle Times staff photographer.

Chocolate French Toast (Pain Perdu)

Serves 4

In France, this recipe is called Pain Perdu, or "lost bread," because it is a creative way to use leftover French baguette, which goes dry after a day or two.

1/4 cup butter, divided

1/2 cup heavy cream, divided

1/2 cup milk

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of kosher salt

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate

2 eggs

6 slices white bread, crusts removed and cut into triangles

1. Grease a 5-by-9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter.

2. In a small saucepan over low heat, add 1/4 cup of the heavy cream, the milk, sugar, the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, the vanilla and salt and bring to a simmer. Put the chocolate into a medium bowl and pour in the cream mixture. Let sit until the chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs and mix until well combined.

3. Line the prepared baking dish with the bread slices, overlapping slightly. Pour the chocolate mixture over the bread, making sure to cover the tips. Push the bread down with your fingers to coat the bread completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

4. Thirty minutes before baking, remove the baking dish from the refrigerator. Ten minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

5. Place the baking pan in the center of the oven and bake until the custard sets and the bread turns golden around the edges, about 30 minutes.

6. Add the remaining cream to a chilled bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Cut and serve the French toast on individual plates with a dollop of cream.

— Recipe courtesy of Melissa d'Arabian

Information in this article, originally published May 8, 2010, was corrected May 21, 2010. A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the name of Melissa d'Arabian's show. The correct title is "Ten Dollar Dinners with Melissa d'Arabian."