Parisian Priorities

 

We would say "Eat & Drink", wouldn't we? But it seems the Parisians have different priorities. "Drink & Eat" this clever poster says. Found in a brasserie on Rue des Abesses in Montmartre.

Rustic Goat Cheese Lasagne

If you would just look at the view from my study into the garden and over the vineyard next door you'd be jealous: brilliant sunshine, blue sky, the first daffodil is blooming - it looks just like Provence is supposed to look this time of the year. What you don't see however is that our "beloved" Mistral, the icy wind from the north is slapping nature and us around. Our fireplace is working overtime, no one feels like going outside unless we absolutely have to. Which for me meant getting fresh vegetables to try out some new winter warming recipes.

 

For the filling of this melt in your mouth delicious Rustic Goat Cheese Lasagne (serves 6) you need:
1big red onion, sliced
2 zucchini, diced,
1 red and 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
4 herby, spicy sausages (think chipolata, salsiccia)
1 can chooped tomatoes
1 soft, mild goat cheese
2 cups bechamel sauce
8 lasagne sheets - I use ready made Barilla sheets that don't need precooking
 

Put to the side 1 cup of the halved cherry tomaotes. Mix all the other sliced and diced veg with a bit of olive oil and some freshly ground black pepper and let roast in the oven (180 C/ 350 F) for 30 minutes. Meanwhile skin the sausages and break up the filling, then fry over medium heat until cooked through. Degrease over some layers of paper towels. Mix the sausage meat into the roasted vegetables and add the can of chopped tomatoes. Either prepare or use a ready made bechamel sauce.
In an ovenproof dish start with one layer of the vegetable/sausage filling, cover with lasagne sheets, evenly distribute one layer of bechamel sauce and crumble some goat cheese on top. Repeat this layering process once more, ending with pasta sheets generously covered with bechamel sauce onto which you now crumble all the rest of the goat cheese and decorate with the halved cherry tomatoes.
Bake at 180C/ 350 F for 30 minutes.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

As found in "Azucar" the very best ice cream parlor in Little Havanna, Miami

My Top Three Provence Cookbooks

Guests at my Cuisine de Provence cooking classes often ask me to tell them about my favorite Provençal cookbooks. Although I am a self confessed cookbook junkie, the books I turn to again and again when checking out Provençal specialities have stayed the same throughout the years.
My alltime favorite is Gui Gedda's "Cooking School of Provence"

Written by a true Provençal chef and beautifully illustrated, this book covers all the Provence classics from Aïoli, Bouillabaisse and its Rouille, Ratatouille, Pan Bagna, Tapenade and Anchoiade but also includes some French Classics such as the Poule au Pot, Lapin Chasseur or a Tarte Tatin.
Very useful: the glossary where you find explanations for what I call "kitchen latin" such as "écumoire" - a flat perforated spoon used for skimming foam from cooking liquids. Or did you know that a "beurre composé" is a butter mixed with herbs, anchovies or other aromatics? And if ever the urge strikes you to prepare "ketchup à la provençale" - this is where to find the recipe!

Patricia Well's "Provence Cookbook"

I bought after I had seen it displayed at my local cheesemonger's. Patricia Wells, the famous doyenne of cooking class instructors, had of course included Josianne Déal in her book, just as Vaison la Romaine's butcher, the fishmonger and truffle king, the honey vendor and best restaurant chef are featured. Although this book came out 10 years ago and needs some updating as far as the people featured or adresses go the recipes stand the test of time. Very often authentic homecooking recipes of friends of Patricia Wells these are simple and delicious true Provençal dishes prepared with love and the sundrenched produce of Provence. You also get stories of everyday life and the histroy of Provence and I bet your copy with soon look as dogeared and well thumped as mine!

Alex Mackay's Cooking in Provence

After having cooked at Britain's most famous French restaurant, the "Manoir aux Quat'Saisons", Alex Mackay ran a Provence cooking school - sadly now closed, because the chef went on to even greater things and now teaches in Britain. This book, where he tells the story of his school is dotted with the most succulent recipes. Zucchini flowers stuffed with tomatoes, roasted pigeons with ceps or orange and chocolate tart, anyone? Mackay teaches you how to stock a Provençal pantry, tells you about the hunt, the harvest and the winter in Provence and tempts you to recreate your very own little Provence with beautiful photos of our little corner of the world. This is probably the most beautiful book of my favorite Provençal cookbooks - it makes me want to try each and every recipe and a lot I already have!

I am Charlie, you are Charlie, we all are Charlie

A heartfelt thank you to all my wonderful Cuisine de Provence guests who sent very moving messages of support during these trying times in France. All of you said: We are Charlie!
Last night we took part in a silent march through Vaison la Romaine.
I am proud of my town and happy to see how many, regardless of their faith, political conviction or nationality took part.

Les Pastras - Truffle Hunting in Provence

 Expert truffier Jean Marc with his adorable truffle hunters - Pupuce and Mirabelle

This summer guests of Cuisine de Provence asked me to find them a  truffle hunt - not easy during the summer months as truffles, also known as the black gold of Provence, are mostly to be found between November and February. Thankfully I found out about Les Pastras an organic olive and truffle farm in the Luberon owned and run by Johann and Lisa Pepin, a French-American couple. 

The feedback I got from my guests was so enthusiastic that I decided we had to experience this for ourselves and also that it made a wonderful gift for my husband - a gift with benefits so to speak as I got to go, too!

Truffle hunting is a highly secretive business as truffles are not only called the black gold of Provence, they are also, just like gold, sold by the gram (or ounce) and so sought after that unfortunately a lot of poaching is going on. Owners have to keep their truffle pastures secret and only those who book a tour are given the GPS coordinates to Les Pastras, the Pepins' beautiful old Provençal farmhouse set within acres and acres of vineyards, olive and truffle oak groves.

Yesterday was a typical Provence winter day: brilliant sunshine, blue skies but a very strong Mistral - the dreaded wind from the north. Johann's friend Jean Marc, the truffle expert, was almost doubtful if his dogs, mother and daughter team Pupuce and Mirabelle, would find any truffles at all because of the strong wind that takes the scent away. But it turned out the only ones suffering from the wind were we, the fascinated onlookers - no matter how much we had bundled up it was still very, very cold!

 

The first truffle of our hunt,

 small but oh so fragrant!

 The dogs at work

While the dogs were doing their work Johann explained all the ins and outs of truffles and truffle  harvesting - how the dogs are trained, how truffles come to grow, how to find them, the difference between summer and winter truffles, how to distinguish between original and synthetic truffle oil (if it only says oil and truffle aroma on the back of the bottle it has never seen a truffle).

  Johann explaining the ins and outs of truffle hunting

 Just beginning, but it looks promising...

 Found another truffle!

 We proudly present the truffle harvest of the day

 Work done - now I want my belly rub!

After our bracing two hour walk hunting truffles and visiting Les Pastras' olive groves and vineyards, finding wild herbs and braving the wind, then came the real exciting part: tasting the truffles! Lisa had prepared a wonderful spread - we even got to taste a truffle infused dessert - and we warmed up with plenty of Champagne! To put it in a nutshell - if in Provence go truffle hunting with Jean Marc and Joahnn and Lisa Pepin - a wonderful experience!

 Toast, salted butter and truffles - what more do you need?

Our wonderful hosts - Lisa and Johann Pepin

Truffles are sold by the gram - yesterdays price was € 70 for 100 grams 

 Bethmale cheese, truffles and a drop of Les Pastras' finest truffle oil

 Dessert with a truffle infused Crème Anglaise

Christmas In Provence

 A children's Christmas in Vaison: kids can post their letters to Father Christmas in the little red letter box

  Having our photo taken with Père Noël

What do you do on a beautifully sunny Sunday morning? Take a walk of course. We mostly drove I have to admit, but only in order to inspect three different Christmas festivities. Our surrounding villages of Sablet and Séguret were holding their "Fête de Noël", which in Sablet was a Christmas market held in a tent on the main square. They had "vin chaud" - mulled wine, roasted chestnuts and sold wine, foie gras and truffles (600 Euro per kilo - the typical somewhat inflated pre Christmas price, after New Years they become much cheaper...). We bought Christmas tombola tickets and drove on to Séguret. The cobblestone village had made a real effort - beautifully decorated this was a very Provençal Christmas fête. The old communal charcoal oven was back in service, you could stock up on oysters and sausages, delicious tartes and Provençal Fougasse breads, all very joyful!

Our last stop, Vaison la Romaine, had this year decided on a children's Christmas. A giant teddy bear on Place Montfort, little kids posting their letters to Father Christmas and the man himself who graciously agreed to have his photos taken even with some not so small kids.

 Séguret: baking in the old communal oven

Where delicious Tartes and

 Fougasses, the typical Provençal bread were baked

 Care for some oysters?

 The truffles had all but sold out

 Christmas market in Sablet

 Provence Christmas weather: and yes, it is supposed to stay this sunny until well

 into the New Year!

Happy Holidays and a Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year 2015 !