One of the best outcomes of my course in France last fall was meeting some wonderful people. We were 18 students from literally all over the world and, of course, Canada. Many of us have stayed in touch though the power of Facebook, and I have been fortunate to see a few of them live and in person again too. I met Paula, another Canadian student, on day one and we hit it off immediately. Didi, one of our talented translators and a Torontonian, was absolutely “charmante”. She went to France over 15 years ago for vacation and never came back! Didi, Paula and I – “Les Trois Canadiennes”. People wondered if we knew each other back home – because, you know, Canada is so small, everyone knows everyone. I guess we all share the same sense of humour and a love of cottages north of Huntsville.
Paula lives in Provence, on a winery, 4 months each year. As a graphic designer, she can work from anywhere. In addition, she runs cooking classes in Vacqueyras through her company, A Table En Provence. Sounds like a movie – non? Les Trois Canadiennes were supposed to have a mini reunion Chez Paula this summer, but it just never happened. Apparently it was not such a bad thing, as when Didi and I were supposed to visit, the mistral hit – so likely we would have been blown away. We will see each other this fall at graduation, but I was disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to see a piece of France Paula is so passionate about. She is always telling me about some fabulous olive oil or some amazing spice she gets during her sejour at the winery. One day on Skype I finally said – “Well….you should just send a little Provence to me!”
And that she did. A few weeks ago I received the most incredible treasure; a box of culinary delights, all for me. I did not set about using any of them immediately. I needed to contemplate how I was going to use these gastronomic delights. I needed a plan.
Today was the day. I challenged myself to create an entire menu around Paula’s care package. I had to use every single item from the box, combine them with local ingredients, to create a meal inspired by Provence, and of course Paula. This morning, bright and early, Cameron set off on our bikes to Liberty Village Market to secure some fresh produce for the meal. It was sunny, the sky a perfect blue, the air slightly crisp….sort of like Provence, only fewer olive groves and more TTC buses. I had my large wicker basket on the front of my bike, ready for a baguette, like I imagine everyone in Provence does, much to Cam’s chagrin.
Here’s the meal I came up with:
Appetizers
Radishes with cultured butter and Malden Salt: I adore radishes, and this is by far the best and most French way to eat them. Get the best butter you can, and don’t be shy with it.
Olives Noirs de Nyons : These tiny yet meaty olives were fabulous tossed in Olive Oil from L’Atelier de L’Olive Saint-Remy-de-Provence and fresh herbs from my garden that had not perished from neglect over the summer.
Monforte Dairy Chevre with Roasted Grape Compote on Baguette Crostini: It’s vendage in Provence right now – grapes are everywhere – ripe and luscious. I got some organic seedless Coronation grapes from Niagara. They reminded me of the pinot noir grapes Cam and I picked years ago in Gevrey Chambertin during a day of hard labour. I roasted them until syrupy and then tossed them with a little roasted walnut oil I had stashed away from Huilerie Leblanc in Paris.
Main Course
Roast Free Range Chicken stuffed with lemon, roasted garlic and Piment D’Espelette: I had a chicken from Rockhill Farms that I had been saving for a special occasion, and this was it. I made a fresh aioli to go with it – made with the Provencal olive oil, some more Piment D’Espelette and a little Safran du Ventoux. The colour and flavour were spectacular – we’ll be eating the leftovers with everything this week – maybe I will make some frites…..
Risotto de Petit Epeautre with Chanterelles: I will be honest. This ingredient challenged me. Maybe Paula was trying to stump me. I had never heard of, let alone cooked with Petit Epeautre. The translation is spelt – but apparently Petit Epeautre is not spelt, but rather einkorn. This ancient grain from Sault was popular during Roman times. I turned to French chef Alain Bourgade of La Boulange in San Francisco – his family has owned restaurants in Provence since something like the 1700’s – who’s gonna argue with him? “C’est tres simple,” he informed me. “Cook it just like risotto.” And so I did as I was told – paired it with shallots and chanterelles, a strong chicken stock, and a touch of Reggianno. I am crushed my little 250g bag is all gone – it was delicious. Imagine a great risotto, with a slight nuttiness, gorgeous honey colour and a chewy, addictive texture. Fantastique!
Green Beans topped with Cherry Tomato and Bleu D’Auvergne: This one was simple – fresh beans from the market, apparently picked early this morning – topped with some finely diced cherry tomatoes and a small crumble of Bleu D’Auvergne.
Dessert
Tarte Tatin with Crème Anglaise: Julia (Child) guided me on this one, I followed her recipe to a tee…with a few minor exceptions. In the pastry, I substituted ¼ cup of flour for some flour made from the above loved Petit Epeautre, and added a teaspoon of roasted hazelnut oil from Huilerie Leblanc. When making the caramel, I added a couple of tablespoons of Miel de Lavande and instantly the aroma in the kitchen was enchanting. Although challenging to flip out of the burning hot pan (I had to call for backup), the tatin was lovely – the fresh Northern Spy apples from the market still had a great texture, but were infused with heavenly apple/caramel/lavender honey goodness. I loved the pastry– the nuttiness from the petit epeautre and the hazelnut oil were a lovely complement to the caramel. There were no leftovers on this one.
Merci Paula, my care package was magnifique! A little piece of Provence here in Toronto. Next time though – I am coming to see you – and hopefully take one of your classes…maybe one of your truffle weekends in February…can’t see any downside to a whole weekend dedicated to truffles, can you?
Check out Paula’s site and blog at http://www.atableprovence.com/aTable/Splash.html
Huilerie J Leblanc, Paris http://www.huile-leblanc.com/
Olive Oil from L’Atelier de L’Olive Saint-Remy-de-Provence http://lafabresse.com/
Petit Epeautre http://www.petitepeautre.com/presentationa.html
Safran du Ventoux http://www.aube-safran.com/
