To be in Provence

Dear Colleague,

We should be in our warmest time of the year, but for some unforeseen reason, we are having a mild July. These slight breezes in the morning and late evenings make me wish for a vacation in a coastal European town. You know, a small French town, munching on fresh bread, a cheap bottle of red wine while the day passes before you. But alas, I will have to make do with my backyard. Mais telle est la vie.

Sundays are a wonderful day for relaxing, reading, a good wine and a simple meal. I found a menu for a Picnic in Provence in Bon Appétit and I thought it perfect for our mild day. 

Provençal food is characterized by the presence of tomato, garlic and olive oil. This is, as I am sure you are aware, a region of fine food. Dishes a la Provençale are extremely varied and fresh is a key word. Onions, olives, mushrooms, anchovies and eggplant also play a prominent role in dishes.

Sources: Food Lover’sCompanion and Larousse Gastronomique

You can find the entire menu here.

It is:

Roast Provençal Chicken

Marinated Summer Vegetables

White Bean Tapenade

Little Apricot Cakes

I made a few changes to the recipes but only slightly.

For the chicken I did not actually have herbes de Provence, but I had all the ingredients I needed to make it.

Basically it is a mixture of the following dried herbs: Basil, Fennel seed, Lavender, Marjoram, Rosemary, Sage, Summer Savory and Thyme.

I used basil, lavender, marjoram, rosemary (fresh), sage(fresh) and thyme. I added coarse sea salt and black peppercorns mixed it with olive oil and spread the mixture over the chicken and stuffed as much under the skin as possible. I also stuffed the chicken with butter and juiced a Meyer Lemon over the top, putting the lemon in the cavity of the chicken. I roasted the chicken on the grill.

C'était magnifique. 

For the Marinated Summer Vegetables, I used zucchini (summer, which has a yellow color and regular),

Japanese eggplant and yellow and green sweet peppers. I roasted the garlic before adding it to the mix. I put the entire thing in a jar and let it set out for a day.

I followed the recipes for the tapenade, it was fairly simple. Serving it with the freshest french bread I could fine. The little cakes were such a nice little treat and we had several left over making a nice breakfast in the morning. 

I recommend for this meal only the best olive oil you can get your hands on. I personally like San Damiano from Italy. An excellent and not to expensive oil.The farm is run by the daughters of the man who started the business. Small, yet very good. 

I served the meal with a Rosé. (Gerard Bertrand - clean, French, dry, crisp and went very well with the chicken)

Un beau dîner. Indeed

But no meal is complete without music. I have created what I think is a most appropriate soundtrack. Enjoy.

C’est Magnifique – Arielle Dombasle

Love duet Manon Lescaut - Puccini

The Terra Nova Consort - Que disès, mei bon fraire

La vie en rose - Edith Piaf

Je Me'Ennuie - Marlene Dietrich

Jacques Martin Hotteterre - Suite No. 1 in G minor - Menuets I & II - Philippe Alain-Dupre
Complainte de la Butte - Rufus Wainwright

Hopefully we will be lucky and the weather will stay, but this is Houston, so unfortunately not. But we can dream.

I remain,

The Mad List Maker