French

Summer. Provence. Two words that are eternally linked together. One can’t think of this southern French locale without immediately imaging yourself overlooking the sea from a seat on a patio with a glass of rosé in your hand. Well, maybe that’s just me. Being a wine lover, Provence is one of those destinations on my bucket list. A place I plan to spend many lovely, languid, lazy days doing nothing but eating and drinking and watching the world go by. It’s not a wine region that’s garnered much respect over the years, since it’s mostly famous for crafting all shades of pink, which until this decade didn’t appear to be to something that most serious wine drinkers gave much thought to. Rosé was something you drank on your way to “better” more serious wine.

Well, as Francois Millo and Viktorija Todorovska show in their new book, Provence Food and Wine: The Art of Living rosé from this region has been serious all along. Francois has actually written THE French textbook about rose wines, along with several other wine tomes, and is from Provence. (Lucky devil.) Viktorija is a cookbook author in love with the Mediterranean lifestyle (she’s also written books about Puglia and Sardinia) and marries her love of traditional recipes with his knowledge of the region and his amazing eye (he’s also the book’s photographer). Together they bring the joie de vivre of this region right to your fingertips, capturing it’s allure with simplicity and heart.

Growing up my mother had the usual cookbooks a housewife in the ‘60s owned like the ring-bound Betty Crocker, and Better Homes and Gardens.Books that were useful but hardly high cuisine. My first cookbook was Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1 by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle, and Simone Beck. I bought the book at age eighteen after returning from living in rural France for a year. I was an au pair, also known as a ‘mother’s helper, and worked for a French family in the Alsace region of France. My duties included caring for four children, light cleaning, and shopping and cooking. Madame Zundel, an American married to a Swiss Frenchman, owned Mastering the Art of French Cooking, as well as all the needed American measures to cook from it.

I can say with absolute certainty that Mastering the Art taught me to cook. Madame Zundel and I used it together. She also taught me a lot about French cooking. It was the highlight of my time in France – creating a menu, shopping for the ingredients, and cooking the family meal using Mastering the Art. When I returned to the States I immediately bought my own copy and have been cooking from it ever since. It holds a special place amongst my cookbook collection.

I know why David Lebovitz gets inundated with questions from people planning trips to Paris. I know why perfect strangers want to visit him or better yet, dine with him. In addition to knowing exactly where to get the perfect baguette and being on a first name basis with every important chocolatier in town, he's also very funny. If you've ever visited his blog, you know what I mean. An artist friend of my parents moved to Paris and because, horrors! he still wasn't online, I printed page after page of it for him, in part, to convince him he needed to get online, if for no other reason than to read David's blog.

While I am a fan of his cookbooks, his latest book really takes the cake. And yes, that would be chocolate cake. In The Sweet Life in Paris his observational powers and his equal parts snarky and self-deprecating humor give that other ex-pat David, a run for his money. In fact, perhaps that's why David Sedaris moved to London. Paris might not have been big enough for two hilarious American Davids.

Around My French Table
I don't know anyone who is not amazed by Dorie Greenspan. She's not only a talented baker and meticulous recipe writer but an internet phenomenon, who happens to lead a charmed life in Paris, New York and Connecticut.

Bookmarked recipes: Mussels and chorizo with or without pasta, Potato chip tortilla, Marie-Helene's apple cake

Why?
Her recipes are detailed but easy-peasy to follow because she is ultimately a home cook, not a restaurant chef. This is like a personal scrapbook of all the recipes she makes. It is impossible not to fall in love with this book.

Who?
Anyone who enjoys cooking and eating more than fussing over food.