Susan Recommends

New! Aix Food Reviews on Aixcentric

February 23, 2020 by aixcentric

I am happy to welcome on board Susan Gish who will be adding reviews of local restaurants and markets to Aixcentric – Susan and husband Sam arrived in town with four suitcases two years ago, ready to embrace French life after running their own casting company in Philadelphia. They also had experience in hotel and restaurant management which should add lots of credibility to Susan’s reviews aided by Sam’s photography. As well as writing about restaurants, Susan will be profiling some of the familiar faces in Aix’s produce markets which should be interesting for all of us visitors.

Here is the latest post…..scroll down further to read them all.

Enjoying Ice Cream in Provence

19 September 2020

‘Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn’t illegal.’ -Voltaire* I still scream for ice cream!There’s something about childhood memories of eating ice cream that makes people smile! Susan Gish writes: Sam and I had a really tough assignment over the summer doing the research for this article (she said sarcastically). But someone has to do it, so instead of worrying about getting rid of those post confinement calories, we only ate salad the days we indulged in double scoops of ice cream. (Ha – don’t you believe that!)
Sam is more of a purist than me, as you can well imagine. His test is to always try the vanilla first. If that is good, he’ll go back for other classics like pistachio or rum raisin. He eats his ice cream in a cup with a spoon. Classy, that. I always eat mine in a cone. Nice and messy. Generally, I think, kids eat ice cream in cones and adults eat from cups.(or ‘pots’ as they say here in France). I guess I’m still a kid then!
I’m far from a purist myself – I tend to like more interesting flavors and creative combinations of tastes together. For example, my childhood memories are of eating watermelon and chocolate ice cream. Together. Double scoop on a sugar cone. At Michael’s Dairy in New London, Connecticut where I grew up. If they were out of watermelon it would be strawberry with big chunks of real strawberries in it. Or sometimes banana. Or black raspberry! My grandmother liked coffee best which was really good too. Then there was the chocolate threaded with peanut butter. Gulp. Oh, wait! I just remembered the malted milkshakes with chocolate ice cream and a whole banana! So thick, you couldn’t drink it with the straw. The straw would act as a spoon to scoop it into your mouth.Waiting in line outside for a half hour and watching each milkshake being made through the glass windows, step by step. It wasn’t torture at all to wait. It was anticipation. To the 10 year old me, this was the bee’s knees. Now I know what you are thinking. Eww, watermelon and chocolate? Together? Well that’s why there are different strokes for different folks. To each their own, as they say. I imagine this was the reason it was called Baskin Robbins 31 flavors. Everyone has their favorite flavor. It’s all about your own favorite taste combination.
When you see our list below of places that we went to, you’ll probably say: ‘She doesn’t talk about Amorino. She never went to Emki Pop. I can’t believe she never went to that place on Espariat/rue d’Italie/fill in place here! Oh, my gosh, how could she possibly miss that place, it’s the absolute BEST!’ …And that’s where I say, it’s all about taste and what you like! For example, we brought friends to our favorite ice cream shop in Aix and her response was: ‘I didn’t love it but I wouldn’t throw it off the plate. By the way, have you been to that ice cream place in Nice? It’s the best!’ I more than welcome your recommendations of the best ice cream you’ve ever had: feel free to write away in the comments so we can all agree to disagree and put a smile on our own faces thinking about it! For the record, besides Michael’s Dairy, I love any of the Gelato places we’ve been to in Italy. Or maybe my favorite is Bassett’s Butterscotch vanilla in Philadelphia. Berthillon in Paris? Hmm…

Since there’s nothing like a child’s love of ice cream, I asked 10 year old Elisa Le Borgne who lives in Aix, to give me her opinion of a few places: Her verdict:Amorino – nice but a bit too sugary
i’Pinguini – delicious – mango tastes like real fruit
Giovanni- lots of ice cream flavour choices and I like how you can also order a crepe or gaufre that they make fresh in front of you.
Weibel- you can only choose one flavour in a pot.

How did we choose which places to go to?I can answer that by saying that if we saw colors that are not found in nature we would pass by that particular ice cream store. So. Here is our list of where we went to in the Aix area: (in no particular order except starting with our favorite)

—i’Pinguini – Hands down, our favorite in Aix. Their pistache and café are creamy & unbelievable. Love their chocolat noir, fraise, melon, cookies and cream with lovely cream, vanilla speculoos, caramel au beurre salé. Actually we have loved everything we’ve tasted! They have nice sized scoops as well as good cones.The ice cream is made with local fruits from the region. They use as many local ingredients as possible and have Ecocert certification for the sorbets. The caramel au beurre salé is made with the PDO of Issigny cream (Protected Denomination of Origin). The flagship product is the 70% cocoa dark chocolate sorbet. La Provence wrote an article about them on 16 September describing how the two friends from Eguilles, Enzo and Alex, trained with a master ice cream maker in Italy. They have been making ice cream in Eguilles for 7 years now, but just opened their first store in the center of Aix. We’ve probably been a half dozen times in the past month. Also last week they opened a larger laboratory in Eguilles where you can sit outside on a terrace and relax and eat your ice cream. You might have seen their cute 3-wheeled ice cream truck at the Journées des Plantes d’Albertas. Shoot. We have yet to try the soft serve ice cream they make. We’ll probably get that tomorrow after this article is posted.

—Leonard Parli – Although known for their calissons, they have a little cart outside of their shop on rue Gaston Saporta. They win for their unique flavors of ice cream used with ingredients from their confectioner: calisson d’Aix, chocolate with clementine confit, kirsch with fruit confit, biscotin d’Aix, nougat blanc, nougat noir, ispahan which is framboise sorbet with litchi. Scoops are small, cone was big and tasty, prices high.

—Philippe Faur – Stracchiatella and chocolate noir were very good. He is a Maître Artisan Glacière.

—Segond – They offer pre filled cups only – We had vanilla, chocolate and miel pignon. The vanilla with vanilla beans was very good, the milk chocolate was kind of old fashioned and I liked it. Perhaps they were not as fresh tasting from being pre-filled.

—Wiebel -From the cart outside the shop, they also offer cups only, but not pre-filled. Last year we liked their flavors but didn’t try them this year. I am dying to try their ice cream cakes, but not sure how to get one home! I suppose they offer dry ice or similar.

—Bechard – Didn’t get to them this year either, usually a line at the cart outside when we went by.

—Giovanni – A lot of tourists but decent ice cream. It’s nice to sit there on the Cours and watch the world go by.

Outside Aix:

—Le Quillé Glacier -We have been to both of them, the one at the top of the hill in Miramas with the lovely view,

and in La Roque d’Anthéron. La Roque is the one we went to with a friend recently. Sam and I split 6 boules: banane, rhum raisin, grand marnier, caramel beurre sale, pistache, chocolate noir, ouganda carmelized almonds. Guess who chose the flavors, ha! No vanilla for me! Our friend had 3 boules: vanilla, caramel au beurre sale and mint chocolate chip. They also have a huge menu of themed sundaes with chantilly and all sorts of things to go on top, or with alcohol in them. Nice outdoor seating with lots of space at both locations.

—L’art Glacier– Ansouis – Didn’t get to them this summer, but really liked it a few other times. Gorgeous view, outdoor seating, large menu with sundaes and chantilly, etc. like at Le Quillé. Note: L’art Glacier and Le Quillé Glacier are both places where a family can go to celebrate birthdays, sit outside and can easily pay 100 euros for the ‘experience’.

—Maison Casalini – We love the one in Cassis and go every time we are there. Try the pistache from Sicily (which might be even better than iPinguini’s) or amarena. Their chocolate noir rocks. Sam had a different pistachiosso, which was vanilla with pistachio candy-ish crust on top. He also had stracchiatella and a cremino: a hazelnuty/chocolaty combination. There’s another Casalini in Fuveau (thanks, Dana from Tita for that tip!).

-Susan & Chef Sam

*Wikiquote says: “I have seen this quote attributed to Voltaire on several websites: the sentence does not exist in French (no reported written sources). It seems to be a English pseudo-quote, spreading from a fake/joke into the internet”

Addresses can be found on Facebook for all these shops. If you aren’t on Facebook, they’re all in the center of Aix, except for Casalini, Quillé and Art d’Glacier. i’Pinguini – Place St. Honoré & Eguilles; Leonard Parli – rue Gaston Saporta; Philippe Faur – Cours Mirabeau – Note: they close at the end of October for the season. Segond – top of Cours Mirabeau; Wiebel – Place Richelme; Bechard – Cours Mirabeau; Amorino – a few locations in Aix; Giovanni – Cours Mirabeau; Art d’ Glacier -Ansouis; Casalini – Cassis & Fuveau; Quillé – Miramas top of the hill & La Roque d’Antheron

Tasty is the word at Entre Midi et Deux

23 February 2020

Sometimes it’s a treat to go to lunch where there’s a nice ironed white tablecloth and silver plated napkin rings writes Susan Gish.

The two small, bright dining rooms are not stuffy or fancy at all. It’s bustling, with all of the servers saying, ‘J’arrive, j’arrive!’, but in the end you aren’t rushed. What a cross section of customers! Mostly regulars who know the owner by name, and once you’ve been there a few times she asks your name as well. She runs the house so well, chats to everyone as they are paying their bill at the register. Then there’s Madame who must come every day for lunch, she is quite elegant and old and sits alone. I’ve watched this little woman devour every morsel of her lunch and a glass of wine as well. There are the business people, the blue collar working men, the couples and singles. Everyone cleans their plate and leaves happy.

The menu is small, just 8 dishes, which I like actually. Sam and I always say that the sign of a good restaurant is to execute just a few dishes really well, and the chef certainly does here.

Every day there are two plats du jour. There is also a steak tartare, a tartare de dorade, entrecote, carpaccio (they come with fries!). There’s two salads, one with encornets (squid) and a césar with chicken.

How unique that they offer no appetizers at all on the menu: I can almost hear the owner saying, “The plat is enough and if you want more, have dessert!” She’s a real character, very hands on. I’ve heard at the end of service she gathers up all the tablecloths and napkins and carries them upstairs or next door or something. Maybe they get washed and ironed on-site? You wonder if she might help out with that as well. After all, they’re only open for lunch, she’s got all night to prep the next day!

As you sit down, there are really good olives on the table which were meaty and tasty. Hey, that’s your appetizer, parfait! Then they bring the bread to the table and you can eat that if you’re starving while waiting for your lunch. Which isn’t very long. I think there’s a good amount of prep in the kitchen to have everything come out without waiting long. Oh, and the bread? It’s the best we’ve had in Aix, a bit of crunchy crust, soft on the inside, a lot of flavor – where do they get it?

The plat du jour was Legumes Farci! Wahoo! A whole tomato, zucchini and potato stuffed with ground meat/meatballs. You don’t see that on menus very often. It made me feel like I was getting my daily quota of vegetables with an extra bonus of meat. It was tasty and came with a nice mix of crisp lettuces in a side salad. Their homemade dressing is so much better than the dressings you get at most ho hum places. I don’t know why…maybe a good acid balance? Very fresh tasting salad.

Sam had Entrecote cooked perfectly rare, the way he asked for it. The meat had taste, yay! Tired of tasteless meat and the same old steak/frites, which this definitely was not. His also came with a side salad. And real frites! With a bit of skin on them, not greasy at all, nice and hot like he likes them, just added a bit of mayonnaise and salt and he was in heaven.

For dessert we split the Café Gourmand with chocolate mousse, panna cotta with raspberry sauce and tiramisu. I let him have the coffee.We’ve been there 4 times in the past few months and have liked everything. Previous visits we’ve had the Tartare de Boeuf, Tartare de Dorade, Raviolis Ricotta & Epinard and a few other of their plats du jour. The Baba au Rhum was huge and delicious with chantilly, I had a mille-feuille that was humungous. There’s a well thought out, short wine list. A good local rosé from Nais is reasonably priced by the glass or carafe for 8.50. Or, if you prefer, there’s another bottle of local wine that’s not too expensive. A third choice on the pricey side (but worth it) is from Palette.15-16 euros per person includes a plat, salad and in some cases frites.Just order, eat and taste! Entre Midi et Deux – 9 rue d’italie – open for lunch only, Monday – Saturday Definitely need a reservation, just call in the late morning: 04 42 27 94 75: Outside seating too.- Susan & Sam Gish

Aix Market Talk with Christophe from Nos Saveurs Provencales

February 23, 2020 by aixcentric

It’s hard to talk when your mouth is full of yummy, sugar free dark chocolate spread! I can’t get enough of the ‘Paté a Tartiner sans sucre’. Perfect to spread on toast, writes Susan Gish. I stood there and watched Christophe, my confiture guy at the market – for about an hour. He was jammin’, haha, but I did manage to talk to him in between customers. He is so charming, friendly, and passionate about his product. He smiles all the time. He really enjoys talking to every single person. Children, older people. Those from Aix and tourists from all over. Christophe starts in French offering a taste, asks where you are from and then immediately breaks into English if needed.He is genuinely interested in sharing and tasting. I saw him sample a few different products along with his customers and talk about the tastes with them. Can you taste the basil in with the strawberries? The lavender with the orange?

He makes everyone smile and definitely makes everyone feel special.Stop by and taste!Cerise Noire (my favorite), Clementines de Corse, Mures Sauvages, Myrtilles Sauvages (close to blueberries), Cassis, Framboises, Framboises Rhubarbes, Fraises, Fraises Basilic (wow), Oranges a la Lavande (wow encore), Melons de Cavaillon, Peches au Thym, 3 Agrumes. There’s savory too: Artichaut with tomatos sechées, Chutneys, Confit d’olives noire…All the fruit is sourced from producteurs (local farmers) mainly in Provence and the Alps. Fabrication artisinale & familiale by 2 brothers – in L’isle sur la Sorgue. (with the exception of the oranges which are not grown in Provence). All are sans conservateurs.I should mention that Christophe studied business and human resources in university and worked as a child educator previously. Now, he has a special love for working at the Aix market “because it is vivant”. P.S. If he’s not busy he helps me with my French. C’est bon ca! Christophe is in places Precheurs Tuesday, Thursdays and Saturdays and in Place Richelme Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.—Susan & Sam Gish

Aix: Where to find perfectly Proustian Madeleines

February 27, 2020 by aixcentric

“No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses…The taste was that of the little piece of madeleine,” – Marcel Proust

Being far from an intellectual, I had no idea what people were talking about when they mentioned Proust in relation to madeleines (I had never read any of his work), writes Susan Gish. All I knew was that I am addicted to them. Not all madeleines, just those from Christophe Madeleines.

In my research for this article, I looked up Proust. He writes about comparing madeleines to involuntary memory with voluntary memory. Remembering events such as his Aunt dipping a madeleine into tea and feeding it to him as a little boy in the mornings.
All I can say is that my memory needs to be fed every morning by having one of Christophe’s Madeleines. If I forget (haha – involuntary?), my day just isn’t the same (or should I say, if I forget do I use my memory to remember?).

There’s always a long line of people waiting for Madeleines heading up Saporta on the right, from the bell tower and the Hotel de Ville. Just follow your nose, that delicious smell is coming out of their ovens! The shop is simply a window. You can see the ovens in the back.

Yasmina is full of energy and beautiful. “Ca va, Susan? Comme d’habitude (your usual)?”

She knows us well as we go twice a week; three chocolate bien cuit for me and three nature for Sam. Well, that’s the past few months anyway. Sam does change – sometimes he wants citron for a few months or orange. On rare occasions almond or rhum raisin. The chocolat has big chunks of dark chocolate, the nature is just perfect, almost vanilla. There’s praline, amande, orange, citron, rhum raisin. They’re sort of like little pound cakes but better!

Six for 3€ or thirteen for 6€. They come in a little brown bag or you can get a box of 20 for 10€. And you can mix and match the flavors. They also have delicious canelés bordelais and macaroons (different from the macarons you see at patisseries).

-You can eat them stale a few days later. It’s Proustian when dipped in tea!
-You can order boxes for pick-up days in advance if you like, I often do so for out of town guests.
-You can freeze them and they taste almost as good.
There are special flavors at Christmas – we still have: bourbon vanilla, amarena/griotte, chocolate chunk/orange, chestnut cream in our freezer right now.

Yasmina, Olivia and Barbara are the people at the counter. All are very sympa.Details: They are open Tuesdays-Saturdays at 10 am and sell-out of certain flavors (chocolat!) sometimes by noon on Saturdays, I’ve noticed. 4 rue Gaston de Saporta -Susan & Sam Gish

Aix-Citing Pizza at Trattoria Pizzeria Da Vito

March 5, 2020 by aixcentric

Who has the most Aix-citing pizza in Aix? writes Susan Gish.

Let us know your favorite in the comments!

“Who has the best pizza in Aix?” I get asked this often.
“Chez Gish”, I always answer.
My Sam is an excellent home cook. He makes his own pizza dough with Italian pizza flour and a KitchenAid. I bring home fresh toppings from the marché and he creates. His pizzas are the best! I can’t eat pizza out anymore as I am so spoiled. (Nor can I eat burgers out or tarte tatin or cassoulet, or…or…) The pizza crusts at many restaurants taste like cardboard to me.

That being said, we like the pizza at Da Vito and have gone back numerous times. Mostly, Sam gets pizza and I get pasta, but this time I actually ordered a pizza…the Borgia (13€). It is what I call a ‘salad pizza’, topped with roquette lettuce after it comes out of the oven. It also had jambon on it, which is something you do not really get in the US; a pizza with ham on it. Here in France it seems that the only meat that is used on pizza is some sort of ham. (I wish someone would use magret de canard fumé et séché for example!) And also here, most pizzas have a tomato sauce base. I prefer a white pizza, but it comes with too many rich cheeses and nothing else. Speaking of cheese, this was described to have mozzarella fior di latte cheese on it and mushrooms, neither of which I tasted but it was still really good. I wanted it to be cheesier but honestly maybe I ordered incorrectly. The roquette won me over. But most importantly, the crust was crisp with some black underneath and blistering around the edges!

We couldn’t read the description on the board for the plat du jour Sam had (16.90€), except for the word boulettes (meatballs). It looked like a round calzone, though the crust was thinner and puffier than a calzone. It was stuffed with meatballs, cheese and sauce. The sauce had a San Marzano tomato taste to it and was nicely subtle.

For dessert we split a trio di canneloni. All with sweet ricotta, one with walnuts, one with strawberry coulis and one with pistoles de chocolat. (7€).

Okay, here’s a funny story about us and wine at Da Vito.
The first time we ate there it was hot outside. Sam ordered a nice bottle of rosé and asked for ice cubes. The waiter looked at us, raised his shoulders in that wonderful French way and said, “Bof. Monsieur. Ce n’est pas une piscine pour glaçons!” (This wine is not a swimming pool for ice cubes). Ha! A great line! We completely stole that from him and use it every time we are with friends who ask for ice cubes in their good rosé. Now cheap rosé, that’s another story!

(For those of you reading this that haven’t been to Provence, yes, everyone has ice cubes in their rosé here, especially in the hot weather. I can just hear our wine friends from the US reading this going, “Susan, no! What has living in Provence done to you? Putting ice cubes in your wine!”)

Da Vito offers bottles of wine, but nothing by the glass…and will happily cork it up for you to take with you if you don’t finish. I ordered a Silvestri Castelli Romani Italian white for 17€. A blend of Malvasia and Trebbiano. Simple, relatively dry and drinkable.

We arrived on a Friday night at 7:30 without a reservation. They gave us a table and asked that we be out by 8:30 which wasn’t a problem. Others that came after us were turned away, so you might want to reserve. A person came in for take out while we were there which is a good idea if you live close enough.

Details: there are 2 locations, this one is Trattoria Pizzeria Da Vito at 8 rue Boulegon 0 892 31 14 18 – and there is also Il Forno Da Vito, at the top of the Cours Mirabeau, 2 rue Tournefort – opposite Segond. 09 82 39 59 29.
Both are open Tuesday – Saturday lunches and dinners.

Susan & Sam Gish

Donc. Who do you think has the best pizza in town?

Aix Market Talk – L’Oceane

March 11, 2020 by aixcentric

Christianne at L’Oceane

…with Jean-Jacques, Christianne & Romain, thanks to Susan Gish who writes: I’m sharing this sole plaice with you so I won’t be shellfish. I don’t want to flounder around! There’s nothing fishy going on here, so no need to be crabby but I just can’t clam up about this.My favorite at L’Oceane is their Coquilles St. Jacques. I buy it in the shell and j’adore the corail (the roe). We can’t get the corail in the US. For some strange reason the fishermen cut it off right at the boat and throw it back into the sea. Quel dommage, the best part.Scallop season isNovember through April and the best are from Normandy says Jean-Jacques.“Bonjour, Susan, ca va?” Romain smiles when he sees me, is super friendly to everyone and is also passionate about what he sells. He has worked at L’Oceane for 15 years, and lives in Pertuis with his family. He was studying agriculture and then dentistry in school. “Romain what is your favorite fish?” – “J’aime la lotte”. (monkfish). “What do you like about the Aix market?” – He answered in French, here is my translation: “…it is the most beautiful French market. It is sympatique, agreeable et dynamic.”

Christianne also gives me a whale of a welcome whenever I walk by. Her smile lights up like a deep sea fish. She owns L’Oceane with her husband, Jean-Jacques. He is the 3rd generation, carrying on the family tradition. His father was a fisherman and his grandfather too. You can see how proud he is and how much he loves his métier. Prior to opening the stall 25 years ago they worked in business. Gosh, they don’t look old enough! And what good shape they are in, probably from eating all that healthy fresh fish! Jean-Jacques and Christianne live and work right here in Aix, and this is the only market where they cast their line and they catch a lot of customers.Sam and I lucked out on a day that Christianne made salmon tartare, the staff were eating it between customers. Offered us a little piece to split with aioli on a piece of bread. It was heaven! Shhh! Don’t tell anyone!

Romain at the stall in Place Richelme

Romain told me it takes 3 hours each market morning to set up. They arrive a little after 6 in the morning and the market starts at 9.Details: Open Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Place Richelme.Follow them on Instagram: poissonnerie_oceane_marche_aix

Susan & Sam Gish

New Series – Meals to Make During Lockdown

March 19, 2020 by aixcentric Lock ‘Down and Out in Aix-en-Provence’ or Lockdown Recipes at Chez GishSusan Gish writes: All the restaurants are closed. Since we are self isolating / quarantining / social distancing, we can’t have people over for dinner parties that Chef Sam is known for. He loves to cook but now the meals will only be for the two of us. I am so spoiled, because he cooks a wonderful meal most nights, except when we go out…Now, of course, it will be every night. Lucky me!

This new series will be recipes for simple meals or desserts for you to make at home. I’m sorry we can’t have you over for dinner!BL (before lockdown), I would shop every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at the marché, sourcing seasonal food as much as possible from the local producteurs. Once home, I laid out everything I bought out on the table. Sam looked at his choices and created (of course for dinner parties he would have an idea and I would shop according to what he needed).This lockdown is tricky. I tried to buy as much fresh food as possible in advance, so that we could have fresh vegetables and fruits. Did you realize it’s asparagus season? The asparagus we’ve had the past few nights is grown locally in Cucuron! So tasty already, it’s going to be a great season! We have a full refrigerator with all the staples – including wine, bien sur!Our freezer is stocked with everything homemade: cassoulet, bolognese, pizza dough (yes, homemade!), fond de viande, duck stock, chicken soup made with homemade chicken stock of course… (why can’t we get chicken soup here in France? I only see vegetable soups or soupe de poisson). We have homemade mirabelle compote from a tree near our apartment. Also we have duck legs and chipolatas.

Duckchetta. (A take-off on Porchetta) Stuffed magret/breastChef Sam says:“Really easy and delicious – The stuffing is equal parts of grated Parmesan, chopped rosemary, chopped fennel seeds. Two or three cloves finely chopped garlic. One large chopped mushroom and some fresh fennel. Served it with roasted cauliflower seasoned with turmeric.With a small sharp knife, make a pocket in the duck breast – insert the knife in one end being careful not to slice through the sides. Push the filling into the pocket – I used a small funnel and a chopstick. Make sure the filling is evenly distributed. Turn the oven on to 350-400F. Put a small casserole dish in to pre-heat and add some duck fat. Cook the duck skin side down in a heavy bottomed pan until it’s golden brown. Save the rendered fat! This can be used for duck fat potatoes at a later time. Put the breast into the pre-heated casserole and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes (internal temp 125F for rare). Take it out, season with sea salt and let it rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve. Next time I’m going to vary the recipe, possibly using pine nuts and chopped spinach and lemon peel. Or maybe reconstituted dried apricots or prunes with almonds. The Parmesan will be a constant. Full disclosure – This is a variation on a Mark Bittman recipe from the NYTimes. I don’t want french fried potatoes, red ripe tomatoesI’m never satisfiedI want the frim fram sauceWith oss-en-fay with sha fafa on the sideI don’t want pork chops and baconThat won’t awaken, my appetite insideI want the frim fram sauceWith oss-en-fay with sha fafa on the sidehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-6c1PPF2dc – Nat King Colehttps://greatsong.net/PAROLES-DIANA-KRALL,FRIM-FRAM-SAUCE,112092.html -Diana Krall

Chef Sam & Susan Gish

A Lemon Festival – Indoors of course – Making Tarte au Citron / NB revised ingredients

March 24, 2020 by aixcentric Tarte au Citron -this time written by Chef Sam and photos by Susan Gish – we switched roles this time!With updated ingredients

The almost easy Tarte au Citron recipe I’ve been making this tart for almost 18 years and I still go back to the recipe I found in Cuisine At Home back in 2002. The filling is very tart and lemony. One of the first times I brought this to a friend’s house, their 13 year old son had a piece, said, ‘This is really, really too tart. Can I have another piece?’ The big thing to remember is to do your mise en place before you start and you’ll be fine. I’m putting the essential equipment, proportions and full ingredient list at the end. Let’s start with the crust. After trying almond crusts, hazelnut crusts, pre-made store bought crusts, it turns out that making your own paté sablé is the best one to use. Lots of people are freaked out by crust but it’s really easy – patience and cold butter are your friends and will not let you down. That and using your hands to make it; not a food processor, not a stand mixer, not a blender, not a pastry cutter – your hands.Weigh out the flour, the sugar, and the butter. Cut the butter into small cubes. Whisk the egg with the water in a small bowl until just combined, put aside.Combine the flour and the salt in a bowl. Work the cubed butter into the flour with your fingers until it looks and feels like damp sand. Then mix in the sugar. Add the egg and water mixture and using a wooden spoon, mix until there’s a ball of dough in the bowl. Take the dough ball, flatten it into a disk and cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour. Butter the sides and bottom of the tart pan and sprinkle it with flour. Flour the worktop and roll out the dough until it’s 2-3 mm thick. Put the rolled out dough into the tart pan. Trim excess dough by rolling the rolling pin over the top of the pan and then press it gently into the sides of the pan. Don’t stretch the dough or it will shrink when cooked. There should be enough dough to patch any cracks or holes. Using a fork, ‘dock’ the dough all over the bottom of the pan (put little holes in it). Put the pan into the freezer for an hour. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/425ºF. Put a piece of parchment paper on top of the dough, add the pie weights and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Take it out of the oven and let it cool. You can now take a break or not. If you decided to press on, you should start on the filling now. Great, there’ll be a lemon tart very soon.Lower the oven temp to 165ºC/325ºF. Weigh out the sugar and butter and cut the butter into small cubes. Put the sugar into the heavy bottomed saucepan.Break the eggs into a bowl, separate the other eggs (save the egg whites to make meringues!) and add the yolks to the bowl. Take the lemons and zest them. Not little strips of zest, but fluffy microplaned zest. Probably two or three lemons worth. Juice the lemons, and then strain the juice (makes for smoother filling and prevents surprise lemon seeds in the tart). Set a timer for 12 minutes. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, sugar, a pinch of salt, the strained lemon juice, and lemon zest together in the saucepan. Then add the cubed butter, and start stirring with a rubber or silicone spatula over medium-low heat. Don’t stop stirring! You want a smooth, creamy filling not lemon scrambled eggs. At about ten minutes the mixture should start to thicken. This is the critical moment because you don’t want a super firm filling, but one that is still pourable.

Remove the pan from the heat and using a semi-fine mesh strainer pour the filling into the pre-baked shell. Use the spatula to push the filling through the strainer. Slide the tart into the oven and cook for about 10 minutes, until the filling is just set. Any longer and it will be overdone, though still delicious. Let it cool completely before taking it out of the pan and transferring to a serving platter. You can make this one day, put it in the fridge and serve it the next day, though generally I can’t wait until the next day. I generally serve this plain, or garnished with slices of fresh strawberries or with a berry sauce on the side. Oh, and those egg whites you saved? Turn them into meringues. Now the essential equipment, ingredients and proportions:

A tart pan with a removable bottom

Parchment paper. Pie weights or dry beans for baking the pastry shell. A good heavy bottomed stainless steel saucepan. A kitchen scale. Semi-fine mesh strainer. Silicone or rubber spatula. Pastry – Paté Sablé 300 g flour 150 g unsalted butter 60 g white sugar 1 egg and 1 egg yolk 45g cold water pinch of fine salt Lemon Tart filling 4 whole eggs 4 egg yolks 115 g unsalted butter cubed 250g white sugar 300 ml fresh lemon juice (5 or 6 lemons depending on size) 2 tablespoons lemon zest pinch of fine salt

Chef Sam & Susan Gish

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Cooped Up? Try Comfort Food | aixcentric

Cooped Up? Try Comfort Food

March 30, 2020 by aixcentric

Chicken for caring in cooped up crazy times?

Preparing poulet properly or perhaps poussin or pintade?

Too chicken to go out? You should be, writes Susan Gish. It’s fowl out there! No clucking about it please!

We’re on for at least 2 more weeks of lockdown, but don’t count your chickens before they hatch. I started thinking about comfort foods in this difficult time. Foods that make you feel better.

For me:

-Roasted whole chicken, see recipe below. Ooh, that smell of chicken roasting in the oven!

-Chicken soup. Using the leftover chicken and carcass to make my own stock. Yes, I make my own stock! Just love smelling the stock simmering for hours while skimming the fat. Meditative.

-Hand smashed potatoes with the skin and butter and cream.

-Sam’s very slow cooked buttery scrambled eggs.

-My own version of macaroni and cheese with fresh garlic, olive oil and hot red pepper flakes. Stir in monterey jack with hot pepper cheese (I have yet to find a good substitute here in France).

-Hot chocolate. A pitcher of melted chocolate and a pitcher of milk to mix together.

-Maine lobster and Maryland blue crabs. Sitting and picking them and looking at the sea.

For Sam:

-Bucatini bolognese or spaghetti with clams for a vongole.

-FRITES (he wanted that capitalized!) Not necessarily homemade or double fried. He’s happy with Sodexo or similar and likes them with mayonnaise.

-Hamburger cooked ‘aller retour’ on brioche with cheddar.

-Toast with butter and bitter orange marmalade

-Lasagne

-Beef bourguignon or daube

-Paella

For both of us:

-Rice and peas and parmesan. Just that.

There’s a wonderful couple at Place Richelme in the marché that I (used to) buy from all the time. Nathalie et Roland. I buy their chicken, duck, eggs, turkey, though they also have rabbit. I got a whole chicken BL (before lockdown). She prepared it for me by cutting off the head, feet, cleaning out the inside and saving the liver for us, as she knows Sam likes to cook the liver (with fava beans and chianti).

It’s basically a one pot dish, very easy and extremely comforting.

Ingredients

One chicken – farm-raised is best for taste

Butter

Herbes de Provence

3 or 4 carrots

2 or 3 smallish potatoes

2 peeled medium onions

1 smallish eggplant/aubergine

4 tablespoons sliced fennel – white and green parts

Pre heat oven to 200ºC/400ºF

Melt butter – 2 tablespoons – in a heavy bottomed casserole

Salt and pepper the chicken generously all over and inside. Put a lump of butter in the cavity.

Brown the chicken on all sides.

Put the browned chicken on a plate.

Place 3 or 4 carrots, 2 halved and peeled onions, a couple of small potatoes cut in half, and some chopped fennel in the casserole, then put the chicken on top of the vegetables.

Cut a smallish eggplant/aubergine in half, make some slits in the flesh, and rub in some minced garlic. Drizzle with olive oil and place either side of the chicken. Sprinkle herbes de Provence over the chicken and eggplant.

Cover the casserole and put in the oven for 40 minutes. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken at the thickest part of the leg – it should be 74ºC/165ºF.

If not return the pan, uncovered to the oven for another 10 minutes.

Take the chicken out and let it rest for 10 minutes, then carve and serve with the roasted vegetables.

Chef Sam and Susan Gish

Delivered to the Door: Asparagus, Strawberries and Eggplant | aixcentric

Delivered to the Door: Asparagus, Strawberries and Eggplant

April 8, 2020 by aixcentric

Some Spring cooking here from Susan Gish who is missing going to the market….

Here are some Asparagus Tips: Floss Daily! Be Awesome!

I bought 10 asparagus at the store but when I got home I realized I had 11: It was just a spare, I guess.

What do you call strawberries playing the guitar? A jam session

What is a scarecrow’s favourite fruit? Straw-berries Yay! It’s spring! Asparagus and strawberry season – soon to be fresh peas, wahoo! We haven’t gone out shopping in weeks, and although I’d fully prepared in advance we were missing seasonal spring veggies and fruit. I still want to support the local farmers especially since the markets are closed in Aix. There are a few that are delivering, so we ordered from a bio (organic) farm in Eguilles*.It was expensive, but as we’re not spending money on coffees out or glasses of rosé or lunches or ice cream, it was worth it…(speaking of which, when will we be able to go out again for ice cream or rosé or coffee or rosé – did I say rosé?) Look at what we got!

A few ideas off of the top of my head for the asparagus:-soup or gazpacho-tart, pizza, feuilletée, quiche-butter, vinaigrette, hollandaise -roasted or steamed with morels or with wild leeks or garlic-wrap ham around it for an appetizer Ideas for strawberries:– topping for your muesli with yoghurt or milk for breakfast-crushed to make a quick jam to top toast -coulis for under lemon tart or slices on top of it-marinated in a little Grand Marnier or brandy and a little sugar for dessert or as a tart -ice cream Ideas for aubergine/eggplant: -baba ghanoush-grilled with herbes de Provence and olive oil-slices in a vegetarian lasagne-stuffed with ground lamb, pine nuts, and mint

Here is Sam’s Super Simple recipe for an Asparagus, Tomato and Mozzarella Feuilleté Tart. (You can add chorizo slices or not for a vegetarian option). Sam makes his own pizza dough, but he won’t make puff pastry so we bought pure butter feuilletée from the supermarket. Pre heat the oven to 200ºC. Cook the asparagus until it’s not quite done. Drain. Unroll the feuilletée leaving it on the parchment paper. Place the pastry on the paper in a tarte pan or quiche pan. Gently press it into the sides of the pan. Poke holes in the pastry using a fork. Put the slices of chorizo on the pastry, then thin slices of tomato, followed by the lightly cooked asparagus. Cover generously with grated mozzarella or Emmental. Lower the oven temp to 175ºC. Cook according to the instructions on the package or until the cheese is brown on top. If you want a crisper bottom crust, cook the unfilled feuilletée for 10 or 15 minutes. Then fill it and bake until done. If you’re not using chorizo, before you add the tomatoes brush the pastry with Dijon mustard. Chef Sam and Susan* Susan’s produce box came from Le Jardin de Manon at Eguilles. In normal times they are at the market in Aix’s Place des Precheurs, but can be found at present on Friday mornings at the market at Puyricard which has authority from the prefect to remain open.https://www.lejardindemanon.com/

In Search of the Perfect Cassoulet Ingredients in Aix | aixcentric

In Search of the Perfect Cassoulet Ingredients in Aix

April 19, 2020 by aixcentric Susan Gish explains how to source the components for a perfect cassoulet and how to find them in Aix, even during lockdown, in ‘Monsieur Cassoulet and the Cassoulet Diaries’.We had a waiting list of friends that wanted to be invited to our yearly winter Cassoulet party. Our Center City Philadelphia townhome had a normal sized combination living room/dining room. Somehow we managed to squeeze in 27 people! Long tables were set up, friends brought their own chairs and once seated there was no room to get up.

Sam prepped and cooked for 4 days in advance. He would buy and then confit 30 duck legs and get a huge tub of duck fat. Buying duck already confited in the US was hard to find and the cost would be outrageous. So he did it himself. We brought real Tarbais beans back from our trips to France or got them shipped from Rancho Gordo in California.‘Cassoulet is not really a recipe, it’s a way to argue among neighbouring villages of Gascony.’ -said André Daguin, a famous chef of Gascony (his daughter Ariane owns D’Artagnan foods in the US). Each village has their own recipe for making Cassoulet. The people from Toulouse, Castelnaudary and Carcassonne all have different ways of making it, and only theirs is ‘authentic’. Bread crumbs? Pfft… that’s absurd. Lamb? Putain! It should only include poitrine d’porc (pork belly), jarret de porc, saucisse de Toulouse, smoked bacon! You put lamb in yours? Bread crumbs? Zut!

It’s the same debate that occurs with chili in the US. The only authentic chili is made in Texas with chunks of meat and no beans. No, the real chili is made with ground meat and red beans. The same for authentic BBQ recipes. Or pulled pork sandwiches. It should be made with vinegar! No, with tomato sauce!

Anyway, Sam’s prep would take days. Not just the cooking but the planning: Everyone bring wine and champagne! Who is bringing the baguettes? The frisée for the salad after the meal? Sam made his mustard and fresh walnut vinaigrette for that. The cheeses? The appetizers? For dessert, he made his famous Tarte Tatin and Tarte au Citron – of course, with homemade pate sablée. We ended the feast with Pruneau eau de vie and Armagnac. It was ‘une grande bouffe’. One year, the restaurant reviewer for The Philadelphia Inquirer asked to come, but at the last minute decided not to as he didn’t want to reveal his identity. Now that we are in France and have a small apartment, we can only seat a total of 7 for our yearly Cassoulet party. Quel dommage! Sam buys his duck confit already made as it’s so easy to find. Oui, bien sur, we already have a waiting list! So in the winter of 2019, we set out to find the best pork in Aix-en-Provence. Sourcing is very important to a good Cassoulet. Hands down, people recommended La Maison Olivier. They always had a line out the door, even BL (before lockdown). He went in and the friendly lady behind the counter asked him for his order. Sam in French: ‘I’m making Cassoulet, so, saucisse de Toulouse, poitrine d’porc, jarret de porc. Enough for 7 people and a bit extra, please.’ – ‘We have cooked jarret. How much would you like?’ – ‘I want uncooked jarret, for the bouillon.’ – She smiled, ’Ah, un vrai cassoulet! Bon! Un moment.’ She went into the back to talk to her husband the butcher and came back with a large piece of fresh pig skin or rind (couenne). ‘Line the bottom of the pot with this. It will make the cassoulet even better.’Since then, we’ve been hooked on the pork from Olivier. Everything we get from there tastes so good, we can’t get buy anywhere else. Every time I walk in I get a big smile from Ev. “Ah, Madame Cassoulet, how are you? What is Monsieur Cassoulet wanting to make for dinner tonight?” she says in French.Cassoulet is not a dish most people want in the summer heat of Provence (although the Castelnaudary festival does take place at the end of August). So if you’re wondering how it is made you will have to wait until the beginning of winter: Stay tuned for: Monsieur Cassoulet & The Cassoulet Diaries – Part 2 Oh, and you missed Cassoulet 2020 this year which was in February. Sorry, but there’s already a waiting list for 2021!Chef Sam and SusanLa Maison Olivier does not deliver but with the lockdown, they will prep your order in advance and they will give you a bag already packed. I handed them a check in an envelope and we did the exchange. When I arrived there was actually no one waiting, I was in and out and didn’t touch anything. I had ordered 2 thick pork chops (mostly they are cut really thin here, you have to ask to have thicker ones like we wanted), a rack of ribs, Toulouse sausage, jambon d’os for sandwiches, paté de campagne, brandade de morue, 4 tomatoes farci. I asked her to mark how long each would last or if I should freeze them. Ev was very accommodating and each package had the date I should eat it by or if it was freezable.La Maison Olivier Ev (pronounced Eve) et Philippe OLIVIER . They are a married couple, she runs the front and he is the butcher.26, rue Jacques de la Roque – 13100 – just up the road from the Cathedral St. Saveur04 42 23 26 80 – www.charcuterie-olivier.fr -also on FacebookOpen until 12:30 Tuesday – Saturday

Mushrooms, Tomatoes, and Elizabeth David

April 25, 2020 by aixcentric

One recent delivery of vegetables included mushrooms that were just a day or two passed their peak, so I started searching my cookbooks for recipes that I could do easily, writes Sam Gish.

I thought about champignons à la Grecque but found a recipe for champignons Cévenols – mushrooms cooked gently in olive oil and then dressed with chopped garlic, parsley and fried bread crumbs.

The recipe was in ‘South Wind Through the Kitchen’ – an anthology of articles and recipes by Elizabeth David (1913-1992). Originally found in ‘French Country Cooking’ the recipe originated in the Cevennes, that beautiful and still wild rural part of France to the north of Montpellier.

Despite her reputation as a major influence on the cuisine of post war England and as the starting point for many of the present generation of English chefs and a few American ones, for many people, she has ‘slipped off the radar’. This is unfortunate because her writing brings the joy of both French and Italian food to vibrant life.

When she began writing rationing was still in effect in England, and many ingredients in her recipes weren’t readily available. She seldom pointed towards substitutions telling her readers to wait until they could find what was needed, or to try something else.

Her books are especially wonderful today, because they paint a picture of a France that, in these days of chain restaurants and television chefs, barely exists. The little restaurants frequented by locals and passing lorry drivers that served two or three dishes at lunch, the family run hotel where it was possible to find a delicious meal at a good price made completely from local ingredients are mostly gone. It is unlikely that places like the café attached to the petrol station in Rémoulins as described in ‘French Provincial Cooking’ still can be found.

My discovery of Ms David and her writing began when I lived in England in the 1970’s. I bought a Le Creuset pot and for an extra 39 pence, a little spiral bound book entitled Cooking With Le Creuset written by her. This started me on a culinary education which continues today. One of the first dishes I cooked in that pot was pipérade – a Basque dish with eggs, onions, tomatoes, and green peppers. I still make it, though unfortunately my original Le Creuset in the signature ‘flame’ colour, is long gone.

So, let’s cook!

At the beginning of this I mentioned Champignons Cévenols which is a great dish to serve at lunch with crusty bread and some cheese or to serve as a side dish at dinner. It could also work as a starter.

You need about 500g of mushrooms. Wipe them and take the stems out. Gently heat some olive oil in a heavy saucepan and add the mushroom caps. Do not let them fry but cook them slowly. While they are cooking cut up the stems (You did save the stems, right?) and finely chop two or three cloves of garlic, along with some fresh parsley or thyme or oregano. The original recipe calls for parsley but variations are good. When the mushroom caps are cooked, use a slotted spoon and put them in a dish. Add some more oil to the pan and sauté the stems. Remove them from the pan, add a bit more oil if needed and then fry some fresh white breadcrumbs to a nice golden colour. Sprinkle the herb and garlic mixture over the cooked mushrooms and then pour over the breadcrumbs and oil. You can serve this warm or cold. The choice is yours.

Now, pipérade, which despite its name, is not particularly spicy. This is a substantial dish which I don’t do often enough. You can make this vegetarian by using olive oil, though duck, goose, or pork fat is often used.

Ms David recommends peeling the tomatoes, but I seldom do, because it’s fiddly and tomato skin doesn’t bother me in a dish. And in another departure (and because this comes from the Basque region) to add a bit of heat I like to put in piment d’Espelette or ezpeletako biperra in Basque.

For two people – Two or three medium green bell peppers, cored and sliced into one inch diamonds or triangles. A finely sliced medium yellow onion, four chopped ripe tomatoes and two large eggs (three if you’re really hungry) beaten until the whites and yolks are completely combined and seasoned with salt and pepper. If you can’t find ripe tomatoes, this is a dish where a small tin of good San Marzano or Roma tomatoes is acceptable.

In a heavy bottomed pan heat the fat, then add the onions and cover. Don’t let them fry. After about 10 minutes they should be soft, almost melted. Add the green pepper, stir and cover. Cook them gently as they must have a bit of crispness in the final dish. Then add the chopped tomatoes, stir and turn up the heat, cooking them until they start to almost dry out.

Turn the heat to low and stir in the beaten eggs. Cook about 4 minutes, stirring once or twice so that they are incorporated into the vegetable mixture but somewhat soft. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper or a good sprinkle of piment d’Espelette and serve on heated plates with slices of good bread. To quote Ms David – ‘To make a more substantial meal: serve with the pipérade slices of French bread fried in olive oil or whichever fat you have used for the dish, and/or grilled or baked gammon or bacon rashers (in the Basque country there would thick slices of fried Bayonne ham).’

One nice thing about this dish is that you can make the vegetable mixture a day or two in advance and gently heat it and then put in the eggs.

Tomato season is just around the corner which means it will soon be time to make one of my favorite Elizabeth David dishes: Fettucine alla marinara.

You have to have really good ripe tomatoes for this. Not the plastic supermarket varieties, but bright red, juicy, tomato-y tasting tomatoes. Get 6 or 7, core them and chop coarsely into about 6 pieces each. Thinly slice 3 or 4 cloves of garlic and cook that in hot, but not smoking, olive oil for about thirty seconds. Do not let the garlic brown.

Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes. You want the tomatoes to release their juice and combine with the olive oil. Then add some fresh basil leaves torn into several pieces(don’t chop the basil!). Season the sauce with fresh ground pepper and salt and pour over the cooked, drained fettucine. Grate Parmesan over the sauced pasta or let your guests add it to their taste.

This dish is from the 1963 Penguin Handbook edition (price 5 shillings) of ‘Italian Food’ first published in 1954. I found a copy in a used bookshop in Philadelphia in the late 1980’s, and fell in love with the dish. I wrote a fan letter to Ms David, telling her how much I liked the book and the tomato sauce recipe. I sent it to Penguin, and probably nine months later I received a handwritten note from her:

August 25th 1990

Dear Mr. Gish

Thank you so much for your lovely letter. How good of you to take the trouble to write.

That simple tomato sauce which you like is one of my own favourites. As soon as ripe tomatoes become available here I start making it. No need to bother with any other version –

Yes, I am very aware of American resistance to my writing. My books get terrific notices in the American press but nobody buys them. I don’t worry too much. I have many American friends and often go to stay in San Francisco. I love it there.

Best wishes, Elizabeth David

24 Halsey Street – London SW3

Chef Sam and Susan

Aix – Markets to Re-open from Monday | aixcentric

Aix – Markets to Re-open from Monday

May 15, 2020 by aixcentric To market, to market to buy a plum cake! The markets will be opening in Aix again from Monday next week! writes Susan Gish.The usual places, days and times: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings for the market on the Cours Mirabeau, Place des Precheurs and Place Richelme/Hotel de Ville. (I am not yet certain if the smaller food market will still be at Place Richelme on the other days)

At home, we have been getting a lot of deliveries from the food market traders, but I’m sure they will be glad to get back to being farmers rather than running around in their vans. Gosh I hope there’s still time for you to taste the seasonal strawberries, peas and asparagus like we’ve had delivered from the Cucuron farm stand the past few weeks. They are located in Richelme. Also in Richelme we’ve had deliveries from L’Oceane fish, from Lieutaud for chicken and duck. At the Place des Precheurs, Jardin du Manon has delivered to us.But I can’t wait to see everyone else. I’ve been especially dreaming of the olives from my olive man Lauren in Precheurs, and Christophe’s jams. Oh, and the Rotisserie chicken too.Here’s the link to the article about the markets opening. It’s in French:http://www.aixenprovence.fr/Lundi-18-mai-un-retour-encadre-des-marches-a-AixI translated it and basically it states that there will be many precautions taken such as:-Barriers put up to respect distance-Merchants must serve the customers. The customers cannot touch the products.I especially liked that they will be encouraging the establishment of an ordering service by market traders: telephone, email, & online ordering. This will help limit the time for people to be at the market.

I’ll make a full report with pictures on Tuesday. Besides the market re-opening, Christophe Madeleines (yay!) opened again as well as many restaurants for take-out.To market, to market to buy a fat pig;Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.To market, to market, to buy a fat hog;Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.To market, to market, to buy a plum cake;Home again, home again, market is late.To market, to market, to buy a plum bun;Home again, home again, market is done.To market, to market, a gallop a trot,To buy some meat to put in the pot;Three pence a quarter, a groat a side,If it hadn’t been killed it must have died. Susan Gish

Aix Market – Observations on the First Day after Lockdown | aixcentric

Aix Market – Observations on the First Day after Lockdown

May 20, 2020 by aixcentric

Anxiety and Observation …both states were experienced by Susan Gish who describes Tuesday 19th May, the first day of the market in Aix after lockdown ended.

She writes: My anxiety apartment had been narrowed down to an anxiety closet the past few years since we’ve lived in Provence. It took many years from a stressful career, but I finally started to just ‘be’ and enjoy the moments. Unfortunately, with the lockdown and what has been happening in the world, my anxiety closet changed once again. This time into a full blown chateau. Although we live close enough to walk, I stayed away from the center of Aix the past two months. I took my walks away from town into the hills where I didn’t see any people, and got our food delivered. The very few times I walked into town I almost had a panic attack.

So yesterday morning going to the market I was a bit apprehensive. I put on my mask and carried hand sanitizer. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Hooray! I was really happy to see some of the market vendors that I totally missed.I went to Place des Precheurs, Place Richelme, Hotel de Ville and Cours Mirabeau. It was busy but not packed.

Observations:

-My French is even worse when I have a mask on. No one can understand me.
-Understanding French is even worse when others have masks on. I can’t understand them.-In the food markets there were numerous Agents de Médiation telling customers to put masks on. All of the vendors wore masks.
-In the flower market and on the Cours Mirabeau textile market there were very few people wearing masks.

-The food market stalls have the merchants gathering your orders so you don’t touch anything.
-In the flower and textile market you can touch the plants and clothes, no problem. Just like before lockdown.

Masks at the market: Natalie and Roland serve at their food stall.

-Food markets have plastic wrap around food and a few have plastic shields. Plus there’s caution tape for customers to stand behind, though some are better organized than others. The same with the exchange of money, some are better than others. Hand sanitizer was in front at some stalls and I had to ask for it at others.
-In the Flower and textile market you can touch anything and go right up to the stalls. Just like before.

-Food markets surprisingly don’t have tape on the ground to keep distance between customers. People behind me in line were not respecting distance.
-In the Flower and textile market everyone was milling around inside and outside the stalls. Just like before.

Today’s haul:
Asparagus, petit pois, strawberries, artichoke all of which are still in season.

Farigoule olives served by Loren

I also got the first cherries and melon of the season.
Farigoule olives from Loren!
Coquelet from my duck and chicken couple, Nathalie et Roland.
Brebis cheese from my fromage man! Really beautiful yellow ancienne tomatoes. Potatoes, roquette. Beautiful coriander:
Sam made a coriander pesto:
Crush ¼ to ½ cup of pine nuts in a mortar and pestle. If you don’t have pine nuts you can use walnuts, pistachios, or cashews. Depending on how garlicky you want it and how much coriander you have add 1 to 2 cloves of garlic to the crushed nuts with about ½ teaspoon salt.
If you’re using a food processor or blender instead of a mortar, trim the bottom of the stems of the herb, then chop the leaves and stems, put them in the processor bowl with the garlic and nuts. Add the juice of a lemon and then process, blend or if ambitious and in need of a work-out crush in the mortar and pestle. When completely chopped/blended/beaten into submission, add some good olive oil and process again. Start with 2 or 3 tablespoons and add more (or not if you want a fairly thick pesto). If you’re going to store the pesto for awhile, don’t put any cheese in. If you’re going to use it immediately or in two or three days blend a ¼ to ½ cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano.
Sorry that the proportions are a bit sketchy, but it really comes down to how much fresh herbs you have.

Chef Sam and Susan Gish

A Good Meal – MatCha in Cucuron

June 11, 2020 by aixcentric

This week, Susan Gish visited the historic village of Cucuron in the Luberon and had her first restaurant meal in three months. She writes:Finally the start of “A Good Year” with A Good Meal at MatCha in Cucuron!We’re having a genuine spring! The mornings are cool and the afternoons warm but not too hot. Now there are less airplanes and road traffic and you can actually smell springtime: lavender, broom/gorse/genisteae, magnolia, honeysuckle, rosemary, thyme, and pine. The perfume of the flowers, the garrigue, are stronger than we’ve smelled in years. The poppies are still here and the lavender fields are just about in their prime. Gorgeous splashes of colour in the countryside. The grapevines are in full leaf, while olive and almond trees are showing the beginnings of fruit. Mirabelles! Cerises! Driving around we’re always reminded of how France still has deep agricultural roots. We visited a friend’s garden a week ago in Puy St. Reparade. There’s a gorgeous 300 year old mulberry tree that was planted when the silk merchant from Lyon built the house. Just amazing. So we took a lovely drive and ventured out for our first restaurant meal in 3 months in Cucuron.Cucuron’s l’etang (or pond) is beautiful and has been featured in two movies: “A Good Year” and “The Horseman on the Roof”. The basin is surrounded by plane trees and its water was originally sourced from the Luberon massif, which helped to operate a flour mill. The present village dates from before the 11th century. The basin now is only ornamental.The commune of Cucuron suffered a serious plague epidemic in 1720, exactly 300 years ago! We have dined at the restaurant MatCha quite a few times previously, and thought that a Monday lunch would be perfect as there wouldn’t be very many people wandering about. It was just what we needed as we missed dining out – to relax and have lunch for a few hours. We reserved to sit outside, not close to others. Everything was very, very clean, I felt totally comfortable. (Their toilet was really clean as well, which was a concern of mine). Matthieu, the pleasant front of the house owner and waiter, was wearing a mask. The little details and the creativity of the food at MatCha impress us every time. Owned by a young couple, Charlotte D’Angelis is the amazingly talented chef and Matthieu Charrier runs the front of the house. They use seasonal ingredients sourced locally. It’s probably the most creative and delicious restaurant we’ve been to in a few years in Provence. No kidding. Even better than a few 1stars we’ve eaten at. Beats anyplace in Aix. MatCha is listed in Michelin and Gaut Millau but the restaurant is not fussy at all. In fact it is very casual.They have a 3 course weekday lunch menu for 22 euros which I had.Sam ordered off the regular menu which was 39euros for 3 courses.We had a delicious white Burgundy from Macon-Azé for 33 euros.

Sam started off with petit moules, fresh petit pois with a light curry bouillon poured over at service. It was served just lukewarm, perfect. I had rillettes of maquereux. Normally mackerel is too strong and greasy for me. This was melt in your mouth delicious. Crispy cucumber, radishes, spicy sprouts and scallion added to the party my mouth was having.For our main courses, I had cabillaud with an aioli foam, accompanied by vegetable beignets, carrots, potatoes, beets, and grilled zucchini slices. Sam’s plat was loup with a lightly fried zucchini blossom, courgette mousse with pumpkin seeds and verveine oil.Our desserts were a chocolate mixture of all sorts of textures and chocolate pieces with Sarrasin ice cream! Wow! Also a Praline Dacquoise with chocolate, citron and topped with tarragon. Very unique, and the flavors all worked together.Funny that we both chose fish for our first meal out. They do have vegetarian options as well as meat on the menu.Chef Sam and SusanP.S. There’s even a gentle ‘house’ english setter dog named Litchee!MatCha – the details
Montée du château vieux – Cucuron. It is located just off l’etang up a little street at the other end from the parking lot, but there is a little view of the plane trees if you sit outside.Tel: 04 86 78 55 96; you do need a reservation as they get booked up@matcharestaurant – also on FacebookOpen Thursday thru Monday, lunch and dinner. Closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Chef Sam’s Pizza at Home | aixcentric

Chef Sam’s Pizza at Home

June 26, 2020 by aixcentric

Everybody loves pizza, writes Sam Gish, because as Karl Marx famously said – ‘La Pizza est L’Opium du Peuple’. Well, maybe he didn’t actually say it, but he got the sentiment right. The trouble is that there’s Pizza! and then there’s pizza. Going out for pizza is a bit like playing roulette or rolling dice. Sometimes you get lucky and find the ideal crust, with the right proportion of sauce and cheese, perfectly cooked. And sometimes you find a cardboard crust with plastic cheese and something that almost but not quite resembles tomato sauce – a slice of pizza that has less flavour and texture than the paper napkin you use to wipe the ‘sauce’ off of your chin.

My preferences for pizza have changed over the years. I didn’t used to mind a slightly chewy, doughy crust or a Chicago-style pizza. I have tried all sorts of combinations of toppings. But it really has come down to simplicity. Sure, Wolfgang Puck has done pizza with caviar and smoked salmon, and it’s a really interesting take on the idea of pizza. But is it a dish that does anything apart from actually make the chef look good?

Here’s the thing with pizza, at least for me: the crust has to have the taste of the bread oven, with that slightly sour yeasty smell that comes from slow risen dough. There shouldn’t be too much of it and what there is should be crisp, with some scorch marks from the oven (a little charcoal is good for the digestion, or at least that’s what our mothers always used to tell us).

I make my own pizza dough. For years I used ‘The Joy of Cooking’ recipe, and because flour in the US pretty much only comes in one grade – all purpose, I couldn’t quite get the crust I wanted. Occasionally I would find good Italian pizza flour which would cost me $4/kg for imported, or $6/kg for King Arthur speciality pizza flour. Here at Carrefour their T45 Tipo 00 Mon Fournil Farine de Pizza is 1.28€/kg. I’m making a lot more pizza since moving to France.

You don’t need special gear to make pizza, though once you start you may well find that to ‘up your game’ there are things that will come in handy. I have three things that are very useful – a stand mixer to make the dough, a pizza stone which insures a really crisp crust, and a wooden pizza peel for putting the pizza into the oven and and getting it out when done.

The stone is by ‘Crispr’ and I leave it on the floor of my oven. It works as a heat bank even when I’m not cooking pizza. I found a wooden pizza peel here in France at a speciality cooking store, but they are easy to find. It’s a very useful tool to have in the kitchen because you can use it to slide tart pans in and out of the oven as well as pizza.

Again, you don’t have to have these tools, but they are useful.

Occasionally I will make the dough for the same day, but I have found that to get the flavour I want, it’s best to let it rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight. Or I make a batch of dough, let it rise once, then divide it, wrap it, and freeze it. There are always at least three balls of frozen dough in our freezer.

People get intimidated by bread and pastry making but if you take your time you’ll do fine. Bakers use scales – they don’t use measuring cups because cups measure volume and ingredients differ in volume. So, use a kitchen scale! It will make recipes easier to ‘scale’ up or down.

You also need to remember that the ambient temperature and humidity are going to effect how your dough behaves. As with bread, the more you make pizza the more feel you will get for this. You may need to add a bit more flour or a bit more water depending on the weather.

Recipe

To make the dough, weigh out 500 grams of type 00 flour into a large bowl. Sure, you can use regular flour, but if you want to really impress your guests, pizza flour is the way to go. Mix in two teaspoons of a good fine sea salt.

You need 320 ml of liquid – 160 ml of warm water and 160 ml of whole milk. Add to the liquid one packet of levure boulangere – dried yeast. Stir in two tablespoons of flour. Let this sit until it gets foamy on top, maybe 10 to 30 minutes depending on the temperature of the water/milk mixture. Then mix in one tablespoon of olive oil. I like to use a really flavourful oil, as it give an extra dimension of taste in the crust.

Make a well in the center of your flour, and pour the liquid in. With a wooden spoon, mix the dough until it forms a ball and comes away from the side of the bowl. Then knead it for 15 minutes. If you have a stand mixer use the dough hook to mix the dough. Put it on low and slowly add the liquid. Eventually the dough will pull away from the sides of the bowl. When it does set your timer for 15 minutes and let the mixer do its thing.

Place the dough into another bowl coated with olive oil and turn it over to coat both sides. Cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rise for an hour or until it has doubled in size. Punch the dough down, divide it into three, form into balls, wrap in plastic wrap and put in the freezer. If you’re going to make pizza immediately take one ball, coat with oil, put into a bowl, cover with a towel and let it rise in the kitchen. Or put it into the fridge.

If you’re not going to wait to make your pizza, get your toppings ready now. Make a simple tomato sauce and add fresh basil to it. Let it cool. Grate about 300g of mozzarella or use slices of fresh mozzarella.

When the dough has risen again, turn it out onto a floured work surface and push it gently into a circle shape about 31 cm/12 in diameter. You can roll it out or just use your fingers.

Take the circle of dough and put it on a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. If you have a pizza stone and baker’s peel dust the peel generously with flour and put the dough on that. Pinch the edge of the dough to form a lip. Let the dough rest on the peel for several minutes. Make sure that the dough slides back and forth on the peel.

Spoon the sauce onto the circle of dough and spread it out gently. Add some more basil leaves, and then sprinkle the grated cheese or slices evenly over the entire pizza.

Slide the pizza off of the peel onto the stone or baking sheet in your pre-heated oven (250ºC or 475ºF – or the highest temperature you can set your oven to). If you have a convection/fan oven, make sure that is on. Depending on the oven temperature your pizza will be done in 8 to 10 minutes though it might take longer. Watch it closely so that it doesn’t burn and possibly turn it slightly so that it browns evenly.

When it’s done, slide the peel under it and take it out. Let it rest two or three minutes before slicing. Serve and enjoy!

Chef Sam and Susan

Five Favourite Places to Eat This Summer in Aix

June 29, 2020 by aixcentric

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Art in the South of France; the inside storyThe South of France. Enchanted by the deep blue of the Mediterranean, the olive trees, poppies, irises and that dazzling light, artists found their creativity flourished under the hot sun. My new book takes you on a journey visiting museums and galleries as well as artists’ studios and their favourite painting spots. From Van Gogh in Arles, to Signac in Saint-Tropez; from Cézanne in Aix, over to Nice for Renoir and Matisse, the story unfolds of artists who knew each other and painted together in the warm south. Prepare too to meet colourful local artists who captured their beloved Provence for us to enjoy. Buy: in Book-in-Bar, Aix, or online. Please click here: /art-in-the-south-of-france-the-inside-story/paperback/product-23586102.html
Aix-en-Provence The Inside StoryMy first book tells the story of this fascinating town and introduces .some of the characters who have lived here. With a focus on people rather than buildings, history is unravelled through anecdotes with lots of suggestions of what to see when you visit. Available from lulu.com – /aix-en-provence-the-inside-story
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Art in the South of France; the inside story

The South of France. Enchanted by the deep blue of the Mediterranean, the olive trees, poppies, irises and that dazzling light, artists found their creativity flourished under the hot sun. My new book takes you on a journey visiting museums and galleries as well as artists’ studios and their favourite painting spots. From Van Gogh in Arles, to Signac in Saint-Tropez; from Cézanne in Aix, over to Nice for Renoir and Matisse, the story unfolds of artists who knew each other and painted together in the warm south. Prepare too to meet colourful local artists who captured their beloved Provence for us to enjoy.

Buy: in Book-in-Bar, Aix, or online. Please click here: /art-in-the-south-of-france-the-inside-story/paperback/product-23586102.html
Aix-en-Provence The Inside Story

My first book tells the story of this fascinating town and introduces .some of the characters who have lived here. With a focus on people rather than buildings, history is unravelled through anecdotes with lots of suggestions of what to see when you visit. Available from lulu.com - /aix-en-provence-the-inside-story
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