The region boasts over 750 miles of coastline, so it comes as no surprise that seafood is one of its most abundant and popular offerings. Mussels, oysters, scallops, lobster, and fish of all shapes and sizes are made into simple soups and salads or infused with dairy and butter, resulting in some of France’s richest dishes. Salt marsh lamb, pork, dairy, apples, potatoes, and vegetables from the cabbage family are also typical ingredients.

The sweets from this region are buttery and rich and this traditional Brandy- or Armagnac-infused prune and custard dessert, Far Breton, is no exception.

Far Breton is one of Brittany’s most popular dishes.  Similar to a clafoutis, it comes out of the oven puffy and golden then slowly collapses as it cools into a dense and filling dessert.  

My favorite Far Breton recipe comes from Jane Sigal’s cookbook, Backroad Bistros, Farmhouse Fare.  Represented in this book is an extensive collection of authentic, simple, and classic recipes from France’s most popular regions.

Far Breton

makes 8 servings

18 large pitted prunes (about 6 ounces)
1/4 cup Armagnac or dark rum
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt
3 large eggs
2 cups milk, divided
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

In a small bowl, soak the prunes in the Armagnac, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has been absorbed, 2 to 3 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly butter a shallow 6-cup baking dish. In a large bowl, whisk the flour with the sugar and salt, then make a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well and add 1/2 cup of the milk. Using a whisk, beat the eggs with the milk, working in some of the flour. Gradually add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk and the melted butter while whisking in more of the dry ingredients; whisk until smooth.
Using a wooden spoon, work the batter through a fine sieve into the baking dish. Scatter the prunes in the dish and bake for about 35 minutes, or until risen and deep golden. Let cool slightly before cutting into rectangles. The flan can also be served at room temperature or rewarmed.

After college my passion for cooking was born, and with it, my passion for cookbooks.  As soon as I taught myself the basics I went in search of a Thai cookbook that would help me to duplicate at home the aromatic, spicy food that had sustained me for so many years.  My search led me to Simply Thai Cooking by Wanadee Young and Byron Ayanoglu, an easy to follow and informative introduction to Thai food.

Many of the recipes in this book are hot and spicy, but the heat can be tempered to suit your palate.  Flavors in Thai cuisine are fresh, clean and vibrant, and couldn’t be more delicious.

A few of my favorite recipes in this cookbook are Thai Pineapple Fried Rice, Thai Spicy Noodles, Basil Chicken, Marinated Grilled Chicken, Thai Shrimp Cakes, Green Vegetables with Oyster Sauce and the following for Thai Spicy Eggplant.

Thai Spicy Eggplant

serves 3 - 4

1.  Heat 1 cup oil/250 ml in a wok (or large frying pan) on high heat, until it is just about to smoke.  Add eggplant and spread out in the oil. Fry for 2 minutes, then turn and fry the other side for 2 minutes. Continue flipping pieces over for another minute, until they are nicely browned and glistening and the flesh of the eggplant is soft and can be pierced easily. Remove the eggplant pieces from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a strainer set over a bowl to drain off as much as possible of the excess oil. Discard the oil in the wok, wipe it clean and return it to the fire.

2.  Add 2 tbsp/25 ml oil to the wok and immediately add garlic and chilies and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add onion and 2/3 of the red pepper strips and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add the fried eggplant and stir in. Immediately add soya sauce, sugar, and water and stir-fry for 1 - 2 minutes until everything is bubbling happily. Add 2/3 of the basil leaves and the cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water. Stir-fry for 1 minute, until the sauce has thickened somewhat. Take off fire.

3.  Transfer to a serving dish and top with the rest of the red pepper strips and the rest of the basil leaves. Serve immediately, accompanied by steamed rice.

All Around the World offers recipes and vignettes from the 730 days Sheila Lukins spent traveling to 33 countries around the globe. The first Indonesian and Indian dishes I ever made came from this book, and the extensive Menus chapter, tabulated by cuisine, is incredibly inspiring!

One tip: Don’t muddle up the tart’s pure flavor with cream, whipped cream, ice cream, crème anglaise, etc.

Velvety Tarte au Citron
taken from All Around the World by Sheila Lukins

Makes one 9-inch tart, serves 8-10

Dough
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt

Filling
1/2 cup sugar
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream
3 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks

1. Place the butter in a food processor and process a few seconds, until creamy. Add 1/4 cup sugar and process until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 20 seconds, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice. Add the vanilla. Combine the flour and salt, then add to the food processor. Process until the dough comes together around the sides of the bowl; scrape the sides of the bowl and process for a few seconds more.

2. With lightly floured hands, press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press around the bottom edge of the tart and make sure that the dough is not too thick.

3. Trim any excess dough at the top of the tart pan with a knife.  Lightly press the dough around the inside of the rim with your thumb so that it extends about 1/8 inch above the pan. Prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork. Chill the dough in the freezer at least 30 minutes or overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

5. Bake the partially or fully frozen tart shell until fully baked and golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Leave the oven on.

6. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the lemon juice together in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the heavy cream, then the eggs and the egg yolks. Combine thoroughly. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the filling thickens and the whisk leaves a trail, about 4 minutes.

7. Strain the filling into a bowl, then pour it into the baked tart shell. Bake for 4 minutes.

8. Cool thoroughly on a rack and serve at room temperature. Before serving, carefully remove the sides and bottom of the pan and gently slide the tart onto a decorative plate.

The Food Life: Inside the World of Food with the Grocer Extraordinaire at Fairway by Steven Jenkins, with recipes by Mitchel London, has to be one of the most passionate and wittiest memoirs I’ve read in a very long time.

Not that I’m surprised. I’ve been smitten with Steven Jenkins since I purchased his first book, the Cheese Primer, twelve years ago.

 Ah, to live in New York and have no less than four Fairway Markets to choose from! To walk in and smell the freshly baked bread, taste a bit from the tubs of olives and platters of cheese, see what is on offer at the deli, the fish counter, and the butcher, and choose from the giant pyramids of fresh fruit and vegetables from around the world.  These markets look like a food lover’s paradise.

In addition to recounting the Fairway Market’s story and Steven Jenkins’ own tales from life at the market, the book gives practical advice on choosing staples such as olive oil, vinegar, anchovies and cheese.

“The enemies of fine olive oil are time, air, light, and heat.  As for time, olive oil, unlike some wines and cheeses, does not improve in the bottle or can.  If you are a family of four and you’re using less than a liter of grand olive oil a week, you need to use more olive oil - but that’s another issue.  (By “grand” I mean not  merely that the oil is extra-virgin, but also that it is remarkable, full of nuance, fragrant - it has a rich mouthfeel without being cloying or greasy.)

“In olive oil, the flavor and fragrance molecules run down like flashlight batteries.  But I’ll bet you that unless you’re a regular at Fairway, any bottle or tin or purportedly grand olive oil you pick up either won’t tell when the oil was produced or will reveal in very fine print that it’s been in that bottle for two years or longer.  Absolutely unacceptable.

“Air, oxidation, causes oil to become stale, flat, lifeless.  Light robs oil of its color, nutrients, flavor, and fragrance.  It does this right through the glass, even if the bottle was never opened.  How does it do that?  I don’t know.  It just does.

“Heat robs olive oil, indeed any culinary oil, of its organoleptic properties.  This is why you should never cook with grand olive oil unless you are a hopeless wastrel.  Don’t store your olive oil where common sense tells you not to - in a hot pantry, next to the oven or stove, or on a hot windowsill or radiator.”

And you may never look at anchovies the same way after reading what Mr. Jenkins has to say about them:

“Likewise, forget about supermarket tinned anchovies. Forget about the anchovies used in pizza parlors. They’re a vile misrepresentation of one of our greatest culinary gifts. They taste like salty fish guts, whereas serious anchovies taste like adult candy.  They are indispensable for stews, for daubes, for soups, and for innumerable pasta dishes. To prove this, sit before a couple of fillets packed in olive oil, from companies such as Roque (Collioure, France), Ortiz (Pays Vasco, Spain), and Recca (Sciacca, Italy).”

The book also includes a compact collection of 42 well rounded recipes by chef Mitchel London, including such delights as Runny Cheese Potatoes, Spicy Broiled Cornish Hens with Lemon and Fresh Oregano, Tuscan White Bean Soup with Escarole and Fennel Sausage, and Vanilla-Coconut Macaroons with Chocolate Variation.

The Food Life is a celebration of all things edible. If you love food you’ll love this book. It’s as simple as that.

A recipe like this one for Farfalle with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream that comes from the January 2006 edition of Bon Appetit magazine. The recipe was submitted by a magazine reader, Cara Brunetti Hillyard. Thank you Cara for a wonderful and delicious recipe!

The sauce is both tangy and creamy, with a rich tomato- and sausage-infused sauce. It is easy to make and quick to get on the table.

A couple of notes:
The basil sprinkled on top is imperative to the flavor of the finished dish.
I made it with penne instead of farfalle, as that was the pasta I had available in the cupboard.

Farfalle with Sausage, Tomatoes and Cream
Makes 6 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 pound farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
1/2 cup (packed) chopped fresh basil
Freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and crushed red pepper. Sauté until sausage is no longer pink, breaking up with back of fork, about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is tender and sausage is browned, about 3 minutes longer. Add tomatoes and cream. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sausage mixture thickens, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to same pot.
Add sausage mixture and toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry. Transfer pasta to serving dish. Sprinkle with basil. Serve, passing cheese separately.

However…

the closing of the shop means that all of the books are 50% off!

Last week I bought Culinaria France, a colossal, hardbound cookbook that I’ve eyed for years, for a mere €15.

I own many French cookbooks, but this one is special. It is a stunningly photographed, 468-page encyclopedia of French food that includes recipes for classic French dishes; vignettes about regional sweets, candies, liqueurs, and other specialties; descriptions of the country’s numerous wonderful cheeses; and introductions to the butchers, bakers, and wine makers that make France such a scrumptious place to visit and live.

This cookbook also offers a comprehensive guide to France’s regions and their unique flavors. I’ve found several recipes that I have never seen in other French cookbooks and some, like the time-honored Coq au Vin, Ratatouille, and Boeuf Bourguignon, are explained and photographed in great detail.

Culinaria France will take you on a delicious journey. My advice is to get yourself a copy of this book, then find a quiet, comfortable corner and let yourself be taken away.

This month we strayed from the “world food” theme a bit.

We decided to have a World Racing Night and bring food that would represent famous horse races around the world such as the Melbourne Cup, the Grand National, and the Kentucky Derby.
Along the Kentucky theme, I offered to bring Fried Chicken.

The universe must have been smiling down on me because the very next day the July issue of Saveur magazine arrived and on the cover was a mouth-watering photo of fried chicken. And inside was just the recipe I was looking for!

Hollyhock Hill’s Fried Chicken

When preparing a chicken for frying, cook Tom Sheron of the Hollyhock Hill restaurant in Indianapolis halves the breast crosswise instead of lengthwise, leaving the wishbone intact. “It’s the way fried chicken used to be cut,” he says.

Cut a 3- to 4-lb. chicken into 8 pieces and season generously with kosher salt; transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Over high heat, melt enough lard or vegetable shortening in a deep 12″ cast-iron skillet that it reaches a depth of 3/4″; heat until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in fat reads 350 degrees.Place 2 cups flour on a plate. Dredge chicken in flour and fry, turning occasionally, until light brown, about 10 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium; fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes more.

Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate.

Serves 2 to 4.

The cookbook offers 125 scrumptious recipes, gorgeous photographs, and additional information about the country of Spain, including a map to get your bearings. Also provided are descriptions of the regions and their culinary specialties; a list of vendors for Spanish products; and pages about Spanish cheese, sherry and wine, and specific ingredients such as saffron, olives, and salt cod.

All of the recipes are accessible to the home cook. Variations on the ubiquitous Paella Valenciana include a Paella With Vegetables and a thoroughly modern Sushi Paella. The Tapas offerings include Mission Figs Stuffed With Spanish Blue Cheese, three kinds of Bocadillos, Chorizo Stuffed Mushrooms and Japanese fusion Red Tuna Bites. The seafood and meat chapters include simple supper recipes and more labor intensive, gourmet offerings. The dessert chapter offers a range of mouth-watering recipes such as Spiced Almond Brittle, Hazelnut Passion Fruit Ice Cream, and a traditional Crema Catalana.

Choosing a recipe to make was easy. This white gazpacho is a cold soup that I’ve seen on menus in Spain and have always wanted to try. The flavor was brilliant!
I found it refreshing and tangy and think it would be a perfect dish to serve on a hot summer day.

Cold Almond and Garlic Soup - Ajo Blanco
serves 8

2 cups loosely packed day-old country-style bread or fresh bread, torn into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces
6 2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic
2 cups blanched almonds
2 ½ teaspoons salt - divided use
1/2 cup sherry vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
16 medium green grapes, halved and seeded, for garnish
2/3 cup toasted sliced almonds

1. Soak the day-old bread in 1 1/3 cups of water in a medium bowl for 10 minutes. If using fresh bread, there is no need to soak it.
2. Process the garlic and almonds in a food processor fitted with the steel blade for 1 minute, or until finely ground. Stop halfway through the process to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the soaked bread and any soaking water (or the fresh bread), 2 teaspoons of salt, vinegar, and oil, and blend for 2 minutes, or until a smooth paste forms. Add 2 cups of the water and blend for 2 minutes longer, or until smooth.
3. Transfer to a medium nonreactive bowl and stir in the remaining 3 1/3 cups of water (use 4 1/3 cups if using fresh bread). Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or until well chilled.
4. Stir the soup well, reaching to the bottom of the bowl, just before serving. Taste and adjust seasoning with ½ teaspoon of salt, or more if desired. Ladle 1 cup of the soup into each chilled soup bowl, garnish with the grapes and toasted sliced almonds, and serve.

A passion for the cuisine of his native Louisiana is evident from the moment you pick up this weighty 800+ page tome.

This comprehensive cookbook begins with an overview of the rich history of Louisiana. It explains how seven distinct ethnic groups – Italian, African, French, Native American, Acadian, Spanish, and German – shaped Louisiana’s unique food culture.

The book will offer you a better understanding of the terms Cajun and Creole and will give you a sense of the history behind more than 700 mouth-watering recipes. Nothing is left out – you’ll find instructions on everything from making different colors of roux to the perfect crawfish boil and gumbo recipes to advice on sausage making, as well as dozens of recipes for the all-important beverages. Even festivals, holidays, and plantation homes are given their own chapters.

Compiling this Encyclopedia was no simple task. An enormous effort by the author and a team of researchers, chefs, photographers, and editors encompassed four years of research and involved nearly two years of writing.

The Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine is a must-have for anyone interested in the dynamic food of Louisiana.