Quinoa, Nice Getting to Know Ya

It seems most of my posts lately are related to my Daring Cooks and Daring Baker challenges, and French Fridays with Dorie.  But, they have all been fun challenges, with recipes worthy of cooking and sharing, so I hope it's all good. I would love to be in the kitchen more, cooking a few recipes from my cookbooks and cooking magazines (I did sneak in a link to the recipe for Tyler Florence's lamb chops and harissa sauce this week, from Tyler's Ultimate), but work gets in the way and we're getting ready for our move in a few months. Also, I did spend quite a bit of time this month preparing and photographing a few dynamite recipes for the Daring Cooks, and am thrilled to be hosting the May Challenge. I'll announce the challenge to the members on April 17, and then everyone will reveal their results on their blogs on May 14!

This week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe, Quinoa, Fruit, and Nut Salad, re-introduced me to Quinoa, which I've only had once or twice in the past. Pronounced keh-NO-ah, or sometimes KEEN-wah, it is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds, and native to the Andes Mountains of Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Although most commonly considered a grain, quinoa is actually related to leafy green vegetables like beet, spinach and Swiss chard. The Incas held the crop to be sacred, and referred to it as the mother of all grains and gold of the Incas. It was the Inca emperor who would traditionally sow the first seeds of the season using golden implements. To this day, it is an important food in South American cuisine.

In the 1980s, two Americans began cultivating it in Colorado. Since then, quinoa has become more and more available as people realize it is an exceptionally beneficial and delicious food. When NASA scientists were searching for an ideal food for long-term human space missions, they declared quinoa unrivaled in the plant or animal kingdom for its life-sustaining nutrients.

Photo from BYU College of Life Sciences

Cooked quinoa seeds are fluffy and creamy, yet slightly crunchy, and have a delicate, somewhat nutty flavor. While the most popular type of quinoa is a transparent yellow color, other varieties feature colors such as orange, pink, red, purple or black.

Organic Red Royal Quinoa from our local Boney's

In its natural state, quinoa seeds have a coating of bitter-tasting soapy saponins to protect against birds and other predators. Most quinoa sold commercially in North America has been processed to remove this coating, but it is still a good idea to thoroughly rinse the seeds to remove any remaining saponin residue before cooking. In South America, the saponin removed from the quinoa is used as detergent for washing clothes and as an antiseptic to promote healing of skin injuries.

To cook the quinoa, add one part of the grain to two parts liquid in a saucepan. After the mixture is brought to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer and cover. One cup of quinoa cooked in this method usually takes 15 minutes to prepare. When cooking is complete, you will notice that the grains have become translucent, and the white germ has partially detached itself, appearing like a white-spiraled tail. If you desire the quinoa to have a nuttier flavor, you can dry roast it before cooking. Simply place it in a skillet over medium-low heat, and stir constantly for five minutes.

Dorie's Quinoa, Fruit and Nut Salad calls for your choice of various dried fruits, nuts, herbs and greens. She adds a touch of ground ginger to the lemon juice and olive oil dressing, and tops the quinoa with yogurt. I went more savory with ours, using toasted almonds, fresh orange supremes, asparagus, spinach, and parsley, and served it with pan-grilled lamb chops and harissa sauce, a recipe from Tyler's Ultimate: Brilliant Simple Food to Make Any Time (recipe also here, and another version of harissa here).  

Quinoa, Asparagus, Orange and Almond Salad

Adapted from Quinoa, Fruit and Nut Salad

Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours

4-6 servings

1 cup red quinoa

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups water

Supremes from 2 oranges

1 cup sliced blanched almonds, toasted

6 ounces fresh asparagus, sliced diagonally into 2 inch pieces, and blanched

6 ounces baby spinach, sauteed briefly in a tablespoon of olive oil so it's slightly wilted

Juice of one lemon

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 shallot, minced

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon walnut oil

Place quinoa in a fine-meshed strainer, and run cold water over it while gently rubbing the seeds together with your hands, to thoroughly rinse off any residual saponin.

Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan, salt the water, and add the quinoa. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 12-15 minutes.

While quinoa is cooking, make the dressing by whisking lemon juice, shallots, parsley, olive oil, and walnut oil together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain the quinoa in a sieve and transfer to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool slightly. Add the orange supremes, almonds, asparagus, spinach and dressing. Toss gently, and serve.

We love the texture of the quinoa, its nutty taste, and versatility in mixing in various fruit, nut and vegetable combinations. I am looking forward to trying it Dorie's way, with dried fruits, ginger and yogurt.

French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group dedicated to Dorie Greenspan‘s newest book, Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours. As members of the group, we have purchased the cookbook and cook along as much as we can. There is a new recipe each week, and we post about that recipe on Friday. We are asked to refrain from posting the actual recipes on our blog. Dorie always tells a personal story behind each recipe, which makes it that much more intriguing.

French Fridays with Dorie: Basque Potato Tortilla

I accompanied French Fridays with Dorie this week for a spontaneous excursion to the Basque region of France, for a taste of the popular Basque Potato Tortilla. This is also one of the most common tapas throughout Spain, and is simply an egg omelet with fried potatoes. Some versions include onions, and Dorie provides several bonne idees, or good ideas, to spruce it up with diced ham, minced fresh herbs, spinach, and/or mushrooms.

I prepared the basic version, which is scantily clad in a few crushed cloves of garlic, a fragrant sprig of rosemary, and a pinch of piment d' Espelette (Basque red chile pepper), but I regret to say it still needed a few more layers.  Flavorful pieces of Spanish chorizo come to mind.  I used Yukon Gold potatoes, as recommended, but I sliced rather than cubed them.

Preparation involves slowly cooking the potatoes and onions in shimmering olive oil until they are golden and soft, but not browned. The potatoes and onions are taken out of the pan, and the pan is wiped clean (very important to prevent stickage), before another quick pour of olive oil goes in the pan to heat. When the oil is hot, the potatoes, onions and whisked eggs go in and are momentarily left undisturbed. The tortilla is then covered and cooked slowly, as it soaks up and gently molds the egg and potatoes into one. Every now and then, a silicone spatula slips in for a run around the inside edges of the pan and underneath the tortilla. Once the top is almost set, the pan in placed under the broiler to finish it off. The tortilla is easily lifted out of the pan and transferred to a serving platter, where it is allowed to cool to room temperature before cutting and serving.

The tortilla can be served at room temperature or cold. Apparently, when hot, it crumbles badly having not fully set, and the flavors are muted. I patiently waited as directed and served ours at room temperature, but we all thought it would taste better warm. I reheated a slice the next day for lunch and confirmed that suspicion.

We enjoyed this for dinner, with a citrusy, nutty, Portuguese-inspired salad, but the tortilla is often served as tapas, cut up into bite-sized cubes and each piece pierced with a toothpick.

You can find David Leite's Orange Salad with Pine Nuts in The New Portuguese Table: Exciting Flavors from Europe's Western Coast, one of my prized cookbook finds in the past year.  David's Pine Nut and Orange Cookies are also amazing!

If you like Basque and Spanish tapas, you may also be marginally entertained by two culinary-themed picnics we hosted last summer during our Coronado Summer Concerts in the Park season: Basque Country and Spanish Tapas.

The Crown Jewel Affair: Roasted Beet Salad with Pomegranate-Cumin Vinaigrette

The Crown Jewel Affair. a POM Wonderful Dinner Party, continues with our Roasted Beet Salad tossed with Pomegranate-Cumin Vinaigrette.

This salad is all about bright colors, flavors, and textures, with tender baby greens, the ruby red pop of pomegranates, juicy orange supremes, mildly sweet roasted crimson and golden beets, creamy goat cheese, and toasted pine nuts, all softly tossed with a smoky, tangy pomegranate-cumin vinaigrette.

Inspiration for this salad evolved from two recent dining experiences. In September, we we drove up to Costa Mesa to see Young Frankenstein, the Mel Brooks' Musical, at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, and enjoyed lunch at Marche Moderne. John ordered the Santa Monica McGrath Family Farm Beet Salad, with pistachios, orange, goat cheese, and petite basil. We liked the way the chef used a smear of goat cheese along the bottom of the plate. With each bite, you can scrape up a little goat cheese with your fork rather than having globs throughout the salad.

Last month, we went to a concert at Anthology, a supper club in San Diego's Little Italy. Chef Todd Allison, who happens to be a native of Coronado, wowed us with his Baby Yellow Beets and Burrata Cheese Salad, with toasted pine nuts, watercress, and cumin vinaigrette. The cumin vinaigrette was incredible and we couldn't wait to recreate it at home.

For The Crown Jewel Affair, we added freshly squeezed pomegranate juice to the vinaigrette, combined elements from both salads, and added a sprinkling of fresh pomegranate seeds.

Roasted Beet Salad with Pomegranate-Cumin Vinaigrette

(Serves 8)

8 ounces assorted baby greens (we used a Spring mix)

4 red and/or yellow beets, stems trimmed off

4 naval oranges, cut into supremes

8 oz. goat cheese

1 cup toasted pine nuts

1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

Pomegranate-Cumin Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the beets in a baking pan, drizzle with the oil, and season with salt. Cover with foil. Bake for about 1 hour, or until tender when pierced with a knife. When cool enough to handle, peel the beets, and thinly slice them into rounds or cut into 1-inch squares. Cover and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Prepare the orange supremes in advance and keep covered and refrigerated until ready to use.

Just before serving, smear 1 ounce of goat cheese across each chilled salad plate. In a separate bowl, drizzle the roasted beets with some of vinaigrette to lightly coat and divide equally on top of the goat cheese. In a large bowl, toss the baby greens with additional vinaigrette until lightly coated. Place a small mound of baby greens on each plate. Arrange the orange supremes over the greens. Garnish each salad with toasted pine nuts and pomegranate seeds.

Pomegranate-Cumin Vinaigrette

1/4 cup fresh pomegranate juice

1/4 cup Champagne or white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon cumin powder

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Whisk together the pomegranate juice, vinegar, honey and cumin in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

A few nights after the party, we made this salad into a main course by adding filet mignon.

Again, the simple addition of pomegranate juice to the vinaigrette and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds takes the salad to a new level.  

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Featured in Fine Cooking's What We're Cooking Now! Grilled Peach, Watermelon and Blackberry Salad

I was honored when one of the editors of Fine Cooking contacted me a few months ago and asked if I would contribute to What We're Cooking Now, for the July/August issue.

Fine Cooking requested a simple seasonal specialty featuring fresh peaches, blueberries or summer squash.  Grilled peaches instantly came to mind, and I recalled a fruit salad with grilled peaches, mascarpone-honey dressing, and toasted almonds. Grilling the peaches until they are caramelized brings out the natural sugar, and peaches pair so beautifully with almonds, blueberries, blackberries, mascarpone, and lemon.  Unfortunately, due to keeping my contribution around 25 words, I was unable to share the complete recipe. 

For your next picnic, barbecue, or pool party, forget that plastic platter, with unripe and/or overripe fruit, assembled and packaged by your local grocery store, and take a few extra minutes to prepare this simple, bright and impressive fruit salad.

Grilled Peach, Watermelon and Blackberry Salad with Mascarpone Honey Dressing, Toasted Almonds and Mint
Adapted from Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill: With More Than 125 Bold New Recipes
Serves 8

For the Dressing:

1 cup mascarpone cheese (or vanilla yogurt, drained)

2 tablespoons honey, plus 2 tablespoons for drizzling

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Combine mascarpone, 2 tablespoons honey and lemon juice in a small bowl and mix until smooth.

For the Salad:

4 peaches, halved and pitted (yellow peaches make the salad more colorful)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8 wedges seedless Watermelon
1 pint blackberries or blueberries
1/2 cup toasted sliced or slivered almonds
1/4 cup Mint, chiffonade, plus a few sprigs for garnish
Zest of one lemon

Preheat a gas or charcoal grill (or heat a grill pan on your stove). Brush the peach halves on both sides with oil and grill cut-side down until golden brown and caramelized, 3-4 minutes. Turn over and grill 1-2 minutes more. Arrange all the fruit on a large platter, or in a large bowl. Spoon small portions of mascarpone honey dressing evenly around the fruit. Drizzle top of fruit with honey, and sprinkle with toasted almonds and mint chiffonade. Garnish with lemon zest and a few mint sprigs.

Everything is Just Peachy when Thomas Keller and Bobby Flay Join the Picnic!

Now that the sun has finally decided to make an appearance, sending May Grey, June Gloom and Summer Bummer (when the condition extends into July) on their dreary way, Coronado Island is just Peachy! Fuzzy, ripe, juicy peaches have rolled into the Farmers' Markets and stores, just in time for our Concert in the Park culinary group to tackle Challenge Peaches this past Sunday.

After coming across Keller's Marcona Almond Butter recipe in my Ad Hoc at Home, and incorporating it into Food & Wine's Fettuccine with Spicy Almond Pesto for the Daring Cooks' July Challenge, I noticed Keller's beautiful photograph of Endive and Arugula Salad, with Peaches and Marcona Almonds. It had "summer" written all over it, and I was anxious to showcase some of my coveted Marcona almonds and fresh peaches for Challenge Peaches!  My styling isn't at the level of Ad Hoc's food stylist, but I just love the colors and flavors in this salad...

The only time-consuming part of this salad is making the peach puree.  You'll question if it's worth the effort, when the vinaigrette only requires two tablespoons. Put those thoughts to rest, because you will have no problem using the remaining puree.  Keep reading and you'll see!

Endive and Arugula Salad, with Peaches and Marcona Almonds

Slightly adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home

Serves 6

3 heads white Belgian endive

3 heads red Belgian endive** 

2 tablespoons Peach puree (recipe follows)

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1/4 cup sherry vinegar

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 pounds (about 5) medium-size ripe freestone peaches

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon minced chives

1 1/2 oz. arugula (about 2 cups)

1/2 cup salted, roasted Marcona almonds

**I couldn't find red endive, so I used 2 heads Treviso Radicchio. I made the salad again the next night, and used baby green and red romaine, green endive, and arugula. I think any combination of red and green lettuce would be wonderful.

Keller explains how to cut and clean Belgian endive. Trim about 1/2 inch from the bottom and the outer leaves will fall away. Continue trimming a little at a time, in the same fashion, until all the leaves neatly release themselves. Put the leaves in a bowl of cold water to crisp and refresh for about 5 minutes, drain, and whirl in a salad spinner.

In a medium bowl, stir together the two tablespoons of peach puree, shallot, parsley, and vinegar. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Set aside.

Cut the peaches in half and discard the pits. Place each peach half cut-side down on a cutting board and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Finely dice the smaller, less attractive slices to make 1/4 cup and add those diced pieces to the dressing. Season dressing with salt and pepper.

Toss the endive with half the dressing to lightly coat. Season with salt and pepper and toss in the chives. Toss the arugula and peaches with a little of the dressing.

Arrange the salad on a serving platter, layering the endive with the peaches and arugula. Sprinkle the almonds over the top and drizzle the salad with a little more vinaigrette.

Peach Puree

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

2 pounds ripe peaches

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Peel the peaches with a pairing knife. Halve, pit and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Puree in a blender until smooth and then strain through a fine mesh basket strainer.

Combine peach puree, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large saucepan. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan and bring the puree to a simmer over medium heat. Keep at a simmer, skimming the foam that forms on the top, until the puree reaches 215-220 degrees F. Remove from heat, pour into a canning jar or other storage container, cover and let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for up to a month.

For my next dish, I was inspired by Williams-Sonoma's Jalapeno-Peach Pork Tenderloins (thanks, mom, for finding the recipe!). I did not want to use WS's bottled Jalapeno-Peach Barbecue Sauce, although I'm sure it's quite tasty. We are a cooking group, and homemade sauces are expected! I've always wanted to try Bobby Flay's Mesa Barbecue Sauce recipe, and figured I could enhance it for our theme with some of that extra Peach Puree. Yes, I do have moments of brilliance from time to time.

Mesa Barbecue Sauce (enhanced with Peach Puree)
Slightly adapted from Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill: With More Than 125 Bold New Recipes

2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium red onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
8 plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons dark molasses
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
1 tablespoons pasilla chile powder
1 tablespoon paprika
[1 cup peach puree] optional

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan. Add the onions and cook until soft, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and simmer 15 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for an additional 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth.   Pour into a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature. Sauce will keep for 1 week in the refrigerator stored in a tightly sealed container.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Mesa Chile-Peach Sauce

I marinated the pork tenderloin in some of the Mesa Barbecue Sauce for about an hour.  I grilled the tenderloin over medium-high heat, covered, until the internal temperature reached 145 degrees F, approximately 15-20 minutes, turning intermittently and basting with additional sauce.  I allowed the tenderloins to rest about 10 minutes before slicing.

For dessert, I whipped up some Mini Pavlovas, topped with John's homemade Vanilla Ice Cream, and more of that fabulous Peach Puree spooned over the top!

Now that I've taken up way too much time and space talking about my peachy dishes, let us now drool over the rest of our peach-inspired picnic!

As usual, the adult beverages were plentiful, with John's White Peach Sangria, Jim and Carmen's Peach Margaritas, Jack and Sandra's Peach Tea, and an old Dutch recipe from Sandra's great grandmother, called Advocaat.

Alec & Nina shared Artisan Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, made with Ciabbata bread from Bread & Cie, Spring Hill jack cheese, double-cream brie, and Grilled Peaches with Caramel Rum Sauce.

Nina said she brushed the slices of ciabbata with the rum sauce, placed a slice of jack on one side, a slice of brie on the other, and a slice of grilled peach in between. She placed the sandwiches on a pan, that had been brushed lightly with canola oil, and baked the sandwiches in 300 degree oven for 5 minutes on each side.  She sprinkled the sandwiches with salt and served them on a bed of wild rocket and shaved jicama, which had been lightly tossed with seasoned rice vinegar and olive oil.

Our lovely Sandra cooked up a storm with her Roast Pork Loin and Peach Conserve, with roasted asparagus and potatoes.  Nice peaches!

Carmen presented a refreshing Peach Gazpacho with Crab Salad, inspired by Chef Jason Franey's recipe.

And here we have Carmen's Peaches and Cream Cake, inspired by this Nova Scotia Blueberry Cream Cake

No photo, unfortunately, but we enjoyed meeting Lavio and Barbara, and sampling Barbara's Grilled Peaches with Ricotta, ginger and almonds.

Our week, and evening, was made extra-special with a visit from my Aunt Gwen, who traveled all the way from the island of Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands!  Me, Mom & Gwen...

When Thomas Keller autographed my copy of Ad Hoc at Home at his book signing event a few months ago, he wrote, "It's all about family."  It was very special reconnecting with part of my family...

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Coronado Concerts in the Park and a Taste of Provence

The pink wine was flowing freely as our Coronado Concerts in the Park culinary group launched the first challenge of the summer season, A Taste of Provence.

John and I secured our spot in Spreckels Park by 4:00, and we dressed the main table with a tablecloth and vase of sunflowers and lavender sprigs.

Jim and Carmen were next to arrive with a steaming dutch oven full of Poor Man’s Bouillabaisse, also known as Bourride de Séte or Bourride Setoisé. John and I had the pleasure of Carmen's Provencal fish stew twice over the weekend, first on Friday night, on their balcony, and again at the Concert when she prepared another divine batch with scallops and monk fish. The bisque-like bourride is so incredibly flavorful with the addition of aioli and rouille.  Please see Carmen's witty and informative history in her "guest post" with the complete recipe and preparation notes.

As our friends continued to arrive, Provencal dishes in tow, John offered glasses of Ricard, a liqueur flavored with a subtle blend of star anise from China, licorice from the Mediterranean, and aromatic herbs from Provence.  Careful, that stuff will hurt you!

After everyone finished their aperitif, we uncorked various Vins de Provence. According to David Lebovitz, author of the blog, David Lebovitz, and several books, including The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City, "...for any wine snobs out there that think it's folly to serve wine in cups instead of glasses haven't had the pleasure of standing near a wood-burning oven, eating a blistering-hot wedge of socca with a non-recyclable tumble of wine. Preferably served over ice, Marseille-style."

We didn't have a wood-fired oven at the park, but still managed to recreate the pleasure of drinking Rosé in plastic tumblers, and eating torn shards of Socca hot off the grill.

For our grill-method, John poured the Socca batter onto a cast iron skillet, closed the lid on the grill for a few minutes, and then flipped the crepe over onto a pizza stone to brown the other side. The texture is crisp on the outside and soft in the middle.

Below is a photo from our "test-run" the night before.  Drizzled with olive oil and showered with coarse salt and pepper, these incredible crepes became our Saturday night dinner. Who knew that chickpea, or garbanzo flour, seasoned with a touch of smokey cumin, and mixed with water and olive oil, could be so flavorful and addictive. You can find David's recipe, here, and I beg you to try these at home! The batter takes about two seconds to whisk up, but then needs to rest for a few hours. I used Bob's Red Mill Garbanzo Bean Flour, 22-Ounce (Pack of 4).

For my second dish, I strayed with a non-traditional version of Salad Niçoise, featuring Seared Ahi Tuna with a Lavender-Pepper Crust, blanched haricots verts, roasted fingerling potatoes, oven-roasted Roma tomatoes, sauteed fava beans, Niçoise olives, hard-boiled eggs, hearts of palm, purple spring onions, anchovies, and capers, drizzled with Tyler Florence's Niçoise Vinaigrette.

According to Wikipedia, the original version of the salad always included raw red peppers, shallots, and artichoke hearts, never potatoes. The French, especially in the Nice area, will clearly state no cooked veggies are to be used. "[...]la salade niçoise ne contient pas de légumes cuits."Rumors suggest the famous choreographer Balanchine may have influenced the creation of this dish during his tenure in Monte Carlo. Others claim it is a Provençal dish. This salad was made famous in America by "the French Chef", Julia Child.

Inspired by another wonderful blogger, Helen, author of Tartelette, Mom prepared Petits Farcis a la Provencal, Provencal Filled Zucchinis.  They are stuffed with a mixture of sausage, shallots, garlic, shitake mushrooms, tomatoes, brown rice, and fresh herbs, and baked.

Mom adds...Denise and John's foodie group always seems to spend a lot of time searching for that flawless recipe, then we change our minds daily when something else pops up that may be even more appealing. So when Denise came across Tartlette’s Petits Farcis a la Provencale or Provencal Filled Vegetables, and suggested this might be the recipe for me to prepare, I couldn’t resist. After all, not only is Tartlette one of my favorite food bloggers, she is from the Bouches Du Rhone, and tells such a lovely story about her sharing this little bit of Provence. What’s more, Denise was able to find these adorable little round eight balls zucchini squash at the Little Italy Farmers’ Market. They really are so darn cute and delicious!

Alec and Nina's Moules Marinières with Parsley were heavenly, especially with a slice of crusty bread and Ina Garten's version of Rouille, from Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients, served alongside.

Kai and Hill arrived with pizza...SIX pizzas! We sampled Pissaladiere, the classic olive, anchovy, and onion pizza...

and two other versions - one with bacon and one with smoked salmon, capers and sour cream...

By now, as you can imagine, we were pleasantly floating on our rosé high and our tummies were full. We took a little break, listened to some music, and then tackled the desserts!

Nina's Chocolate Lavender Cake was inspired by France Monthly's Smooth Chocolate Cake. She added a smidgen of lavender to the batter and garnished with more lavender sprigs.

Mom's Gâteau aux carrottes, was inspired by David Lebovitz' version, here, which was adapted from Lulu's Provencal Table: The Exuberant Food and Wine from the Domaine Tempier Vineyard. I need to send David a note and thank him for two wonderful recipes! 

Mom says,  At my age, I get quite a kick out of my daughter, the food blogger, her foodies, food porn, and all the other gourmet wonders she and her fine chef friends create for our dining and picnic tables. I’m always invited to be a guest at our Concert in the Park galas, but sometimes, I just get caught up in searching for the perfect recipe from the chosen country or region, because I find it’s even more fun to join in.

That’s why when I spied the recipe for David Lebovitz’ Gâteau aux carrottes, as adapted from Lulu's Provençal Table by Richard Olneyon, I knew I had to make it. As David says,"Lulu is the proprietaire of Domaine Tempier in Province, and is a natural cook, using products from the region; lots of spring garlic, just-caught fish from the Mediterranean, locally-pressed olive oil, and pungent thyme. . . This is her recipe for Carrot Cake. It's not a traditional two-layer pièce de résistance, but moist and compact." That’s my kind of carrot cake and I was also intrigued by it.

John's Tarte Tropézienne with Basil, Vanilla and Orange Blossom Crème Pâtissière, was inspired from versions by Pastry Studio and Jean-Claude Perennou. John's brilliant idea of rolling the brioche dough into balls, baked closely together so they melded into one, made his Tarte more intriguing, and fun for everyone to simply pull off a piece at the park.

John slathered on the pastry creme table side and then listened intently as everyone tried to figure out his secret flavor combination. I knew he would enjoy The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America's Most Imaginative Chefs when I bought it!

Here's Kai enjoying a piece of Carmen's Pompe a l'huile.

Carmen says:  "This sweet olive-oil bread is a traditional favorite in Provence and serves as a staple during the holidays. Even though Pompe à l’huile ("oil pump") has a reputation for failed attempts, I did well to trust Jude's excellent recipe which you can find on his blog, Apple Pie, Patis & Pâté. I made three impressive sand-dollar shaped loaves - all were moist, flaky and delicious. Just a guess, but I think the bread's name describes the activity in the fermentation process as the dough, repeatedly releases the oil and draws it up again. I will definitely make this bread again!"

At some point during the evening, Carmen's husband, Jim, traded in his plastic tumbler for a real wine glass...

And, at some point in the evening, Bradley, our friend who doesn't even drink wine, attempted to propose to me with a piece of Chocolate Lavender Cake!

I wasn't able to photograph, and/or take decent photographs (blaming it on the Ricard), of all our French and Provencal dishes showcased at the Park, but I truly appreciate everyone who participated in making this first challenge of the season such a success! Thank you to Brent and Lenore for their Ratatouille; Kevin and Randi for their Shrimp, Asparagus and Tomato Salad; Sandra and Jack for their Roast Beef & Brie Sandwiches on Croissants; Madeleine for her Brownies; and Brad for his Apple and Brie platter.

We're looking forward to Sunday and Home on the Range!  Interpret it how you wish and wear your cowboy hat!  Foodies meet between 4:00 - 4:30 p.m.  "Chuck away, come an' get it" at 5:00 p.m.

Cheers!

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