Family Tradition of Summers in Provence: Pissaladière à ma façon

June 2nd, 2012

 

Nice France on the water by chef Morgan  

family traditions of easy summers in Provence:
Pissaladière à ma façon

Every summer I travel with my daughters to the southeast of France. We stay in the same quaint port village, about 15 minutes from Nice. Year after year we celebrate summer with the same families. The children catch little fish and crabs in the clear blue ocean and chase one another in the fields of wild herbs and lavender. The adults gather over a bottle of Provençal rosé produced nearby and discuss what has gone on throughout the last year. We pick up where we left off and not much changes except the height of the children. It has become a family tradition. Summer is just around the corner and we will be in back in France very soon. However, my head and palate are already there and as I was sitting in the never-ending Los Angeles traffic, I was whimsically thinking of  Provence and that morning daydream  inspired this week’s simple pleasure: Pissaladière (à ma façon). Read the rest of this entry »

Pissaladière (à ma façon)

June 2nd, 2012

 Pissaladière (à ma façon) french pizza

Pissaladière (à ma façon)

 makes one 9” tart

what you need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
20 ounces sweet onions (i.e., Vidalia), sliced ¼” width
1 fresh sprig of thyme, stripped
2 pinches kosher salt
⅓ cup Muscat, Sauterine or Verjus 
14 olives noires de Nice (or black oil-cured olives with the pits removed and olives halved)
12 anchovy fillets packed in oil (optional to rinse) 
1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted Read the rest of this entry »

are you sure this is not dessert ? savory beet tart with pecan and beet greens pesto and burrata

May 12th, 2011

are you sure this is not dessert ?
savory beet tart with pecan and beet greens pesto and burrata

Children are not the only ones who like to play with food and this week’s simple pleasure is just that: a healthy play on a dessert. Although it resembles a fruit tart with ice cream, we eliminate the sweet pastry dough, the pastry crème, fruit, and ice cream and replace them with a no-sugar crust, pesto filling (made with pecans and the fresh beet greens), roasted beets, and a side of cheese. Trop Miam ! (so yummy).  This unique savory tart can be made in advance and assembled the day you want to serve it.  It can be a starter or served with a salad as meal. If you do not want to make a tart, I also tell you how to make tartine (sandwich) out of the ingredients. Unique, healthy, and versatile and that is why this savory beet tart is this week’s simple pleasure.

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le printemps est arrivé ! (Spring has sprung !)

March 3rd, 2011

le printemps est arrivé !
(Spring has sprung !)
taking advantage of the early Spring crops with savory pancakes and tarts

Every season gives us an array of new flavors and colors. Autumn’s coolness is tempered by the warm oranges and reds of pomegranates, winter squashes, pears, and apples. Winter has its dark kales, pale cabbages, brilliant white cauliflower and sunchokes, and bright citrus. Then there is Spring. Spring bursts with newness: vegetables and fruit trees are covered with blossoms and the bright shades of green fill the markets.  English peas, shelling beans, asparagus, fava beans, ramps, baby spinach, spring onions, and fresh garlic are just a few of the season’s treats. Vegetables harvested in the Spring are at their sweetest and mildest (baby carrots, spring garlic, spring onions, baby leeks, and new potatoes, to name a few).

Despite the chilly air (and threats of snow on the Hollywood sign), Spring has sprung in Los Angeles and bringing the season’s beautiful and tasty bounty to your family’s table is easier than you think. This week’s simple pleasure is devoted to the green of Spring and because I could not make a decision as to which recipe to post I am posting two: an elegant and beautiful savory tart topped with sautéed Spring vegetables, flowers and goat cheese; and savory Spring vegetable pancakes. Both are simple to prepare.

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Spring vegetable and flower savory tart with goat cheese

March 3rd, 2011

Spring vegetable and flower savory tart with goat cheese

spring vegetable and flower savory tart with goat cheese

 

makes 4 tarts (4” by 4”)

what you need:

pastry

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted and cut into 4 squares (4 by 4 inches)
2 ounces young goat cheese
1 egg, mixed

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