Carrot Halwa

Today, essentially a dish from the Punjab in India,  halwa is also popular in the Middle East and is easy to make at home. Here is a recipe for my favorite - carrot halwa.

Take 4 cups (for a cup use 240 gr (or 240 ml for a liquid) of peeled, grated carrots and fry, stirring often, in 4 tablespoons of ghee (clarified butter) in a wide, high sided pan for about 15 minutes. Then add 3 cups of whole milk and cook over a fairly high heat for 30 minutes, stirring often. When most of the liquid has evaporated stir in 1 cup of sugar and continue to cook and stir for another 15 minutes. Then add the seeds of 4 cardamom pods (or more to taste) and cook for 10 minutes more. Delicious hot or cold. This is a very rich dessert. If you cannot buy ghee you can make your own clarified butter. Melt 250 gr of butter VERY slowly.  Remove the foam that forms on top.  You are left with clarified butter.

Surprise Surprise

Here in the remote southwestern French countryside, an hour south of Toulouse, in Salvayre, is the Indian restaurant Penjabi, whose chef prepares everything himself - his tamarind puree, his spicy,  crunchy mango relish, his creamy mango and cinnamon sauce, all of which are delicious on his samosas and pakoras, served as a first course.  His cheese nan - even his pistachio kulfi, a sort of chewy ice cream - and everything in between, are homemade. His food is well seasoned and spiced - unusual to find this in France, for the French palate is not too fond of hot spicy dishes. The main courses are cooked in the Tandoori, or in the Masala or the Madras - the hottest - style. And the meat or fish is not overcooked, so it remains tender. Do not be put off by the humble surroundings, or the flashing sign that says "Franco-Indienne Cuisine," which is probably an attempt to entice more French people into the restaurant, although a friend who ate there with me said that the chocolate fondant was delicious. Very tasty food.

Back in France to Castelnaudary and its Cassoulet

The TRUE, the REAL, cassoulet, whose name comes from the cassole, in which the cassoulet is traditionally cooked, is fought over by three towns in southwest France - Castelnaudary, Carcassonne, and Toulouse; that of Castelnaudary is called the father, that of Carcassone, which adds lamb, is the son, and that of Toulouse, which uses tomato, is the holy spirit. These facts come from the Universal Cassoulet Academy.  Here is the recipe from Castelnaudary. The photographed cassoulet is of my doing.

Ingredients:
350 to 400 grams of dried Tarbais beans. I like to use these beans for they stay firm, even after a long time cooking. Strictly speaking you can use any dried white bean, if you cannot find the origin protected Tarbais. The haricot Tarbais can be ordered through the internet.
2 or more - I use 4 - preserved duck legs.
4 pieces of Toulouse sausage, each weighing 80 grams
4 pieces of pork shoulder or shin, each piece weighing 50 grams
250 grams of pork skin
A bit of salted lard
Several carrots, cut into chunks and several onions, cut in half, and a chicken carcass.

To prepare:
First soak the beans overnight. The next morning put them into 3 litres of cold water, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and reserve the beans; throw away the water.
Prepare a bouillon with 3 litres of cold water, the pork skin cut into large strips, the chicken carcass, and the carrots and onions. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper - use plenty of pepper. Cook for an hour, then filter the broth and keep the pork skin. Cook the soaked beans in this broth for about an hour, until they are tender but still firm. Drain the beans, but save the broth. Mix together in a mixer or a robot 6 peeled, degermed garlic cloves and salted lard that weighs twice the weight of the garlic.

Degrease the deboned duck legs, cut into pieces, in a frying pan and then remove. Brown the sausages and the pork pieces in the remaining duck fat. Reserve the fat.

Now to put it all together.

Line the bottom of a cassole with the pork skin and add a third of the beans. Then arrange the pork pieces and the duck on top and then cover with the rest of the beans. Put the sausages on top of the beans, pushing them down a little bit into the beans. Cover these ingredients just to the top with the broth. Save the remaining broth. Add more pepper, if you wish, and add a tablespoon of the reserved duck cooking fat.
Put into a oven preheated to 160°. During the cooking a crust will form on top; push this crust into the cassoulet 7 times. If the cassoulet becomes too dry, add some bouillon. Cook for two to three hours.
Serve the cassoulet very hot in its cassole.

An authentic and inexpensive cassole, handmade, can be bought at Not Freres, a pottery just outside Castelnaudary in Mas-Saintes-Puelles.

If all this seems fatiguing, go to the Cantelgril (NOT part of a similarly named French chain) in Mirepoix in the Ariege for a tasty cassoulet. Or go to Le Colombier in Toulouse, a lovely old restaurant that has been serving its delicious cassoulet since 1874.

On the Boat to France

For a lovely trip back to France take Brittany Ferries. The food is delicious, as good as that served in a fine restaurant. Leave it to the French.  For dinner as I sailed across the Channel, I began with duck filled ravioli in a cream of lettuce sauce. Then I had lovely pink lamb garnished with a garlic stuffed langoustine served on a potato puree and ratatouille. The cheese platter was copious and the cheese varied and well aged. Dessert was a Grand Marnier souffle, light, slightly creamy, not at all dry, accompanied by a small glass of the liqueur, which I poured into the center of the souffle. The restaurant staff is professional, courteous and mostly Breton, but all of them speak good English.
After a good night's sleep in a comfortable cabin, breakfast was very good too. The buffet features perfect croissants, plus pain au chocolate, pain au raisins, brioche, hard-boiled eggs, various cereals, fresh fruit salad, dried fruit, and creamy yogurt. There is also a full English breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, grilled tomatoes, and mushrooms. The coffee is served in a large pot, with hot or cold milk. I had an espresso noisette, so called because the bit of foamed milk lightens the color of the coffee.

Detour in London

I have two restaurants in London that I return to again and again. Neither is expensive - for London - and both are very good indeed.
Dumplings Legend on Gerrard Street in Chinatown specializes in dimsum, or as it is pronounced in Mandarin, dianxin - little heart dots. The dumplings are varied and excellent. If you do not know what to order look at a neighbor's table for help. And when the word hot is next to the dumpling, it is hot and spicy. There are also noodle dishes and other main courses. The clientele is mostly Chinese, always a good sign. I know about Chinese food, for I have spent time in China, have taught Chinese cooking, and have written about Chinese food.
About Indian Food I know nothing at first hand, for I have not been to India. But it seems to me that for tasty, and I hope authentic Indian food- go to Masala Zone; there are six restaurants plus one in Selfridge's. A red pepper, or two, announces how hot the dish is. There are vegetarian options too. Masala Zone is owned by the same group that owns the much more expensive Veeraswamy on Regent Street - old fashioned and elegant - and Chutney Mary on the King's Road. in Chelsea. Lunch on Sundays at Chutney Mary is less expensive than at other times, but go early for there are no reservations for Sunday lunch.

Pasta Carbonara

Most recipes call for spaghetti, but Perilli in Rome uses rigatoni. Whichever you use, here is the recipe.

For 500 grams of pasta:

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a deep frying pan and sauté 120 grams of guanciale, chopped, until brown but NOT burnt. If you cannot find guanciale then use pancetta, but the taste will not be the same.
In a bowl beat well 3 egg yolks and 2 whole eggs with 2 tablespoons of grated pecorino romano cheese and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Cook the pasta in lots of salted, boiling water until it is cooked al dente. Just before draining it - be sure to keep some of the cooking water in case you want to thin the sauce - stir the egg and cheese mixture into the warm - NOT hot - pan with the guanciale. Drain the pasta and put it into the frying pan and toss well. If the sauce is too thick add a little of the hot cooking water.
Serve with freshly ground parmesan (if you are feeling poor use freshly grated grana padano).

Promenade in Rome and Lunch in Naples

My favorite restaurant in Rome is Le Berninetta, newly discovered.  Perilli, La Campana, and Armando al Pantheon are old favorites

Perilli on the via Marmorata is located in Testaccio, a hill built of ancient Roman pottery shards. Perilli serves what has to be the best pasta carbonara in town. It is rich and full of flavor. Testaccio was, in the not so distant past, the site of Roman slaughter houses, and animal offal - the quinto quarto, or fifth quarter (the carcases of animals were cut up into quarters and the less desirable fifth quarter went to the workers - the prime pieces went to the aristocrats) are typically served in the local restaurants; try Perilli's pasta alla pajata, still-milk filled calf intestines.  Perilli waiters are courteous, competent and friendly, and seem to be of another time, as does the restaurant. And there are very few tourists.
Next door to Perilli is Volpetti, an exceptional delicatessen with delicious hams, salami, cheese and prepared foods. Comfortably seated, you can eat the prepared dishes around the corner at Volpetti's tavola calda on the via Alessandro Volta. And before lunch, and after Volpetti, you can visit the Testaccio covered market, almost free of tourists.

La Campana, on the vicolo de la Campana, is said to be Rome's oldest restaurant, once frequented by Michelangelo. It is always full of both Italians and tourists. Try the artichoke cooked in the Jewish fashion, deliciously crisp for it is fried twice. Also have the delicious ravioli stuffed with artichokes and served in a tomato sauce.

Armando al Pantheon, right by the Pantheon, has become too well known. It was written up as one of the best "bistros" in Rome in the Nespresso magazine, and so has become too famous, but the food is very good. I love the tagliatelle with chicken livers.
All three restaurants serve puntarelle, a seasonal salad, with anchovies and olive oil. Puntarelle is quite chewy and most unusual. When I ate at Armando yesterday there were more tourists than locals.

I went to Naples for the day and ate lunch in what has to be one of the most delightful restaurants in Italy. Full of locals, I was the only tourist. I found the restaurant a few years ago by asking a local artisan where he ate. The Cantina degli Antichi Sapori, via Santa Lucia (remember the song?), is located near the sea in sight of Vesuvius. I started with a freshly-made-that-day mozzarella, creamy and full of milk, with sliced fresh tomatoes, basil, and a few leaves of arugula. I asked for salt and the waiter forbade me to use salt on mozzarella - only pepper and olive oil.  Then spaghetti alla vongole, little clams, little tomatoes, garlic, and hot red pepper flakes. And a bottle of Lacryma di Christi, a fruity, flavorful white wine from the region of Vesuvius.  Everyone is very friendly. On the other side of the room is the salumeria, where you can buy all kinds of hams, sausages, and cheese, as well as wine and the world's best dried pasta, Setaro, made just outside of Naples, and rolled between bronze plates, which makes any sauce  adhere better to the pasta than it would to pasta rolled in stainless steel.   Here a kilo of the pasta costs less than 4€; in Avignon it costs more than 16€.  If you have a craving while you are in Rome for the vanilla cream filled, slightly chewy, multi layered Neopolitan pastry called sfogliatelle, go to Il Fornaio on the via dei Baullari, near the Campo di Fiori.

Where do I stay in Rome? Always at the Hotel Due Torri, a small three star hotel of charm, on the vicolo del Leonetto, named after the well-worn stone lion on the facade. The building dates from the 17th century. In the 18th century it became home to various cardinals, one of whom went on to become Pope Leo no-one-knows-what number. When the cardinals left for the Vatican, the hotel became a bordello and remained one until 1953, when the bordellos were closed by law. The hotel, in a very chic, quiet and calm part of Rome, is a ten minute walk from the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Piazza de Espagna. The staff are especially friendly and helpful and all of them speak English. And the rooms are lovely, even if some of them are small.  Those on the top floor have terraces. You can see a photo of Mme. Giordani, the owner of the hotel, with Chouchou, her chihuahua, who goes everywhere with her. The hotel welcomes dogs.

And November is a fine time to visit Rome, for it is porcini mushroom season - they are enormous - and the restaurants grill them and even add them to pizza.

Now I have a new favorite restaurant, La Berninetta, recommended to me by Mme. Giordani, who told me the best pizza, with a paper thin crust, was at Berninetta. I wouldn't know, for I had salt cod fried in a light and crispy batter, a dish whose origins are in the Roman Jewish tradition.  There is a splendid spread of antipasti and desserts. The owner and his son are eager to see that you are happy in their restaurant. La Berninetta is just across the Tiber from the hotel, on the via Pietro Cavallini, named aftter a 13th century fresco painter whose work you can see in Santa Cecilia in Trastavere. The son told me that it was a "simple kitchen"; it is certainly a delicious one.  Last night in Rome and I returned to La Berninetta where I began with antipasti - white beans, porcini in olive oil, anchovies, various cooked greens, fried eggplant, roasted red and yellow peppers, an artichoke alla Romana this time, cooked onions - at this point I had to stop - and an exceptionally good pizza margherita made with bufala.

A note on coffee in Rome: Both the Caffé Greco, near the Spanish steps, and the Caffé Sant'Eustachio near the Pantheon, have excellent coffee, but do as the Romans do and drink your coffee standing up at the bar.  You will pay far less than if you sit at a table and you will avoid the tourists.

Notes on the photographs. The top photo - look at those arichokes - is of the antipasti - before they are all out on the table - at La Berninetta. The third photo is of the Hotel Due Torri; you can see the well worn little lion. And the bottom photo is of a window at Volpetti.

Marseille Fish Soup

The Marseille version of fish soup is made all along the southeastern coast of France. It is simple to make and delicious. You should have a sturdy food mill, like the one made by LeTellier mentioned below.

Mince 2 leeks and 2 onions and sauté them for a few minutes in several soup spoons of olive oil. Then add 2 chopped tomatoes and continue cooking for a minute, stirring with a wooden spoon. Then add 2 cloves of garlic, mashed, a branch of fennel, a bay leaf and some orange peel, fresh or dried. Pour over 2 litres of water. Now add a kilo of rock fish, that is fish found around rocks, such as small crabs, rascasse or scorpion fish, of which there are many varieties in the United States, rouget or mullet, a slice of congre or conger eel, girelle or rainbow wrasse, and roucaous, or, as a substitute in North America, damsel fish or parrot fish, and in Great Britain corkwing or rock cook. If some of these fish are not available you can use fish like sea bass or lotte (monkfish) , but the whole point is to use lots of small, inexpensive fish (if any fish is inexpensive nowadays). Do NOT use oily fish like sardines or mackerel. Now bring the soup to a rapid boil and cook on a high fire for about 15 minutes. Then strain the broth into another pan, and pass the fish and vegetables through the food mill over the broth. Bring the soup to the boil then add a generous pinch of saffron. If you wish you can add a handful of vermicelli and continue cooking gently until the pasta is done. Et voila.

In France you put rouille on a crouton, put it upside down into the soup and, if you wish, add some grated parmesan.

Here is the recipe for rouille. Mash together (or purée in a robot) 2 cloves of garlic and 2 hot red peppers, and a handful of white bread, previously soaked in water and squeezed dry. Then add 2 soup spoons of olive oil and 2 dl of fish soup broth. And there is your rouille. You can also add hot red peppers to a garlic mayonnaise and then add some fish soup broth and use as you would the rouille.

Where to buy your fish in Avignon? At La Marée Provençale in Les Halles. The pile of fish in the photo shows the rock fishes.

The Thirteen Desserts of Noël

The "gros super," or big supper, usually served on Christmas Eve, ends with the ritual thirteen desserts, which represent Christ and the twelve apostles. The first four desserts are known as the four  beggars, representing the four mendicant monastic orders:
     Raisins for the Dominicans
     Walnuts or Hazelnuts for the Augustinians
     Dried Figs for the Franciscans
     Almonds for the Carmelites
Then there are:
     Dates, which represent the region where Christ lived and died
     Apples
     Pears
     Oranges
     Tangerines
     Calissons d'Aix, a marzipan pastry with sugar icing
     Two kinds of nougat, symbolizing good and evil, white and black
     Fougasse or "pompe à l'huile," a brioche made with orange flower water and olive oil
     Candied fruit.
There are variations on the thirteen desserts, according to each family's individual traditions.

For nougat go to Sault to Boyer.  And for candied fruit go to Clavel in Carpentras.

Christmas Comes to Provence

Christmas sees the arrival of the Crèche de Provence, a nativity scene full of not only religious characters, but also assorted animals - I have an elephant and a camel for my crib - but also all sorts of local figures, such as the seller of aioli, the fisherman, the happy man with his arms raised, gypsies, and many others who make up Provençal life. My figurines are made in the atelier of Marcel Carbonel in Marseille. Every year there is a handsome Carbonel crèche on display in the Avignon Town Hall. And usually at Christmas time, in the Palais du Roure in Avignon, built in the 15th century for the Florentine Pierre Baroncelli, there is a table set up with the thirteen desserts of Noël.

A perfect Christmas gift, or for any other time, would be a LeTellier "moulin à legumes," or vegetable mill, which makes perfect pureed potatoes and all kinds of pureed vegetables and soups. Soups are far most interesting when passed through a food mill rather than mixed in a robot, for  there is a slight texture to the resulting soup. Culinarion on the rue de la Bonneterie, just across from Les Halles in Avignon, sells the LeTellier mill.

Next to Culinarion is a brand new store just in time for Christmas - Berny, the Home of Salmon and Sturgeon, which sells all sorts of smoked and marinated salmon, sliced to order. And you can also buy undyed smoked haddock, a must for making Scotish cullen skink. I was there on opening day and the sturgeon had not arrived yet.

Cullen skink

Put 750 gr. of peeled, chopped mealy potatoes and 1 minced onion into a pot with a litre of water and cook until the potatoes are almost soft. Put 500 gr. of finnan haddock (smoked haddock) on top, cover the pan and cook gently for about 5 minutes. Remove the fish and skin and bone (if any) and then flake the flesh. Mash the potatoes  and onions into the juice in the pan. Return the fish to the pan and add milk (with cream, if you wish) and butter to obtain the desired consistency. Season to taste. Add chopped parsley if you wish. If you cannot find undyed smoked haddock you can use other smoked white fish.

Christmas time is Chocolate time in France. Most chocolate makers make 40% of their profit at the holiday season. The best known artisanal chocolate store in Avignon is Puyricard of Aix en Provence, on the rue Joseph Vernet. Puyricard was started in the 1960's by a young Belgian couple who had just returned from the Belgian Congo. On the rue des Trois Faucons is the atelier of Aline Géhant who makes delicious beautiful little bites of chocolate. And now soon to open just up the rue de la Bonneterie from Culinarion is the shop of another chocolate artisan, Angéla de Beaupréau.

Le Petit Epeautre of Haute Provence

Le Petit Epeautre (triticum monococcum) of Haute Provence, protected by an IGP,  is a plant of the poacées family, which was the first cereal domesticated by man, around 7500 B.C.  The grain has a nutty flavor and is delicious served plain with whipped cream and butter stirred into it after it has been cooked. It can be used in either sweet or salty dishes. Grains of le petit épautre were discovered on a farm above Monieux in the Vaucluse at the end of the 20th century and the cereal was resurrected. Much of it comes from Sault, also home to fields of France's lavender, real lavender, NOT lavadin, which is sterile and most of which now comes from China.

Basic recipe. Use 50 grams per person. Wash the grain two or three times. Put the washed grain into a casserole with  three times the volume of water. Add salt, pepper, a sliced carrot, a sliced stalk of celery and a bouquet garni and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes. Then let rest covered for 10 minutes. The petit épeautre is ready to use.

Tabouleh made with petit épeautre. Prepare with 200 grams of uncooked grain. After making the basic recipe, add the juice of four lemons, and the following, all diced; 4 tomatoes, 1 peeled and seeded cucumber, 1 yellow, 1 red and 1 green sweet pepper. Add chopped fresh mint to taste and 4 table/soup spoons of best olive oil. Stir well and refrigerate for at least four hours.

You can make a complete meal of this tabouleh by adding chopped hard boiled eggs, tuna fish, or mussels or shrimp, and sweet corn,

Promenade around Maussane les Alpilles

We are now in the home of the olive oil of Les Baux de Provence, an AOP, appellation d'origine protégée, which replaces the former AOC, or appellation d'origine controlée.  My two favorite olive oil producers are here. Le Moulin Jean Marie Cornille produces three sorts of olive oil, all from a combination of different olive varieties. I prefer the Fruité Noir,  produced from black olives, which has a delightfully fruity taste of chocolate, preserved black olives and artichokes.

Next door to le Moulin Cornille is the attractive boutique of Jean Martin, which makes delicious tapenades, soups, sauces and other Provencal products, all without any preservatives.

Nearby is the Mas des Barres, also an AOP Les Baux, which produces a slightly peppery oil, much like the olive oil of Tuscany.

Not far away is the ancient village of Les Baux, ancestral home of the Grimaldi family (now of Monaco). Les Baux is a beautiful hillside town, whose main street climbs up to the now mostly destroyed chateau. On a clear day you can see all the way to the Mediterranean Sea.

And also close by Maussane is another favorite restaurant of mine, Le Bistro du Paradou, in the village of Le Paradou.. There is only one menu, although rarely there might be a choice of the main course, composed of an entrée, a main course with its accompaniments, an extraordinary assortment of cheese, and a dessert, plus all the good Côtes du Rhone red wine you want, all included in the fixed price menu.  Friday is always aioli, that provençal dish of morue, vegetables, and freshly gathered snails, accompanied by a garlicky mayonnaise-like sauce.

The top photo is of a bottle of the Moulin Cornille olive oil. And the bottom photo is of the Mas de Barre olive oil mill.

My Favorite Restaurant in Avignon

My favorite restaurant in Avignon is La Fourchette on the Rue Racine. I have been eating here for almost forty years. The restaurant is owned by the third generation of the Hiely family and Mr. Hiely is the chef. The food is traditional Provençal, often with an imaginative twist. The prix fixe menu includes an entrée, a main course with accompaniments, and dessert. Everything is "homemade"; nothing is frozen. Order the assorted tapenades with your aperitifs. A consistent and very good place to eat.

Yummy Innards

La Triperie Provençale in Les Halles of Avignon is a bastion of authenticity. Owned by Denis and Monique Decoster, Monique makes her own pieds and paquets, lamb's feet and little parcels of lamb's tripe, stuffed with chopped parsley, minced garlic, freshly ground black pepper and bits of salt pork. This dish is one of the glories of the Marseille cuisine repertoire. You can watch her rolling up the paquets behind the counter. You can make your own but doing so takes a lot of time and Monique's are delicious. But you need to make the sauce.

Sauté 200 grams of salt pork in some olive oil. Then add 450 grams of peeled, chopped onions. Cook slowly until the onions are soft. Add a thick coulis of tomatoes to cover, then put in 1 kilo of paquets and 6 prepared lamb's feet, sliced carrots, 4 whole cloves, 2  bay leaves, lots of chopped garlic and parsley - I prefer flat leaf - a handful of each and some freshly ground black pepper. Do NOT salt. Cover half way with dry white wine and cook covered very slowly for 6 hours. Add more wine if necessary. Serve with boiled potatoes. Serves 6.

If you look at the photograph you will see a lovely calf's head sitting next to the pieds and paquets. You can eat calf's head hot or cold. Monique sells the cooked calf's head in portions and then you can either buy her sauce gribiche, usually served with cold tête de veau, or make your own. There are several ways to make this sauce. Take the yolk of a hard boiled egg and mash it well, then add either minced garlic or shallots, minced parsley, capers (those from Italy preserved in salt are the best - just rinse them and dry them well before you use them), and chopped French cornichons. Add mayonnaise, vinaigrette or olive oil to taste, whisking well.

Olives - a most precious gift

The story says that there was a dispute as to what the name of the new city in Attica should be called. It was decided that Poseidon, God of the Sea, and Athena, Goddess of Peace and Wisdom, would compete to decide on the name and that the city would be named after whoever gave the gift most precious to humanity. Poseidon struck his trident into a rock and salt water rushed forth. Athena put her spear into the ground and an olive tree sprang up. And so the new city was called Athens. The olive tree represents Peace, Wisdom and Triumph.

Serge Olives, in Les Halles of Avignon, is a wonderful place to find all sorts of different olives, tapenades and salted cod, or morue. French olive varieties available include the Tanche - the olive of Nyons -  the Picholine of the Gard, and the Lucques, as well as the cracked olives of Les Baux. All of these French olives are protected by an AOC, or a certification of their place of origin. Other olives come from other Mediterranean countries. Serge Olives, created in 1961 by the great uncle of the present owners, seasons many of the olives they sell, including the Picholine with fennel. And oh, the morue. The morue chez Serge is fished in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Cod used to be inexpensive and abundant; now it is neither. You can buy three cuts of morue; the filet, the best for brandade, the baron, the best for aioli, and the cheeks.
Here are two easy, delicious recipes. In both cases you must desalt the morue for 12 to 36 hours in cold water, depending on how salty the cod is, changing the water several times. Once the soaking water is no longer salty the fish has been desalted enough.

For the cheeks: take an equal quantity of soaked and then patted dry morue and wild mushrooms (cepes are the best). In separate pans sauté the fish and the mushrooms. When cooking mushrooms always start without any oil in the pan until the mushrooms have given off all their juice and the juice has evaporated. Then add the best quality olive oil and minced garlic and flat leaf parsley to taste.  Continue to cook the mushrooms for a few minutes. At the same time sauté the cod cheeks in olive oil. When both the fish and the mushrooms are done, mix them together and serve.

For the brandade: For four to six people take 700 grams of morue and soak it as above. Pat dry and remove any bones. You can remove the skin or leave it, as you wish. The skin will add more taste. Now for the easy part, if you have a robot, or the hard part,  if you have to pound the fish by hand. Cut the morue into small pieces and put them into the robot. Slowly add 23 cl of best quality olive oil and 23 cl of whole milk and 2 large cloves of fresh garlic, minced. At the very end add 1 small cooked potato, cut into small pieces, and continue to mix for a few seconds. Do NOT overpuree, for the potato can become very sticky. Remove the brandade from the robot and reheat until it is very warm to hot. Sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg. Add salt and pepper to taste. IF you have no robot you can make this with a mortar and pestle. You can serve the brandade with toast points and black olives from Nice.

A note on garlic. Always remove the core of the garlic clove, unless the garlic is very young indeed. The core makes the garlic bitter.

500 Kinds of Cheese

The best cheese store in Avignon is La Maison du Fromage in Les Halles. The shop's owner, Nathalie Francoz, has been selling cheese for thirty years. There are more than 300 varieties of cheese on sale, among them almost 100 kinds of goat cheese from Provence and the Cevennes, some of which are exclusive in the region to Nathalie. Try the Banon, a goat cheese wrapped in a chestnut leaf, whose tannin gives a special taste to the cheese. La Maison makes its own sort of pureed cheese, a delicious spread for toast, with fresh goat cheese, roquefort, and old marc.  Another speciality is a Corsican brocciu passu, a sheep's cheese with wild herbs and garlic, available from mid November. Unusual blue cheeses include a Bleu de Gex and a Tomme de Montbrison from the Loire. One of my favorite cheeses is the creamy St. Marcellin of Renée Richard, made from cow's  milk. Nathalie's cheeses are made with raw milk, warmed milk or pasteurized milk. I like raw milk cheeses the best for they have more taste. And now for a recipe - what could be more French, and easier, than a cheese souffle!

Melt 3 soup spoons (tablespoons) of butter, stir in 3 soup spoons (tablespoons) of flour and whisk slowly over low heat. Add just under 250 cl (1 cup) of milk and whisk until the mixture thickens into a thick sauce. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and whisk in 3 egg yolks, one at a time, then put back on a low heat and whisk well. Then add 5 soup spoons of grated Parmesan and 3 soup spoons of grated comté. Stir well. At this point you can add a soup spoon of strong Dijon mustard or a pinch of cayenne. Whisk 4 egg whites until stiff.  Stir into the milk and cheese mixture. Pour into a buttered and floured straight sided 18cm (7 inch) souffle dish (if you wish you can sprinkle some grated parmesan over the top) and bake in a preheated 180° (350°) oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the souffle has risen and set. Do NOT open the oven door until the souffle is done.