There are many approaches to this classic dish from Provence — the slow way on the stove-top, the quicker way in the oven, with or without breadcrumbs, with thyme instead of parsley, etc. For the purposes of an everyday French chef, the quick way works just fine and produces a classic version of the garlicky roasted tomatoes of southern France. Preparation takes 10 minutes, and then you can pop them into the oven and get on with the rest of the dinner while enjoying the intoxicating scents wafting through your kitchen.
Tomates provençales / Roasted tomatoes, Provence-style
I first tasted these tomatoes when I spent the summer in Avignon as a 19-year-old (let’s not mention the year). I was staying with a French family composed of the mother, the daughter, the newborn granddaughter, the dog and the 100-year-old tortoise named Caroline. Madame Bergier took in boarders because her husband had died and she needed the money. He had been a doctor in French colonial times, and their rambling house was filled with treasures from Africa, Indochina and the Middle East. There was notably a scimitar — call it a sword of Damocles — hanging above the entrance to my bedroom, and over the bed a huge red parchment parasol with little red pompoms all around. In this exotic ambience, dinnertime was a welcome return to southern French reality. I have been trying to replicate Mme Bergier’s fabulous roasted tomatoes ever since.
When I was a kid growing up in the United States, artichokes were considered a great delicacy in my family. But as we lived far from California, where they were grown, they were expensive. My mother would cook a single artichoke for the four of us, cut into quarters. When I came to France and was served a whole artichoke for the first time, I thought it must be a mistake. But artichokes are available everywhere here. They grow wild along the roadside in parts of the south, their crowns bursting into glorious purple bloom if they remain unharvested. So it wasn’t a mistake. I had simply landed in paradise.
Zucchini infused with thyme, garlic and nutmeg and topped with a crust of bubbling cheese — it sounds as good as it tastes. But the best thing about this dish is how easy it is to make. In the time it takes to heat up the oven, you can steam the zucchini, grate the cheese, combine the cream and seasonings, and presto — it’s ready to bake. You may need to double or triple the recipe, because it will have your happy diners clamoring for seconds.
The beauty of the clafoutis is that it is so easy to make. An unpretentious French dessert, it is typically prepared in the spring, with cherries. But why wait half a year to enjoy it? In this late-summer version, pears are first caramelized and then baked in a batter of eggs, sugar, flour and milk. The result, served at tea time or after a meal, is mouth-wateringly delicious.
Site news: We’ve been up for four weeks now, and I have to say it has really been fun. If you like the site, please subscribe by email — simply click on the envelope above and you will receive a daily update with a link to the latest recipe. FaceBook subscriptions will also be available soon.
