This year I joined
BloggerAid -Changing the Face of Famine, a remarkable group of food bloggers whose mission is to alleviate world hunger. The members each contributed a personal recipe to produce "The BloggerAid Cookbook" which will be used as part of a fundraiser campaign. As a result, the profits from the sale of the book will be donated to the Friends of WFP.
BloggerAid is also hosting the
View and Review event where members have the opportunity to review products or cookbooks donated by food purveyors and publishers. I was thrilled when I received 'The Provençal Cookbook' from
DK Publishing.
I absolutely love
The Provençal Cookbook by Gui Gedda and Marie-Pierre Moine; a wonderful collection of 100 Mediterranean authentic tantalizing recipes. The book cover alone conjures up images of fresh produce and outdoor markets. Inside the book, the beautiful photography captures the freshness and flavours of Provence's regional cuisine.
Kitchen Essentials and Techniques
The first two chapters at the beginning of the book, the
Essentials of the Provençal Kitchen and The Techniques of the Provençal Chef detail the basic essential ingredients such as olive oil, dried goods, tomatoes, honey and preserves, flavorings and aromatics, charcuterie, apéritifs, rosé wine and also demonstrate basic cooking methods from making a bouquet garni to preparing artichokes in step-by-step photos.
The RecipesAppetizersThere are seven chapters are dedicated to the Provençal cuisine beginning with appetizers such as Garlic and Anchovy toasts, Ratatouille, and Zucchini Fritters.
Fish and Seafood
After a quick lesson how to select the best and freshest fish, we're off to the market for to select fish to make Bouillabaisse, Provençal mussels in white wine or a Fish Soup made with assorted fish and seafood.
Since mussels are one of my family's favourite seafood, I made the Provençal mussels in white wine. I chose this particular mussel recipe because I wanted to make the wine and cream sauce which also includes mussel stock. Well, I made 5 kilos of mussels (11 lbs.) for 5 people and there was not one mussel left. This recipe is absolutely divine with the wine cream sauce, fennel and shallots. We ate the mussels with crusty bread which we dipped in the sauce.
Provençal Mussels in Wine and Cream Sauce
Meat and Poultry
Some of the delectable recipes for meat and poultry are lamb stew with honey and rosé wine (you can almost smell the wonderful aroma as the stew is slowing cooking), veal chops with pine nuts, savory-stuffed chicken legs, Hunter's rabbit and Beef daube (slow cooked beef) and Provençal stuffed duck with fig and anchovy filling.
Accompaniments, sauces and condiments
There are a variety of recipes for accompaniments such as Couscous with raisins, Pilaf rice and Bagna cauda, an anchovy and garlic dip served with raw vegetables, sauces such as Tapenade (Provence's famous caper sauce) and condiments such a Ketchup à la Provençal.
Wonderful DessertsThe stalls at the fruit markets of Provence display an abundance of fresh, seasonal fruits which are used to make a variety of wonderful fruit desserts.
The Apple gratin recipe alone with its creamy filling would entice me to buy this book, but then so would the Orange tarts, the Pear tatin and Peach gâteau with honey caramel mousseline sauce recipes.
Apple Tartin
I just had to make the Apple gratin. The recipe which is quick to assemble and takes about 50 minutes to bake. The apples are not peeled, which add colour to this dish. I served it warm, drizzled with icing sugar and pure maple syrup. It doesn't get better than that.
Cheeseboards
In the
Cheese chapter, there is information on how to select cheese for a cheeseboard and how cheese is produced in Provence.
BakingAnd now we bake. But not before a behind- the -scenes look at the Provence's bakeries (boulangeries). So many sweet and scrumptious recipes to choose from: fougasse, tarts, and cookies. It was not easy task to choose a recipe to bake in this chapter, but finally I chose the Madeleines with Lavender Honey. I had to do some searching for the lavender honey but I finally found it in a gourmet shop at the market.
This recipe was slightly different that the one I usually make - it does not call for baking powder and the batter does not have to be refrigerated before baking. This process results in a rather flat Madeleine (no hump). At first bite, I could taste the sweet lavender honey. It was certainly worth the search!
Lavender Honey Madeleines Recipe
Makes 24 madeleines
Preparation 20 minutes.
Baking 7-8 minutes
Ingredients:
• 7 ½ tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra soft butter for greasing
• ¾ cup flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 medium eggs
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp lavender honey
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• sifted powdered sugar for dusting
Method:
Preheat the oven to 375°.
1. Generously grease the madeleine tins with soft butter.
2. Sift the flour and salt together. Melt the stick of the butter and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Break the eggs into a bowl. Add the granulated sugar and honey. Whisk with an electric mixer for at least 5 minutes until pale and creamy.
4. Gently fold in the flour and lemon zest followed by the melted butter, taking care not to deflate the mixture.
5. Spoon a scant tablespoon of the mixture into each of the buttered madeleine tins.
6. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until puffed and golden brown.
7. Remove from oven and immediately unmold onto a wire rack to cool. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
A Cookbook with Meditteranean Flavour
The Provençal Cookbook is definitely worthy of any cookbook collection. From the first chapter, I felt I was invited into a Provençal kitchen to cook and bake the savory and sweet recipes with the locals.
The recipes are well organized and easy to follow along with quality photography. I certainly would recommend this book to all cooks and bakers.
Thank you BloggerAid and DK Publishing for giving me the opportunity to review this gem of a cookbook.
Visit the BloggerAid - Changing the Face of Famine Web site for information on how to become a member.
Lavender Honey Madeleines Recipe courtesy of:
Title: The Provençal Cookbook
Authors: Gui Gedda and Marie-Pierre Moine 
