Flavors in Love

I have just returned from another magnificent visit to Provence, France (stay tuned for my travel blog…coming soon!). I remembered when I arrived that one of my favorite things about being in Provence is the smell..fresh herbs like rosemary, lavender, and thyme, growing wild on every bush. It inspired me to come home and make this flavorful grilled steak recipe from my cookbook…similar to a steak au poivre, but perked up with a Provencal influence.
It is easy to make and wonderfully satisfying to eat! And leftover steak (which is doubtful!) makes a great sandwich or salad the next day…
 

GRILLED STEAKS WITH PEPPERY LEMON-HERB MARINADE

Serves 6-8

Ingredients: 
4 boneless sirloin or rib eye steaks (about 1 1/2 inches thick) 
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons thyme, finely chopped 
6 teaspoons whole black peppercorns 
1 tablespoon lemon zest
Salt

Lay the steaks in a large, shallow dish just large enough to hold them comfortably. Pour 1/2 cup of the lemon juice over them. In a food processor, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons lemon juice, olive oil, herbs, peppercorns, lemon zest, and 1 teaspoon salt, and process until a paste forms (bits of peppercorn should remain visible). Spread the paste over the steaks, cover them, and marinate for 2 hours or up to 12 hours. (If you marinate for longer than 2 hours, put steaks in the fridge). Return steaks to room temperature before grilling.

Prepare a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove steaks from marinade and grill, turning once, about 12 minutes total, or until done to your liking.

Transfer steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Slice against the grain into thin slices. Season lightly with salt. Serve warm.

Hope you all have a wonderful and delicious end to Summer, and join me in welcoming Fall with open arms..

Flavorfully Yours,

Pamela

Every October I excitedly wait for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival to be announced, and as soon as it is I buy my tickets for the events. I know that many of them will sell out in just a few hours!

The last week in February when it’s icy cold and soo gloomy in NYC, I take a respite and enjoy a few glorious days of eating and drinking in Miami…

The Wine & Food Festival is a 4-day extravaganza, with events every day and night hosted by all of your favorite celebrity chefs….

Rachel Ray’s Burger Bash is the first event that takes place on Thursday night. Rachel is the emcee of the event and announces the winner. Twenty-six of the world’s best chefs, grilling burgers under a tent, with thousands of hungry people anxious to be fed, and great music to go along with all of this. It’s so much fun waiting to hear which Chef won for the best burger! In order to survive the night I have developed this system…I only take a couple of small bites of each burger so that I don’t fill up too quickly….

My Favorites this year…..

* The Umami  Burger from LA which is rated one of the best burgers in America.

* Bobby Flay’s  Napa Valley Burger Crunchified.  I love how he puts potato chips on his burgers, mmmmm…

* Ingrid Hoffman Simply Delicioso.. A Burger with Latin flavors…including chorizo inside and hot sauce.

* And the winner of this year’s Burger Bash for an unprecedented second year in a row….. Micheal Symon’s Yo! Burger with fried salami, provolone, shasha sauce, and pickled onions. Whew!! That was a mouthful!!

I got to spend some time with my Chef buddies at the festival as well..

The BubbleQ event, hosted by Chef Bobby Flay, was Friday night.  Again so many chefs grilling and lots of great BBQ.  Even though there was dessert, we sashayed over to the next event, Let Them Eat Cake, which was hosted by Martha Stewart.

There were cakes and cupcakes galore, and acrobats pouring champagne hanging from the ceiling.

What a delicious weekend!!! I was so full I wanted to fast for a month!!

But, alas there is no rest for the weary. Last weekend I had to get my hunger on again as I attended the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California.  All I can say is Wow!!  I spent two days eating and drinking the newest and latest in natural and organic food products. It was exciting , stimulating and inspiring.

I noticed a few trends;  coconut….in everything; coconut water, coconut ice cream,  coconut milk and shredded coconut. Probiotics in everything too….and so much chocolate!… in every flavor with every ingredient under the sun. Our ideas and products are getting more inventive and so much healthier!

Even my 25 year old niece is involved with a healthy juice company in LA called  Pressed Juicery.  They have a detox and fasting program much like Blue Print Cleanse, and I was able to taste many of their juices too.  My favorites were pineapple, pear, mint ginger and almond milk with dates and vanilla.

Such great trips to Miami and California….You know me, always Flirting with Flavors…..

Come play with me at our next series of Spring cooking classes!! Click HERE to learn more!

I have been to St. Barts over 25 times and I never tire of this magical little island. I fantasize about my trip weeks before I go.  I have to admit that getting to St. Barts is an adventure that’s not always pleasant. That small plane from St. Maarten is only a 10 minute ride but often harrowing. Sometimes the winds are high and I am holding my breath until we fly over the mountain and land at the tiny airport and hear the first “Bonjour” at customs. Then we rent a car at Gumbs, say hello to Odile our lovely rental agent, and  make our way to the Hotel Isle de France.

I have traveled to many other Caribbean islands, but everything that St. Barts has to offer resonates with me….its turquoise waters, pristine beaches, chic restaurants, charming hotels, open and kind-hearted residents, unique shops, and perfect weather..it’s truly paradise.  And in the evening when the sun is setting after a relaxing day, the sound of the tree frogs is mesmerizing.  I know they are singing to me.

My guy Michael and I began traveling to St. Barts in 1999. We rented a villa that first year, then we discovered the Hotel Isle de France, and we have stayed there ever since. In fact, we bought one of their time shares. I adore this hotel… right on Flamand Beach. Everything about it is simplicity… but in that very stylish French manner…like the yummiest bed sheets, towels, and robes, and beautiful music playing when you walk in the door. Everyone there is like family now

We go back to many of the same restaurants over and over, and there are always a few new ones;

If you find yourself on the beach at the Isle de France,  have a dacquiri and lunch at La Casa de l’Isle. The menu is a lovely mix of salads and grilled foods with an Asian twist. Something for everyone. And of course, we have to have a bottle of Domaine Ott. The food is fresh and the view can’t get much better. The people watching is always good!!! It’s relaxed and perfect. The store in the hotel is fabulous.  Caroline runs it and she has a fashion show every year. The hotel invites everyone to watch the show and have free cocktails. Fun!

Maya’s is one of the Island’s most popular restaurants. Randy is always the welcoming host and his wife Maya is the chef. The food is simple French with a bit of Island flair. I always run into people I know. We had a local fish and a lovely Bresse chicken and vegetables the night we were there.

And then there’s the shopping. Of course there’s Hermes and Dior which are lovely, but also St. Barts has the most unique small stores like Poupette St-Barth and Laurent Effel. Gustavia is the capital of St. Barts and I love shopping there for the perfect new beach cover-up or sandals, or that great little dress. When we go into Gustavia, we eat lunch at The Creperie right in town and the food is sensational. Typical French, good fresh salads and of course a myriad of crepes, savory and sweet. I loved my banana, nutella and chocolate crepe…Mmmmm. Tres Bonne.

We had dinner at the fairly new L’Isola Italian Restaurant. Their food is top notch. Pasta was cooked perfectly. The restaurant was full and had a great buzz.

The best lunch on the Island was at the Eden Rock Hotel. My salad and veggies were outstanding. The view…with the planes flying in…was perfection!

We often spend Thanksgiving in St Barts and I have had many a delicious Thanksgiving meal at Maya’s.  This year, my dear friend Henry Lambert and his girlfriend Heather invited us to their sensational home overlooking the port of Gustavia. He cooked a traditional feast complete with a tender turkey, cranberry sauce, the best gravy, sausage stuffing, sweet potato pie, and excellent conversation.

Dinner at Le Ti St Barts is a must for fun and buzz. Carole, the owner, used to own La Plage with her husband Thierry. They are now divorced and he runs La Plage, she Le Ti. They have a fashion show every night. The models are gorgeous and everyone dances on the tables! It’s exactly the kind of scene you would expect on a French Caribbean Island. I could dance until dawn and have many times.

Do you ever eat at a restaurant and love a dish so much that you want to recreate it at home? This is one of the reasons I started cooking. When I first came to New York City in my early 20′s from Texas, everything I tasted was new. I started experimenting and trying dishes that I ate in restaurants. I still do the same thing today.

On vacation in Provence this summer, we ate at a great little neighborhood place called Le Bistro des Alpilles in Saint-Remy. One of the meals I had there was a simple little dish of sauteed langoustines with a puree of fennel and potato. It was so clean and precise. I vowed to make it myself when I got home….

So I did!

Fennel-Potato Puree: Serves 2
1 fennel bulb

2 small Yukon gold potatoes

1 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1 tablespoon salt

Peel the potatoes and roughly chop the fennel, removing the hard core in the center. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the potatoes and fennel with the rest of the ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.

In a food processor, puree the mixture. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

Sauteed Shrimp with Pernod: Serves 2

(Pernod is the name brand of a type of French alcohol called Pastis. It has a licorice flavor and is great to cook with)

Clean a pound of jumbo shrimp and season it with a little sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.

Add the shrimp to the pan with a generous sprinkling of fresh thyme. Saute just until the shrimp is opaque and pink on one side, about 2 minutes. Flip the shrimp over and add a splash of Pernod to the pan (about 1/4 cup). Continue cooking 2-3 minutes. Serve immediately with the fennel-potato puree.

 

 

 

 

 

Everything about Capri is sensuality magnified….from its clear, turquoise waters to its winding streets filled with bougainvillea…to the warmth of the Caprese people…to the fresh, simple tastes of the Italian cuisine..What an enchanting island and the perfect ending to a sublime trip.

We have been to the Amalfi coast before, but staying overnight in Capri is an entirely new experience. I can now understand the magic of this little island.

We stayed at the charming Scalinatella Hotel, which has the same owners as the larger
Quisisana, but a much more boutique-y feel. We immediately ran into someone from New York as soon as we checked in and he advised us to have lunch by the pool…a flawless meal and probably the best lunch on the Island. We had a spaghetti alle vongole, and even though we’ve had this dish a million times in the U.S., it just doesn’t compare to having it in its native land. I will re-create the dish soon and share it with you. They were kind enough to give me the recipe.

Our room was delightful, with a great view of the sea. How do I even find the words to explain the radiance of the sun setting over the island while the birds are singing and the moon is rising in the background. It is a lovers paradise. There’s nothing about it that’s not perfection.

Lo Scoglio was our favorite restaurant on the coast. The best way to go is by boat and you can even jump in for a quick swim on the way…

We got to meet the family that owns this charming restaurant. Antonia is the daughter and she is so proud of their new and improved kitchen..she and her father showed us around and she translated for him. There is a family farm that provides them with all of their produce and meat…and of course their fish comes from local waters and absolutely everything is homemade. It is such a traditional family-run restaurant…after lunch we saw “nonna” (grandma) in the back scrutinizing the bills..

They served us a simple arugula salad…with tomatoes that were sugary sweet…and it was drizzled with balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil from their own olive trees.

Then M. had the larger tomatoes, sliced and served with the freshest mozzarella and basil.

After the tomatoes we had a cooked vegetable dish comprised of six different vegetables from their farm…which was an entire meal in itself…but of course we had to leave room for pasta.  I had the special house pasta with zucchini and M. had spaghetti with seafood….while we listened to the sweet sounds of children splashing in the crystal waters below us.

For dinner we went to the celeb hangout Villa Verde and had brick oven pizza…

Three days in Capri was just too short….and we loved it so much that we already booked our vacation for next year.

Here’s a question…when you have a euphoric travel experience and dream about it for many years, then return to experience it again, does it ever exceed your expectations? I have only been to Barcelona once and ever since I have been dreaming about going back to this dynamic city by the sea. It’s been nine years and the Spanish food culture has gone through a revolution. It is the go-to place for every Chef and foodie looking for new adventures. My good friend, Gerry Dawes, is an expert on Spanish food, wine, and culture, and he helped me design my trip. I had so many new places to check out, and some of the old favorites to visit again.

My partner M. drove like a crazy-mad-hungry-foodie from Provence to Barcelona to make our 3 o’clock lunch reservation at Can Majo...although we did make a stop along the way and I must say the rest stops in Europe, and especially in France, are a revelation compared to our side-of-the-road fast food joints! Our mouths were watering for paella during the whole drive. It was exactly as we remembered. The food is simple but the fresh ingredients turn it into magic, and certainly the atmosphere helps, sitting right on Barcelona’s busiest beach watching the bathing suits go by.

We had grilled langoustines and fried calamari and a very chilled bottle of Spanish white. Happiness. Then we followed this with a seafood paella that was sublime.

We were so full that we decided not to eat dinner that night... .We went to see a movie instead, and then stopped by the Hotel Arts for a drink and a stroll around the Casino.

The next day, we hit the streets and stopped by the Boqueria market.

Monday was not the best day to be at the Boqueria because about half of it was closed…so, we looked around a bit and returned the next day when everything was in full swing. Just take a look at these photos and you can see why I felt like a kid in a candy store.

Dinner that night was at Restaurant Moo in the Hotel Omm, with Chef Felip Llufriu at the helm.

The first course was Chef Llufriu’s signature dish, which he learned directly from Spanish Chef extraordinaire, Ferran Adria. It was called The Golden Egg… the buttery soft egg yolk encased by a crackling sweet lacquered shell, which is really caramel, dusted in gold leaf…surrounded by crispy salty corn. The mouth-feel was astonishing.

Chef Llufriu really is a genius….the way he mixes the different tastes and textures…salty, crunchy, sweet, smooth, all in one bite. He utilizes all of the indigenous ingredients of his country and it was such an innovative meal…

This was Michelin star dining. Expensive but worth every penny. The atmosphere was chic, the service was impeccable.

The proprietor of Can Majo recommended that we try Bar Mut the following night, a bustling tapas bar with an impressive wine list, and then head to Muttis, the exclusive private club upstairs. We were not disappointed! In my limited tapas bar experience this was truly the highlight. I could eat like this every day! The pictures will tell it all…

Adios Barcelona…on to Capri…..I hope you all join me on the final leg of my journey.

For help planning your Spanish vacation, please visit GerryDawesSpain.com!

Three countries. Twelve Days. 36 Meals. One delicious European adventure! My partner and I just returned from the most divine vacation! We visited St. Tropez, Provence, Barcelona, and ended in Capri. Over the next few posts I’ll share my trip with you..starting with our arrival in St. Tropez;

When author Peter Mayle speaks about Provence, people listen. Peter calls L’Auberge de la Mole one of his favorite restaurants. That’s pretty high praise!

I had been there before two years ago and loved it. I couldn’t wait to try it again. I remembered the vast amounts of food and the charming ambience….

 L’Auberge is located in a little town that has one stop light, about 20 minutes away from St. Tropez. It’s a family run restaurant..unpretentious and absolutely delicious.

Me in the kitchen

We ate in the garden…and sitting a few tables away I was delighted to find Joan Collins and her friends.

 

You must pace yourself here. They begin by bringing out several terrines, pates, rillettes & foie gras, with grilled bread and a large jar of cornichons…all homemade, of course.  

We then ordered frogs legs….steak with truffle butter and potato (phenomenal)…and duck breast (which was a little tough).

 But there’s more… a huge platter of cheeses and then dessert… chocolate mousse, prunes in syrup, pears cooked in red wine.

 What a way to start a vacation! And reasonably priced as well. It was a beautiful night.

 

The beach clubs in St. Tropez are where it’s happening during the day. You must make reservations. We normally go to Club 55 but I wanted to try something new so we went to La Voile Rouge instead. I loved it! Simple salads to start…grilled dorade, and a bottle of Domaines Ott. The DJ was terrific, as was the crowd and the fashion show.

Dorade at La Voile Rouge

Our foodie friends told us about Chez Camille for the best bouillabaisse. When you walk in, you see your pot of bouillabaisse bubbling away on the outdoor stoves. It’s a casual Restaurant, located right on Pampelonne Bay. They bring out the rouille, that spicy garlic aioli, and plenty of toast…then the soup, and the seafood on the side which you add to the soup yourself. It’s difficult to be in the south of France and not eat bouillabaise and this one was excellent. The experience of Chez Camille was authentic and I always love that.

 

To really experience St. Tropez night life, you must go to the clubs. We met friends and went to La Romana. This Bar/Restaurant is a scene. We definitely had a lot of fun, and the sexy fashion show was great, but the food was not good and overpriced. We then went dancing at Les Caves du Roy of course until wee hours in the morning….

Bellini at La Romana

 

After three days in St. Tropez, we headed to the heart of Provence.

We stopped in St. Remy on the way to Gordes where our hotel, La Bastide de Gordes, was located. Saint Remy was terribly hot so walking around this charming town was limited a bit. Everything closes down at one, and understandably so…the heat is very prohibitive. We lunched at Le Bistrot des Alpilles. This turned out to be one of my favorites.  

We cooled ourselves down with ice cold Belgian beers that hit the spot. We started the meal with a simple heirloom tomato salad…summer perfection..

 Then we split the langoustine cooked in pastis and the fennel and potato puree which was creamy and irresistible. I went into the kitchen and asked the chef for the recipe. He was happy to give it to me. I’ll be trying it soon and of course I’ll share it with you.

Langoustine with fennel-potato puree

Me and Soussi Samir, Chef at Le Bistrot des Alpilles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On our way to Gordes, which is one of Provence’s most beautiful hilltop medieval towns, we passed The Lavender Museum. I made “M” turn the car around. Can you believe there’s a Lavender Museum?! Provence is known for its special lavender and the museum actually taught us the history of how it is harvested and then made into lavender oil. Of course there is a store to buy products. I have always wanted to be running through fields of lavender, so I asked “M” to photograph me.  I hope there’s lavender in heaven.

 Our hotel was overlooking a medieval village in Gordes. The view from our room and the restaurant was very special….miles of fields and it stays light until 10PM so it’s magical watching the sunset. We each got a massage at the Hotel Spa, with lavender oil, of course.

That night we ate at the modern Le Bistro d’Eygalieres…a 2 star Michelin restaurant. We had a fantastic meal in the garden. Although it was roasting during the day, there was a cool breeze at night.

The chef, Wout Bru, is quite young. He and his wife, Suzy, built a small hotel, Maisonbru, and this restaurant about a year ago.

We had cannelloni of lobster and pan fried langoustines with tomato tartar and wakame. Wow!

Then I ordered baby lamb chops and ”M” had the red mullet a la plancha. This was true fine dining in France and a meal to remember.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following day, we visited a market in Apt. I adore the outdoor markets in Provence…The variety of local, artisanal products is mind blowingly wonderful and I am happy just wandering from one booth to the next. My dream is to stay in Provence long enough to cook…maybe one day it will happen.

 

The next day we got up early and drove to Barcelona. Stay tuned to the next blog post to join us on the Spanish leg of our eating frenzy!