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

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.

 

 

 

 

 

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!