Patricia Wells at Home in Provence: Recipes Inspired by Her Farmhouse in France

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Overview

For the past fifteen years, Patricia Wells has been carrying on a love affair with a region of France, a centuries-old farmhouse, and a cuisine. Provence is uniquely blessed with natural beauty as well as some of the world's most appealing foods and liveliest wines Wells's culinary skills have transformed the signature ingredients of this quintessential French countryside into recipes so satisfying and so exciting that they will instantly become part of your daily repertoire.

Here are over 175 recipes from Wells's farmhouse kitchen, including whole chapters on salads, vegetables, pasta, and bread There are simple but imaginative "palate openers," such as Tuna Tapenade and Curried Zucchini Blossoms, and soul-satisfying soups, with such delights as Monkfish Bouillabaisse with Aroli, Wells's own brilliant interpretation of a Provencal classic. When it comes to meat and poultry, Wells offers earthy daubes, the slow-simmered stews so beloved by the French, and such melt-in-your-mouth delicacies as Butter-Roasted Herbed Chicken You will savor Wells's fish and shellfish creations with recipes like Seared Pancetta-Wrapped Cod. And no meal would be complete without a delight from the treasure trove of desserts here, including Cherry-Almond Tart and Winemaker's Grape Cake.

Illustrated with famed photographer Robert Fréson's captivating pictures, Patricia Wells at Home in Provence is a book you'll want to revisit time and again.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Patricia Wells. Scribner, $40 (352p) ISBN 0-684-81569-9 Relaxed and unfailingly enticing, this superb collection of 175 recipes will make readers feel as comfortable in their kitchens as its accomplished author is at Chanteduc, her 18th-century farmhouse in northern Provence. Wells (Bistro Cooking; Simply French) is not the first to underscore the appeal of simple, fresh food, but she coaxes new tiers of flavor from many of the dishes here by her creative arrangements of basic ingredients. Instead of the standard cherry clafoutis, for example, she offers Tomato Clafoutis as appetizer or Chanteduc Clafoutis, made with mixed fruits, for dessert. Herb-Cured Filet of Beef Carpaccio, in which the filet, wrapped for two days in tarragon, parsley, basil, thyme and salt, attains a savory goodness with surprising ease. The True Salad Fan's Salad, composed of finely chopped tops of very young root vegetables (carrot, radish, beet, celery, etc.) with vinaigrette, and Garlic Family Soup (with leeks, onions, shallots and a head of garlic) fairly vibrate with an abundance of flavor. Catalan Tuna Daube marries anchovies, capers, onion, lemon zest, tomatoes and cubes of tuna steak in a memorable union. La Broufade is another outstanding daube, but with beef simmered in white wine instead of the usual red. Wells is sensible in her use of oils and fats, calling, for example, for whole milk and cream in judicious amounts. The diner's delight flows from the wisely prepared ingredients; the cook gets the added pleasure of reading Wells's warm, intelligent proseand serving up excellence. Photos not seen by PW. (Oct.)

Library Journal

Wells, author of the well-known Food Lover's Guide to Paris (Workman, 1993. rev. ed.) and Simply French (LJ 9/15/91), among other titles, presents recipes for the dishes she cooks at home when she's not hot on the trail of the best food France has to offer. Like Lydie Marshall (Chez Nous: Home Cooking from the South of France, LJ 3/15/95), Wells has ingredients at hand any cook would envy, from olives, perfect fruit and even truffles on her own land to the fresh cheeses and Mediterranean fish offered by local merchants. With its dozens of full-color photographs, Wells's book is a more lavish affair than Marshall's, and her recipes are often richer and more elaborate as well: Artichoke, Parmesan, and Black Truffle Soup; Minted Crabmeat Salad; and Herb-Cured Fillet of Beef Carpaccio, accompanied by detailed wine suggestions (which may often be out of reach of those who do not have a farm in Provence). In any case, not to be missed. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/91.]

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780684863283
Publisher: Scribner
Publication date: 10/28/1999
Pages: 368
Sales rank: 195,377
Product dimensions: 7.40 (w) x 9.10 (h) x 1.00 (d)

Meet the Author

Patricia Wells

Patricia Wells is the author of five bestselling books The Food Lover's Guide to Paris, The Food Lover's Guide to France, Bistro Cooking, Simply French, and Patricia Wells' Trattoria. She and her husband divide their time between Paris and Provence, where she conducts cooking classes. She is the restaurant critic of the International Herald Tribune

Read an Excerpt

Roasted Tomato Soup with Fresh Herbs

At the end of summer when plum tomatoes are still in abundance in our garden and the days are growing cooler, this flavorful soup is perfect. The process of roasting the tomatoes is the same one used to prepare homemade sun-dried tomatoes, yet the tomatoes are baked in a slightly hotter oven and not nearly as long. What you're looking for is similar to what the French call a confit, an intensely flavored, reduced essence of tomato. (Yet unlike the true tomato confit, these tomatoes are baked with all their pulp and seeds, making for a less dense, more juicy flavor.) This soup is an ideal gift for anyone who gardens and grows tomatoes.

EQUIPMENT: A food mill
2 pounds (1 kg) fresh plum tomatoes (Roma)
Fine sea salt to taste
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herb leaves, such as a mix of summer savory, basil, parsley, and thyme
About 1 quart (1l) homemade Chicken Stock (page 327) or Potager Stock (page 325)

1. Preheat the oven to 275°f (135°c; gas mark 2).

2. Trim and discard the stem end of the tomatoes. Halve each tomato lengthwise. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, on a baking sheet side by side. Sprinkle lightly with salt and about half the herbs.

3. Place in the oven and bake until the tomatoes are nearly dried and shriveled, about 2 hours. Check the tomatoes from time to time. They should still be rather flexible but not at all brittle, and most of their juice should have baked away.

4. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and allow them to cool slightly. Place a food mill (fitted with its coarsest blade) over a large bowl. Transfer the tomatoes to the food mill and puree.

5. Meanwhile, pour the stock into a large stockpot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the tomatoes and stir to blend. Lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle. Taste for seasoning. Serve in warmed shallow soup bowls and sprinkle with fresh herbs.

Contents

Introduction

1. Palate Openers & Appetizers

2. Salads

3. Soups

4. Vegetables

5. Pasta

6. Bread

7. Fish & Shellfish

8. Poultry & Game

9. Meat

10. Desserts

11. Pantry

Index

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Patricia Wells at Home in Provence: Recipes Inspired by Her Farmhouse in France

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Overview

Customers Who Bought This Also Bought

More About This Book

Overview

Related Subjects

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Library Journal

Product Details

Meet the Author

Patricia Wells

Read an Excerpt

Table of Contents

Customer Reviews

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