WEDNESDAY 03 MAY 2011 • POUR NOS AMIS EN PROVENCE
Cooking for our friends in Provence
Hello friends
A little update to my blog from the early hours of yesterday. I'm writing to you in the briefest of spare moments before we start our service. We are at a lovely little restaurant in Sanary, Provence: La P'tite Cour (click here for their website). The restaurant has been lent to us for one night by the young chef-proprietor Jean Pascal and his partner Michael.
Oh my goodness, the long hours and the heat in the kitchen! Katie and Kush - my two protégés - are working so hard it is unbelievable. It must be 35 degrees in the tiny kitchen and we are all getting used to different equipment, and to squeezing round each other (and the BBC crew who are filming us!). The oven here is so hot that I had to cook my fougasse with the oven door open - and still I burnt it! The first time that has ever happened to me!
Tonight we will serve our own menu - our own take on the foods and flavours of Provence, to the Provençals, in a local restaurant. Together with Katie and Kush, we have designed a menu which we hope shows off the wonderful produce, with a little je ne sais quoi from Le Manoir back in my other home!
There has been so much pressure, so much cooking (since 7 this morning!) we have had no time to eat ourselves - such is the life of the chef! The menu we will serve is here:
M E N U
Pour nos amis de Provence
Les Petits Canapés Provençaux et Fougasse
Provencal Canapés and Fougasse
-o-
L‘Essence de Tomate de l'arrière Pays
Essence of Tomato
-o-
La Terrine de Bouillabaisse et petits Légumes, Vinaigrette au Safran
Bouillabaisse Terrine with Provençal Vegetables, Saffron Vinaigrette
-o-
Poissons de Pêche de Sanary sur Mer, Fenouil Rôti, Jus de Vin Rouge
Barigoule et Ratatouille
Fish from Sanary sur Mer, Roasted Fennel and Red Wine Jus
Ratatouille and Artichoke Barigoule
-o-
La Fameuse Brousse de Rove et Chutney d’Abricot
Brousse de Rove Goats’ Cheese and Apricot Chutney
-o-
Les Gariguettes, Les Mara des Bois et Premières Fraises des Bois; Gelée de Basilic
Early season Strawberries, Gariguette, Mara des Bois; Wild Basil Gelée
.......et une petite surprise de nos amis du Chateau Pibarnon
Bon appétit from Raymond, Kush and Katie-Beth
Prix Fixe €35
I will report back and let you know more of how the evening went - wish us all luck! A huge 'merci' to Jean Pascal, Marie and Michael at La P'tite Cour, to Kush and Katie, and to the whole, fantastic BBC team. This is hard work but we are loving every single moment!
Best RBx
PS Please tell me what you think of my blogs and my website: I want to hear from you!
Raymond Blanc's new book, Kitchen Secrets, featuring recipes from Kitchen Secrets Series 1 & 2 and many more, was published by Bloomsbury on 14 February and is available to buy online from Amazon, from Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Brasserie Blanc, Maison Blanc, and from online and retail bookstores.
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