I'm always making a list of "my favorites" after a trip.  Chez Serge was my favorite restaurant.  I drank my favorite cappuccino in Bonn, Germany (Big surprise, I did not have a good coffee in France!  What's that all about?).  My favorite day was the one when we headed to Venasque in the morning and ended up in Rousillon in the late afternoon, after winding our way through the Luberon National Park with many little stops inbetween.  Susan and I would both agree that Patisserie Jouvaud in Carpentras was the best pastry shop we encountered on this trip and our favorite.  

        Most days we went there in the early morning for our pastry,

             and again in the early evening for something savory.

                  I'll take you on a little tour of the pastry shop...

                          Can you see why it's "my favorite"?

                        Yes, sometimes I eat just this for dinner.

                                       BANANA-BEAN DIP
    (adapted from a very, very old Sunday NY TIMES Magazine article)

2 Chorizo sausages,chopped or about 1/2 lb. bulk chorizo sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
half of a 4-ounce can of chopped green chili peppers
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ripe bananas

1. Saute' sausage for 5 minutes.  Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, chilies and tomato sauce and cook another 5 minutes.  Add mashed beans and mashed bananas.
2.  Add water to thin the mix, if desired.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes and serve warm with tortilla chips.  Dip is also excellent served along with grilled Iowa pork chops.

The markets are full of summer fruits and when I buy plums this cake is usually the first thing I'll make.  Before I left on my trip, we had an extremely cool spring that just wouldn't end.  When I was in the south of France I bought myself a wool scarf at the enormous Friday market in Carpentras, and I actually wore it!  I never imagined experiencing chilly temperatures along the Mediterranean this time of year.  But now that I'm back summer has finally arrived in Minnesota, and I if I do any baking, it is first thing in the morning before my kitchen becomes unbearable.  This plum upside-down cake was done just in time for breakfast!

                              PLUM UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

3-4 plum, pitted and thinly sliced
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons brandy
1/4 cup milk

1.  Using a round, 9-inch non-stick baking pan ( I use my well-seasoned cast iron skillet), melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1/3 cup of the sugar on top of the stove.  Remove from heat and arrange the plums in an attractive pattern on the bottom.  Return to the heat and cook gently for about 5 minutes.
2.  Preheat the oven to 350.
3.  Make the batter:  Cream the remaining butter with the remaining sugar.  Beat in the egg.  Add the flour, salt and baking powder.  Add the vanilla, brandy and milk and beat just until smooth. 
4.  Pour the batter onto the plums and distribute evenly over the fruit.  Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes.  Cool slightly on a rack and invert onto a serving plate.

This is what I got to wake up to every morning at the home of our friends in Germany.

                I was perfectly happy and content in that space.

One evening, while sitting in the conservatory, we were treated to Maria playing her saxophone.  Another evening, Maria and her flute instructor of many years serenaded us with Brahms and Handel duets.

When sitting outdoors I was surrounded by roses.  Maria and Dieter have over 150 rose bushes in their yard!

This is what I passed, stepping out of my bedroom every morning.

Maria served DELICIOUS meals and Dieter baked desserts daily.  One thing my daughter immediately asked for on our return was Maria's potato gratin.  I'm posting Patricia Wells' recipe for Gratin Dauphinois.  Maria, I believe, only used about a cup of heavy cream and none of the whole milk used in this recipe.  Also, what made Maria's potatoes so wonderful was the generous addition of French olive oil.  She poured some oil onto the bottom of the dish, layered potatoes, poured on the heavy cream and then more olive oil, finishing with a good sprinkling of Swiss Emmanthal cheese.  What kept me taking spoonful after spoonful of Maria's potatoes was the incredible taste of the olive oil.  Maria said she used her everyday oil instead of the "good stuff" that she saves for vinaigrettes.  Well, Maria's everyday French olive oil is what I would compare to the best olive oil in my kitchen.  If you decide to make the potato gratin as Maria did and use oil in this recipe (and eliminate the milk), try to use the most flavorful oil you have. 

                                   GRATIN DAUPHINOIS
                   (from Patricia Wells at Home in Provence)

1 plump, fresh garlic clove, peeled and halved
2 pounds firm-fleshed potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin (I used Yukon Gold)
4 ounces Swiss Gruyere cheese, freshly grated (or Emmanthal)
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2.  Rub the inside of the baking dish with garlic
3.  In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, 3/4 of the cheese, the milk, cream, salt, and pepper.  Mix well.  Spoon the mixture into the baking dish, pouring the liquid over the potatoes.  Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
4.  Place in the center of the oven and bake until the potatoes are cooked through and the top is crisp and golden, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

Susan and I have just returned from our visits to France and Germany.  It was an incredible trip, first staying with our friends Maria and Dieter in Germany, and then flying to Marseilles for a week in the south of France.  It is hard for me to say what my favorite part of the trip was....waking up each morning in Maria and Dieter's beautiful home, full of light, amazing collections, Provencal furniture and good food was definitely a highlight.  Jumping into our car each morning in Provence and heading out to markets in breathtakingly beautiful hilltop villages was a dream (plus, Susan did a superb job of driving our rental car each day, many times under stressful conditions and on the edge of perilous drops to nowhere!).  The weather was perfect with extremely cool nights and warm, sunny days.  I took hundreds of photos, as I had planned, and am torn between which ones to use for my first post on my return.

Right before we left on our trip, my friend Maureen sent me an article from the May 18th issue of the New York Times Magazine, titled PROVENCE PROFOUND, and it mentioned CHEZ SERGE, located in Carpentras, the town we made our home-base.  It did not disappoint! 

We were the first ones waiting that noon at the iron-gated entrance, and were able to be seated on the picturesque outdoor patio. 

In a matter of minutes, every table was taken, forcing later arrivals to be seated indoors. 

My entree consisted of guinea fowl in a morel mushroom sauce, potatoes and a molded carrot puree.

                         My daughter dined on French pizza.

I chose the lemon tart for my dessert (I always choose lemon if it's on the menu), but the winner was my daughter's choice; panna cotta with fresh strawberries that Serge had purchased that morning at the Carpentras market.  We all agree that our meal at Chez Serge was our favorite meal that week in France.

Today's Friday Night Dinner post will be my last for a couple of weeks.  I leave on Saturday for Germany and Provence.  I'm looking forward to relaxing, eating well and soaking up some warmth in the south of France.  I'm hoping to return with some great photos and creative inspiration for my garden's summer bounty.  Au Revoir!

                       WARM BARBECUED CHICKEN SALAD
    (adapted from Cooking For The Weekend by Michael McLaughlin)

3 tablespoons tomato-based barbecue sauce
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon each thyme, dry mustard and paprika
1 1/4 pounds boneless chicken, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
1/2 cup canola oil
8 cups mixed salad greens

1.  In a medium bowl, whisk together sauce, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.  Slowly whisk in olive oil until well-blended.  Set aside.
2.  Mix together flour, 3/4 teaspoon salt, thyme, mustard and paprika and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess.
3.  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm canola oil.  Add chicken and cook 5 minutes;  turn and cook 3-6 minutes or until cooked through.  Drain on paper towels.
4.  Arrange greens on plates.  Top with hot or warm chicken and drizzle with the dressing.

Add hot pasta to this sauce and you have an incredible side dish or, as I usually eat it, a main meal.  It is best made with fresh picked summer tomatoes, but when those are unavailable I have found grocery store, vine-ripened cherry tomatoes very acceptable. 

 PASTA WITH UNCOOKED TOMATO, BASIL and MOZZARELLA SAUCE

1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, seeded and chopped if large, or halved
   and unseeded if using cherry tomatoes 
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, chopped coarse
1 cup diced mozzarella (about 1/4 pound)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 pound dried pasta

In a large bowl combine the tomatoes, garlic, basil, mozzarella, oil, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste and let the sauce stand, covered, at room temperature for at least one hour and up to four hours.  Just before serving, in a pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta until it is al dente; drain it well, and add it to the sauce.

Sometimes a screw-up in the kitchen can have delicious results.  My daughter, who normally would request a lemon tart for her birthday, gave me free reign this past week and said I could make whatever I wanted, as long as it was very lemony.  I decided on the Old-Fashioned Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake in Regan Daley's book In The Sweet Kitchen.  All was going as planned until my attempt to unmold the cake.  When part of it was left clinging to the sides of the pan I immediately started thinking TRIFLE.  I quickly cooked lemon curd, poured Creme de Framboise over the organic raspberries I had in my refrigerator and whipped up a big bowl of cream.  It was a delicious failure!

                 OLD-FASHIONED GLAZED LEMON BUNDT CAKE
                   from In The Sweet Kitchen by Regan Daley
CAKE:
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
Grated zest of 2 large lemons
Juice of 1 large lemon (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)
GLAZE:
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 to 2 cups confectioners' sugar, well sifted
Finely grated zest of 1 large or 2 small lemons
Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)

Additional unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing the pan

1/2 pints organic raspberries
Creme de Framboise or brandy
3 cups whipping cream

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan and set aside.  Using a wooden spoon, or the paddle attachment of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until fluffy and pale.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and scraping down the sides of the bowl.
2.  Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a small bowl.  Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Don't overmix; just fold gently until the batter looks well blended.  Fold in the lemon zest and juice. (The batter may appear curdled with the addition of the lemon juice -- don't worry!)
3.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.  Bake the cake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, and the cake has begun to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare the glaze.
4.  For the glaze, in a medium-sized bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy.  Gradually beat in the sifted sugar and the combined zest and lemon juice, alternating one then the other, until a creamy, pourable consistency is achieved.
5.  Invert cake onto a wire rack.
6.  Place raspberries in a small bowl and pour Creme de Framboise or brandy to cover.  Let soak for 5 minutes.
7.  Whip the cream until soft peaks.  Gently fold half of the whipped cream into the lemon glaze.
8.  Cube about two-thirds of the cake and in a glass bowl, layer lemon curd (recipe follows), cake cubes, a sprinkling of raspberries and the liqueur, the glaze-cream mixture and the whipped cream.  Repeat layers until the bowl is full and top with any remaining whipped cream. 

                                       LEMON CURD
                 from Four-Star Desserts by Emily Luchetti

4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice

1.  Fill a medium saucepan 1/3 full of water.  Bring the water to a low boil.
2.  In a medium stainless steel bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, eggs, and sugar.  Sir in the lemon juice.
3.  Set the bowl into the pot of boiling water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.  Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally until thick, about 10 minutes.  Strain the lemon curd.  Place plastic wrap directly on the surface.  Chill until cold. 
.                                                               

Recently, during phone conversations with my father, I've been told of the morels he has found and the wonderful meals of these breaded and fried mushrooms he has eaten this past month.  This week I was the very lucky recipient of the morels pictured above when my neighbor Debbie gave me some of the mushrooms she had been given by another neighbor.  These are highly prized.  The last time I saw fresh morels in the grocery store, they were selling for about $33.00/lb....  I immediately soaked the mushrooms in salt water for about 15 minutes which helps to cleanse them.  I then rinsed and gently dried with paper towels, then did a very large dice and prepared them the way my neighbor Debbie suggested....

        CHICKEN WITH MORELS IN A WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
equal amounts of olive oil and butter for the pan
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Morel mushrooms (as many as you can get your hands on!)
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 cup cream
fresh tarragon, chopped, for garnish

Dust the chicken breasts with the flour that has been seasoned with salt and pepper.  Heat equal amounts of olive oil and butter in a large saucepan and brown chicken on both sides.  Remove chicken from the pan.  Add white wine and vinegar to the pan and over medium-high heat deglaze the pan drippings.  Add morels and shallots .  Saute' until tender and reduce the liquid.  Add cream and return chicken to the pan.  Warm through and sprinkle with fresh tarragon.

As of today's post, I guess I am officially a DARING BAKER, having taken on this month's challenge of the Opera Cake.  And a challenge it was!  As I've said before, I consider myself a rustic baker and an Opera Cake would not fall into the category of rustic baked goods.  There are many steps in making this cake -- jocande layers, sugar syrup, buttercream, mousse and glaze, but most of these components can be made several days ahead of assembly.  We were instructed to keep this Opera Cake "light in color", using white chocolate instead of the traditional darker chocolate.  But everything else was basically up to us. 

I chose to flavor the sugar syrup and the white chocolate buttercream with Liqueur Violette, a rather obscure French liqueur our friends in Germany bought for my sister after Susan found she needed it as an ingredient in a tiramisu recipe from a French cookbook.  The assembly involved baking the jocande (almond sponge cake), making a sugar syrup with the Liqueur Violette that would be brushed onto the cake layers, a white chocolate buttercream, also with the Liqueur Violette added, was spread between the cake layers.  A white chocolate mousse was spread atop the final layer and the last step was icing the top with a white chocolate glaze. 

My version was decorated with sugared violets from Laduree and Fachon in Paris.  Is there anything I would do differently if I were to make this cake again?  Yes... absolutely.  I would not color the buttercream that was spread between the jocande layers.  I feel the end result was too busy.  Because of the size, I had several seatings of friends over a couple of days to eat l' Opera Cake.  The first serving had been setting at room temperature the recommended amount of time, but this is Minnesota.  It was still a little too cold and I wasn't at all thrilled with it.  The second time, however, the cake was at room temp much longer and I thought it was very, very good.  It was extremely rich, but that's o.k.  You don't eat an Opera Cake every day.