I had been wanting to remodel my kitchen for quite some time.  I could see the colors of the granite and the backsplash and the cabinets in my mind’s eye.  But first everything had to be torn out – cabinets and countertops and backsplash – and I was dreading it, so I just continued to dream.  Then in June of 2005 Eileen, my niece, Claire, and I took a vacation in Provence, and we haven’t been the same since.  I knew I wanted to recreate the old limestone floors of the old paper mill turned bed and breakfast where we were staying  in Entraigues sur la Sorgue.   Of course, I wanted a window over my kitchen sink just like the one in our breakfast area at the old mill to give the kitchen that Provencal feel.  So what’s the first thing I did?  I bought dishes, of course!  

We had stopped in at a charming antiques shop in Bonnieux and found a pottery cup and saucer ca. 1950s decorated in a marbleized pattern of lovely colors.   I asked the shop owner about the piece, and she explained this pottery had been made in the Luberon area of Provence for hundreds of years and the old pieces are very collectible and expensive.  She also mentioned that two men in Apt (Provence) have purchased old molds and are continuing to produce the ceramics – with a modern twist, but certainly with all the charm and then some.    Apt wasn’t on our itinerary, but we quickly penciled it in.  Armed with only that one clue, we programmed our GPS system for Apt and arrived not quite knowing what to do next.  As we crossed the footbridge into the center of town we saw a tourist information building  to our right.  We went inside and immediately struck gold.  The room was decorated with unbelievable pieces of ceramics made by Atelier du Vieil Apt.  In less than a 10-minute walk we entered one of the most beautiful shops I’ve seen in years.   Every square inch was filled with place settings and serving pieces of ceramics arranged according to color and pattern.  It was breathtaking.   

My head was swimming.  I’d never seen anything like it.  I was determined not to leave without buying a set of dishes for the kitchen of my dreams.   There was too much to choose from – too many colors, too many patterns.  I finally decided on having something special created.   They’d have to ship it, but I can wait.  My kitchen remodel was just a pipedream at that point.  I chose a black and cream marbleized dinner plate with the reverse cream and black salad plate.  What about coffee cups?  I don’t drink coffee myself and would have preferred a mug instead.  “Oh, you are in luck,” the girl said.  “We have had requests from the Americans for mugs and are in the process of designing a mold right now.”  So she took me to the studio in back where I could see the mold that had been created.   Of course, I’d have to wait a little while longer, but I can wait.  My kitchen remodel was just a pipedream at that point.  

I also found a lovely soap dish in shades of browns and rust and every now and then a little touch of black made in two sections, the top part having a pierced open pattern which allowed for drainage of the water into the bottom dish.  If I had to wait for the other pieces to arrive, that was definitely going home with me! 

Several months later everything arrived in perfect condition.  My kitchen is no longer just a dream, and the dishes from Apt are displayed in a plate rack to remind me every day of Provence.   Next on my list are serving pieces, but this time my color combination will be black, cream and yellow.  Unfortunately, the horrible exchange rate has made these once expensive dishes now outrageously expensive, but I am not deterred.  They’re worth it!
                                                 SUSAN

Now that Christmas is over, I set my sights on New Years.  All of the frantic holiday shopping and travel associated with my Christmas has passed and I can finally relax in my less-hectic kitchen.  I'm done with the mass-production of cookies and can concentrate on healthy meals and savory treats to serve with a glass of wine to friends now that life has calmed down. 

What I made today are Savory Rosemary-Olive Shortbreads.  I adapted this recipe from one created by Anne-Sophie Pic.  The original recipe is rolled thin and cut into 3-inch discs.  I have fashioned mine after a tin of Sable Sales aux Olive Noires I purchased on a visit to Le Petit Duc in St-Remy-de-Provence.  Now, I wish I could tell you how wonderful the sables were, made with French butter, salt and Nicoise olives, but I can't.  As my sister already knows, I have this unfortunate need to save things.  I once made her walk from SOHO to the lower east side of New York City just to buy one donut from the Donut Planet.  The tiny specialty shop had been in the press recently and I was determined to eat one of their highly-touted donuts.  I purchased a vanilla-iced cake donut with chopped hazelnuts and carried it with me the entire day.  When I finally took a bite of the donut upon waking the next morning, it was stale and rock hard.  The donut was sadly thrown into the trash and the remainder of our trip, I was reminded of the time wasted buying a donut I eventually tossed.  And that brings me back to the sable I bought at Le Petit Duc.  The shortbreads studded with black Nicoise olives that I purchased in June weren't opened until January, because.... if I opened them and ate them, they'd be gone.  When I did pop the lid off the small silver tin, it was immediately apparent that they were rancid.  I could only imagine how good they tasted when fresh.  I think my tweaked version, with the addition of fleur de sel, could come close.

                  SAVORY ROSEMARY-OLIVE SHORTBREADS

2 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Fleur de Sel
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
13 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 large egg yolks
3-4 Tablespoons chopped Nicoise olives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Pulse flour, sugar, salt and rosemary in a food processor until combined.  Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal, then add yolks and process until dough just starts to clump together.  Add chopped Nicoise olives and process briefly.  Turn onto a work surface and gather dough together.  Divide dough into 4 pieces and smear each portion to help distribute the butter.  Divide dough in half.   Lay each half on plastic wrap and form into a log about 1 1/4-inch in diameter.  Chill at least one hour.  Slice log into 1/4-inch thick pieces and place on parchment-lined baking sheets.  Bake in the middle of the oven, for about 25 minutes, until light-golden brown.  Cool on a rack and store in an air-tight container.  Dream that you're in Provence. 

Here's a muffin recipe that both my sister Susan and I have been making for many years.  Great to have around for holiday house-guests or to give as gifts.  They freeze well.  Enjoy.

1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup (6 oz.) chocolate chips
1 cup pumpkin

Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Thoroughly mix flour, sugar, pie spice, baking soda , baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Break eggs into another bowl.  Add pumpkin and butter, and whisk until well-blended.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Pour over dry ingredients and fold in just until dry ingredients are moistened.  Scoop batter into muffin cups.  Bake 20-25 minutes.  Cool.  Makes 12 muffins.

In early December I begin my holiday baking.  Cookies are served throughout the month on my vintage French cooling rack.

The Christmas tree cookies are probably my family's favorite.  They are rolled very thin, then dipped into melted bittersweet chocolate with enough unsalted butter added to give it the consistency of very heavy cream.  The recipe I use is adapted from a 1940's Woman's Home Companion Cook Book.

                             VANILLA ROLLED COOKIES

Flour, 3 1/2 cups                    Sift flour;  measure;  add baking
Baking powder, 1 tsp.             powder and salt;  sift again.
Salt, 1/2 tsp.                          
Unsalted butter, 1 cup            Cream butter;  add sugar gradually and
Sugar, 1 1/2 cups                  continue to beat until light.  Add well-
Eggs, well beaten, 2               beaten eggs and blend thoroughly; 
Vanilla, 1 1/2 tsps.                 add vanilla.

                                            Combine the dry ingredients and the creamed mixture;  mix all thoroughly and chill. 

Roll as thin as possible on a lightly floured board and cut with cookie cutter.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake in the center of the oven preheated to 400 degrees, for 6-8 minutes. Watch closely.  Because the cookies are so thin, they can burn quickly.  When cool, either ice with a powdered sugar frosting, or do what I do;  dip into bittersweet chocolate that has been melted with butter in a double-boiler.  Sprinkle with nonpareils. 


                                         

I think it's important to at least attempt to approach everything in life with a creative sensibility.  I may not always pull it off, but I do try to keep it at the forefront of my thoughts. whether it's time spent in my kitchen, laying out the seeds for my vegetable garden, or deciding on how to group items in a vignette.  Another thing that helps inspire me is to surround myself with creative friends, and I'm fortunate to have many.  My good friend Paula Pfaff falls into that category.  A talented weaver, Paula is also a passionate collector.  Fortunately, Paula lives close so it's easy to work in the (frequent) occasional visit.  I'll run over for coffee and a "show & tell" which often times is another addition to one of her many collections. 

This time of year Paula displays her Christmas collectibles which include papier mache snowmen and santas, and bottle brush trees from simple to over-the-top, wonderfully gaudy, that line the entire length of Paula's fireplace mantel.

Paula's collections show the huge impact made by mass groupings of a similar item. 

In addition to the thrill Paula has in finding each unique piece, I also benefit when I'm able to see combinations that jump-start my brain for my next creative endeavor.

HAPPY COLLECTING!
(Painting by Maureen Welter)

As my family and friends already know, my daily caffeine intake has become more than the casual ritual of brewing a pot of coffee.  What led to this obsession to pull a shot and steam the milk to create, at least in my mind, an unsurpassed cappuccino?  Part of it, I think, has been the cafe creme I've had in Paris.  I can't seem to drink enough of them when there.  Of course, I've always attributed much of that great taste to the high fat content in French milk.  To get that same taste at home, I will drink a Cafe Breve occasionally (made with half & half instead of milk).  I also think the reason coffee is so good in Paris is, well, you're in Paris!  But then the quandary, what to do when back home in the states?  I've brewed freshly-ground coffee from local roasters, purchased European brands, used a press-pot and a stove-top, all with acceptable results.  But what I always dreamed of having in my kitchen was a big, shiny, Italian espresso machine.  I finally realized that dream when I purchased a Pasquini Livia this year and after struggling 10 months to brew that perfect espresso without my own grinder, I finally broke down and bought a Pasquini MOKA.  Having done that, all I can say is - don't think you can get along with someone else grinding the beans for you.  Invest in that grinder!  Then practice, practice, practice!  The variables in brewing an exceptional espresso are many, but it eventually comes together and, most of the time, you'll be rewarded with a cappuccino that makes you feel like you're in Paris!

Yes, I know the holidays are approaching and I should be posting a cookie recipe or a photo of holiday decorating, but I can't stop thinking about an old episode of Public Television's VICTORY GARDEN that was rebroadcast last week.  The program was on private gardens in Provence.  The garden I can't get out of my head was near Bonnieux and belongs to Judith Pillsbury.  The property was terraced and the full-time gardener kept all of the rosemary and lavendar plants clipped into perfect orbs.  The outdoor vintage French table and chairs invoked images in my mind of warm, lazy afternoons on the patio, dining on a salad made from the freshest produce found that morning in the village market, bread from the local patisserie and of course, French wine! 

Bonnieux is an incredibly charming and picturesque hill town. When you reach the top you will be rewarded with views of olive trees and cherry orchards, vineyards, and in the distance the villages of Gordes and Roussillon. Mont Ventoux is prominent 25 miles to the north. It isn't necessary to be invited to a private home to view beautiful landscapes.  The photos above and below were taken while driving through the countryside around Bonnieux. 

Well, I've dreamt long enough about being in Provence today.  Better get back to reality and start baking Christmas cookies.