January 18,2024
A companion-piece to Johnston's The Cuisine of the Sun (1976), a culinary exploration of her native Nice and Provence. Again Johnston's recipes (organized into twelve menu categories ranging from soups and hors d'oeuvres to homemade liqueurs and cheese spreads) are uniformly appealing.. Proficient cooks will rejoice in a spirited anthology particularly rich in good salads and imaginative egg and vegetable (especially potato) dishes. Johnston does not disdain simple inspirations like lait de poule (a light eggnog), salt-pork cracklings dressed with vinegar, or pears and quinces poached in freshly crushed white grape juice. She also provides plenty of mighty main dishes: a pot-au-leu with croutons and grated cheese; a whole head of cabbage stuffed with apples, prunes, rice, salt pork and ham and served with sausages; various fish stews; and (of course) coq au yin. For the kitchen-wise, a lovely collection.
Bon appétit!
Mireille Johnston
She was born Mireille Busticaccia, the only child of Jean-Philippe, a successful importer-exporter, in a house on the old promenade des Angles on the Côte d'Azur. "I was born in a tall apricot-coloured house with green shutters overlooking the sea," she began her first cookery book. "When I think of my childhood I remember the bright colours, the sounds, the smells and tastes of Nice. We were constantly sent to the seashore, the garden or the hills to find ingredients for the kitchen." But this idyllic childhood was shattered by the Second World War. The family home was blown up by the Germans and her father became a key member of the Resistance in Marseilles. A part of her bilingual education took place abroad in an English boarding school.
IN 1972 Mireille translated into English, for overdubbing and subtitling, the transcript of Marcel Ophuls' remarkable four-hour documentary on occupied France, The Sorrow and the Pity. When I spoke with her last May she explained that her work on the film had been a tribute to her father. He was disgusted, she said, with the number of known collaborators who after the war claimed to have remained loyal to France. This theme is thoroughly explored in Ophuls' film, in which Emile Coulaudon, known to the underground as Colonel Gaspar, remarks: "There's a thing that amazes me when I talk to people that I know supported Petain. They all tell me what they did in the Resistance."
John Whiting for the Guardian
I dug deep into the BBC archives and discovered 12 magical videos set in different regions of France starting with the following set in Mireille's native Provence.Enjoy!-Terrance
The Perfectionist
The suicide of Bernard Loiseau in February 2003, sent shock waves through France: the country's most famous chef had shot himself on the eve of publication of "Michelin", the bible of good eating. Ascendancy to coveted three-star status in "Michelin", and keeping it year after year, takes its toll on the best chefs and rumours had already begun to circulate that Loiseau might fall from grace. Delving deep into the life of Loiseau and the world of haute cuisine, Rudolph Chelminksi asks whether the same dedication to perfection that took Loiseau to the top, also caused him to seek the only release imaginable from the terrible pressure to stay there.
A Conversation with Rudy Chelminski
Join today and start winning cookbooks like Lorraine Attreed of Worcester, MA and Stacey Christie of Evanston, IL
Pleasures of the Périgord Fall 2024
GOOD NEWS-The reservation desk is open
Bad News-only 4 spots remain
Bruno's Cookbook
Culled from Martin Walker's Chief Bruno series it is a celebration of a wonderful life lived in the heart of Le Périgord.
Terrance's Vaucluse Wine Tour
About 15 years ago I was invited to an afternoon cocktail party at Nicole 'Poppy' Salinger's Paris apartment and over the years I had visited La Bastide Rose, 'toured' with Poppy,visted the on-site museum she created to remember her husband Pierre Salinger and sampled Emmanuel's provencal cuisine accompanied by wines from his personal cellar.
Pierre was famous as JFK’s press secretary part of the young leaders of the new frontier. A serious bon vivant and gourmet it should come as no surprise that JFK signed him the task of rounding up all the Cuban cigars before he signed the Cuban Embargo act-several found their way into Pierre’s hands and you will see the cigar box that contained them during our visit.
It is finally time to create a visit to La Bastide Rose
My Ten Favorite French Cookbooks
Mes ami(e)s
I love my work of sharing French culture with you and the appreciation and respect you have shown for my efforts by your contributions.
I am a one man New Yorker of French culture and your support enables me to seek out and deliver fresh content daily-Please Contribute today-you'll feel better for it and I will appreciate it.Terrance
Your newsletter and website are must reads!
Kelle Ruden, Westport, CT
Merci beaucoupThat's all for today
