Agapé Substance: Of bold flavors and creativity

This is not the last time you will be hearing about David Toutain,  the brilliant, 30-year-old chef at the week-old Agapé Substance on Rue Mazarine in Paris’s 6th arrondissement. Think explosions of concentrated flavors, gorgeous food, pristine ingredients, and toss in a friendly, easy atmosphere for good measure. Toutain has studied with Marc Veyrat as well as Alain Passard, and while he flirts with a mountain of unusual ingredients (when did you last eat a root called benoite urbaine?), loves to play with yuzu and feves de tonka, and creates a pesto of the wild green consoude, there is nothing really unfamiliar about his food. As does chef Jean-Francois Piège at at Règle de Je(u), Toutain presents guests with a list of ingredients --- egg, zucchini, crab for a first course; carrot, cod, monkfish as a second course; pigeon, veal, mushrooms as a third; hazelnuts, chocolate, cherries, for dessert. You pick one from column A, etc. deciding whether you want 3 or 4 courses or just let the chef go wild. Not since my first taste of Pascal Barbot’s food at Astrance many years ago have I been so immediately taken with what an inventive chef is trying to convey. This could oh so easily become just too precious, but it’s not.  In a brilliant starter with the tangy citrus yuzu as the star, he managed to include bitter, sweet, salty, crunchy, velvety in a single dish. A single egg starter (photo) combined fresh almonds and garlic cream, thyme as well as lemon verbena. Forward flavors lead the way in his combination of crab and grapefruit in a shrimp broth that was a home run for me. A mélange of the tastiest of wild mushrooms arrived with a pesto of the wild green consoude (its leaf has an oyster-like flavor) and was topped with a welcoming hazelnut “crumble.” The wine list here is strong on natural wines, and I appreciated the pairing of a 2009 Aligoté´ from Alice and Olivier de Moor, a wine that seemed to simply hold hands with Toutain’s modern, approachable fare. There is room for just 24 guests, mostly as one long shared table, making this a convivial place to discover some of Paris’s newest taste sensation

AGAPE SUBSTANCE, 66 rue Mazarine, Paris 6. Tel: +33 1 43 29 33 83.

Métro: Odéon. Open lunch and dinner  Tuesday through Saturday.

Lunch menus at 39, 51, and 65 euros. Dinner menus at 51, 78, and 99 euros.

www.agapesubstance.com. contact@agapesubstance.com

Palais Royal Greenery

Historic settings ultimately create their own ambience and turn into romantic stage sets. Such is the case with the Restaurant du Palais Royal, nestled under the arches of the 17th-century palace originally built for Cardinal Richelieu and overlooking one of the city’s most alluring gardens. During the summer months, I have spent many agreeable evenings seated on the terrace that tumbles out beyond the arches, watching smiling joggers and groups of men play boules, all the while enjoying the simple, light, and sun-drenched cuisine of chef and owner Bruno Hees. In cooler weather (and on rainy days) one must move indoors, where the setting is less romantic, yet the dining room has the feel of an elegant bistro, with crisp ochre linens and mirrors reflecting the arches, metal gates, and garden beyond. If you are in the mood for a simple arugula salad showered with Parmesan, a half dozen briny oysters, or an ultra-fresh scallop tartare, the chef is happy to accommodate.

Likewise, a half portion of his all-green risotto, a mosaic of peas, green beans, snowpeas, and spinach hits a fine spring note, though I wish he would cook the rice a bit more al dente. Hees has a fine touch with fish, and a giant portion of turbot set on a bed of spinach and topped with fresh, full-flavored girolles mushrooms, and whole sea bass cooked à la plancha are both good choices. The brief wine list offers some real bargains, including Roger Sabon’s 2008 Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages at 22 euros and Louis Michel’s 2009 Chablis at 36 euros. And when in search of a pleasant private dining room, consider the two upstairs rooms overlooking the gardens, with room for 4 to 15 guests.

RESTAURANT DU PALAIS ROYAL, 110, galerie de Valois, Paris 1. Tel: +33 1 40 20 00 27.Métro: Palais-Royal-Musée du Louvre or Bourse. Closed Sunday. A la carte, 45 to 65 euros, not including wine. Garden terrace. Private dining room for 4 to 15. www.restaurantdupalaisroyal.com; palaisrest@aol.com

Laurent: Classic and Timeless

Restaurant Laurent is one of a kind, both classic and timeless. This historic, pastel-pink 19th-century former hunting lodge set in the garden of the Champs-Elysées is the sort of rare restaurant that makes Paris Paris. Its tidy garden terrace set beneath giant chestnut trees sets the stage for romance. And under the guidance of the ultra-professional director, Philippe Bourgignon and talented chef Alain Pégouret, Laurent is a sure win. Pricey, yes, though the 85 euro lunch menu is hard to beat in terms of value and pure pleasure.

If you love wine, then the restaurant should be added to your to-try list, for Bourgignon and trusted sommelier Patrick Laer appear to intimately know, love, and respect every offering in their 30,000 bottle cellar. A recent lunch highlighted the chef’s ability to combine upgraded classic French dishes with items rarely found on luxury menus. Fresh meaty morels in a foam of sauce poulette; the tenderest cod cheeks paired with artichokes and mushrooms; beautifully braised veal flank teamed up with juicy swiss chard ribs; and the restaurant’s classic spider crab bound in lobster jelly and topped with fennel cream are all dishes made in heaven. A few sips of the fragrant white 2008 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchere from winemaker Henri Boillot, and the pleasure trip is complete. Add the perfectly executed crispy “waffle” filled with almond milk cream and wild strawberries (photo) and you’re on your way!

LAURENT, 41, Avenue Gabriel, Paris 8. Tel: +33 1 42 25 00 39. Menus at 85 euro (lunch) and 185 euro.  Métro: Champs-Elysées-Clémenceau. Open Monday through Saturday, closed Saturday lunch and all day Sunday. www.le-laurent.com

Mini Palais: A Grand Slam

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Consider this: a Paris restaurant with a welcoming outdoor terrace, open non-stop seven days a week from 10 am to midnight, service that’s polite (if a bit slow) and food that is utterly modern, fresh and seasonal. I’d call it Grand Slam, and though the restaurant’s true name is MiniPalais, located in the historic Grand Palais Museum. While the alluring, vast black and grey indoor dining room is designed to invoke an artist’s atelier, the outdoor terrace is one of the city’s most inviting dining spaces. Outfitted with sturdy wicker-style chairs and banquettes, colorful mosaics on the floor and walls , giant stone columns,  potted palms, pale linens, and pure white Bernadaud china, this has become one of my favorite spots for enjoying the city’s elegance and infrequent sunshine.

Consultant Eric Fréchon (Michelin three-star chef of le Bristol) put in place Stéphane d’Aboville who seems to be doing a fine job of creating a menu that’s up to date, original and appealing (though I did want to run into the kitchen and take the salt mill from his hands.) I adored, and can’t wait to copy his tomato trio: a colorful green tomato tartare topped with a red tomato sorbet, and set in a pool of yellow tomato broth (photo). This dish was seasoned perfectly, and embellished with a paper-thin slice of toast topped with slivers of fresh garlic and pungent fresh thyme. Another fine starter that I’ll make again and again is his thin strips of creamy burrata cheese topped with thin slices of ham,  showered with fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, and sun-dried tomatoes. Line-caught merlan, or whiting,  was topped with a thick, brilliant coating of toasted, ground almonds, but a piece of Saint Pierre, or John Dory set on a bed of delicious eggplant puree was almost inedibly salty.. The meal began with a gigantic, and delicious gougeres made with aged Comté cheese,  accompanied by sips of Olivier Merlin’s magical Chardonnay, a wine that’s intense and mineral-rich. The most popular dish here seems to be the gorgeous steak tartare, paired with golden fries peeking out of a crisp white cup.  I’ll be sure to sample that on my next visit. Take a look at their web site for the schedule of live musical concerts, mostly jazz piano, many evenings at 8 pm.

MiniPalais, Avenue Winston Churchill, Paris 8. Telephone +33 1 42 56 42 42. Open daily 10 am to midnight. 28-euro lunch menu, dinner a la carte, 45 euros. Snack menus for morning, afternoon, late night. www.minipalais.comresa@minipalais.com

For the love of almonds

Rosemary-Infused Almonds with Homemade Almond Oil

While preparing a cooking demonstration for the Google staff in San Francisco, the chef presented me with the most delicious homemade pistachio oil. He said he couldn’t readily find what I had requested, so prepared a batch himself! That put me in a creative mood, and now when the proper nut oil is not readily at hand, I make my own. Here’s a version I created using top-quality almonds. I use the oil to embellish all manner of foods, from braised asparagus to these toasted, herb-infused almonds.

Equipment: A small, nonstick skillet;  an electric spice mill; a baking sheet.

2 1/2 cups whole almonds, divided

1/3 cup neutral vegetable oil, such as grapeseed, peanut, or safflower

4 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus more for garnisH

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

1. Center a rack in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. . Prepare the almond oil:  In the skillet, toast 1/2 cup of the almonds over moderate heat until toasty and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Toss from time to time to toast them evenly. Remove to a plate to cool. Once cooled, transfer the nuts to the spice mill and grind coarsely, to about the size of a small grain of rice.
3. In a small saucepan, warm the oil. Off the heat, add the ground almonds and stir to blend. Set aside for at least 1 hour to infuse the oil. Transfer the oil and nuts to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
4. In a large bowl, combine the remaining 2 cups of almonds, 1 tablespoons almond oil (with the ground nuts), 1 tablespoon minced rosemary, the lemon zest and the salt. Toss to coat the nuts. Transfer to the baking sheet. Scatter with the whole sprigs of rosemary.
5. Place the baking sheet in the oven and toast until fragrant and golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Once cooled, remove and discard the rosemary sprigs. (Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.) At serving time, garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs.

2 cups

Health@Google: Patricia Wells

@google Talks Health@Google: Patricia Wells

Patricia Wells Visits Google's San Francisco Office To Present Her Book "Salad As A Meal". This Event Took Place On April 25, 2011, As Part Of The Health@Google Series

click to see the video (39:58)

or http://youtu.be/1EkYP5oCmZk (YouTube page)

Best bites from Boulevard

Nancy Oakes is one of my favorite chefs, for a meal at her always reliable, always lively restaurant Boulevard in San Francisco is forever memorable. She pleases  with ease and flair, and with every bite you feel as though a careful decision has been made to create the perfect pairing of each ingredient. The other evening we feasted on delicate and sweet Royal Sweet Sea Scallops teamed up with spring radishes, toasted hazelnuts, and house pancetta. One of the most remarkable tastes of the meal came with the chewy Monterrey Red Abalone accompanied by a lobster hollandaise and the most amazing, delicate, and full-flavored fried green tomatoes (I want the recipe!) For a real treasure of a dish, try the House Made Ricotta and Nettle Tortelloni (photo) served with a giant mushroom slice, as dense and flavorful as any meat.

Boulevard, 1 Mission Street, San Francisco 94105. Tel 415 543 6084.

Cookbook collectors alert!

Yesterday I had the good fortune to speak and sign copies of all my books at the fabulous Omnivore Books on Food (3885A Cesar Chavez, at Church Street) in San Francisco. The cozy store (a former butcher's shop) is like a candy store for cookbook lovers, loaded with old books, new books, books on every subject, ranging from building chicken coops to signed original copies from authors all over. Owner Celia Sach runs a cool Signed Cookbook Club, where members receive four signed cookbooks each year. Each book is a surprise, although members can note preferences, such as baking, meat, vegetables, food history. And sounds like a great gift! $160 per year. More information at

http://omnivorebooks.com/cookbook_club.html.

Orcas Island cooking experience

I just arrived on the ferry from Seattle, and am bathing in the sunshine and pristine environment of  Orcas Island, a land of rugged peaks and craggy shores cradling oyster beds, organic lamb, pork, poultry, and produce. We have already enjoyed the local mussels and clams and look forward to more tonight, at a dinner for Salad As A Meal. But there's more! My good friend and local food expert Jeffrey Bergman (pictured right) will join with host John Trumbull (pictured left) at the warming Rose's Bakery and Cafe from May 15 to 18 for a fabulous hand's on Culinary Workshop. Jeffrey will take a select 10 students on a local tour, as guests gather around the farm table for feasts, caravan to Judd Cove for an oyster class and picnic-style feast on the beach. There will be hand's on classes with local produce, tours of gardens and farms, and of course a wine tasting. Alas, I will be back in France then, but you can join in and profit from Jeffrey's vast expertise and enthusiasm for food, wine, and the Seattle area. To sign up, contact Jeffrey at quincetree@comcast.net or phone him at 206 721 2592.

Appearance on Today Show April 14th for the Salad as a Meal book tour

today

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Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42572054/ns/today-food/

Saturday lunch with Paris friends

A fun, friendly lunch full of food talk with Parisian food-loving colleagues today, to celebrate Salad As A Meal. On the guest list, David Lebovitz, Alec Lobrano, Clotilde Dusoulier, Meg Zimbeck, Susan Herrmann, Emily Buchanan. On the menu:

Cumin Chips,  Hummous, Home-Cured Olives

(p 263; p 10)

Cilantro-Flecked Heirloom Tomato Soup

(p 29)

Crab Salad with Lime and Avocado

(P 124)

Chicken Salad with Green Beans, Tahini-Yogurt Dressing and Cilantro

(p 187)

Poached Turkey Breast Salad with Lemon, Capers, Cornichons, and Mint

(207)

Ham and Cheese Bread

(p 266)

Raspberry Yogurt Sorbet

Red Fruit Soup

(from the upcoming At Home with Patricia Wells)

On the wine list:

Champagne Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs

Domaine Ostertag Riesling 2009 "Vignoble d'E"

Martinelle Ventoux 2008

Can't wait until we all get together again, and often!

Salad as a Meal has arrived!

I am delighted to announce the birth of my latest book, Salad As A Meal! To celebrate, I am sharing a favorite recipe from the  book, a lightened and updated version of the popular Alsatian Onion and Bacon Tart, known as Flammekuchen. While I prepare this with homemade bread or pizza dough, use your favorite recipe or purchased pizza dough.

Alsatian Onion and Bacon Tart: Flammekuchen

This is a memory lane recipe for me: when researching The Food Lover’s Guide to France in the early 1980’s, we found this fragrant onion and bacon tart on the menu everywhere in Alsace, and since then it has become a favorite bread tart. This is a lightened version, prepared with fromage blanc or with yogurt, rather than a richer heavy cream or crème fraîche. Likewise, the onions are steamed rather than cooked in fat, making for an ethereally light tart. Serve it with a simple green salad as a meal, with a glass of chilled Riesling.

Equipment: A baking stone; a steamer; a wooden pizza peel; a metal pizza peel or large metal spatula.

8 ounces large white onions, peeled and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick rounds

4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta or bacon, cut into thin matchsticks

1/2 cup (150 g) whole milk Greek-style yogurt or fromage blanc

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Flour and polenta for dusting

Coarse, freshly ground black pepper

1  package pizza dough for a 12-inch pizza , shaped into a ball

1. Place the baking stone on the bottom rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 500 °  F.
2. Separate the onions into rings. The onions should yield about 4 cups loosely packed onions.
3. Bring 1 quart of water to a simmer in the bottom of a steamer. Place the onions on the steaming rack. Place the rack over simmering water, cover, and steam until the onions are al dente 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the basket from the steamer to drain the onions.  (This can be done 2 to 3 hours before serving.
4. In a large dry skillet, brown the pancetta over moderate heat until crisp and golden, 3 to 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to several layers of paper towels to absorb the fat. Blot the top of the pancetta with several layers of paper towel to absorb any additional fat.
5. In a medium bowl combine the yogurt, nutmeg, onions, and half of the pancetta. Stir to blend.
6. On a generously floured work surface, roll the dough into a 12- inch round.
7. Sprinkle the wooden pizza peel with polenta and place the round of dough on the peel.  Working quickly to keep the dough from sticking, assemble the tart: Spread the yogurt mixture evenly over the dough. Sprinkle with the remaining pancetta.  Season liberally with pepper.
8. Slide the dough off the peel and onto the baking stone. Bake until the dough is crisp and golden, and the top is bubbly, about 10 minutes.
9. With the metal pizza peel or large spatula, remove the tart from the baking stone. Sprinkle generously with pepper.  Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 8 wedges.   Serve immediately.

One 12-inch tart

Wine suggestion: A young, fresh dry Alsatian Riesling is in order here: Try one from the reputable firms of  Ostertag or Zind-Humbrecht, crisp, dry, smoky wines with a saline touch of chalky minerality, an even match for the creamy onion and pancetta mixture offset with a hit of black pepper.

Note: If you don’t have a baking stone and a wooden peel, simply sprinkle the polenta on a baking sheet, place the round of dough on top, assemble the tart, and bake on the baking sheet.

Reviews of Salad as a Meal

Celebrity Chef Chat | Living the foodie dream - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
http://www.jsonline.com/features/food/119219004.html

For The Perfect Salad, Toss Thirty-Three Times - epicurious.com
by Siobhan Adcock
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2011/04/for-the-perfect-salad-toss-thirty-three-times.html

Salad: From Side Dish to Main Course - foodandwine.com
To mark tomorrow's release of Salad as a Meal, the new cookbook by prominent food writer Patricia Wells, we offer our own favorite main-dish salads:
http://e.amexpub.com/amex40/wmws/APNL/1301900679565_788/w319134.php?custcode=APNL&bid=34789656&pbid_=34789656&pemail=cahilldot%40
aol%2Ecom&xid=DISH032811

ANNOUNCING OUR SALAD AS A MEAL BLOGGERS! thesecretingredientblog.com
http://thesecretingredientblog.com/2011/03/08/announcing-our-salad-as-a-meal-bloggers/

Books for Cooks: Patricia Wells’ salad days - Chicago Sun-Times

By Janet Rausa Fuller Food Editor / jfuller@suntimes.com May 17, 2011
http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food/5169032-423/books-for-cooks-patricia-wells-salad-days.html

Les Tablettes: try again

A recent visit to Jean-Louis Nomicos’s new Les Tablettes left me feeling sated but not satisfied. In the space that formerly housed Joel Robuchon’s La Table du Robuchon, the completely redecorated room – designed to make you feel as though you are in a woven market basket – a lot is left to be desired. The 58-euro lunch menu, which includes wine, is not badly priced and I would have felt it was a bargain if the food had sparkled. It didn’t. A daurade tartare paired with shiso and mango seemed to have no point and was simply bland. A langoustine broth with a tiny mound of minced langoustines seemed a waste. The greatest pleasure in these delectable sea creatures is in the airy texture, totally lost here. I did love the gorgeous lamb shoulder, which cut like butter and was bathed in a sparkling sauce laced with spice (photo).  A cheese course of fresh goat cheese, Parmesan and apple just made no sense, and a dessert of apple compote is not my idea of dessert. I think the chef is not aware of what incredible competition he has these days in Paris. Time to go back to the drawing board.

LES TABLETTES, 16, rue Bugeaud, Paris  16. Tel: +33 (0)1  56 28 16 16. Métro: Victor Hugo. 58-euro lunch menu. Other menus at 80, 120, and 150 euros.  Open daily. www.lestablettesjeanlouisnomicos.com

Oysters with Olivia

A memorable, rollicking,  and boisterous lunch today with actress and Parisian Olivia de Havilland (age 94 and loving every moment of life)  enjoying champagne, briny  oysters from Utah Beach, and a few sips of Pouilly Fumé from the Loire Valley. We talked of present moments, old times,  and times to come, enjoying it all with my 89-year-old friend Maggie Shapiro and the young Jeannie Fellowes. In the background is Stéphane, who comes in from Normandy each weekend  with his oysters. Next weekend is the last weekend for oysters at our favorite oyster spot, Brassierie Aux PTT, 54 rue Cler, Paris 7. +33 1 45 51 94 96. Métro: Ecole-Militaire (line 8).

Salad as a Meal Challenge!

I am excited to announce the beginning of the Salad As A Meal Challenge! My new book Salad As A Meal will be published April 5, and my wonderful publisher William Morrow has organized a fabulous month long challenge, offering free copies of the cookbook for those who cook at least three Salad As A Meal recipes a week for four weeks and blog about their experience. I’ll be following your comments, and look forward to every last bite!

Click here to get the all the details, including how to enter, program guidelines, and blogger benefits.

www.thesecretingredientblog.com/four-weeks-of-salad-as-a-meal-challenge/

Angela delivers bread to Fish

I confess that I could easily lunch or dine at the wine bar/restaurant Fish La Boissonerie once a week, and would be totally happy just sipping some delicious wine (our own Clos Chanteduc Cotes du Rhone is on the list now!) and eating the warm and golden brick oven bread from Cosi, just across the street. The friendly Anglophone spot reminds me of the coffee shop from Friends, where you always run into someone you know and always feel at home. Sunday’s lunch was no exception, with the charming Colombian Angela Jaramitto taking orders and delivering fresh bread every few minutes or so (photo). I always love the simple arugula, date and Parmesan salad, as well as the daurade on a welcoming bed of poached vegetables, including leeks, tomatoes, potatoes, and bits of citrus. Yesterday’s wine was a delight, the Macon-Villages Quintaine 2009, 100% Chardonnay from Pierette and Michel Guillemot, a white with a surprising amount of acidity and vigor. (And, no, the 2011 Gault-Millau guide is dead wrong: Barack Obama did NOT eat here!)

FISH LA BOISSONERIE, 69, rue de Seine, Paris 6. Telephone +33 1 43 54 34 69. Métro : Mabillon/Odéon.

Salad as a Meal: Patricia Wells Tour

SaladAsMeal_md

April 13:  NEW YORK CITY

2:30 to 4 PM James Beard Foundation—talk & signing

Chelsea Markets, 9th Ave and West 16th St

7 PM French Institute Alliance Française

Conversation with Ina Garten

Demo, book signing

22 E 60th St

Melissa Ceria, (646) 388-6628

April 14: NEW YORK AREA

9 AM Hour NBC-TV Today Show

12:15 PM “Eat Drink with Lucinda Scala Quinn”—Live

Martha Stewart Living, Sirius XM Satellite Radio

7:30PM New Canaan Library—signing

151 Main Street / New Canaan, CT

*RSVP programs@newcanaanlibrary.orgor (203) 594-5040

April 15: NEW YORK CITY

7PM Borders in Time Warner Center—signing

10 Columbus Circle

April 16:  NEW YORK REGION

3PM Books & Greetings—signing

271 Livingston St, Northvale, NJ

Kenny Salfin, (201) 784-2665, kennys1407@aol.com

April 17: CHICAGO

3 to 5 PM The Spice House—signing

1512 North Wells St/ Chicago, IL

Patty Erd, (312) 274-0378

RSVP spices@thespicehouse.com

April 18: MILWAUKEE

12 to 2PM Bartolotta’s Restaurants—Luncheon, signing

Bacchus,  925 E Wells / Milwaukee, WI

John Wise, (414) 765-1166

RSVP (414) 765-1166;

$95/ includes lunch, wine. book

April 19: CHICAGO REGION

12 to 3 PM Froggy’s French Café—Luncheon, signing

306 Green Bay Rd Highwood, IL

Lake Forest Book Store

Susan Boucher, (847) 234-4420

(847) 234-4420; $35/ for lunch

April 20: SEATTLE

Morning TV:    KING-TV “New Day Northwest”

Or KCPQ-TV “Q-13 Fox News This Morning”

Or “KING 5 Morning News” on KONG-TV

12 to 2 PM The Walrus and the Carpenter—Lunch, signing

4743 Ballard Avenue NW / Seattle, Washington 98107

Renee Erickson, (206) 395-9227

(206) 395-9227; $75 all-inclusive

4 PM                KOMO-TV “KOMO First News at 4”

6:30PM Boat Street—Dinner and book signing

3131 Western Ave  #301 / Seattle, WA

Renee Erickson, (206) 395-9227

(206) 632-4602 $100, all-inclusive

April 21:           SEATTLE

6:30PM Rose’s Bakery and Café—Dinner, signing

382 Prune Alley Orcas Island, WA

(360) 376-5805

April 22:           SEATTLE

1PM Press & blogger lunch at Jeffrey Bergman’s home

4611 51st Av South  Seattle, WA

April 23:            SAN FRANCISCO

10:30AM KGO-AM “Gene Burns Show”—Live

12 to 2 PM Pasta Shop—signing

1786 Fourth Street / Berkeley, CA

Roberta Klugman, (510) 655-7790

3PM Omnivore Books on Food—signing

3885A Cesar Chavez St  San Francisco, CA

(415) 282-4712

April 25:           SAN FRANCISCO

12 to 1PM Google—Lunch, talk & signing

345 Spear Street – 4th Floor in San Francisco

Lindsay Dahms lindsayd@google.com

7PM Books, Inc. (Marina Store)— signing

2251 Chestnut St San Francisco

(415) 931-3633

April 26:            SAN FRANCISCO

6:30PM Left Bank Restaurant dinner

507 Magnolia Avenue / Larkspur, CA

(415) 927-3331

Contact: Marguerita Castanera, mordie@vom.com

Friday, April 29: GREENSBORO

7 pm Book Signing Barnes & Noble Greensboro

May 1 and 2: BLACKBERRY FARM

NEAR KNOXVILLE, TN

Hand’s on cooking class and special meals

Kelley Clark Harris kelley@blackberryfarm.com.

May 3:               RALEIGH

7PM Regulator Bookshop—Talk, signing

720 Ninth St/ Durham, NC

Tom Campbell (919) 286-2700

May 4:               RALEIGH

7:30PM Quail Ridge Books—signing

3522 Wade Ave / Raleigh, NC

Rene Martin, (919) 828-7912

May 5:               RALEIGH

6PM A Southern Season—$35 Dinner, signing

201 S. Estes Drive / Chapel Hill, NC

www.southernseason.com 877 929 7133

A lemon lover's dream

Pascal Barbot is in top form, offering us food that is light, laced with herbs and spices, and an avalanche of varied citrus flavors. I left his 12-course lunch with pep in my step and a palate coated with extraordinary taste memories. How to decide best bite of the meal? The demitasse-sized condiment of spinach and pequillo peppers? The baby ravioli filled with a tangy bite of cedrat or citron? The chili pepper sorbet brilliantly paired with lemongrass and ginger? Or the almost too pretty to eat lemon meringue sablé? (photo). Then there is the warm and golden  brioche spread with a fragrant, salty butter of rosemary and lemon. And of course the chestnut honey madeleines. For grand dining, the 110 euro lunch menu is one the city’s best buys. Pascal Barbot and partner Christophe Rohat have always done it their way, discreetly, professionally, with a smile. And if lucky enough to secure a table in this tiny restaurant, we are the lucky recipients of their talents.

L’ASTRANCE , 4, rue Beethoven, Paris 16. Tel: +33 1 40 50 84 40.Métro: Passy. Open Tuesday through Friday. Closed Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Double yolk madness!

We just finished two incredible all-truffle days in Provence. Today we visited the Richerenches truffle market (and tasted novel and delectable fast food -- baby pancakes prepared on the spot, filled with fresh black truffles, then topped with a pat of butter). Back at home for lunch I prepared one of my favorite dishes. The first-of-season Provençal  green asparagus is in the market, and the season for fresh black truffles is nearing an end. I love braising the aspargus in olive oil, flavored with rosemary and bay leaves, then topping the asparagus with a poached egg, truffles, and a slice of coppa. As it turns out, the poached egg in the photograph was the EIGHTH double-yolk egg in a row that I had cracked, from our incredible cheese supplier Josiane Déal, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) in Vaison-la-Romaine.  I don't know about you, but I always consider double-yolk eggs a sign of good luck, so hopefully I'll have eight full days of good fortune.