English-speaking cooks as well. “When you start with the more accessible recipes then make your way to the more complicated ones, you really learn how to cook,” says Phaidon’s editorial director Emilia Terragni. “Some French cuisine may be complicated, but home cooking can be simple.”
©scope /J. Guill ard
Provençal Poetry
Just when Americans began to grasp the wisdom of eating in sync with the seasons, along comes a French chef from Provence telling us there are not four seasons but six. Edouard Loubet, known for his ability to distill the region’s f lowers, herbs and vegetables into ethereal infusions, gastriques and essences, poetica lly explains his interpretation of the calendar year in Six Seasons in the Luberon (Glénat, €45). “Four seasons simply are not sufficient to capture the opulence of nature here,” he says. For him, there are two springs: One when the valley’s almond, cherry, apple, quince and pear trees burst into bloom, followed by a second when thyme, rosemary, savory and other herbs f lower. There are also two distinct falls: the first marked by the appearance of pumpkins and squash, and a second that is all about ripe grapes and game, mushrooms and truffles. Author Eve-Marie Zizza-Lalu recounts that in every season, Loubet knows how to recognize nature’s ephemeral gifts; where most of us would see nothing edible, his expert eye sees herbs and plants with the potential for new taste experiences. Tender young wheat shoots, for example, become still hungry? the impetus for a Additional reviews of mimosa-f lavored recently released cook- cream egg dipped books are available on in white chocolate francemagazine.org. and set in a pool of delicate green wheat juice. It is a dish he can offer patrons only a few days of the year. Loubet began deciphering the secrets of the Provençal landscape when he arrived here from Savoie at age 22. Having trained with Alain Chapel and Marc Veyrat, who taught him to recognize and cook with Alpine herbs, he struck out on his own at the Moulin de Lourmarin. At 25, he became the youngest chef in France to earn a Michelin star, and by 28 , he claimed a second. Now 40, he is ensconced at La Bastide de
Capelongue, a dreamy hotel and restaurant hidden away on a hilltop overlooking the perched village of Bonnieux. • Edouard Loubet shares his intimate knowledge of Provençal W hereas Loubet’s f irst seasons in his latest book, which draws on local produce to create cookbook focused on recipes, dishes such as “Steamed John Dory with mint, marinated in olive oil, swelled oat flakes and crunchy vegetables, iced courgette soup.” this one celebrates the elements that give rise to them. “Nature and local suppliers—of fish, meat, fruits, the purée—four ingredients transformed in vegetables and so on—are the true allies of three sentences—to elevate Tuesday night chefs,” he says. Although technically a cook- dinner to great effect. Loubet assumes a certain level of expertise book, it is perhaps more accurately described as a fairy tale of the highest order for foodies. from readers willing to indulge his flights Zizza-Lalu’s seasonal essays chronicle Lou- of fancy, yet unlike many chefs’ recipes, his bet’s wanderings through the idyllic Lubéron, are largely doable and a marvel of efficiency. describing how he gathers ingredients from Indeed, few require anything beyond the his gardens and the surrounding countryside means of the average kitchen and seasonal and bakes bread every morning as meditation. farmers’ markets. Although the English translation is a She also profiles a cast of local characters: Milou, “the last of the peasants”; Gianni, the bit rough in spots—it sometimes lends a flamboyant goatherd; Vincente, the elegant preciousness that isn’t in the original—the and almost octogenarian mushroom forager. recipes are clear and the text effectively The story seems no less fictional, given the conjures up the intoxicating scents, sounds enchanting photography of Jacques Guillard and colors of this storied corner of Southern and Jean-Marc Favre—or, for that matter, France. Ultimately, whether American the 60 chimerical recipes that make up the readers experience a happy ending depends balance of the book. very little on technical savvy or access to Each is a carefully composed meal, gently Provençal ingredients and a lot on whether deconstructed into its constituent parts. A Loubet’s passion and creativity inspire them slow-roasted suckling pig shoulder with star to look at their own seasonal bounty with anise and a cinnamon-infused butternut fresh enthusiasm. squash purée actually appears as five short The English edition is available at La Bastide recipes on the same page. No ordinary meal, de Capelongue, through capelongue.com and at although a home cook could easily tease out specialty stores in Paris. F r a n c e • w i n t e r 2 0 0 9 -1 0
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