This publish that includes favourite summer season dishes wraps up my tenth anniversary sequence on the most effective of The On a regular basis French Chef. And I’ve to say that, given the bounty of the season, it was exhausting to decide on one particular dish to spotlight. My first thought was ratatouille, the ever-so-French veggie dish from Provence, made much more well-known by the Disney movie starring a connoisseur Parisian rat. However ultimately the winner is (drumroll, please)…
Grand aïoli / Cod with greens and garlic mayonnaise
I selected this dish as a result of it combines so many meals I really like — cod, steamed veggies, eggs and, particularly, the intensely flavorful aïoli sauce, by which an olive-oil mayonnaise is infused with garlic. The secret right here is variation. Along with the veggies pictured above — carrots, potatoes, asparagus, chickpeas and cherry tomatoes — typical elements embrace sea snails (bulots), inexperienced beans, finocchio, artichokes and cauliflower. As for the fish, salt cod is conventional — however much more work than recent. So I’ve switched.
Like ratatouille, aïoli is from Provence, which is the place I first loved it. This was again within the Seventies at a seaside restaurant exterior Marseille, what with the waves lapping on the shore and the cicadas chirping in the summertime warmth. It’s an incredible dish for summer season as a result of it’s served at room temperature. Every little thing could also be ready upfront and assembled simply earlier than serving. All you could full the image is a bottle of chilled dry white or rosé.
And now to my favourite summer season dishes, adopted by menu solutions for summer season meals.
Starters
Assiette de crudités / French vegetable plate
Caviar d’aubergine épicé / Spicy eggplant caviar
Piste de moules à la sétoise / Spicy cocktail mussels
Soups
Crème de poivrons rouges / Chilled crimson pepper soup
Soupe froide de tomates / Chilled tomato soup
Velouté de courgettes épicé / Spicy zucchini soup
Salads
Salade d’eté aux figues / Summer time salad with recent figs
Salade mesclun à l’huile de noix / Salad of combined greens from Provence
Salade niçoise / Salade niçoise
Eggs
Oeufs brouillés à la truffe / Scrambled eggs with truffles
Omelette basquaise / Basque omelet
Omelette soufflée / Omelet soufflé from Alsace
Savory tarts and sandwiches
Pan bagnat / Pan bagnat sandwich from Good
Pastilla / Pastilla
Tarte à la tomate / French tomato tart
Fish and shellfish
Gambas au pastis / Shrimp sautéed in pastis
Petite friture / Barbeque, French type
Tartare de saumon / Salmon tartare
Poultry
Pintade rôti à la sauge / Roast guinea hen with recent sage
Poulet grillé en brochette / Grilled rooster brochettes
Rôti de canard au romarin / Rolled roast of duck with rosemary
Meat dishes
Boulettes d’agneau aux herbes / Lamb meatballs with herbs
Paupiettes de veau / Stuffed veal scallops
Petits farcis / Stuffed greens from Provence
Greens
Beignets de courgettes / Zucchini fritters
Gratin d’aubergines / Eggplant gratin
Ratatouille / Provençal vegetable stew
Pasta and grains
Fusilli aux courgettes / Fusilli with zucchini
Storzapretti / Corsican dumplings in tomato sauce
Torsades au pistou / Summer time pasta with French basil sauce
Desserts
Clafoutis aux cerises / Cherry clafoutis
Fruits d’été au cassis / Summer time fruit cup with cassis
Ricotta à la lavande et aux mirabelles / Ricotta with lavender and plums
As an on a regular basis French chef, how would I mix these dishes? Listed below are some examples.
For an on a regular basis lunch, I would make a pan bagnat sandwich or salade niçoise. Vegetarians would possibly take pleasure in a tomato tart and a mesclun salad of combined greens. For vegans, eggplant caviar and zucchini soup. Everybody may comply with up with seasonal fruit.
For an on a regular basis dinner, everybody may begin with a summer season salad with recent figs. Omnivores may comply with with lamb meatballs, vegetarians with eggplant gratin and vegans with … ratatouille! For dessert, a cheese plate or seasonal fruit.
For a weekend dinner, salmon tartare and rolled roast of duck for omnivores, zucchini fritters and Corsican dumplings for vegetarians and chilled crimson pepper soup and pasta with French basil sauce for vegans. All may comply with with a mesclun salad of combined greens. For dessert, cherry clafoutis or ricotta with lavender and plums for omnivores and vegetarians, and summer season fruit cup with cassis for vegans.
Joyful summer season, and joyful cooking!
