Patricia Wells Cooks
Lucky Patricia Wells. She is the American born food critic for the International Herald Tribune, runs a rather posh cooking school in Provence, and has uber agent Amanda "Binky" Urban. The lucky lady even owns one of Julia Child's old stoves! Her life seems to be about eating, cooking, teaching and globe trotting. Example A for the court: she has 14 stops for her current book tour. Wells is a lady of a "certain age", but remains attractive and fit. We gotta know. How does she eat and drink without plumping up? One hint: she runs, a lot. And also apparently eats her veggies.
We've long been a fan of her --wait for it, wait for it...-- seasonal and fresh approach to food. The idea of putting vegetables at the center of one's plate is always interesting to us, and her latest cookbook does just that. Our only quibble is we need either bigger portions and/or more fat to continue to feel full.
Our tummies rumbled a mere hour and a half after a Wells' inspired meal this week. We may be pregnant, but we're not hogzillas just yet. Yes, the lunch from her Vegetable Harvest tome was appealing, tasty and satisfying. It took place at the Purcell Murray showroom for high end (think 150K, yeow!) stoves and kitchen equipment. Brands include: La Cornue, Thermador, Bosch, Gaggenau and Bertazzoni. Gadget-heads and kitchen fiends may like their refrigeration units designed for left handed folks. We were confused, until someone explained it to us. Since we are a rightie, we shrugged, giggled, and wondered how a couple decides which version to buy if only one is a leftie. The dominant cook probably or breadwinner may win that one.
Piles of Swells set Gentry magazines, Lillet drinks, and more bright, shiny objects further set the tone. We spotted Chuck Williams, Super Baker Flo Braker and uber blogger Amy of Cooking with Amy among the attendees.
What did we all eat for lunch, you ask? Le Menu:
Spinach, mint & radish salad - lemony, clean, fresh
Rotisserie chicken - moist, tender, and buttery
Baked eggplant, squash, and tomato - slightly bitter note from the eggplant. Otherwise, creamy & unctuous
Cheese stuffed squash blossoms - grainy, tangy, smoky, creamy dairy notes. Our favorite.
Raspberry pistachio cake - Flo the Super Baker may not have loved this one, since she barely touched it. But we liked what was to us a new flavor combo. The cake was not too sweet, and had a pleasant nuttiness & tartness.
We'll repeat any of these dishes in the near future. Wells' book has us ready to try new recipes that include braising, sauteeing, grilling and every other possible method of cooking vegetables. How does shaved fennel and parsley salad with sheep's milk cheese or wild Morel mushrooms in cream sound? Maybe you pine for chunky corn soup with cilantro and smoked Spanish paprika instead? It'll be fun to use herbs and ingredients in new and different ways. As one of our favorite French chefs used to squeal to us, Tres Bien.