French 101 – May’s new prix-fixe dinner
With May swinging in looking like summer will be fantastic, we’re turning our sights to Provence.
Chef Daisley Gordon has put together a great, three course menu that will run for the rest of the month.
First course:
Bagna Cauda, raw vegetables with a hot anchovy sauce
A classic, light first course. The fresh vegetables will vary but in the picture are cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, fennel and celery. The anchovy sauce is made from garlic warmed in olive oil, red wine vinegar and butter. It adds a salty richness to the crisp vegetables that screams sunshine snack.
Second course:
Brandade de Morue, salt cod and potato purée, baked with garlic and olive oil and served with sautéed green beans and black olives.
Here we hollow out yellow potatoes and stuff them with the brandade, which actually has a little halibut in it as well! The green beans are sautéed with shallots, garlic and olive oil. Although they’re missing from the picture, the olives add a wonderful contrast to the fluffy richness of the brandade.
Third course:
Navettes de la Chandeleur
Fruit sorbet and Marseilles cookies flavored with orange flower water.Pictured here is cantaloupe sorbet, although that will vary from week to week. The Marseilles cookies are a little bit hard (since they are a yeasted cookie) and are not too sweet, off-setting the crispness of the fruit sorbet quite nicely.
Tags: dinner, French 101, prix fixe, Provence
