{"id":14267,"date":"2014-05-18T18:52:31","date_gmt":"2014-05-19T01:52:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.chefmorgan.com\/?p=14267"},"modified":"2014-05-18T18:52:31","modified_gmt":"2014-05-19T01:52:31","slug":"salade-nicoise-a-ma-facon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chefmorgan.com\/engine\/salade-nicoise-a-ma-facon","title":{"rendered":"Salade Ni\u00e7oise (\u00e0 ma fa\u00e7on)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"nicoise
\na dream kitchen, a village in Provence, and a favorite salad \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Salade Ni\u00e7oise (\u00e0 ma fa\u00e7on)
\n<\/strong>(salad Ni\u00e7oise my may)<\/span><\/p>\n

There was a\u00a0photograph of a kitchen on Instagram which gathered several “likes” and one person commented, \u201cmy dream kitchen<\/em>.\u201d It\u00a0made me think. What is my\u00a0\u201cdream\u201d kitchen?” Do I have one? What would be in it? \u00a0The topic\u00a0is hardly unique. Elizabeth David wrote an article about the same thing but I believe the discussion was prompted by magazine competitions, not an Instagram photo. Times are different but the question is still fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I reflected on the various kitchens I have worked in throughout the years: professional and private; very elaborate to quite small; organized and well-planned to the utterly disorderly; efficient and those a little more challenged. I sat down in my own kitchen and began to write down my requirements for the kitchen of my dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"potspans<\/p>\n

A quality gas stove with at least five burners that sound like F12s when you fire them up immediately came to mind. Copper pots and pans with the right amount of patina, cast-iron skillets handed down through the generations, an immersion blender for pur\u00e9es, a mixer, hand-blown glasses from Biot, bee-adorned\u00a0knives from Laguiole, and chef knives from Germany with wooden handles that fit snugly in my hand. I love all of these things but if I didn\u2019t have them I would still be quite content. I crossed off all\u00a0of these items except for the basics like good, sharp knives and a functioning gas heat source. I then came up with three things that I must have in this fictitious kitchen of my dreams:<\/span><\/p>\n

First on my list was fresh air. The space itself did\u00a0not need to be of any particular size (goodness knows that my Paris kitchen is space-challenged), but I would like a door or window, well-portioned to the space, that\u00a0opens to the city below or the country outside and will keep the kitchen naturally cool. Perhaps it was the 100 degree weather in LA that drove\u00a0this thought but cooking with a view of something nice and the fresh air, makes me happy and definitely part of my dream kitchen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"chef<\/p>\n

Copper pots and kitchen gadgets are indeed fantastic but if I had to choose, I choose ingredients over truc.<\/em> Second on my list: the freshest, most flavorful ingredients possible, whatever that is, even if it is only\u00a0coeur de boeuf<\/i> tomatoes, olives, and herbs. Ideally it would be a kitchen garden so I need not go far for my menu inspiration. If there is no room for a jardin<\/i> I would like the ability to obtain fresh ingredients without sitting in traffic. In Paris I don\u2019t have room for a jardin<\/i> (except for the herb pots outside my window) but I only have to walk downstairs where I have a selection several produce stands, three\u00a0boucheries,<\/em> and a poissonerie.<\/em>\u00a0 I love that.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"chef<\/p>\n

In addition, while I can think of a lengthy list of dried legumes, flours, sugars, mustards, and honey I would love in my larder, if I had my favorite salt (gros sel de Gu\u00e9rande – large, grey chunks of flavorful sea salt with a hint of minerals hand-combed from the salt beds in Gu\u00e9rande), a fruity, green-hued olive oil from Baux-de-Provence, an aged Balsamic from Modena (that is so rich you can eat it by the teaspoon), and some creamy, yellow butter from Normandy, that combination of 4, in that order, would be ingredient heaven. That is all I need. Four basics and easy access to quality ingredients are part of\u00a0my dream kitchen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lastly, my dream kitchen has to have a place to sit – preferably a large communal table\u00a0 – where hungry people (and people who do not yet know how hungry they are) can gather. As a drew this table on my yellow paper and looked at my short list it became pretty clear: my dream kitchen isn\u2019t about the location or size of the space, it is not about the collection of pots or the appliances, it is the activity in it and the sharing of delicious things with family, friends, clients, all the people that have been a part of the kitchens of my life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then one place, one little kitchen,\u00a0a\u00a0space filled with memories past and to be made, came to\u00a0my mind.\u00a0It is not my own nor did I ever work there. It belongs to my dear friend and her family. For the past eight summers, my daughters and I stay at the beach and\u00a0drive to the hills of Provence to the\u00a0small village of Berre les Alpes\u00a0<\/em>where\u00a0this lovely\u00a0space filled with good people and delicious\u00a0food can be found.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"berre<\/span><\/p>\n

Provence is in the south region of France. It\u00a0includes\u00a0the Luberon in the southwest where it is lush and hilly with goats and cherry trees …<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"chef<\/p>\n

to the C\u00f4te d\u2019Azur in the southeast known for its beaches and boats where you will find places like Saint-Tropez, Cannes, Mougin, and Nice. If you continue past Nice you will find places such as Eze, Beaulieu, Monaco, and Menton before reaching the Italian border.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"chef<\/span><\/p>\n

Berre Les Alpes <\/i>is located in the hills north of Nice. It is a perched village – of which there are so many spread throughout Provence- meaning that it is a stone village positioned on the top of a hill. It looks as if it is hanging from the top of the mountain and sometimes such villages are referred to as \u201changing\u201d villages. The buildings are made of stone. L\u2019eglise<\/em> (church), le<\/em>\u00a0march\u00e9,<\/em> and la<\/em>\u00a0boulangerie<\/em> close by one another are at the center of the village.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"provence<\/span><\/p>\n

The roads leading to Berre<\/i> are narrow and curvy and often require one side of traffic to stop and pull to the side as much as your nerve will let you to allow the approaching car to pass. Driving the curvy road at night is a whole different experience the first few times you dare it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"chef<\/span><\/p>\n

When you reach the top of the hill you come to a hairpin turn in the center of town marked by this\u00a0clock. To the right is the town center. To go to the left is the residential area and you must make a 3-point turn around the clock. Traffic\u00a0stops, without pressure, to allow you to turn; the 3-point turn must be done and everyone respects that.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is here in this perched village where life is simple and quiet. Generations of the inhabitants know one another and celebrate the traditions and ceremonies as their parents and grandparents did.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"chef<\/span><\/p>\n

This kitchen that came to mind is small but functional. There is a little stove, but we primarily used the grill on the patio. Floor to ceiling glass doors open to the large patio which overlooks the Provencal hills of lavender and olive trees. The donkeys and horses cause some commotion next door but not too much. We watch the children run through the hills on the little paths weaving in and out of sight, picking flowers, looking for\u00a0wild boar tracks with the “danger” that one will pop out from behind a bush (at least in their minds the possibility of this danger makes them all very brave and adventurous). By the time the ambitious sun sets, they will be exhausted.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the patio is a large table where various family members spanning three generations, friends, and acquaintances gather.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c\u00c0 table !<\/i>\u201d we shout to the children.\u00a0Adults raise their Proven\u00e7al ros\u00e9 and the children raise their glasses of Grenadine water, a treat reserved for summer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"chef<\/span><\/p>\n

The passed food is simple and served on large dishes in hues of mustard yellow or olive green. The food is from the cooperative market where the neighbors all bring their treasures and everyone samples and swaps: fresh ch\u00e8vre, sausages from local animals, melons and tomatoes that were permitted to fully ripen under the sun, zucchini that I have only been able to find in the south with their blossoms, and locally cured olives. Everything is so flavorful as it is a cook\u2019s job is easy. Life is delicious and ideal. If we are lucky, my friend’s mother makes an apricot tart for dessert that always has the parfait<\/em> amount of sweet and tart.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So there it is – my dream kitchen – inspired by\u00a0a fantastic reality of simplicity, gracious hospitality, and wonderful people we consider family. It seems only fitting that as I think about our summers in Provence that I share with you a classic dish of \u00a0Provence: a Ni\u00e7oise Salad or “Salade de Nice.”<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"chef<\/span><\/p>\n

A Ni\u00e7oise salad is comprised of\u00a0ingredients that are commonplace in Provence: fresh tuna, sweet tomatoes, potatoes, haricots verts (green beans), eggs, and olives.\u00a0Anchovies are a common addition, but anchovies are not as beloved in the States as they are in France, so instead I add fresh herbs, micro-greens, and avocado to my California adapted version. The dressing is a simple mustard tarragon vinaigrette which\u00a0I suggest serving on the side and let your guests dress their own salads (because when you do dress it the tomatoes, eggs, and avocado, begin to fall apart).<\/span><\/p>\n


\n\"chef<\/span><\/p>\n

This salad transports me immediately to the south of France and our dinners on the patio with the complacent Cicadas chirping and the balmy air\u00a0and scent of lavender perfuming our skin while we pass\u00a0chilled ros\u00e9.\u00a0 It may be it the delirious heat of the California sun but I already feel as if I am on vacation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00e0 table !<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

et<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

un tr\u00e8s bon app\u00e9tit…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

LM<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

pour M. et Mme. Broniewski avec amour et gros bisous<\/i><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\"chef<\/span><\/p>\n

Salade Ni\u00e7oise (\u00e0 ma fa\u00e7on)
\n<\/strong>(Salade Ni\u00e7oise, my way)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0serves 6<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

dressing<\/span><\/span>
\n 2 tablespoons red (or white) wine vinegar<\/span>
\n 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard<\/span>
\n 6 tablespoons quality olive oil<\/span>
\n 1 teaspoon gros sel de Gu\u00e9rande, and as needed<\/span>
\n 1-2 teaspoons minced fresh tarragon<\/span><\/p>\n

salad<\/span><\/span>
\n~1 \u00bd pounds sushi-grade Albacore Tuna
\nkosher salt as needed
\nfreshly ground black pepper, as needed<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00bd cup Ni\u00e7oise olives (or cured black olives)<\/span>
\n 1 \u00bd pounds beautiful sun-ripened heirloom tomatoes<\/span>
\n 5 hard-boiled eggs, peeled<\/span>
\n 12 ounces new potatoes<\/span>
\n 6 ounces haricots verts (or blanc)<\/span>
\n 1 ripe avocado<\/span>
\n 1 handful micro-greens or small, tender leaves\u00a0 (such as beet tops, mesclun)<\/span>
\n fresh tender basil leaves, as needed<\/span>
\n chive flowers, as needed<\/span>
\n 10 fresh chives, minced<\/span><\/p>\n