August is the month when I travel worldwide to seek out bakers and chefs. Unfortunately, like me, a lot of them are out traveling on their vacation, as well. Lucky for me, Marseille's Maison St. Honoré, I found baker Pierre Ragot hard at work. He kindly welcomed me into his kitchen, we shared thoughts and bread. Later, returning to my hotel, I turned on to see him being interviewed by a television news crew. I felt lucky to have gotten there first.
Pierre Ragot from Jeremy Shapiro on Vimeo.
Arriving in Marseille the first stop in Provence, we were hungry. Lunch hour was in full swing. We thought we'd get a seat in the restaurant at the hotel, rated by both Michelin and Gault Millau. Bad luck. It was solidly booked. So we reserved for later that evening and ended up returning a day later for lunch. Excellent meals, from food to service. Oh, yes, here's the name; Relais 50. And the kitchen under Chef Noël Baudrand and crew. Here is what we ate from the "Decouverte" menu.
Hot summer days. Great for spicy chicken wings. Below are shots from a batch I made, inspired by David Chang along with the rising Filipino food guy, Erwan Heusaff, known as a traveler, diver and cook. Air Fried is simple , kick ass and delicious.
Baking bread is second nature to me, all but at work... mercurial temperatures, staff, and time can get the better of my skills, where I decided to not even try, till I hit on some good yeast and fermentation this year. Trick is to let the fermentation take it's time and not mensch or watch a boiling pot of water. There will be bread.
I’ll be back, annual August vacation!
This soup isn’t a recipe per say, but simply a few basic ingredients and flavors whirred in my blender and garnished simply. A guest requested the recipe and I jotted it down.
Chilled avocado And cucumber soup
Combine these ingredients in a good blender (e.g. a Vitamixer), and thin out with liquids together or separately, depending on your taste. I used a bit of orange juice and cold chicken stock but water is fine. Don’t forget to season finally with salt and pepper.
Recent Comments