Provence in California - Georgeanne Brennan

Goat Cheese Souffles, Tomato & Blue Cheese Tart and Stacks of Grilled Eggplant, Peppers & Mozarella

Noted author Georgeanne Brennan gives cooking classes at her home in Provence and in California.  My fellow Master Gardener, Kathie Fitzpatrick, and I attended one of her California classes this week.  Lucky for us, the menu was a celebration of yummy tomato dishes. 

We began by gathering herbs and vegetables from her large garden.  In addition to the above pictured dishes, we made pizzas topped with homemade sausage, fresh tomatoes & basil which were baked in the outdoor pizza oven as well as chicken provencal and ratatouille confit made in a Tajine.

Our morning of toil was rewarded with a delicious repast in the garden complete with a light rose from Provence.

In sum, a good time was had by all!

Planting Trees & Provence

Cezanne - Pine Tree near Aix

He who plants a tree, plants a hope

~Lucy Larcom, "Plant a Tree"

Reading Carol Drinkwater’s books about establishing an olive tree farm in Provence led me on a jag of reading other books about planting trees in Provence.  I ran across a wonderful allegorical tale by Jean Giono, viz., "The Man Who Planted Trees."  The tale recounts the solitary reforestation efforts of a hermit in Provence.  The short story is beautifully written and was made into an Oscar winning animated film, with Christopher Plummer reading Giono’s inspiring story.  The film is available from Netflix or you can watch it for free in three parts on Youtube.  

Plant a tree & eat some olives!  Below is a favorite tapenade recipe adapted from one of Georgeanne Brennan's recipes.  


Green Olive & Almond Tapenade

4 cups pitted green olives 

4 anchovy fillets

1 cup of toasted chopped almonds

1 1/2 tablespoons of minced garlic 

1 tablespoon of rinsed & drained capers 

1 teaspoon of lemon juice 

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend.  The tapenade tastes better if made the day prior to serving.

May Days

"What potent blood hath modest May." Ralph W. Emerson

The garden is awash in blooms: roses, sweet peas, foxglove, sea lavender, nigella, calendula and nasturiums!   The tomato seedlings started in February and transplanted in early April -- albeit with the use of the Wall-o-Waters -- are 4 feet high and laden with blossoms.  A few tiny clusters of cherry tomatoes have formed. I still have a week or so to harvest the remaining artichokes & asparagus and there is plenty of arugula for salads to stave off hunger.

Inspired by Georgeanne Brennan’s book “A Pig in Provence," recounting her early days in Provence establishing her farm and learning to make goat cheese, I tried my hand at making a simple Farmer’s Cheese with goat milk using a variation on a recipe provided by the Fabulous Beekman Boys.   It was delicious & simple to make.  

Farmer’s Cheese with Thyme

Ingredients: 1 gallon of organic goat milk, 1 pinch of salt & the juice of one large lemon

Directions: Pour the goat milk into a stock pot, and whisk in the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  As soon as the mixture begins to boil, turn off the heat & stir in the lemon juice. The goat milk should begin to curdle within a few minutes. Pour the mixture through a sieve lined with cheesecloth.  Squeeze out the liquid (whey) and tie the cheesecloth bag to a wooden spoon suspended over the sieve to allow more of the whey to drain off from the curds. After the whey is drained off, mix in a tablespoon of chopped thyme.    

I plan to serve the cheese with arugula, artichokes & asparagus from the garden and some crostini with ham from Iberica, courtesy of The Spanish Table.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!