Posts tagged provence
Back to Provence – Tian Provencal and tapenade tartine
Jul 24th
De retour en Provence – Tian Provençal et tartine de tapenade
Tian is a traditional dish from Provence, and should be made in a clay dish…since I just broke mine, I had to use a Pyrex one. The vegetables are sliced thinly, placed upright and cooked in the oven for a long time. You can add goat cheese as well, but I wanted to keep it vegan and light, so to get additional Mediterranean flavors, I served it with a tapenade tartine. This is a very simple dish to make yet delicious due to the slow cooking of the vegetables and all the herbs that have infused in it.
Of course, there are various recipes for tian, some people don’t add onions, but fennel, or potatoes, but tomatoes, zucchini and eggplants should always be around. You can play around with herbs, cheese, etc…but I wanted to keep it simple. Sometimes I like simple flavors and don’t want to add too many intricate and complex flavors into a dish. The slow cooking turned the vegetable almost “confits” in the herbs and own juices.
Usually tians are served with grilled meats or fishes, they add wonderful aromas to a dish. I have to admit that I ate the whole tian by myself and was still hungry. Usually this would be sufficient for four, if you serve it with a fish or meat, or also rice in case you want to keep it vegetarian. It really depends on how much vegetables your guests can eat. Quand on aime, on ne compte pas, that’s what the French say, when you love, you don’t count…which is true for many things. The tapenade tartine is a nice element if you want to keep your meal vegan, that olive spread is simply divine with this tian.
Ingredients for 3-4
- 3 large tomatoes, sliced crosswise
- 3 zucchini, sliced crosswise
- 2 medium eggplants, sliced crosswise
- 1 onion,
- lavender salt
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 tsp basil, chopped finely
- 2 tbs olive oil
- pepper
For the tapenade, see recipe here
Preparation
Spread some olive oil, all over the dish, preferably a clay dish.
Place all vegetables upright in the dish, alternating between a slice of tomato, two slices of zucchini (since the zucchini tend to be smaller), one slice of eggplant, and onion. The vegetables need to be tightly arranged so they stand still.
Add herbs and garlic, sprinkle with lavender salt and pepper. Add olive oil all over the vegetables.
Cover with aluminium foil and cook in a pre heated oven at 365-370 for about 40-45 minutes. Remove the foil and let the vegetables get golden brown.
The entire Provence in a jar – Lavender yogurt with peach-apricot compote
Jun 16th
Toute la Provence dans un pot – Yaourt à la lavande sur lit de pêche-abricot
Lavender simply evokes Provence. Wherever I go, if I see lavender, that makes me think about the South of France but particularly about Provence, its wonderful lavender fields and cicadas singing. I adore Provence, its picturesque medieval villages, its natural light, wonderful cuisine and friendliness of its inhabitants…but most of all, the delicious sensation of the Provencal sun caressing your skin with a light breeze, making it pure heaven. I think that’s one thing I really miss about Mediterranean climate, being able to dress lightly until midnight without wearing any sweater sipping a Pastis…that is true happiness.
Does anyone know where the last picture has been shot? It’s a famous city in the South of France…
So to celebrate Provence, I wanted to make something combining summer and Southern fruits like peaches, apricots and lavender flavor; and this delightful yogurt has all of it in one bite.
Homemade yogurt can be made in many different ways, in a pressure cooker, in the oven, and of course in a yogurt maker, like I do. Well, it’s the easiest way to make them and the only way I know not to fail them, so why take the complicated route when you can take the easy one? There is definitely nothing better than homemade yogurts, nothing to compare with store bought yogurts, they can be creamy, thicker, depending on the time you leave them to incubate, and the amount of powdered milk you use. I have been substituting powder milk with evaporated milk and it works quite well.
Ingredients for 8 yogurts
- 4 cups milk
- 1 plain yogurt or 1 bag of lactic ferments
- 6 tbs evaporated milk
- 2 tbs unsweetened condensed milk
- 3 yellow well ripe peaches, peeled and cut in pieces
- 2 apricots, cut in pieces
- 2 tbs sugar + 2 for the milk
- 2 tbs lavender
Preparation
In a pan combine peaches, apricots and sugar and cook to obtain a thick mixture. Remove from heat and let it cool.
Boil milk with lavender, then remove from heat and let it cool to less than 45C. Drain to remove lavender flowers.
In a mixing container, mix yogurt with condensed milk, evaporated milk and sugar. Add gradually milk.
Divide the fruit compote in each jar, then pour carefully milk mixture. Place yogurt in yogurt maker and let it incubate for about 8 hours. Remove from yogurt maker, place lids on and place in the refrigerator for about 3 hours.
