- Gourmet Entertains: Provençal Easter Menu; Alsatian Menu
- Gourmet Travels: Jack Turner Enjoys Vin Jaune in the High Jura; Bill McKibben Eats Baguettes in Perche
- Seasonal Kitchen: Bistro Favorites
- Techniques: Bread-Baking Tips from Richard Bertinet
- Colman Andrews on Jean-Pierre Silva
- Restaurants: Chicago; Houston; New York; Seattle; Westchester, NY; and York Beach, ME
- The Perfect Omelet
- Kitchen Notebook: Easy Soufflés; Simple Classic Sauces
- The Last Touch: Butter and Sugar
“The French food that fascinated us back then, however, was not the haute cuisine of restaurants. What Americans really longed to taste was the simpler fare found in the French countryside. They hungered for a bit of bistro food. But for that they had to go to France, because honest French food cooked in the simplest manner was impossible to make in America,” says Ruth Reichl in “From Vexing to Voilà” (page 28), her editor’s letter for Gourmet’s March issue. “What has changed is this: With the advent of great American products, it is as easy to make this food in the United States as it is in France.”
Gourmet Entertains includes two menus. In “Spring Awakening” (page 90), Gourmet food editor Paul Grimes showcases a sophisticated Provençal Easter menu with irresistible recipes for: Spiced Orange Wine; Onion Tart with Mustard and Fennel; Provençal Fish Soup with Saffron Rouille; Rack of Lamb with Swiss Chard; Roasted Red Peppers; Roasted-Garlic Soufflé; and Meyer Lemon Cake with Lavender Cream. In “Alsatian Sensation” (page 118), Gourmet test kitchen director Ruth Cousineau presents a rich Alsatian-inspired menu, combining German heartiness and French delicacy, that includes: Trout Choucroute; Chicken in Riesling; Red and White Endive Salad; and Pear and Almond Tart.
Gourmet Travels: In “Jura the Obscure” (page 102), Jack Turner, author of Spice: The History of a Temptation, attends the annual Percée, held on the first Sunday in February, where Jura residents gather in the mountains on the French-Swiss border to celebrate the opening of their vin jaune, a unique 6-year-old yellow wine specific to the region, in addition to delicacies such as fresh Mont d’Or cheese and absinthe. “The Details” (page 109) recommends where to stay, eat, and source in Jura. In “Small World” (page 124), Bill McKibben, a noted environmentalist and author of The End of Nature and The Age of Missing Information, among other works, travels to Perche, a subregion of Normandy, to explore the culinary, economic, and environmental impact of France’s famed AOC (appellation d’origine contrôlée) designation and sample the baguette du Perche. “The Details” (page 130) notes where to stay and eat in Perche.
In Seasonal Kitchen: “Bienvenue” (page 110), Gourmet travel food editor Shelley Wiseman offers recipes for French bistro favorites to enjoy at home: Entrecôte Béarnaise (Pan-Seared Rib-Eye Steak with Béarnaise); Pommes Pailles (Shoestring Potatoes); Salade Tiède Aux Oeufs en Meurette (Warm Frisée-Lardon Salad with Poached Eggs in Red-Wine Sauce); Poulet Provençal (Braised Chicken with Tomatoes and Olives); Pot-au-Feu; Saumon aux Lentilles (Salmon with Lentils and Mustard-Herb Butter); and Profiteroles with Coffee Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce.
In Techniques: “Breadwinner” (page 57), two Gourmet food editors present what they learned from a week long bread-baking class with Richard Bertinet, a master baker from Brittany, who has a cooking school in Bath, England. Log on to gourmet.com to see Bertinet’s demonstration of his basic sweet dough. Recipes include: Sweet Dough; Orange and Mint Loaves; Mint Butter; and Bacon “Pastry Slices.”
In Menu: “Cannes Do” (page 38), Gourmet contributing editor Colman Andrews profiles Jean-Pierre Silva, one of the first top chefs to scale back from a Michelin-starred restaurant in order to focus on smaller, more casual venues. Silva now works with his daughter at La Plage L’Ondine, a beachfront bistro in Cannes that uses the best local ingredients to elevate traditional dishes.
Restaurant News (page 44) features the restaurants that Gourmet is talking about this month in: Chicago; Houston; New York; Seattle; Westchester, NY; and York Beach, ME.
In “Chasing Perfection” (page 65), Francis Lam searches for the perfect French omelet technique—from practicing on guests to sitting down with legendary French chef Daniel Boulud. “Perfection as an Omelet” (page 69) provides tips.
Kitchen Notebook includes “Soufflé Secrets” (page 132), offering advice for easy soufflés; and “Sauce Primer” (page 133), highlighting three classic French sauces made simple: Béarnaise Sauce, Dijon Pan Sauce, and Red-Wine Sauce.
The Last Touch: “The Dynamic Duo” (page 144) includes dishes featuring two main ingredients—butter and sugar—that, when mixed together, can create delicious recipes: Butter and Sugar Crêpes; Butter Cake; Lemon-Sugar Galette; and Butter-Almond Ice Cream.
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