The Little Paris Bookshop
Page 30
Catherine suspected that the old couple’s sniping was their way of warming up before they fell into each other’s passionate arms on Bastille Day, Christmas and, more recently, even Perdu’s birthday.
The elder Perdus and Jean and Catherine spent the period from 23 December to Twelfth Night in Bonnieux. They passed the days between the years with eating, laughing and talking, interspersed with long walks and wine-tasting sessions, female chatter and male silence. Now a new era was drawing near – again.
The late-winter blooming of the peach trees, when the approaching spring decorates the fruit trees along the Rhône with flowers, is the sign of new beginnings in Provence. Max and Vic had chosen this season of white and red blossoms for their wedding. She had made him woo her for twelve months before she would grant him his first kiss – but things had moved fast from then on.
Max’s first children’s book was published soon after: The Magician in the Garden – A Heroic Book for Children.
It dumbfounded the critics, upset parents and enthralled children and teenagers, who were amused by how worked up figures of authority were over the book. This was because it urged youngsters to challenge everything that grown-ups reacted to with the words: ‘You mustn’t do that!’
Catherine and Jean had combed Provence for an atelier until they finally found one. The main stumbling block had never been the premises themselves, but rather the fact that she wanted the countryside around to be an exact reflection of her and Jean’s inner landscapes. They eventually found a barn adjoining a charming, slightly rundown Provençal farmhouse between Sault and Mazan, with a lavender field to the right of it, a mountain to the left and an uninterrupted view of vineyards and Mount Ventoux out the front. Behind it lay an orchard for their two cats, Rodin and Némirovsky, to patrol.
‘It’s like coming home,’ Catherine had announced to Jean, as with great satisfaction she paid over the majority of the divorce proceeds she had received from the lawyer.
Her sculptures were almost double human size. It was as though Catherine could detect beings trapped in the stone, as though she could see through the unhewn blocks into their soul, hear their cries and feel their hearts beating. Catherine would then begin to chisel them free.
Not all of her creations were likeable.
Hatred. Suffering. Forbearance. The soul reader.
Hang on!
It really was. From a block the size of a banana crate Catherine had released two hands that were forming a shape. Were these seeking, finding fingers reading, caressing or touching words? To whom did they belong? Were they pulling something out, or reaching in?
If you pressed your face to the stone, you could sense that a concealed, bricked-up wall was opening inside yourself. The entrance … to a room?
‘Everybody has an inner room where demons lurk. Only when we open it and face up to it are we free,’ said Catherine.
Jean Perdu looked after her in Provence and in Paris, when the two of them stayed in his old flat in Rue Montagnard. He made sure that Catherine ate and slept well, got together with her girlfriends and cast off her cobwebs of dreams in the morning.
They made love often, with the same concentrated languidness. He knew every inch of her, every perfect and imperfect spot. He stroked and caressed each of those imperfections until her body believed that for him she was the most beautiful woman alive.
When he wasn’t working part-time at the bookshop in Banon, Perdu went hunting. While Catherine was in Paris or sculpting alone on the farm, giving courses, selling art, filing, sanding and correcting, he went prospecting for the world’s most exciting books – in school libraries, concealed among the bequests of gnarled old teachers and blathering fruit growers, in forgotten Aladdin’s caves, and unfurnished homemade bunkers dating from the Cold War.
Perdu had launched his trade in unique books with a facsimile of Sanary’s handwritten manuscript, which had come into his possession by a roundabout route. Samy had insisted that her pseudonym must remain a secret.
With the help of Claudine Gulliver, the auctioneer’s registrar from the fifth floor at 27 Rue Montagnard, Perdu soon found a wealthy collector for this singular work. However, it was Perdu’s subjecting the man to an emotional test before he would sell him the book that had established his reputation as an eccentric book lover, whom even a substantial sum could not persuade to sell to the wrong person. Sometimes dozens of collectors would come clamouring for a book, but Perdu would select the person who struck him as that volume’s ideal friend, lover or patient; the money was secondary.
Perdu travelled from Istanbul to Stockholm, and from Lisbon to Hong Kong, unearthing the most precious, most intelligent and most dangerous books – as well as special ones for bedtime reading.
Often, as right now, Jean Perdu sits in the farmhouse’s summer kitchen, eyes closed, plucking rosemary and lavender flowers, breathing in this most profoundly Provençal fragrance, and writing his Great Encyclopedia of Small Emotions: A Guide for Booksellers, Lovers and Other Literary Pharmacists.
He is making an entry under K: ‘Kitchen solace – the feeling that a delicious meal is simmering on the kitchen stove, misting up the windows, and that at any moment your lover will sit down to dinner with you and, between mouthfuls, gaze happily into your eyes. (Also known as living.)’
RECIPES
The cuisine of Provence is as diverse as its scenery: fish by the coast, vegetables in the countryside, and in the mountains lamb and a variety of staple dishes containing pulses. One region’s cooking is influenced by olive oil, another’s is based on wine, and pasta dishes are common along the Italian border. East kisses West in Marseilles with hints of mint, saffron and cumin, and the Vaucluse is a paradise for truffle and confectionery lovers.
Yet many ingredients unite the culinary traditions of the Rhône valley and the Côte d’Azur: thick, flavoursome olive oil; garlic; many varieties of tomato, some sun-dried, for salads, sauces, soups, tarts, pizzas, fillings and so on; goat’s cheese from Banon and fresh herbs. Provençal cooks never add more than three of these to their roasts and other dishes, but they use sage or lavender, thyme or rosemary, fennel or winter savoury in large quantities.
The following recipes are typical of the region, and their fragrances and colours have marked its history.
BOHÉMIENNE DE LÉGUMES
This is related to ratatouille but is supplemented with aubergine and enhanced with a basil and tomato sauce. It is generally made with finely chopped vegetables of one colour. The taste of this Provençal vegetable dish depends on the quality and intensity of the ingredients. The vegetables must be ‘sun-kissed’; large, flavourless, watery tomatoes will leave the dish tasting bland. The aromas of the fresh herbs are equally essential.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
For the Vegetable Terrine
3 red peppers
3–6 spicy, fruity tomatoes (or one tin of chopped tomatoes)
2 firm aubergines
olive oil
2 large onions
2 small, tasty courgettes
Salt and pepper
Garlic clove, chopped
Fresh thyme
Rosemary (optional)
Bay leaves (optional)
For the Tomato Sauce
500 grams ripe, sweet-and-spicy tomatoes
3 tablespoons mild olive oil
A liberal sprinkling of thyme and basil
PREPARATION
1.
To make the vegetable terrine: Prepare the vegetables (remove the seeds from the peppers and peel them with a potato peeler; soak the tomatoes in hot water and peel) and dice them finely. Dice the unpeeled aubergines, then fry them in hot oil in a large pan for 10–15 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually add the other vegetables. When the vegetables are tender, season with salt and pepper, and add the chopped garlic and thyme. Add the rosemary and bay leaves, if desired. Press into a mould.
2.
To make the tomato sauce: Remove the tomato sk
ins and seeds. In a deep pot over medium heat, heat the oil and gently fry the tomatoes and herbs, reducing them to a thick paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and blend.
3.
Glaze the vegetable terrine with a drizzle of olive oil, and serve with the tomato sauce. This dish goes well with a fresh baguette and crème fraîche.
PISTOU
This is the Provençal soup that brings the warmth back into Samy’s limbs and can raise anyone’s spirits. However, it is not the best option for a romantic dinner; read on to find out why.
Almost everyone in Provence has his or her own pistou recipe. The staple ingredients are beans (green, white or red), courgettes, tomatoes, basil and garlic, but everyone gives the soup a particular twist with fresh seasonal vegetables from the garden or the market, such as pumpkin, turnip and celery. Some people like to cook pistou as you would minestrone, whereas others prefer to use small, fat noodles – gobetti, small macaroni or rigate. Near Nice they like to add a little bacon. The dish’s magic ingredient, though, is the pistou (which means ‘pounded’ in Provençal), a tangy green sauce similar to Italian pesto, but without the pine nuts.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the Vegetable Soup
200 grams carrots
250 grams courgettes
1 leek (or fresh spring onions)
500 grams potatoes
1 onion
200 grams green beans
4 strong-tasting, sweet tomatoes (or half a tin of peeled tomatoes) Tomato purée to taste
Olive oil
3–4 sprigs each of thyme, winter savoury and rosemary
Salt
1 tin (250 grams) white Italian beans
Pepper
For the Paste
2–3 cloves of garlic
½ teaspoon sea salt
3–4 bunches of fresh basil
25 grams fresh Parmesan (or Pecorino, according to taste), plus more for a garnish (optional)
5 tablespoons finest mild olive oil
PREPARATION
1.
To make the vegetable soup: Wash and cut the carrots, courgettes, leek, potatoes, onion and green beans into pieces, rounds or cubes. If using tomatoes, soak the tomatoes in hot water, peel them and dice (or if you prefer, use a tin of good-quality tomatoes). Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the vegetables, herbs and tomato purée (if using) and stir continuously for 10 minutes on a gentle heat. Season with salt to taste.
2.
Rinse the beans in cold water and pat dry with paper towels, then add them to the pot with the other vegetables. Pour in 1½–2 litres of water, cover and leave to simmer for 30–45 minutes (or until the white beans are soft). Season with salt and pepper.
3.
To make the paste: Peel and chop the garlic and blend to a smooth paste. In a medium bowl, mix the garlic paste with the salt, basil leaves and Parmesan. Add the olive oil, and mix well.
4.
Spoon the pistou into four soup bowls. Pour in the hot vegetable soup, and serve. Some people prefer to stir the paste into the soup afterwards. Garnish with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, if desired.
LAMB CUTLETS WITH GARLIC FLAN
The success of a lamb dish depends largely on the quality of the meat and the marinade. Should your butcher not prepare marinades, you’ll find below a couple of ideas for making a delicious marinade of your own. The meat should be left to marinate overnight.
Serves 2 To 3
INGREDIENTS
For the Marinade
2–3 cloves of garlic
A little tomato juice
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2–3 tablespoons runny honey
Pepper
Good-quality olive oil (flavoured with rosemary, garlic, lavender or lemon, say!)
Optional: Dijon mustard, sweet chilli, sweet sherry, balsamic vinegar or a little red wine. Whatever takes your fancy!
For the Lamb Cutlets
1 pound lamb cutlets
4 tablespoons olive oil
For the Garlic Flan
Olive oil
100 grams garlic
115 millilitres milk or cream
Salt and pepper
3 eggs, beaten
Nutmeg
PREPARATION
1.
To make the marinade: Peel the garlic, chop finely and mix with the tomato juice, herbs, honey, pepper, olive oil and the optional ingredients, if desired. Pour the marinade into a 3-litre freezer bag with the lamb cutlets. Seal the bag, place in a bowl in the refrigerator and leave to marinate for a few hours or overnight.
2.
To prepare the lamb cutlets: Heat the oil in a griddle on high heat. Add the cutlets and cook them one minute per side. Take the pan off the heat and set aside for 5 minutes to cool. The cutlets should be pink inside. (In case you’re interested, the author loves to fry them on a raclette grill – perfection!)
3.
To make the garlic flan: In a small pot over low heat, heat the oil. Add the freshly peeled cloves of garlic (see Note) and the milk and heat until they are soft. Press through a sieve and season with salt and pepper. Add the beaten eggs and a pinch of nutmeg to taste.
Pour the mixture into a well-greased soufflé mould, and thicken for 20 minutes in a bain-marie. Leave to cool for 10 minutes, and turn out onto a plate.
4.
Serve with potatoes brushed with olive oil, oven-fried and sprinkled with rosemary and sea salt.
Note: If you choose dried garlic, it is advisable to blanche it in boiling water for 5 minutes, then press it with a fork before adding it to the milk.
LAVENDER ICE CREAM
The lavender ice cream on sale in the ice-cream shops of Roussillon is indeed the intense purple colour of the flowers; it is often dyed with a few drops of blueberry juice. Locally made blueberry-free ice cream is white with purple speckles.
4 servings
INGREDIENTS
1–2 teaspoons dried lavender or 2–4 teaspoons lavender flowers (freshly picked or organic), plus lavender flowers for garnish
200 grams sugar
120 millilitres fresh milk
8 egg yolks (organic, if possible)
225 millilitres cream (yoghurt, if you prefer it to be lighter)
1 handful of blueberries for colouring (optional)
PREPARATION
1.
In a small bowl, blend the lavender with the sugar, and push through a sieve until you have a fine powder. Dissolve the lavender powder in the milk until the crystals no longer ‘crunch’ (you may need to heat the mixture slightly, but avoid boiling). In a separate bowl, beat together the egg yolks and cream (or yoghurt) until smooth. Stir the lavender milk into the egg cream and mix thoroughly. Purée the blueberries and add them to colour the mixture, if desired.
2.
Place the mixture in an ice-cream maker, or leave to set in a freezer compartment, stirring occasionally.
3.
Garnish with lavender flowers for decoration.
Alternative Recipe for
LAVENDER ICE CREAM WITH LAVENDER SYRUP OR LAVENDER HONEY
4 servings
INGREDIENTS
5 tablespoons lavender syrup, plus more for garnish
450 millilitres Greek yoghurt
120 millilitres fresh milk
225 millilitres cream
1 handful of blueberries for colouring (optional)
Lavender honey or flowers, for garnish
PREPARATION
1.
In a medium bowl, stir the lavender syrup into the yoghurt, add milk and cream, and stir until smooth.
2.
Purée the blueberries and add them gradually to colour the mixture, if desired.
3.
Place the mixture in an ice-cream maker or a freezer compartment. Garnish with syrup, flowers or lavender honey prior to serving.
THE THIRTEEN DESSERTS
A typical selection for lei tretze dessèrts, as they are known in Provençal dialect, would be:
•
Raisins (home dried);
•
Dried figs (homegrown);
•
The obligatory nuts: almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts;
•