It used to really intimidate me to have to cook for French people. They insist on so many different courses, no matter how casual the meal, and are used to such a high level of quality that they would never dream of some of the heat-n-eat practices that we have adopted here (no such thing as Trader Joe's). But over the years I learned that you make what you know, and use what is available, and in this case, it was all of the wonderful fresh vegetables that were bursting from the stalls at the Farmer's Market.
I made a very easy, seasonal pasta sauce from Patricia Wells' wonderful book, Bistro Cooking. I have made it so many times, that the recipe lives permanently in my head. It simply consists of eggplant, red bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, onion, olive oil, and thyme (which I didn't have, so I used some grilling herbs that I found in the house). It's similar to a ratatouille, in that you simply chop the vegetables and cook them down until they make a sauce. I sweated the eggplant for about 15 minutes, sauteed the onion and garlic in oil, and then threw the rest of the chopped vegetables in and let it simmer for about an hour. It makes a great, light, summer pasta sauce.
I assembled the plates while everyone was enjoying appetizers, and it was very easy to serve. I kept the portions small, unlike the multi-family servings we are used to in the United States. The beauty of having multiple courses during a meal is that you get to try so many different things, over a period of time, and not in pants-bursting quantities.
After the pasta, I served a very simple green salad, consisting of 2 types of lettuces with a lemon/olive oil vinaigrette. The lettuce was so fresh that there were still creatures in it!
I washed each head at least 5 times, and I must have checked each leaf at least that many times just to be sure. It was worth it - the salad was so crisp and fresh.
For the cheese course, we served the nice soft goat's cheese and a tombe de brebis, or aged sheep's milk cheese, with cherry jam. The sheep's milk cheese was a huge hit, and we finished off the wedge with no problem. It was more expensive than cheeses that I am used to buying in France (the equivalent of about $20 for a medium-sized wedge), but worth every Euro.
For dessert, we served an almond cake with lemon and raspberry filling, bought at a favorite bakery in Mirepoix, with a generous dollop of creme fraiche. This was also a big hit, with people very uncharacteristically asking for seconds. I gave them the rest to take home.
Of course, the best part of all was sharing stories and enjoying the day with friends. What a wonderful way to spend a summer afternoon. Sante!
