I had forgotten about this blueberry tart.  I forgot how I made this tart over and over last summer.  When I happened upon the recipe again last week, I ran out immediately to buy two pints of blueberries.  And if you decide to make this tart, please, use the best, high fat sour cream you can find--none of this low-fat or non-fat stuff!

The recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks, Chez Nous--Homecooking from the South of France, by Lydie Marshall.

                               TARTE AUX MYRTILLES
            (Blueberry Tart from Chez Nous by Lydie Marshall)

1/4 cup whole unskinned almonds
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
One 9 to 10-inch unbaked tart shell (see recipe for my favorite below)
4 cups blueberries
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar
1 cup sour cream mixed with 2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

1.  In the bowl of a food processor, process the almonds, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the flour until the almonds are finely ground.
2.  Sprinkle the almond mixture in the unbaked tart shell and cover with the blueberries.  Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar over the berries.
3.  Place the tart on the bottom rack of the oven and lower the temperature to 400 degrees.  Bake for about 30 minutes OR until the bottom crust is golden (peek by gently lifting the tart with a long narrow spatula or the blade of a long knife).
4.  Sprinkle the tart with confectioners' sugar before serving it with a bowl of sweetened sour cream.

                                      TART DOUGH

2 tablespoons almonds
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 1/3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 tablespoons ice water

Grind the almonds in a food processor.  Add the flour and salt and process briefly.  Add the butter and process until the butter resembles small peas.  Do not over-process.  Add the water slowly, while pulsing the mixture.  You may not use all of the water if it is a humid day.  As soon as the dough begins to come together, turn off motor.  Flatten dough and wrap in plastic and refrigerate for two hours before rolling dough. 

I am always in search of olive oil when I am in France and usually haul home several.  This past trip was no different.  Two of the oils I bought were purchased at an outdoor market.  One was purchased in Malaucene and the other in Carpentras.  Our friends Maria and Dieter have spoken often of their favorite olive oil that is produced in France near the charming Provencal village of Maussanes Les Alpilles.  Since Maussanes was on our way to Arles, where we spent our last night in France before returning to Germany, we naturally planned a stop to visit the mill and salesroom where the oil is produced and sold. 

Once you reach Moulin Mas Des Barres, you drive through the grove of olive trees...

until you reach the buildings that house the mill, salesroom, commercial kitchen and dining room.   I peeked into the kitchen where they  were assembling desserts.  We were told that Mas Des Barres prepares lunch for tours of 30 or more people.

I would have been very happy sitting at this table with a  French baguette and a glass of wine.

      The cafe table and chairs were covered by a canopy of fig trees.

How I wish figs would grow in Minnesota!

There was a charming salesroom (I could find a place for that cupboard somewhere in my house!)...

                               that sold regional food items...

                             soaps in the shape of olives...

and of course, Moulin Mas Des Barres Olive Oil.

Owner/manager Rene Ouenin spoke with us (or I should say my daughter, since he spoke no English) about this area of Provence.  His home is right next door.  I tried to imagine what it would be like waking up every morning on this incredible property.  He seemed very proud and rightly so.  If you're driving through the Alpilles between St. Remy de Provence and Marseilles, I urge you to take the small backroads through the mountains and explore this special area of France.

                              GRILLED BALSAMIC CHICKEN
                     ( adapted from Cottage Living, March 2005)

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup chopped scallions
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard

1.  Rinse chicken, and pat dry.  Place in a gallon-size zip-top plastic bag.  Combine chicken broth and next 8 ingredients in a mixing bowl. 
2.  Reserve 1/2 cup marinade; pour remaining marinade over chicken.  Seal bag, and refrigerate up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.
3.  Grill chicken until cooked through, basting with reserved 1/2 cup marinade every few minutes.

This summer I think I have been eating more blueberries than I ever have.  There is a large bowl of freshly washed berries setting out on my kitchen table and every time I walk by, I scoop up a handful of blueberries to eat  -- as if they were just picked from the plant.  But blueberries are also wonderful when baked. 

In this tart I combined blueberries with nectarines, a favorite of mine, along with a rich custard. 

                  BLUEBERRY and NECTARINE CUSTARD TART

1 partially baked 9-inch tart shell
3 large eggs
5 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large nectarines, halved and sliced
1/2 pint blueberries

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2.  Whisk the eggs until blended.  Whisk in the sugar, then add the heavy cream and vanilla, mixing gently.
3.  Cover the bottom of the tart shell with a single layer of nectarine slices.  Sprinkle blueberries on top.  Slowly pour the custard into the tart shell.  You probably will not use all of the custard. 
4.  Bake the tart, which has been placed on a cookie sheet in the center of the oven, for approximately 30-40 minutes, or until custard is set and beginning to brown slightly.  Cool for about 15 minutes before eating. 

Yes, yes, I know.  After July 4th you should not cut rhubarb and let the plants regenerate.  But really....

Do these plants look like they're suffering?  This is just half of my rhubarb.

I've done the rhubarb compotes, the rhubarb pies, the rhubarb upside-down cakes, so when my friend Kathy stopped by last week for dinner and told me about the rhubarb slush she drank at a wedding, I thought... this is it!  I'm going into rhubarb slush production!  I searched the web looking for recipes, and there were hundreds; the majority of which included strawberry jello.  I chose to leave that ingredient out of my slush.  What we drank out on the patio last night was very, very good; just what I hoped for, and even tho' we enjoyed a beautifully cool evening, this is a refreshing drink that is perfect for a hot summer day.  If you are inundated with rhubarb, I suggest you go into slush production as well.  Sit outdoors with family and friends and enjoy!

                                      RHUBARB SLUSH

8 cups rhubarb, diced
1 pound organic strawberries, halved
5 cups water
3/4 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 cups sugar
8 tablespoons frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
2 cups vodka
1 cup rhubarb compote, optional

Combine rhubarb, strawberries, water, lemon juice and sugar in a large pot and simmer until rhubarb is tender.  Drain mixture through a fine mesh sieve, pushing on the solids to extract as much juice as possible.  Discard solids.  Return liquid to the pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Cool, then stir in lemonade concentrate and vodka.  Pour the slush into a freezer-proof container and freeze.  The mixuture will not freeze solid because of the vodka.  I stirred a cup of rhubarb compote into the slush mixture and I highly recommend that or possibly mashing up fresh strawberries and stirring that into the slush, but it's totally optional....  Scoop slush into large glasses and top off with soda of your choice.  I used Key Lime Soda from Whole Foods. 

               TORTELLINI and VEGETABLES with VINAIGRETTE

1 pound cheese or meat-filled tortellini
2 cups broccoli flowerets
1 1/4 cups finely julienned carrots
1 1/2 tablespoons thinly-sliced scallion
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons minced parsley
2 teaspoons minced fresh basil or 1/8 teaspoon dried
1 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper

1.  Cook tortellini; Drain immediately and rinse under cool running water.  Drain well.  Reserve in large bowl.
2.  Steam broccoli about 3 minutes.  Drain.  Rinse under cold water.  Steam carrots, about 1 minute.  Rinse under cold water.  Add broccoli, carrots and scallions to tortellini.
3.  Whisk oil, vinegar and mustard in a bowl.  Whisk in herbs and seasonings.  Pour vinaigrette over salad; toss gently to mix.  Refrigerate, covered, at least 2 hours.  Remove from refrigerator at least 2 hours before serving. 

Every morning I awake with good intentions to accomplish many of the things on my "to-do" list.  But it's finally summer and all I really want to do is be in my garden and sit on my patio enjoying meals made with my garden's bounty.  During the school year weeknights can be extremely harried, but once summer arrives and our fast-paced lives slow down, I find myself asking friends to come over for a drink on the patio. 

I make this Italian White-Bean Spread often during the summer and will have it on hand to serve with crackers or raw vegetables when friends drop by. 

                                   WHITE-BEAN SPREAD
   (Once Upon a Tart by Frank Mentesnana and Jerome Audureau)

2 15-ounce cans white beans
3 tablespoons or more olive oil
1 garlic clove, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1.  Drain and rinse the canned beans in a colander.
2.  Place the beans, oil, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, and blend until you have a smooth, spreadable puree.  Add a touch more olive oil if the spread is too thick. 

I feel as though I'm not as adventurous as I used to be in my baking.  I was always trying new recipes.  But over the years you find things that are just so good, you have no reason to search for anything else.  That's how I feel about this flourless chocolate cake. It's easy, it goes together quickly and it tastes delicious.  It's not the most attractive cake.  The base is always a bit uneven.  But with a good sifting of cocoa powder you notice it less, and after you take a bite you don't care at all. 

Yesterday I served the cake with freshly-whipped cream and organic raspberries, but I also like it with raspberry or mango sorbet. It would be delicious in a pool of creme anglaise, but eaten on it's own, unadorned, is just fine too. 

                           FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
                              (from Gourmet Magazine)

4 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs (at room temperature)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus additional for sprinkling

1.  PREHEAT the oven to 375 degrees and butter an 8-inch round baking pan.  Line bottom with a round of wax paper and butter paper.
2.  Chop chocolate into small pieces.  In a double boiler melt chocolate with butter, stirring, until smooth.  Remove top of the double boiler and whisk sugar into chocolate mixture.  Add eggs and whisk well.  Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over chocolate mixture and whisk just until combined.  Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes, or until top has formed a thin crust.  Cool cake in pan on rack 5 minutes and invert onto a serving plate.
3.  Dust cake with additional cocoa powder and serve with sorbet or whipped cream, if desired.
4.  Cake keeps, after being cooled completely, in an air-tight container, 1 week.

I'm always making a list of "my favorites" after a trip.  Chez Serge was my favorite restaurant.  I drank my favorite cappuccino in Bonn, Germany (Big surprise, I did not have a good coffee in France!  What's that all about?).  My favorite day was the one when we headed to Venasque in the morning and ended up in Rousillon in the late afternoon, after winding our way through the Luberon National Park with many little stops inbetween.  Susan and I would both agree that Patisserie Jouvaud in Carpentras was the best pastry shop we encountered on this trip and our favorite.  

        Most days we went there in the early morning for our pastry,

             and again in the early evening for something savory.

                  I'll take you on a little tour of the pastry shop...

                          Can you see why it's "my favorite"?

                        Yes, sometimes I eat just this for dinner.

                                       BANANA-BEAN DIP
    (adapted from a very, very old Sunday NY TIMES Magazine article)

2 Chorizo sausages,chopped or about 1/2 lb. bulk chorizo sausage
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
half of a 4-ounce can of chopped green chili peppers
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ripe bananas

1. Saute' sausage for 5 minutes.  Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, chilies and tomato sauce and cook another 5 minutes.  Add mashed beans and mashed bananas.
2.  Add water to thin the mix, if desired.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes and serve warm with tortilla chips.  Dip is also excellent served along with grilled Iowa pork chops.