We’re celebrating our third summer hosting Coronado Concerts in the Park Culinary Challenges, with our foodie group joining forces for unbelievable gourmet picnics every Sunday afternoon. During the week leading up to the Sunday concert, it’s all about researching, planning, shopping, and preparing the ultimate dish based on an ingredient, country, region, chef, or other theme we have concocted after too many glasses of wine.
Speaking of wine, the pink wine was flowing freely as we launched our first challenge of the summer season, A Taste of Provence. John and I secured our coveted spot near the blooming Jacaranda tree by 4:00 p.m., and I dressed the main table with a tablecloth and vase of sunflowers and lavender sprigs.
The park was still fairly quiet, enough to hear the kids playing at the playground in the far corner and the blue herons squawking in their nesting tree by the library. It was a brief calm before the storm…
Jim and Carmen were next to arrive with a steaming Le Creuset Dutch oven full of Poor Man’s Bouillabaisse, also known as Bourride de Séte or “fish stew like they make it in Séte.” Like many Mediterranean fish soups, Bourride Séte is finished with rouille, a flavorful sauce which means “rust.” It’s a spicy, orange paste made with pepper, saffron, and garlic incorporated with egg yolks, dry bread and olive oil. Aioli, a rich garlic-mayonnaise, is used along with crème fraiche to thicken and flavor the broth and serve as a table condiment.
As our friends continued to arrive, Provencal dishes in tow, John offered glasses of Ricard, a liqueur flavored with a subtle blend of star anise from China, licorice from the Mediterranean, and aromatic herbs from Provence. Careful, that stuff will hurt you!
After everyone finished their aperitif, we uncorked various Vins de Provence and fired up the grill for my socca offering. According to David Lebovitz, famous food blogger and author living The Sweet Life in Paris, “…for any wine snobs out there that think it’s folly to serve wine in cups instead of glasses haven’t had the pleasure of standing near a wood-burning oven, eating a blistering-hot wedge of socca with a non-recyclable tumble of wine. Preferably served over ice, Marseille-style.”
We did our best to recreate the pleasure of drinking Rosé in plastic tumblers, while eating torn shards of Socca hot off the grill, drizzled with olive oil and showered with coarse salt and pepper. Who knew that garbanzo bean flour, seasoned with a touch of smoky cumin, and mixed with water and olive oil, could be so flavorful and addictive.
For my second dish, I strayed with a non-traditional version of Salad Niçoise, featuring Seared Ahi Tuna with a Lavender-Pepper Crust, and drizzled with Tyler Florence’s Niçoise Vinaigrette.
Inspired by another wonderful food blogger, Helen of Tartelette, we sampled Mom’s Petits Farcis a la Provencal, Provencal Filled Zucchinis, stuffed with a mixture of sausage, shallots, garlic, shitake mushrooms, tomatoes, brown rice, and fresh herbs.
Alec and Nina’s Moules Marinières with Parsley were heavenly, especially with a slice of crusty bread and Barefoot Contessa’s version of Rouille. And we can’t forget Kai’s Pissaladiere, the classic olive, anchovy, and onion pizza, or Brent’s Ratatouille…
By now, as you can imagine, we were floating on rosé highs and pleasantly stuffed. We sat back in our chairs, listened to the band, and then tackled the desserts Chocolate Lavender Cake, Gâteau aux carrottes, Tarte Tropézienne with Basil, Vanilla and Orange Blossom Crème Pâtissière, and impressive sand-dollar shaped loaves of Pompe à l’huile, a sweet olive-oil bread.
This is our summer entertainment, one glorious Sunday at a time. How do you spend yours?
For the complete blog post, photos, recipes and links, please visit There’s a Newf in My Soup! Enjoy your summer!
