Patricia Wells Cookbook Video

Insight: I interview Patricia Wells in Paris 12 years ago! plus recipe from her Salad as a Meal....

Hello,

I have been blessed throughout my life to meet some of the greats, dine at their restaurants, and talk to them about food and their process for writing their cookbooks. One of the best interviews I ever did was with someone who I had idolized for years. I had all of Patricia Wells’ cookbooks, and almost every page was earmarked. So when I had the chance to meet her at her studio in Paris and interview her, 12 years ago, about her new cookbook Salad As A Meal, I jumped at the chance. Salad As A Meal was a compelling concept: light and delicious main-course salads as a healthy fresh alternative to more traditional fare. It was packed with ideas and recipes inspired by her Provençal garden and the requests from her students in her cooking classes.

Patricia: “The French have eaten salads for meals for centuries, with sausages, ham and cheese and greens mixed in. It’s a lighter way to eat that doesn’t have to be boring.”

Click here to watch the video we did together. It’s not too long, and it is fascinating in so many ways to see that what she recommended then is still so vital and pertinent today. As you will hear, I drove through most of France visiting her recommendations, a process that peeled back the veneer of French cuisine and introduced me to tiny joints, grand venues, butchers, inn keepers, and anyone and everyone along the way that had a passion for food. Enjoy the following recipe from Salad As A Meal:

Patricia Wells’ Cobb Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 1/2 ounces smoked bacon, rind removed, cut into matchsticks (3/4 cup)
1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped (4 cups)
2 ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 large ripe avocado, halved, pitted, peeled and cubed
4 ounces chilled blue cheese (preferably Roquefort), crumbled (1 cup)
4 small spring onions or scallions, white part only, trimmed, peeled and cut into thin rounds
Yogurt & Lemon Dressing (see below)
Coarse, freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

For the dressing:

1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

In a jar, combine yogurt, lemon juice and salt. Cover with lid and shake to blend. Use immediately with the following salad.

In a large, dry skillet, brown the bacon over moderate heat until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to several layers of paper towels to absorb the fat. Blot the top of the bacon with several layers of paper towels to absorb any additional fat. Set aside.

In a large, shallow bowl, combine the bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, cheese and spring onions. Toss with just enough dressing to lightly and evenly coat the ingredients. Season generously with pepper, and serve.

Favorite flavor/product of the week: Kewpie Mayo

Making my own mayonnaise is so easy and fast it’s usually the way I roll. However, I do keep two kinds of store-bought mayonnaise in my refrigerator: Hellman’s, out of nostalgia and liking the sweet taste, and Kewpie, from Japan, for its taste. Because it is made with only egg yolks, and not the whole egg, it has a rich flavor and creamy texture I love. I would totally squeeze some into Patricia’s Lemon Yogurt dressing recipe above for a little depth. And there are some tempting salad dressings on the Kewpie website that I am going to try soon, including a Yuzu Kasha Dressing that has a jalapeño/citrus flavor and an Onion Garlic Creamy Dressing.

Tip: if your Kewpie bottle says “two way chef cap”, make sure to open the top then open again to discover a star shape opening so that when you squeeze the mayonnaise out it creates a decorative star shape.

I like to squiggle it over open face sandwiches, as a final flourish over deviled eggs, homemade sushi, and Asian bowls I toss together for dinner. I also mix it up with other ingredients for dips, including blending it with roasted garlic and a touch of ketchup or with curry powder or sriracha sauce for french fries and crab cakes. Click here for a good background article to read about it.

What I find interesting is that the South’s favorite mayonnaise, Duke’s, has a similar flavor and ingredient profile to Kewpie. Although not at all the same, it comes close. It has more egg yolks than most American commercial mayonnaise brands, it has a more custardy texture, some cider vinegar and a dash of paprika.

So my second cookbook review this week is for The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook: 75 Recipes Celebrating the Perfect Condiment!

So surprised to find it. I have always added mayonnaise when forming hamburgers, so I passed by that recipe and I frequently add mayo to scrambled eggs, so I passed by that recipe. I was looking for something I wouldn’t normally think of. And I found it.

Pimento Cheese. I have never tasted it, and never made it, so it was a perfect choice to test Duke’s mayonnaise in the recipe. It was awesome. Here’s the recipe for you to try from The Duke’s Mayonnaise Cookbook:

Pimento Cheese

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) block extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated on a box grater

4 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated on a box grater

1 tablespoon grated onion

1 (4 ounce) jar diced pimentos, drained

1/2 cup Duke’s mayonnaisse

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Combine the cheeses, onion and pimentos in a bowl.

Stir together the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and cayenne pepper in a separate small bowl. Pour over the cheese mixture and stir well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve or up to 3 days.

It was delicious. But how to use it? My friend in Charleston said her grandmother would serve it with Ritz crackers. Another friend said her mother used to use it as a sandwich filling on white bread. I tried it heaped on a burger with a slice of really sweet ripe tomato and it was eye opening.

Next on the list to try from the cookbook? Plum Upside Down Cake and Southern Crab Cakes. If you are already a fan of Duke’s mayonnaise, I think you will love this very friendly book. Cheerfully illustrated, really well laid out, the recipes work, and interesting stories make it a keeper.

Here’s one reason to upgrade to paid. I am working on another cookbook proposal and this is a great time to start following my progress to learn how it works. The paid subscription includes a new weekly section dedicated to how to write a cookbook, how to get an agent, how to write recipes, how to, how to, how to……so if you are interested hop on board!!! I will be adding new sections as time goes on.

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