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THE MAIN ARGUMENT  I know of no other dish that captures as wonderfully the essence of thyme. Paired here with one of its favourite partners, lamb.

A TAD OF HISTORY  In this recipe, you will discover a dish swathed in the incomparable flavours of sun, sea, garrigue and the countless valleys in the Provence hinterland.  Not to mention the rice fields of the Crau plain (see THIS blogentry for a recipe). Few cuisines are as evocative as that of Provence – one cannot help but think of its dialects, and of its literature, with Mistral or Pagnol, recipient of the 1904 Nobel Prize. Or Peter Mayle, of course. A recipe for tapenade, one of Provence’s iconic dishes, was published by Tablonomie in 2022 (here’s the link).

THE TABLONOMIC SIGNATURE  …is the magical triangle of thyme, lamb and bacon, prepared with remarkable simplicity.

You will need a cast iron Dutch oven with a lid that closes tightly. The size will vary depending on the number of racks of lamb you intend to prepare.

INGREDIENTS (multiply by the number of racks):

• 1 rack of lamb, frenched
• 1  50g slab of smoked bacon (from the butcher’s)
• approx. 200g vegetable stock and a little extra
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
• a glass of red wine
• a great quantity of fresh thyme
• pepper and salt

PREPARATION  (Recipe for rack of lamb braised with thyme, STEP BY STEP):

1 Slice the bacon into thick strips and render its fat in a cast iron Dutch oven with the garlic over a very low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Reserve the bacon and increase the temperature. Sear the lamb for 5 minutes over high heat, season with pepper (and salt if necessary), then remove and wrap well in thick aluminium foil. Discard the garlic.

2 In the same fat but over low heat, sauté the chopped onion until lightly browned, deglaze with stock and boil down to a quarter. Meanwhile, dice the bacon. Unwrap the meat and return it to the Dutch oven, throw in  the diced bacon, add lots of fresh thyme and close tightly. Simmer for 10 minutes over very low heat without opening. Then, deglaze with a little red wine.

3 Lift out the lamb. Discard the thyme. If necessary, concentrate the juices to obtain a good sauce texture. Slice the rack into chops, garnish with small cubes of bacon and coat with sauce.

NOTE:

Serve with courgettes stuffed with ricotta and Herbes de Provence, or sautéed potatoes and ratatouille (pictured), or Camargue rice.

If your lid isn’t pretty airtight, you can lute the rim with dough, which may then be served as a crunchy accompaniment if not too blackened.

In a cast-iron Dutch oven, this recipe may also be cooked over a wood fire or on a barbecue grate (place embers on the lid as well, in both cases).

WINE PAIRING:

In The Flavour Thesaurus, we read on thyme: ‘…thymol is a key component of the flavour of thyme, just as it is part of the flavour of lamb, and [we] can detect notes of thyme in certain red wines from the southern Languedoc.’ This naturally directs to us to a powerful Corbières from the foothills of the Pyrenees, such as the legendary and mysterious N°3 from the Castelmaure cooperative (pictured).

Photo © c.m. 2024

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Better to have an excellent Beef Stroganoff at home than a mediocre one in a restaurant… the secret lies in the service à la minute.

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THE MAIN ARGUMENT  Reviving a dish that has unfortunately gone out of fashion, but undoubtably cuts a dash. Sauté the meat is a bit tricky but perfectly manageable – the key is to be quick and serve within seconds.

A BIT OF HISTORY The dish’s origin (as early as 18th century) is unknown. Count Stroganov, after whom it is named, lived in Odessa (Ukraine), but the recipe was immortalised by a French chef in St Petersburg… Be that as it may, by the 20th  beef Stroganoff had conquered the world. This recipe is a Zurich version – Tablonomie’s composite of the dish as prepared at the table by François, the excellent maître d’ of the famous Kronenhalle restaurant in the 1970s, and Elisabeth Fülscher’s recipe dating from 1923. Gault et Millau (1983) offer a very similar version, without mushrooms.

TABLONOMIE’S SIGNATURE : Flambé with cognac – for taste and panache!

GUILTY PLEASURE :  Serve Beef Stroganoff with rich homemade tajarin (divine Italian pasta). Tablonomie’s recipe is here (in French).

TIP : There’s no need to break the bank for fillet – but the beef must be of high quality.  Your butcher will advise. Never buy meat at the supermarket for this recipe.

Tricks: Place all the ingredients within easy reach before starting to cook.

To sear the beef, a heavy stainless steel sauté/frying pan /skillet will be useful.

INGREDIENTS:

• 600 g beef (fillet or other high-quality cut), cut into strips or cubes
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 200 g champignons (button mushrooms)
• 2 large, ripe tomatoes
• 20g butter
• 40 g clarified butter
• 1 tsp flour
• 1 dl beef stock (homemade if possible)
• 2 tbsp white wine
• 1 to 2 tbsp cognac
• 1-2 pinches paprika and/or cayenne (mild or hot – your preference)
• 30 cl or more cream or sour cream
• q.s. lemon juice
• coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

PREPARATION (Beef Stroganoff – do it yourself !, STEP BY STEP) : SETTING UP:

1 Drop the tomatoes into boiling water to peel them. Remove the seeds and cut them into small cubes. Set aside. Clean the mushrooms, remove the stems and slice.

2 Melt 20g of butter in a frying pan. Sauté onion and shallot over low heat, then add the mushrooms with salt and cook for a further 1 to 2 minutes. Deglaze with white wine. Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the beef stock, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook for 5 to 10 minutes.

3 In a skillet, heat the clarified butter to a very high temperature (180 to 200°C) and quickly sear the beef, flipping constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes, no more. Rapidly sprinkle with flour, flipping the meat for another 1 min. Add the cognac. Flambé (optional but excellent for flavour). Pull the pan aside, add cream to taste and stir.

4 Return to medium heat, let bubble up briefly, then add onion, shallot, tomato and mushrooms. Stir and allow the ingredients to warm, but do not allow any further boil. Sprinkle with paprika, taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. Sprinkle with parsley (optional). Serve immediately on warm plates, with rice (or pasta – see note).

NOTE : Beef Stroganoff is traditionally served with white rice. This dish also is delicious with tajarin or tagliatelle.

WINE : A Beaujolais, particularly a Morgon (Domaine Lapierre is fantastic). A California Zinfandel. Or an excellent red Côtes du Rhône.

Inspiration: Das Fülscher-Kochbuch, 13th edition, Cham, 1995

Photo © c.m. 2023

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To my great excitement, I recently discovered an authentic Provençal bouillabaisse tureen in faïence . I knew of these faïence dishes’ existence, but had never seen, let alone owned one. These tureens are exclusively destined to the service of the region’s emblematic fish soup. One of the very few Western dishes dedicated to a specific meal only, akin to caviar servers.

It began with my love of Provençal cuisine, and of bouillabaisse in particular, that divine fare. It is routinely served as a one-pot dish, even though local tradition meticulously regulates otherwise. But I knew that one would need a particular soup tureen with tiers,often made by hand in the legendary Provence faïence factories of Moustiers, Saint-Jean-du-Désert, Aubagne and Vallauris.

A charming book

I chanced upon several examples in a charming book, ‘Les Arts de la table – de la joie de vivre en Provence’ (ed. Jeanne Laffitte, 2002). It features several such bouillabaisse sets, which have now become exceedingly rare – would I ever find one?

That’s when, on the web, I came across exactly THE tureen featured on page 131 of above book. A magnificent piece from the Sicard faïence workshop in Aubagne near Marseille, in its traditional yellow livery. The original underplate is clearly visible…

An antique, almost

…but mine has lost its original scalloped-edged platter, though it still has its fish strainer insert and only few signs of wear. The lid handle charmingly comes in the shape of a rascasse – scorpionfish. The bowl features a vielle and a cheerfully multicoloured girelle  – small-mouthed and rainbow wrasse, respectively. These fish are indispensable for the classic (e.g. Marseille) bouillabaisse recipe.

The tureen is signed ‘Sicard’ under one of the handles (scantly visible in the photo on the left) but lacks any indication of the manufacturing date. Between 1930 and 1960, I think… it no longer figures in the company’s catalogue.

I’ve put it to use several times. The traditional Marseille bouillabaise ‘protocol’ takes over as a matter of course:  as a starter, soup only with croutons and rouille, followed by the various fish laid out on the strainer, entire or filletted, with a few steamed potatoes and rouille again, or aïoli.  The tureen’s construction keeps them warm.

All this deliciousness is best paired with a white wine fom Cassis.

A recipe for bouillabaisse will follow shortly.

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In cuisine, as anywhere in arts and science, we should strive to advance. We’re not talking about those colourful dots and dashes smeared on a plate, which try to pass off for sophisticated cuisine.  We’re talking about in depth work on recipes and their ingredients. This Vitello Tonnato naturale 2025 is a perfect example.

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After banning mayonnaise a few years back, then boosting the quality of veal, capers and yoghurt,, we at Tablonomie thought we’d reached a plateau.  But voilà, here’s our Vitello Tonnato naturale 2025 – recipe in English. Updated again, lighter and even more exquisite.

This year, we focused on the tuna. Whereas previously, the recipe specified canned tuna, sous-vide fresh tuna significantly enriches its taste and increases the share of fresh ingredients to almost 100 percent.

You’ll require a pan which can accommodate the veal, a sous-vide cooker and a food processor. A slicer makes for neat presentation but is not essential.

INGREDIENTS

For the meat :

• 900 g veal loin. Be sure to ask your butcher for fat-free, sinew-free meat!
• 1 glass of dry white wine
• a bouquet garni
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• half an onion
• a few chives
• a few sprigs of thyme
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• two sheets of parchment paper and some string

For sauce and decoration:

• 200 g fresh, sustainably fished tuna steak from a trustworthy fishmonger. Albacore is not overfished
• sea salt and, if available, MSG
• veal stock from the previous day (see below)
• extra-virgin Italian olive oil
• ca. 200 g unsweetened Greek yoghurt
• 50g organic capers with salt only, rinsed (available online here or here and from good grocers)
• 2-3 pinches of Modernist Fish spice mix
• salt, freshly ground pepper
• 50 g caper berries, rinsed. Or use caper leaves (optional, for decoration)
• slices of lemon or orange (optional, to garnish)

PREPARATION (Vitello Tonnato naturale 2025 – recipe in English, STEP BY STEP)

1 The day before, carefully clean celery, carrot and onion (do not peel). Chop coarsely. Bring a pan of lightly salted water to boil, then add the vegetables, the bouquet garni and the wine. Let it simmer for around 30 minutes. Meanwhile, lay down a double layer of parchment paper and place the meat in the middle. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with chives and thyme. Fold  the parchment paper and tie well.

2 Lower the meat into the pan and gently simmer for around 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a good hour in the stock. Lift the ‘parcel’ out without unwrapping it, drain on a wire rack and cool completely. Leave in the fridge overnight. Keep the pan stock in the fridge as well.

3 Ahead of serving, brine the tuna for 15 minutes in cold water with 5% sea salt (or, better still, 4.5% salt and 0.5% MSG), rinse and drain. Coat it with a thin layer of olive oil, salt, pepper and 2-3 pinches of Fish spice mix. Place in a sous-vide bag and insert into your sous-vide bath. Cook for approximately 45 minutes @ 54°C – the tuna needs to be well done*. Let it to cool completely, out of the bag but covered.

4 Blend the capers, break up the tuna up and add to the blender. Add veal stock in small doses, blending until you obtain a paste. Pour in one or two tablespoons of olive oil. Transfer this paste to a bowl and gently stir in the yoghurt, one tablespoon at a time. Mix by hand, with a spatula – the paste will turn into a fairly thick sauce. Continue to carefully incorporate yoghurt, stock and oil until you reach your preferred consistency. Season.

5 Unwrap the meat and slice. Set thickness according to preference. Arrange on a serving dish or directly on plates, coat generously with sauce and decorate with citrus slices as well as a few caper berries or caper leaves. Serve the remaining sauce separately.

*Approx. 15 min. per cm of thickness

TIP  Careful when incorporating veal stock and Greek yoghurt : only small quantities at a time – this will prevent the sauce from becoming too runny, as you won’t be able to correct. That’s why we use Greek yoghurt, which, by nature, is strained.

NOTES

• Serve on its own as a starter. As a main course, serve with risoni (or tajarin,  if you’re willing to compromise your diet ! ). Long-grain rice will also work well.
• The leftover stock makes excellent veal stock. Reduce and freeze.
• You can easily double the ingredients for the sauce. Should there be any left, serve over slices of grilled eggplant.
• The salt for the brine dissolves faster if added to warm water. Leave to cool.

WINE

White wine from Piedmont, where Vitello Tonnato hails from: a Gavi or a Roero Arneis .  Available online or at your local Italian grocer.  Unoaked Chardonnay or lager are alternatives. If you prefer a red wine, Barbera is a perfect match.

Tableware: Secla Portugal plates.

This recipe – though published previously in April 2021, 2022 and 2024 – has been substantially modified.

Photo © c.m. 2022

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