DORIE GREENSPAN

Patricia and Walter Wells: They've Always Had Paris ... And Provence

I remember when Patricia Wells left New York for Paris in the 1980s. (Of course Walter went, too -- actually, it was because of Walter that they skipped Gotham -- but I didn't know him or even of him in those days.) She'd been writing for the "Living" section of The New York Times (several incarnations later, today it's the Dining section) and, when I heard she was moving to Paris, I had to beat back more than the occasional sting of jealousy.  How lucky could one person be? And how come she was getting to live my dream?

It was years later, when my own dream came true and I, too, was living in Paris, that Patricia and Walter became my good friends and I discovered that not only had she gotten to live my dream and hers, but she seemed to be living every Francophile's dream -- and she was living it with exuberance and elan and the complete knowledge that she was one of the luckiest people in the world. It's impossible (at least for me) to be jealous of anyone who knows they're lucky, and even more impossible to be jealous of anyone who's worked so hard to be lucky, and whose hard work has brought the rest of us so much joy. Do any of you ever want to be without Patricia's Bistro Cooking? Or Simply French? Or her latest, Vegetable Harvest?  I don't.

In the almost thirty years that Patricia and Walter have been Americans in Paris ... and Provence, she's written iconic books, penned hundreds of restaurant reviews (she was the restaurant critic for the The International Herald Tribune for 27 years), and established two wonderful cooking schools; he's edited Europe's leading English-language newspaper, The International Herald Tribune; and together they've traveled the world in search of great food and great wine and shared everything they've found with their readers. 

In this new book (the first they've written together), We've Always Had Paris .. And Provence, aptly called a scrapbook, we get the back story -- and pictures (don't miss their "formal" wedding portrait).

Walter and Patricia alternate chapters, each telling their own story (and sometimes piping in on the other's tale), and, while their story has a happy ending -- and a happy beginning and middle, too -- you get a sense of what it takes to make a successful life in a foreign country. In case you're wondering, it looks like you'd better pack a lot of energy, flexibility and commitment, a terrific sense of humor and a very finely honed appreciation of the absurd.  A lucky charm wouldn't hurt, either.

And the book's got recipes - several.  Here's one for eggplant, a vegetable that grows in abundance in the Wells's lush garden in Provence.

EGGPLANT IN SPICY TOMATO SAUCE

From We've Always Had Paris .. and Provence, by Patricia and Walter Wells

Equipment: A large deep frying pan with a cover.

4 small, firm, fresh eggplant, washed but not peeled (each about 8 ounces)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Fine sea salt

2 onions, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons thin slivers fresh ginger

6 plump garlic cloves, peeled, halved, green germ removed

1 small fresh chile pepper, minced, or 1 teaspoon ground dried chile

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

2 cups chicken stock

1) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2) Halve the eggplants lengthwise.  Brush the flesh lightly with 1 tablespoon of the oil and season with salt.  Place the eggplant halves cut side down on a baking sheet.  Place on a rack in the center of the oven and bake until soft and golden, about 30 minutes.

3)  While the eggplant cooks, prepare the sauce:  In a large deep frying pan, combine the onion, the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, and about 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt.  Toss to thoroughly coat the onions with the oil and cook, covered, over low heat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the ginger, garlic, chile, and cumin and toss again to evenly coat the onions with the spices.  Add the tomato sauce and chicken stock and simmer, covered, for about 5 minutes.  Add the roasted eggplant halves, burying them in the sauce.  Cook until the eggplant is very tender and has absorbed the sauce, about 20 minutes more.

8 servings

Hungry For Paris

The only thing wrong with Alec Lobrano's new book, Hungry for Paris, is that, after 418 pages and 102 stories (and solid information) about restaurants, you're starved for more.  Read the book like a novel - the writing is superb and each restaurant "review" is more short story than traditional critique - and when you reach the end, you might want to start all over again.  For sure, you'll want to go to Paris, follow in Alec's footsteps and eat your way through the city.  The book is a little gem.

And really, so is Alec, who is a friend of mine and the best dining companion on any side of the Atlantic.  Alec is an American who's lived in Paris for over 20 years, has watched the Paris scene since his arrival, and has reported on it for many, many publications, most notably as Gourmet's European Correspondent, all of which doesn't tell you the important stuff about Alec: he's top-of-the-class smart, charming, so funny that I never go out with him without making sure I have a handkerchief, so I can dab away the inevitable tears of laughter (I also make sure not to wear mascara that can run), boundlessly talented and deeply passionate about food and restaurants.  After years of eating out, thousands of restaurants and just as many articles about his adventures, Alec is still in love with the scene - and it's all on the page.

Can you tell I'm crazy about him?  And can you see why?

Funny, but I think that when you read Hungry for Paris, you'll be able to tell why.  You'll also be a lot more savvy about Paris restaurants.  In addition to what Alec calls "portraits" of the 102 restaurants, there's a section about "how to have a perfect meal in Paris," a glossary of French food, quick summaries of each restaurant, indexes of restaurants by type and price, and, at the end of each chapter, a not-to-be-missed story.

I've lived in Paris for a while and I know a lot about the city's restaurants, but still, as I read through Hungry for Paris, I found myself sticking Post-its on tens of pages.  Bet you will, too.

If you want to follow Alec as he travels around, visit his new website.

Hello, Cupcake! Hello, Fun!

Just when you thought cupcakes couldn't get any cuter, in march these penguins!  And, along with them, a passel of pandas

a field of sunflowers, a litter of Westies, a garden planted with peas and carrots and the craziest crazy horses made with circus peanuts, creme wafers, twist pretzels and gobs of frosting straight from the supermarket shelf.  In fact, all of the giggle-guaranteed cupcakes in Hello, Cupcake are made with supermarket stuff and require not a bit of baking talent.  It's pure fun!

And the fun comes from friends of mine, the photographer Alan Richardson, and the woman Gourmet magazine called the "cake whisperer," Karen Tack, both of whom I credit with making Baking From My Home to Yours beautiful.  (Alan took the pictures for my book and Karen was the food stylist.)

Working together in Karen's Connecticut kitchen, the team created a collection of cupcakes so completely heart-winning -- and whacky (wait until you see the little kid cupcakes having a slumber party!) -- that you'll find yourself grinning and giggling even before you've got your first cake in hand.

I'm not a good predictor, but I think it's a safe bet that within weeks we'll be seeing Hello, Cupcake Clubs.  Me, I'm thinking of becoming a club-of-one and starting with the mama and baby owl cupcakes made with some of my favorite things:  Oreos (regular and mini), Junior Mints, chocolate-covered sunflower seeds and M&Ms.  What a hoot, right?

New Year's Resolutions

The good thing about not keeping any of your new year’s resolutions is that you can recycle them for the following year, which is exactly what I did:  I took all my resolutions from 2006 and moved them over to 2007.  But, young as this new year is, it’s looking like it might be a good one because here I am ticking off one of the list’s biggies – I’m welcoming you to my new home on the web.   

I'm thrilled to finally start this adventure, but I think I might have procrastinated even longer had it not been for the wonderful people I met on my recent tour for my new book, "Baking: From My Home to Yours".  In every city I visited, I met someone I knew from the web – people who’d been baking from my book and posting stories and pictures about the desserts on their blogs and on websites where groups were working their way through the book – and I loved it.  I loved the immediate sense of community, warmth, openness and enthusiasm for sharing, and I wanted a way to keep in touch with everyone I met and to meet even more people who are as passionate about food as I am. .     I hope this site will be just the kind of place where we can get together. 

I’ll be writing about what I’m doing in the kitchen, where I'm traveling and what life is like in America and France, and I’d love for you to keep me company.  It will be such fun to have you along.