Verdict: The Top One Hundred Dishes of Provence

Wow, this is a great book. For Frenchiphiles and ex-Provencals like me, it brings back all the fabulous memories of family dinners, gorgeous salads in the local cafe, pastis and aioli. It's also a godsend for cooks who want to expand their French repertoire beyond your salade nicoise and your duck a l'orange. My parents gave me this book when I was sixteen, a budding Frenchy, and just getting into the expanded culinary horizons that this book allows...and encourages. I've used it regularly ever since. My highest rating ever: four thumbs up.

Most-cooked recipe: Onion and Anchovy Tart (Pissaladiere). This is gold. Every French dinner I have, I roll out this damn tart, and everyone goes insane with love for it. Then they kiss my feet and swear allegiance to me, the queen of tarts. Its sweet caramelised onions, the tang of the anchovy, the beautiful op-art effect of a shiny olive studded in each square, the roasting yeast dough that puffs up and gently pulls away from the pan sides, the crisp slicing into squares, the living for days in perfect condition in the fridge.
The recipe, for your oniony enjoyment, is provided. The only change I make is to slice the anchies lengthwise. This used to be so that they would go further, in my poorer days when a jar of them was the price of my train fare to uni for the day. Since then, though, I've come to feel that a whole anch would be overpowering and I've kept with the slicing for this reason.


Recipe I haven't tried, but it was one of the reasons I bought the book: Snails, Home Style.
That's right, snails. The recipe calls for "72 snails (2 small cans), drained and well rinsed". I am DEFINITELY going to try this. The snails are fried in breadcrumbs, herbs and ground walnuts.

Also, Rosemary Sorbet....how gorgeous can you get.

Rejected recipe: Duck Breast stuffed with Ham and Sun-dried Tomatoes. This is just me getting picky and looking for something to reject. I'm not big on stuffing meats with other meats. A duck is a precious and interesting thing, and should not have things inserted therein. Really, all the recipes in this book are fab and To Be Tried.

General good things: Just feast your eyes on some of these recipes:

• Saute of Rabbit with Garlic and Thyme
• Bouillabaisse
• Barbecued Tuna with Herbs
• Pizza with Goat Cheese and Pistou
• Aigo Boulido
• Le Grand Aioli
• Fresh Fig and Walnut Tart
• Figs Poached in White Wine and Honey
• Fougasse
• Roast Suckling Lamb with warm Lentil Salad
• Pan Bagnat
• Pine Nut Tart
• Pork Casserole with Capers
• Mussel and Basil Salad
• Naked Raviolis

General bad things: None.

Lameness factor: Zero. This is a great book, and one of my all-time favourites.

Overall rating(from 20): 19.5 (only because of that duck thing).