Provence In California

Last weekend I attended “Provence in California” at Georgeanne Brennan’s house just outside of Winters, here in Yolo County. The two-day cooking class was a gift from Laura and Anne, who found Georgeanne in the last issue of Gourmet. (In May, she was written up in Sunset.)

The classes were lots of fun, with great food at the end of each day. Her cooking style is much like my own, so I didn’t learn “new techniques.” However, I did get to work with a new (to me) ingredient: sardines, which I cleaned and we cooked in Georgeanne’s pizza oven. (See photos.) I also made an easy lemon tart that I’ll add to my short list of desserts—like me, Georgeanne says that she’s not much of a baker, and this tart lets you press the dough into the tart pan, rather than rolling it out. We made lamb one day, much like mine from the previous weekend (but roasted, not grilled), with lots of fresh herbs plus potatoes and onions. The pizza-making reminded me how much fun it is, so I’ll be making pizza again, after probably a dozen or more years.

Georgeanne also runs classes in Provence, so maybe I’ll get there too, someday. Here is the recipe for the Meyer lemon tart—unfortunately I didn’t take a picture.

Georgeanne Brennan’s Meyer Lemon Tart—10 servings

For the pastry
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
½ cup cold butter
1 large egg

For the filling
4-5 lemons (may be made with any lemons)
1¼ cups sugar
2 large eggs
10 Tb melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Have ready a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. To make the pastry, combine the flour and ¼ cup of sugar in a bowl and stir until well blended. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, until the mixture is crumbly. Add the egg and mix it into the dough with a fork. Press the dough evenly into the tart pan; it should be about ¼ inches thick. Line the crust with aluminum foil (and beans or pie weights if desired) and bake until slightly firm, about 10 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and continue baking another 5 minutes or so until firm and barely colored.

Finely grate the zest of 2 or three lemons, and then halve and juice enough lemons to measure ¾ cup of lemon juice. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until pale yellow. Gradually pour in the melted butter beating constantly, and then stir in the lemon zest and juice. Gently spoon the filling into the tart shell and bake until the crust and filling are golden and firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.