Notes from a French Kitchen

by Marie-Christine Perry

Early spring brings the first fruit and vegetable of the season to the table, and to me, it always means the first asparagus, tiny potatoes, early peas, spring lamb and early strawberries. These are the makings of a great Easter lunch or dinner: fat white asparagus, steamed and served with a herbed butter sauce, navarin d’agneau, and a strawberry tart with fresh strawberries (wild strawberries if you are lucky) on a bed of crème pâtissière. 

Apicius, in his “De re coquinaria,” has a recipe for asparagus, which was highly prized by the Romans. The emperor Augustus coined the phrase “velocius quam asparagi conquantur,” which means “quicker than the time it takes to cook asparagus!” So be aware!

White asparagus are not easy to find here, neither are the purple ones, so we have to make do with the thin green ones, which will make quite a good substitute, steamed a little al dente, with their accompanying beurre blanc sauce, hollandaise, or simply melted butter with parsley and a squeeze of lemon. For the navarin d’agneau, or lamb stew with young spring vegetable, you will need 1lb each of lamb shoulder and lamb neck, 1/2 lb each of new carrots, new turnips, fresh shelled peas, tender green beans, little white onions, 1lb tiny new potatoes, 1 lb ripe tomatoes, several cloves of garlic, and some good chicken stock or white wine.

Cut the lamb in medium size pieces and sauté in good olive oil. When the meat is golden, add chicken stock or white wine to cover, a bouquet garni (tied bunch of thyme, parsley, celery and leek leaves, one bay leaf) and the peeled garlic cloves, young onions, peeled tomatoes, salt and pepper. Let simmer gently for an hour, then add the carrots, turnips and potatoes cut in small chunks and continue to simmer while you steam the peas and green beans for ten minutes.

Check the lamb, which should be tender, and arrange on your serving platter, surrounded with the vegetable. Reduce and strain the sauce, pour over the platter, and serve.

For dessert, young strawberries can be served simply tossed in some red wine with a touch of raw sugar or honey, a few fresh mint leaves and a cookie or two (tuiles come to mind), or in a tart, using a pâte sucrée base that is blind baked beforehand, crème pâtissière, and the fresh strawberries artfully arranged on top, with a glaze of thinned apricot jam.

This meal is a delightful way to welcome spring and is not too time consuming if you prepare the pâte sucrée ahead of time, as you can put the tart together while the navarin is simmering.

A bottle of intense, purple wine from Cahors would enhance this meal, but with fresh strawberries, a sparkling light wine would be my choice! A Champagne rosé, dry and fruity, would be perfect! If you choose to serve fresh strawberries in red wine, serve the same wine to accompany them. Bon appétit!