Notes From a Franco-American Kitchen

By Marie-Christine Perry

After the first few hot days of spring, it always seems to me that the time for picnics has arrived. The garden offers asparagus and peas, rhubarb and the first strawberries, sprigs of chives and basil—all conducive to delightful dishes easy to transport, such as vichyssoise, fresh pea spread, grilled asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, mushroom tartelettes (or tartlets) and, of course, strawberry rhubarb compote.

I will have a picnic just about anywhere, on a park bench, at the side of the creek at the end of our garden, in the woods, on the living-room rug, anywhere I can spread a checkered or flowered tablecloth, slice a crunchy baguette, and open a suitable bottle of wine.

A cold soup, such as traditional vichyssoise with leeks and new potatoes, or a variation featuring fresh young peas and tarragon, will start the feast. For my variation, I use the first garden peas, picked very young, a few fresh tarragon leaves, some half-and-half, sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Blanch the peas for a few minutes in white wine to cover, just until the alcohol has evaporated. Put peas and their liquid, half-and-half (enough to give the mixture the consistency of a creamy soup), tarragon leaves, and salt and pepper in the blender and process until smooth. Add chopped chives and stir. Chill in a thermos, which will make it easy to transport.

For the mushroom tartlets, I figure on one per person. If you do not have small individual tart pans, you can make a large one. Using your favorite pie dough recipe, blind-bake the pie shells you need. 

For the filling, chop some garlic (mushrooms love a sizable amount, at least four or five cloves) and a handful of parsley. Reserve the parsley, and sauté the garlic in a couple of teaspoons of good olive oil. Add to the pan about a pound of mushrooms chopped fine, with crumbled thyme, and cook until the mushrooms are fragrant and have released all their water. Add the chopped parsley. Brush some Dijon mustard on the bottom of the tart or tartlets and add the mushroom mixture to fill the shells. Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan on each tart and bake for 10 minutes.

For the grilled asparagus, count two stalks and two prosciutto slices per person. Wrap each stalk in a prosciutto slice, sprinkle a little sea salt on them, and grill on medium heat, turning the stalks once. Before packing the asparagus stalks, pour a little balsamic vinegar on them.

Which brings us to the rhubarb and strawberries. Clean the rhubarb stalks and cut them in chunks. Cook on slow heat with the juice of half a lemon and a cup of sugar. When the rhubarb is cooked through, put the strawberries and cooked rhubarb in the blender and process briefly. You can serve the compote with a homemade cookie of your choice.

Refrigerate your favorite fruity white wine.

The next day, carefully pack your picnic in a basket, along with a baguette, a chunk of rustic cheddar or Cantal and your wine. Choose the best spot you can find to lay your tablecloth. Bring at least one friend!

Bon appétit!