An Evening in Provence

My friend Catherine and I have a cooking/dining club that we started recently. The idea is that one month I will cook a meal from a specific region; the next month we'll go to a restaurant that is new to us; the following month she will cook; and then we'll go to another restaurant. In March, I made a meal from the Pacific Northwest that I will post about later. Last night Catherine, who is from Paris, created a wonderful Provençal menu that was absolutely delicious. She and her husband Brian made lovely menu cards with pictures from Provence and set the table with French linens and strewn fresh rosemary. I'll list the menu with my descriptions below. What a great night, and what wonderful food!

Amuses-Bouche & Entree
Clafoutis Provençal a luscious savory custard with goat cheese and chives
Tapendade sur Pain Grille finely diced kalamata olive spread with grilled bread and cucumbers

Cake Provençal baked in a loaf pan, the crumb was more like cake than bread, but savory with olives and ham

Plat Principal

Canard à l'Orange very flavorful roast duck served atop fresh linguine with a sauce made from orange curaçao-soaked raisins (flambéed), crème fraîche, and pan drippings
Ratatouille tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and smoky bacon

Dessert

Profiteroles pastry puffs with both vanilla and pistachio ice cream, topped with dark chocolate sauce

Everything was outstanding! I loved the tapenade on the cucumbers, and the clafoutis was light and tangy. We all sighed with delight at the first bite of Canard à l'Orange.  Catherine made sure we knew profiteroles are not truly a Provençal dessert, but we all agreed we would substitute authenticity for such a wonderful taste!