Patricia Wells

A La Cote Saint-Jacques's Gazpacho With Shrimp And Zucchini Mousse

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Auvergnese Seven-Hour Leg Of Lamb

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

This dish, brought to The Times by Patricia Wells in 1988, came from a cheesemaker near Salers, France. The lamb is cooked long and slow alongside vegetables for several hours. While the dish is called seven-hour lamb, the size of the leg of lamb will dictate the cooking time. Peek in on it frequently, and adjust the liquid as needed.

Basic Tomato Sauce

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Serves 1

Baumaniere's Eggplant Gratin (D'aubergines Baumaniere)

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Carrots Provencal

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Celery-Root Puree

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Last Thanksgiving, Susy Davidson, food editor of Food & Wine magazine, prepared this wonderful celery-root puree in the microwave oven. This cooking method makes for a richer-tasting puree.

Chestnut Honey Squares

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

The inspiration for this foolproof recipe came from the Paris bakery Moulin de la Vierge. These honey-kissed squares can be made ahead, do not require exotic equipment, are relatively simple (you pat the crust in the pan) and are beautiful, with a glistening glaze. Stored in an airtight container, they stay fresh for days.

Serves 32

Financiers Aux Noisettes Chez Vaudron (Vaudron's Hazelnut Cakes)

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Flaky Sweet Pastry

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Flamiche Aux Poireaux (Leek Tart)

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Flammekueche (Thin-Crusted Cheese, Onion And Bacon Tart)

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Serves 16

Fresh Pasta and Seafood Salad

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

ALTHOUGH pasta has existed for years in French cuisine - 16th- century French cookbooks offer recipes for ravioli - its importance in the French diet evolved only recently. Today fresh pasta can be found at many cheese shops and charcuteries, while pasta appears on menus all over the country, in many cases replacing the potato as a side dish. In the kitchens at Tour d'Argent pasta is prepared fresh daily, while such restaurants as Rostang and Jamin include ravioli or pasta on the menu throughout the year. At Jules Verne, in the Eiffel Tower, the menu features a warm salad combining fresh fettuccine and sole in a light, creamy dressing, while at La Cantine des Gourmets goat cheese-filled ravioli floats in a rich duck stock, surrounded by slices of rosy duck and chunks of fresh artichoke hearts. This recipe comes from Colette Dejean of Chez Toutone, a small Left Bank restaurant.

Fried Oysters With Creamy Tartar Sauce

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Golden Cream And Apple Tart

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Gratin Dauphinois Chez Lily Et Gaby (Lily And Gaby's Potato Gratin)

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Hostellerie Du Cerf's Salmon With Lentils, Bacon And Horseradish Cream

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

La Bonne Etape's Pumpkin And Almond Tart

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Lionel Poilane's Apple Tart

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Madame Laracine's Gratin Dauphinois (Madame Laracine's Potato Gratin)

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Marjolaine Multilayered Chocolate Cake

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Serves 16

Morels and Comte Cheese On Grilled Toast

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Mousse De Poivrons Doux (Red-Pepper Mousse)

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Mussel-And-Spinach Gratin

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Nutmeg-Scented Onion Gratin

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Old-Fashioned Bread-And-Chocolate Rolls

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Pate Brisee (Flaky Sweet Pastry Dough)

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Pierre and Michel Troisgros’s Zucchini Chutney

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Piperade (Saute of peppers, onions and tomatoes)

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

REGIONAL inspirations and influences have always had their place on French menus, but with an increased interest in vegetables, country dishes such as piperade - a vegetable dish from the Basque region of France - are showing up in various guises. While the classic piperade often appears with scrambled eggs and country ham, Alain Dutournier of Au Trou Gascon of Paris recently served a more elegant molded version as a vegetable side dish to rabbit. The rabbit was sauteed and covered with thin slices of spicy- hot green peppers. Other regional vegetable inspirations recently appearing on Paris menus include cold Proven,cale ratatouille (a blend of tomatoes, eggplant, onions and zucchini) topped with a poached egg (served at Taillevent), and a Ni,coise tapenade (a blend of olives, capers, anchovies and olive oil) spread over roasted porgy fillets (at La Cantine des Gourmets).

Provençal Leg Of Lamb With Potato Gratin

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Prune And Almond Tart

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Until my move to France, I really didn't feel one way or the other about prunes. But as I've traveled the country, I've discovered the wonders of this rich dried fruit. Something happens to the prunes in this tart as they bake, turning them into almost a sweet, compact candy. Be sure to make a good, strong tea (I used about one tablespoon of loose Earl Grey tea leaves to the two cups of water) for soaking the prunes.

Prune Custard Tart

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

Salad of Shredded Greens and Smoked Salmon (Chiffonnade de Saumon)

Patricia Wells · NYT Cooking

DURING the last year or so, chiffonnades - greens and vegetables cut into thin slivers - have become increasingly popular, as salads appear more often on menus. At Auberge des Templiers, in Beziers, in the Languedoc region, a chiffonnade of watercress and raw mushrooms was paired with tiny marinated red mullet and monkfish. This recipe comes from Christiane Massia of L'Aquitaine. The dressing can be made a day in advance, then refrigerated, but prepare the rest of the ingredients just before serving time.