New World Provence: Modern French Cooking for Friends and Family.

Janet Collins is a freelance writer in Sechelt, British Columbia.

When the husband-and-wife team of Alessandra and Jean-Francis Quaglia opened their first restaurant in Vancouver in 1997, they likely couldn’t have imagined such a favourable response to their culinary creations. In fact, Provence Mediterranean Grill was so well received the pair felt confident enough to open a second restaurant, Provence Marinaside, in 2002.

Although the food fashioned by the two chefs is prepared in the French style, it goes far beyond the wine-infused sauces and delicate pastries so often associated with classic French cuisine. Instead, the Quaglias serve up memorable fare that is as beautiful on the plate as on the palate. The simple yet elegant recipes take full advantage of meats, seafood, fruits, and vegetables that are readily abundant in markets everywhere. The result is traditional dishes with a modern twist.

The eggs Benedict served at the Provence restaurants is this reviewer’s hands-down favourite restaurant breakfast offering. The poached egg and hollandaise sauce might be familiar, but replacing the lifeless English muffin with a crab cake cooked to perfection is pure genius. Dishes served at other times of the day are equally exciting: grilled halibut with cherry tomato-coriander vinaigrette, mushroom and pearly barley risotto with truffle oil, roasted chicken with olives and garlic confit, peach and white chocolate bread pudding, and lavender and orange cheesecake with mixed berry compote, to name but a few.

While a meal at either Provence Mediterranean Grill or Provence Marinaside is always a pleasure, this beautifully illustrated cookbook allows home gourmets to replicate their favourite dishes in their own kitchens. Each recipe opens with a personal note about the dish described—such as a memory of where the Quaglias first discovered the dish while working in Provence, or a comment that it is an updated version of a traditional family favourite. Notes also warn less-experienced cooks if a recipe is time-consuming or particularly difficult. Hamid Attie’s stunning photographs illustrate the Quaglias’ multi-generational love of food, and the family friendly nature of their signature cuisine. In all, a refreshing meeting of Old World French cooking and New World taste.