Smelling Grasse

We had a wonderful afternoon in Grasse. They were celebrating their annual Rose Festival and while the streets were lively they were surprisingly pleasant and uncrowded.

The Musee International de la Parfumerie or Perfume Museum was fascinating, not only because of the history of fragrance but also because of the displays on olfactory science. So how does that fit into a blog about food and wine?? I truly have no interest in drinking or eating perfume products, but I will wholeheartedly promote the importance of smell in the culinary world. As anyone with head cold congestion can tell you, our sense of taste is almost completely dependent on the olfactory system. When it comes to the things we consume, olfactory is so important to humans that companies like ScentSational Technologies, are popping up to use artificial means to manipulate the sense of smell in the marketing of food and drinks.


Of course, anyone in the wine industry can vouch for the importance of smell. The human tongue can only detect four taste sensations but when we swirl that glass we're awakening thousands of nerve cells or chemoreceptors in the upper part of the nasal septum. I love the process and ceremony of discovering a wine's bouquet; speculating, deciphering and discussing the smells. Enologists have taken that process to new levels and have isolated certain compounds that are responsible for a particular odor in the wine. For example, its not really fruit, apple peel or strawberry that you smell in your glass but chemicals called ethyl butanoate and ethyl hexanoate. But don't let the science detract from the romance and camaraderie of parsing out a wine with friends - breathing in a great bouquet will always be a coveted experience no matter how chemicals are identified.The final photo (below on the right) we took to keep as a reminder. Trust me, there are some American pop songs which should never be sung in French. :)

Pizza in Grasse

Another meal worth mentioning was a wonderful lunch we had while visiting Grasse. Restaurant de fragonard is a simple and small place that might be easily overlooked on boulevard jeu de Ballon. The girls had a fantastic cheese pizza and I had pasta tossed with some delectable small scallops. Certainly those two dishes don't require any advanced culinary skill - they stood out because they were well prepared with fresh, quality ingredients. Skill is certainly important, but when you begin with something good, you are more apt to end with something good.


When making pizza and wanting a cheesy meat topping with a taste dominated by bread, go with a thick crust. But when you have quality ingredients and you really want them to shine, a thin crust will compliment them without overpowering.

Pizza Making gives good instructions on making a thin crust from scratch as does the Cookography blog based on a method featured in Cooks Illustrated. Try it with this recipe.

Brie & Cheese Pizza with Pine Nuts & Fried Sage

About 6 oz. provolone, gruyere, mozzarella or other relatively mild cheese.
5 oz. (or thereabouts) log of Brie
3 tbls. pine nuts
3 tbls. fried sage leaves (see note below)

Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare a 12 inch thin crust and to an ungreased baking sheet, and prick several times with a fork. Shred and sprinkle on cheese, distributing evenly. Cut 5 the brie into 1/2-inch rounds (including rind). Arrange on dough. Top with pine nuts and crumbled sage. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Cut into wedges, and serve hot.

For fried sage leaves - heat 1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil in a small skillet. Make sure the oil is hot enough for frying. Add leaves to hot oil for 30 sec and remove to harden in paper towel.

Terres de Truffes

An entire menu and an entire restaurant devoted to truffles? You bet. Dubbed Terres de Truffles, there are three of these restaurants in the world and one of them is in Nice on the rue St François de Paule near the Opera and just a few blocks from the Mediterranean. Owned by Clement Bruno, undoubtedly the truffle king of France, he also commands Chez Bruno in Province. I am a die-hard truffles fan, so when we stumbled upon this little place in Nice around dinner time, I had to at least look at their menu. It was surprisingly affordable for truffle-laced fare, so we settled in to an outside table for a fabulous meal served by an exceptionally friendly and helpful staff.
I chose the prix fixe menu and was far from disappointed. The cream of truffle soup topped with a poached quail's egg was incredibly rich, so thanks to the culinary gods it was served in a small cup. Caroline had a fabulous salad of mixed greens topped with shaved parmesan and shaved truffles. Cameron had Terres de Truffles version of an open-faced grilled cheese and my entree was an incredible puff pastry confection.

As you read you may be wondering why a blog devoted to local food is posting about dining in Europe. Its because I am a firm believer that knowledge of food, wine, viticulture and gardening are gained through direct experience. You will never know what a good Cab or a great vegetable tatin is like until you taste it. Traveling to other countries simply expands your range of knowledge and allows you to bring some of that knowledge home.

Check out the Terres de Truffles website for recipes.