The Views Were Nice, But The Food Was Better

Even as a kid, I always liked my food international. Whenever I would go to a restaurant with my Dad, they'd always offer me a kids menu. Waiters were clearly not used to a 7-year-old Marcel ordering a beef carpaccio as a starter and seafood linguine as a main. "The portion is quite big for a child," is what I'd often hear. But my Dad, without any hesitation, would always say: "He got this."

My mom and I have a special relationship with food and restaurants. We love dining out. We were never really the type of family that prefers to spend money on an Ikea cactus or a new fancy cupboard (do they make fancy cupboards?) We always favored spending all we got on food, even if it led us to struggle to pay for gas. Call us silly, but we will always own it! I mean, is there anything better than that sushi plate you've been craving all week or an indulging donut with your favorite filling after a hard day of work?

Besides the love for food and dining out, my mom also raised me as a travel lover. Ever since I was 13 years old, I traveled by myself. I started with some organized vacays for teens in Europe, and once I turned 16, I went to New York by myself to study English, followed a year later by Cape Town. And yes, visiting The Met in New York or climbing Table Mountain in South Africa was great, but you know what was even better? That 63rd Street Mac&Cheese in Manhattan or that seafood platter we got on our way to Cape of Good Hope in an oceanside tavern.

Food-wise, one of the most impactful trips for me was flying to the South of France with my mom in 2018, right after my ballet school graduation. One of my most vivid memories from Provence, right next to realizing that I didn't want to be a dancer anymore and visiting Notre-Dame de la Garde, was having the best fresh madeleines of my life accompanied by a glass of French rosé. Those mouth-watering scalloped shell-shaped cakes, slightly crackly on the outside and soft and buttery on the inside.

Even though it was over four years ago now, the madeleines are still the first thing me and my mom talk about while reminiscing about our trip to the South of France. It's incredible how powerful dining experiences can be to our senses, how we can remember the taste of a meal we had years ago, and specifics of how it made us feel.

I am not the only one crazy about the Aix-en-Provence madeleines. A famous French novelist with a very cool name, Marcel Proust, has once said this: "No sooner had the warm liquid mixed with the crumbs touched my palate than a shudder ran through me, and I stopped, intent upon the extraordinary thing that was happening to me. An exquisite pleasure had invaded my senses. The taste was that of the little piece of a madeleine."

The pleasure of eating is often underrated. Good food, no matter how simple, is a celebration in itself and deserves much more credit.

Ever since I tried those beautiful madeleines in Aix-en-Provence, I was longing for a similar experience from the comfort of my own house. How lucky was I to find out the recipe based on the same madeleine bakery in Aix-en-Provence that took my breath away with their goodies? Let me share it with you right now:

INGREDIENTS:

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour plus more for dusting

2 large Eggs

1/3 cup Granulated Sugar

1 tbsp Light Brown sugar

1 tbsp Honey

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest or Orange Zest

1 tsp Vanilla paste* (if you have. If not, any good quality vanilla)

6 tbsp (¾ stick) Unsalted Butter melted and warm

Nonstick Vegetable Oil Spray or softened butter

Powdered Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Whisk baking powder, salt, and flour in a small bowl.

Whisk eggs, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, honey, and lemon zest in a medium bowl until smooth.

Whisk in dry ingredients until just incorporated, then whisk in melted butter until smooth.

Transfer batter to a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag and chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Lightly coat madeleine pans with nonstick vegetable oil spray (or soft butter) and dust with flour, tapping out excess.

Snip end off pastry bag (or one corner of the resealable bag) and pipe batter into each mold, filling two-thirds full.

Bake madeleines until edges are golden brown and centers are puffed and lightly spring back when gently pressed, about 5 minutes for mini and 8−10 minutes for regular cakes.

Tap pan against the counter to release madeleines.

Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm. Yum!

After sweet madeleines in Aix-en-Provence, we took a train to Marseille. The city's sea breeze has quickly made us hungry, and we were soon on the hunt for a perfect lunch spot. We followed the glorious smell of roasted garlic and ended up in a secluded seaside restaurant specializing in the gambas (shrimp) risotto. What better way to prepare yourself for a climb to an ancient fort at the highest natural point in Marseille than to have a filling lunch with ingredients straight from the sea?

The anticipation was tangible. No, seriously, we were so hungry, we almost ate the tablecloth. Not to be dramatic, but the waiter arriving with our two big plates of risotto was one of the happiest moments of my life. We took the first bite and... wow. The shrimp was so good it made me doubt if all the shrimp I had in my life to that point was even real. The tenderness, the juiciness, the meatiness, everything was just beautiful. The prawns were grilled and served on top of the creamy and buttery risotto, with tiny pieces of roasted garlic, parsley, and portobello mushrooms.

I still can't get over the fact of how good this risotto was, and I strive to reach its greatness every time I make one myself. This dish taught me how to elevate incredible quality produce. It might seem like a hassle to make, but in fact, it's super simple and not at all as fancy as it comes across. My Dad and I worked out our own risotto technique in the meantime, which is almost as good as the one I had in Marseille. Here's how to make it:

First of all, to cook a proper risotto, you need risotto rice. It has a higher starch content which is what makes the delicious creamy effect. Italian Arborio rice will do its magic here.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tbsp olive oil

500g shrimp, raw and peeled

2 (or 8) garlic cloves (depending on how much you love garlic)

1/3 cup dry white wine (or water)

1 1/2 cups (270g) Arborio rice, uncooked

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp butter

3 cups (750ml) chicken broth (or veggie), room temperature

1 portobello mushroom

1 cup grated parmesan

SERVING:

Extra Butter

Parmesan

Chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the stock to simmer, then reduce the heat. Let's have the stock nice and hot for the whole time.

2. In a large saucepan, heat two tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the rice and stir until covered with the oil and butter. Sauté (which is a chic word for fried in a little hot fat) for 2 minutes.

3. Add the dry white wine and cook while stirring until the liquid is fully absorbed. Add the chicken (or veggie) stock, about a cup at a time (don't go too fast, I know it's tempting), stirring until absorbed, adding more when the rice appears nearly dry. Continue adding stock and cooking it for 20 minutes or until the grains are soft but still firm to the bite, without being crunchy. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter and a cup of Parmesan cheese and season with salt, pepper, and maybe some paprika!

4. In a separate pan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil and sauté for a couple of seconds with chopped garlic. Add a chopped portobello mushroom and season it with some salt. Add the raw prawns and cook them for 2 minutes on each side until nice and golden.

5. Serve the risotto adding the delicious garlic prawns on top. Finish it off with the mushrooms, a handful of grated Parmesan, and a bit of parsley (if you're not into greens on top, cover it in so much Parmesan, you can't even see what's underneath it, that's my go-to move.)

What else can I say? I love food, and it honestly never tastes as good as when you're traveling. Provence has taught me something that has really influenced the way I perceive food ever since. Eating = celebration. So next time you're abroad enjoying a food truck takeout, dining in a famous restaurant, or simply cooking the recipe at home, take a moment to pause and fully appreciate what's in front of you. Like Remy in Ratatouille when he tries out combined flavors for the first time. Let the food invade your senses, literally. Food is love, and I'd love for you to feel it.