Flavors of France in the Family Garden

Posted in Programs and Events on May 10 2012, by Ann Novak

As the founder and director of the Growing Chefs field-to-fork education program, co-founder of the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm, and the Assistant Manager of the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, Annie Novak knows her way around a vegetable plot. Join her on May 17 for The Art of Cooking in the French Garden, bringing the taste and sophistication of this world-renowned cuisine to the NYBG.

Coq au vin, Quiche Lorraine, and vichyssoise—nowhere in the world have culinary artists developed such a reputation for precision, passion and talent as in the French kitchen. From perfectly crusty baguettes to finely flavored vinaigrettes, the art of French cooking seems at first glance like an unachievable alchemy of herbs, creams, and knife skills. But as a green thumb enamored with the precise and beautiful public parks throughout Paris (and a compulsive Googler of Versailles’ vegetable gardens), I became obsessed with the idea that French food could be done well, yet with ease.

It turns out that the secret to French food is in using good ingredients: a fresh bouquet of herbs, off-the-vine tomatoes, and lettuce picked before the rabbits get to it. I queried New York City’s finest chefs as they shopped the farmers’ markets, and was surprised to discover they were less preoccupied with crème brûlée than fighting the post-dawn shopping crowd to get the freshest heads of cauliflower, the first ramps of spring, or potatoes dug out from the field the afternoon before. There’s an art to the presentation, but the produce was the star of the show. Vegetables plus focused kitchen chemistry: voilà, perfect ratatouille!

The pleasure of preparing and eating French food is closely linked to gardening. The endless herb lists (tarragon, basil, thyme, summer savory and lavender, all in one dressing!) in French cookbooks weren’t written to frustrate and overwhelm, but because the flavor notes in each plant hit a specific sensation, memory and pleasure point for the eater. For me, eating Soupe au Pistou is about more than just nourishing food, but in the act of tasting it, imagining the chef walking up their garden path, smelling and sampling the produce as each plant hits its peak in the growing season. What better place to learn to cook French meals than the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, where good food begins?

For more information, or to reserve a seat for Annie Novak’s French and upcoming Italian cooking courses, view all of her upcoming classes. You can also peruse our entire selection of upcoming culinary workshops.