Rosa Jackson, the author of “Nicoise: Market-Inspired Cooking from France’s Sunniest City” (Norton, $39.99), confesses to having “a love-hate relationship with summer.” But unlike other residents of Nice, France, who escape to the mountains to avoid the intense heat and crowds, she chooses to make the most of the summer hotspot she calls home.
For Jackson, that means picnicking on the beach, watching jazz quartet performances in the street, and cooking French Riviera specialties at home with sun-ripened produce.
Chief among them is ratatouille, the colorful vegetable stew which, she contends, “is not a recipe I take lightly.” She explains that, unlike the perfectly shaped dome depicted in the Disney cartoon of the same name, true ratatouille is “more of a joyous mishmash.” Her vivid description prompted me to follow her careful instructions, frying each vegetable separately before simmering them together with passata (strained tomatoes, and store-bought is fine). I was so pleased with the result that I later made her Moroccan-spiced lamb meatballs with chickpea salad — another huge hit.
As a child, Jackson and her family moved back and forth between Paris and their native Canada. She worked as a journalist in her hometown of Edmonton before returning to Paris in 1995. A gig translating cuisine and pastry courses at Le Cordon Bleu led her to teach cooking classes and write restaurant reviews. Seeking a change of climate, she relocated to Nice, where she now runs a prestigious cooking school and writes food and travel stories for numerous publications.
Jackson’s writing is as dazzling as the natural-light photographs of bustling streets, seasides, countrysides and prepared dishes representing every season: iconic La Salade Nicoise in spring, Zucchini Baked with Eggs and Goat Cheese in summer, Fig Tart with Honey-Almond Cream in fall, Beef Stew Cooked in Red Wine with Porcini and Orange Zest in winter.
I look forward to enjoying more of her recipes on my patio this summer. And as I cook them, I’ll contemplate vacationing on the French Riviera when the heat dissipates and the crowds depart, while the blue skies remain bright.
Susan Puckett is a cookbook author and former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow her at susanpuckett.com.
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