Provence Raymond Blanc: The Very Hungry Frenchman

Raymond Blanc arrived in Britain in 1972 as a 22-year-old

unemployed French waiter,

with only a shaky grasp of English.

Ten years later, he was a chef with two Michelin stars,

which he still holds today.

Good texture. Lovely, lovely.

While he has been successful in his adopted home,

he has never forgotten his first love...

Food, food, glorious food! My God!

..the food and wine of France.

Beautiful!

Now Raymond is back to his favourite French regions

so that he can reconnect with the wonderful food and people

that have inspired him.

Ah, voila!

Woah-ho-ho! Ooh, la, la!

The flavour is intense.

Just...

melting.

In each region, he will take over a restaurant for one night only...

-Oh, la, la!

-..and cook a feast inspired by his journey.

My beautiful Franche-Comte.

He will be serving a menu that features his version

of famous local dishes.

Helping the master in his homeland will be two lucky young chefs

from his restaurant in Oxfordshire -

-Kush and Katie-Beth.

-Oh, la, la! Oh, la, la!

Despite 30 years at the top in the UK,

this will be the first time Raymond has had a chance to be Chef

in France.

I've never cooked in France and I'm slightly, slightly anxious.

Ooh, la, la! Stop it!

Stop, stop, stop! Don't go up!

It's a daunting, nerve-wracking and exciting task,

but one perfectly suited to Raymond Blanc -

the very hungry Frenchman.

Provence. It's the good life.

Enough sunshine to bless outside living and temperate enough

for a simple larder to flourish from the rugged landscape.

When all the flavours of the area come together,

the bright tomatoes,

fruity olive oils, the fresh garlic and aromatic herbs,

then you have a region so clear in its culinary identity,

it sums up a lifestyle - Provencal.

The region covers a vast area stretching all the way

from the High Alps on the Italian border,

to the glittering Mediterranean Sea in the south.

Provence is drenched with sun, drenched with light pouring in.

It's hot.

You see sometimes the sun, the light, dazzling,

dancing on the flora.

It's a region that the French love. It's a region that the British love.

It's certainly a region that I love.

Amongst the experiences that have inspired Raymond Blanc's passion for food and cooking,

few can rival his first visit to Provence as a 14-year-old boy

from the cooler, landlocked region of Franche-Comte,

some 400 miles to the north.

It was an extraordinary moment when I discovered Provence.

The sky was so different! It was blue, it was immense.

Just amazed by the difference.

The lavender, the rosemary, the "anis", the fennel everywhere.

Even the fish looked different.

They were spiky and red, totally different from what I'd known before.

The taste, mostly the tastes were different.

Suddenly, the garlic, the "basilic", the tomatoes, the olive oil!

I used butter. Here I discovered olive oil. I didn't know olive oil.

The textures were so incredibly different,

that I could've been onto another planet.

Raymond has remained fascinated with the region, and for him,

there is no better way to remind himself of his early

love affair with the food,

than to drop in at a quayside restaurant

and savour the flavours of Provence with an appetiser.

You've got wonderful flavours from the earth, from the soil of Provence,

like these delicious red peppers, which are just simply roasted.

A little spread of olive oil, that's it! That's plenty.

Now you've got a lovely tapenade, OK?

And tapenade is so easy because it's just simply black olives

which are pureed. Delicious.

That is a beautiful dish. It's called caviar of aubergine.

Of course, it's got nothing to do with caviar.

A bit mean on the olive oil as well, but not mean on the garlic.

That one is absolutely reeking of garlic!

You have all of France in here! My God, you've got all the garlic of France in here!

Those things are there to tease you.

Tease the appetite, that's all.

To make you salivate,

make sure those gastric juices stir faster and faster and faster.

It's a process, eating. You've got to prepare yourself.

You've got to find the right place,

the right wine and you feel good, and then you start enjoying yourself.

For Raymond, wherever he's chef, it's the enjoyment of his guests

that remains, for him, the joy of cooking.

And for the next few days in Provence, his journey will deliver just that,

as he becomes inspired by the region

that entertained his young taste buds,

and pulls together a Provencal feast,

as he draws on old memories, eats with great friends...

Woah-ho-ho! Ooh, la, la!

..discovers new wines...

This one, it is incredible!

People are going to be so happy.

..and tastes a cornucopia of Provencal life...

Tres, tres, tres special! How lucky you are!

You have all this fantastic fish!

..all grown under a warming Mediterranean sky.

Oh, la, la! Oh, la, la!

With his Provencal ingredients gathered, Raymond will host,

for one night only, in a local restaurant,

his interpretation of a regional menu,

-with just two young chefs from England to help - Kush...

-Ready, Chef!

..and Katie-Beth.

More flavour! More flavour!

They are beautiful but, come on, don't be so mean, for God's sake!

Yes, Chef!

I feel a little bit of nerves.

Part of me loves it and part of me is anxious. Always a bit of anxiety!

The magical way you can sit next to the Mediterranean

and eat the fruits of the sea, sum up life in Provence for Raymond.

To capture the essence of the best in Provence,

Raymond has decided to start in Marseilles,

and drop in on good friend Gerald Passedat

to see how a local chef

with three Michelin stars gets the best flavours of the Med on a plate.

Gerald's innovative food is immersed in the sea,

from the terrace where you eat to the restaurant's own quay,

where the fresh catch is landed.

So I think it's fantastic. That man is lucky,

because he's got his restaurant up there

and he's got the fishermen down there,

and they bring the fish to him every day.

So the fish is very fresh here.

-Tres bien.

-Mackereau. Little dorade, like that.

John Dory? Oh, il est joli.

St Peter put his fingerprint on this fish so it's a blessed fish.

Mon pauvre, ca fait mal, hein?

He hooked himself! The fisherman hooked himself, poor man.

I don't want to laugh about his ill fortune experience.

Tres bien. I think he's got a lovely girelle there.

-Girelle royale.

-Elle est jolie, elle est jolie. That's a beautiful fish for bouillabaisse.

These little fish won't be finding their way onto Gerald's menu -

this fisherman is catching his lunch.

This man is actually fishing his fish soup, that's what he does.

At lunch he will go home, it will take him five minutes.

He will use the fish whole, leave all the insides,

chop it up with a bit of onions, a bit of tomato,

a bit of garlic, fennel, a dash of white wine, water.

Cover it, bring to the boil, puree, strain, serve.

A lot of oil, garlic, lots of garlic, beautiful aioli. Et des croutons, hein?

Whether the fisherman takes Raymond's recipe tip or not,

it's the excitement of the fresh fish delivery

that draws them into Gerald's busy kitchen.

Messieurs, bonsoir! Bonjour, comment ca va?

As fish is the basis for much of Gerald's cooking,

it's no surprise he has perfected a local dish, bouillabaisse,

A fish stew with a deep, rich liquor base.

-So, you don't empty them? You just put it all in, everything?

-Oui.

So that's a base for your bouillabaisse.

Every day for the bouillabaisse, you can't keep it in the fridge.

The bouillabaisse has been famous in the region for years

and is often interpreted by both chefs and home cooks.

Gerald is keen to show Raymond his Michelin-starred version.

For the fish stock, a local catch,

to which Gerald adds a dash of cognac and pernod.

A little bit cognac.

-Then the essential aromats of Provence.

-What do you have?

Fennel.

-Orange.

-Orange.

-A little bouquet garni.

-Tomatoes, onion.

Look at these colours. Already, so beautiful.

Just chop the garlic, of course. A lot of garlic. We love our garlic!

-When it's cooked, it's better.

-Fantastic. C'est merveilleux.

To this, a few spices - star anise, fennel and chilli,

and for liquid, water.

Not just any water.

I always add two spoons of sea water.

The Mediterranean is such a good water, clean water

that I can put it in my soup?

-And it boils anyway.

-OK.

-The Mediterranean is good.

He's seasoning effectively his soup with sea water. Brilliant, very clever.

It's lovely. All these flavours have melted together.

An incredible action between the sea, the air, the spices, the herbs.

It's incredible.

It's cuisine completely influenced by North Africa,

all the spice trade coming to Marseilles.

All the traders and with it, new recipes, new ideas,

but they are lucky.

They are really lucky to have all these fantastic fish.

This base is merely a canvas on which Gerald's bouillabaisse is painted.

He's truly raised this dish to an art form.

Oh, la, la. Oh, la, la!

Stunning. That... I understand now.

I think that's the best bouillabaisse I've tasted, actually.

-It's traditional to serve a spicy sauce on the side.

-A little bit.

Whoa! Oh, la, la. Oh, that is very spicy.

That is North Africa, completely.

I'm on the other side of the Mediterranean.

Time for Raymond to solicit a little local advice

about putting a Provencal menu together.

I think very simple recipes with olive oil first.

"Basilic"?

-Basilicum, yes.

-Garlic?

-Yes, garlic.

-What else?

-Tomatoes.

-Tomatoes.

-And what else?

-And fish.

-And fish.

-And no cream. And no butter.

And a lot of wine.

-A lot of wine and a lot of sun.

-A lot of sun, of course.

-The sun, the light.

-Light.

-Brings the light. We'll pay for the light.

-That sounds lovely. Merci. Merci bien.

-Thank you, thank you.

It's over 20 years since the classic book A Year in Provence

summed up the idea of living

a romantic, simple Provencal life for a generation of Brits.

Soaking up the atmosphere of this region is easy,

but after his visit to Gerald's three-star kitchen,

Raymond can see that the food game can have high stakes in Provence,

something he will need to aspire to for his feast for locals.

His long relationship with Provence has always been mental fuel

for Raymond, so it's no surprise when the sight of a wild herb

stops him in his tracks and reminds him of a past cheffing experience.

It's incredible because when I see this fennel,

that's also the first taste of Provence for me.

I stopped. I came with my family in a very old van, OK.

I stopped and I picked up all this fennel

and I bagged it all up in big handfuls in the boot of the car.

The whole family hated me, especially my wife, of course.

She couldn't bear the smell of fennel, but to me, that is Provence.

I picked up rosemary and I picked up lavender. Wild lavender.

I picked up all sorts of wild thymes. It's incredible.

If you knew the smell of this fennel, it is incredible.

On that very simple recipe, quick one, you just cut it off,

roasted fish on top, a bit of olive oil, in the oven,

and you've got the most incredible recipe.

Remember, always take expert guidance

if you're going to forage in the wild.

With the air perfumed by fennel and the memories of Gerald's advice on local fish,

Raymond is headed to the town of Sanary-sur-Mer and the restaurant

he's chosen to locate his feast, La P'tite Cour - the little courtyard.

-I think you'll like it.

-OK.

-Shall we go, guys? Allez.

With people coming to eat in a few days' time,

he needs to start finalising his menu and organising the kitchen.

-Rosemary and lavender?

-No, Chef.

I love the idea of people having a feast here.

That's what food is all about,

to create a feast for people you don't even know, but who cares!

It's the joy that produces chefs, creating a moment which people

hopefully will never forget, and that's lovely.

I feel happy. I feel very happy. Yeah.

Being situated on the sea, the town has a gem for Raymond -

a fish market.

With all the local inspiration, he settles on a main course -

fish on a bed of roasted fennel with an intense red wine jus.

Innovate flavours that sing of Provence.

Bonjour, bonjour!

To balance the dish, he needs a fish with a robust flavour.

-C'est le pageau?

-Non, dente.

-Oh, vous l'avez trouve? Parfait.

That's the local fish that you can only find in the waters here,

it's called dente. Why?

Look at his teeth! Serious, eh? Wonderful meaty flesh.

That is a perfect fish for roasting.

What I want to create is a fish with red wine. Red wine jus,

because that's very daring.

Usually, people associate fish with white wine.

Red wine with meat and with cheese.

I will buy it now and try it later.

-C'est combien, le dente? Le poids, le dente?

-28.

Back in the kitchen, he sets to work on his new dish.

Tough! Tough guy!

A bit of a small guy, but a good, solid strengths.

It's the first time Raymond has cooked this fish so he's interested to find out about its character.

It looks like bream in terms of colour, but I think it'll be firmer.

It's a local fish which moves around Sanary

so it's very local to this particular area.

First, Raymond sautees the fish bones from the dente in olive oil.

-A bit of liquorice.

-Then, he adds a little liquorice root.

Its flavour echoes the fennel Raymond will be serving with the fish.

All the aniseed flavours are in the sauce, a great deal of Provence.

Next, some chopped red onion, garlic and butter mushrooms.

Voila! These mushrooms are going to round up the flavour.

All these ingredients provide the base for an unusual red wine sauce.

I'm going to serve with the fish some red wine, OK?

They are not used to it here.

Normally, you do fish with white wine and meat with red wine,

maybe they are going to throw me out back into the sea! We'll see how it goes.

Next, it's the key ingredient - a full bodied red wine.

That is the richness I want.

-See, you can taste it.

-It's quite strong.

Hein? Serieux, hein? Oh, la la!

But that's what we want. It's perfect for cooking.

There you can see the Provence wine which has a lot of alcohol.

It'll burn like that for ten minutes! HE LAUGHS

-The reduced red wine is added to the fish bones.

-Kush, the strainer.

Oui, Chef.

That's a big strainer, OK.

-Big is beautiful.

-Chef!

-You press!

-Chef!

Voila! And there, you've got a lovely jus.

The jus is set aside, ready to be reduced to an essence.

As well as the red wine essence, Raymond is going to serve the fish

with the fennel cooked in two ways. The first, he called Fennel Flames.

Chefs are quite creative people.

It's just as a shape of flames, as simple as that.

It's got texture and loads of flavour.

The fennel flames are going to be braised with fresh garlic and spices...

Don't get emotional about your garlic!

..and a generous helping of Provencal herbs.

-Star anise.

-And water?

Once braised, the fennel flames are caramelised.

The fennel trimmings have been pureed.

Raymond has decided to simply pan fry the seasoned dente,

skin side down in a hot pan.

The fish slice. Voila!

Nice combination.

OK, in the oven.

Two minutes and it will be ready to serve.

A bit of lemon juice.

With all the elements ready, time to think about the presentation.

-Voila, yeah!

-The fennel puree goes first.

Voila! Beautiful!

Then the fennel flame.

-Really lovely. Beautiful.

-And then the dente.

A warm garnish of chick peas, broad beans and tomatoes

provide flavour, texture and Provencal colour.

-And the jus red wine.

-Oui, Chef!

-Tres bien!

Now, for the red wine sauce which has been thickened

and reduced to a glossy essence.

It's a dish he hopes his local guests will love.

I'm happy! I know I'm happy. I feel like Papa Blanc now.

I'm feeding my children. Voila!

It's lovely. It's lovely. It's fresh.

More caraway in the point..

chick peas, but it's lovely.

Breaking the rules even further,

Raymond is also serving a red wine to drink with his fish dish.

He's hoping a local vineyard will have a red wine to harmonise with the fish.

So, he heads for the hills seeking a renowned winemaker.

The red wine Chateau du Pibarnon is exceptional

and Raymond has come to see the owner, Eric de Saint-Victor.

So, are these grapes ready to harvest?

First of all, what we do is like everybody else,

taste the grapes and we are looking at the seeds

to see if the seeds are brown and not too green.

-They are brown.

-And see if the skin breaks with the teeth.

No earthiness in the skin

so this means that the wines

will be smooth, well balanced, nice tannins and so on.

The seeds are just like coffee seeds, you know, it breaks...

If I was a "vigneron" - I'm not a vigneron, I'm only a chef -

I would harvest now. I would harvest now - wrong or right?

You are absolutely right because the wild boar, you know,

is starting to eat them.

-It's our biggest challenge and they never make a mistake.

-No.

What they take is ripe, you can make sure. It's sure!

You look like that... You don't look like a boar!

The ground the vineyard stands on, the terroir, is full of limestone

and Eric thinks that's highly significant.

It gives a sort of almost a bit of...

In the red wine, some elegance,

something quite, erm... I don't know it in English.

En francais, de la seve, you know?

-Juice.

-Juicy!

-Sap!

-Exactly, sap! Yes. Voila!

-Sap.

Sap is very important for me in the wine

because during the tasting, if you have some sap,

then you can think about matching the red wine and fish.

And that's the key to it for Raymond as he wants to serve a red wine,

not just as a jus, but to drink with his fish dish.

White wine, fish.

Red wine, cheese.

It's prejudice. It's all wrong because red wine doesn't go at all.

I believe very much that the wine produced in a place

goes very well with the food around it.

It's a matter of the flesh of the wine,

-the sap that we are talking about...

-A lovely word.

..is very important to match with the fish.

-You need a strong texture to go with the red wine.

-Yes, definitely.

What I'd like to do, what I propose to do, Eric,

I would like to go in your cellar...

-OK.

-..so we can assess if it goes or not. Shall we?

-Sure.

Back at the chateau, Marie, the winemaker here,

has looked out a 1990 bottle for Raymond to sample.

Eric used to call it the Latin lover, this wine.

When it was young, now it's an intelligent Latin lover!

Be careful it doesn't get too old!

I am really curious, really seriously curious

to see how this 1990 has aged.

Will it have melted well enough

to just accompany a great dish?

The colour! Look at that colour!

Just listen to the wine.

He's whispering right now, but...

Red like the blood of Christ.

It's a true communion, no?

This wine, 1990, it is incredibly good.

People are going to be so happy.

It is special.

With the special wine in the trunk and the main dish up to Raymond's culinary demands,

the fruits of Provence are happily steering his menu.

Raymond's faith in local delights, leads him to seek out a vegetable unique to the area -

the Viola de Provence, a variety of artichoke.

Raymond is going to use this local treasure to make barigoule,

a traditional artichoke dish.

This local artichoke is much finer and sweeter

than the Brittany variety common to UK supermarkets.

-How many are we going to need, Chef?

-We need about 40.

-For the recipe, we want two hearts per portion.

-Oui.

-So I have 20 guests, two hearts, 40, yeah?

-Yes, Chef.

This family have been growing artichokes for 50 years.

See, what's really wonderful, but you don't realise maybe, Katie,

is how important what we're doing here.

See this gentleman here? He is one of the last farmers of artichokes

in this particular region.

I think we should be very proud to use his artichokes.

They connect with a lovely wood of this man

and the keeping of this whole region.

Of course, the food will taste so wonderful - it's totally organic and pure.

-And so fresh.

-Absolutely.

This distinctive vegetable is a member of the thistle family,

hence its familiar shape.

-Let's go and cook. Tres bien, on y va.

-Merci.

Back at the restaurant, Raymond sets to work

making his own version of barigoule,

gently cooked artichokes, onions and garlic and smoked bacon,

it's a delicious side dish sure to make his Provencal guests

-particularly happy.

-Barigoule, initially, is a very old Provencal dish,

which used to be with mushrooms.

So you can see how dishes can move on from one century to another,

or one generation to another.

Here, the barigoule is made of beautiful violet.

First, the fiddly job of preparing the artichokes...

Keep going, a bit more. Voila.

..peeling out the hearts.

Like that. Slowly.

-Perfect! But not too much.

-Oui.

-OK?

-Oui.

so then with a serrated knife, you cut it just here.

Once the fibrous choke is removed, they're soaked in water

with a squeeze of lemon to stop them from turning brown.

Tres bien.

Voila.

Next, Raymond roughly chops the other vegetables.

The garlic...

OK? The purple garlic.

This belongs to Provence.

It's three times as strong because it's young. It's full of moisture.

Raymond adds a little locally smoked bacon.

I bought here the local Ventreche.

The Ventreche is the belly of the pork.

We just need a tiny little bit, maybe no more than that.

Just to give it that smoky flavour, but no more.

Once the ingredients are prepared,

they are gently sauteed in a generous quantity of olive oil.

Then use your best olive oil.

Your onions, everything in it.

Slowly. I don't want to hear that frying noise.

So now, our herbs, our belly of pork, our garlic. We've got our thyme.

Two, three bay leaves. Perfect.

Tres bien.

A quick stir, you go ahead. That's it. Voila.

And gentle. You want to be very gentle. Voila.

The artichokes need the least cooking, so go in last.

Voila. Stir.

While the vegetables are sauteeing,

Raymond heats some inexpensive white wine.

Always heat your pan first.

So when you put in the wine, it boils away immediately

and takes most of the alcohol away, so you have the mineral flavour.

Yes, Chef.

The warm wine goes in along with some water.

-Straight in?

-Yes, straight in.

And Raymond's special touch - some preserved lemon.

Remember, we are close to Marseilles here.

All these great flavours were brought

from the North Africans, the Moors, the Sarrasins,

who invaded this part of the world

and brought their spices

-and their cuisine, you see?

-Oui.

-That's all.

Gentle... Barely a little bubble, OK?

Just a gentle, simmering pot.

Once cooked, Raymond strains off the liquor and emulsifies it

to create a creamy consistency.

OK, tres bien.

To finish the barigoule,

the vegetables are topped with the emulsified liquor and sprinkled with parsley.

Mmm, so good.

Nothing distinguishes the sun-blessed bounty of Provence more than the olive trees.

One of the strongest memories

Raymond has of his first visit to the region is the use of olive oil.

These days, it would inconceivable for him not to have a bottle or two in the kitchen.

In my area, we don't use olive. I didn't see any olive trees,

but also we don't use olive oil,

because we use a lot of butter.

Because the Montbeliarde is a beautiful cow,

broad and generous with her milk.

If I will use butter here, they would hang me on the top of that Cedar.

Maybe higher!

Because it's inconceivable here to use anything else but olives.

Olive oil is basically the main oil that you use in Provence.

The Ancient Greeks planted the first trees deep in the region

and they remain at the heart of Provencal cooking.

So a chance to harvest the fruit that will be a flavour layered through his local feast

is an opportunity Raymond cannot refuse.

Ah, Monsieur Olive, bonjour!

-Comment allez-vous!

-Tres bien, merci.

-C'est un grand moment, hein?

-Eh, oui.

It's a big moment, is it? It's what you're waiting for all year round.

Quelles olives? Which olives are they?

It's the first harvest and Alain is very happy.

He's got a very good harvest here. This olive is very special.

The first harvest of the year.

It's called a Salonnenque type of olive.

And what they do here, they don't use it for tapenades,

they don't use it for oil,

they just use it break it down, OK, smash it a little bit

and put it in plenty of water to remove the bitterness.

And then, they go on the mountain here and it's full of wild fennel

and they just pick up the flowers and marinade it with it and serve it.

I would be a good picker, I think.

I've picked everything in my life,

even mangoes, oranges, plums,

prunes, mirabelles, strawberries, raspberries...!

It's the first time actually I'm picking olives.

Oh, la, la! Oh, la, la!

Oh! Oh!

It's...

The bitterness... The acid...

It's strange.

It's just...so...

Bitter! Bitter!

It's just...

I know very few things that taste so bad and can be turned

into something absolutely delicious that we all desire.

Turning the bitterest taste into the greatest treat

is the real art of an olive grower.

The difference between picking it fresh from the tree

and creating a simple process is night and day.

It is so delicious and delicate.

They are not salty, it is really such a delicious olive.

Thank you very much to treat me.

Well worth working for a whole year.

Raymond first came to the region when he was 14

to visit a childhood friend, Rene.

Rene's family had decided to move some 400 miles south

to the Provence coast.

Rene was my very, very best friend,

my pal, my friend, my confidant.

We grew up together from a very early age, up to the age of 14.

He left. He left my village and for me, that was really a big heartache.

It was a big break for me in my childhood.

We were that close.

We were such great pals.

So when Raymond's local priest, l'abbaye Simon, who was also Rene's uncle,

arranged a trip to the seaside, Raymond jumped at the chance

to visit his close friend.

I remember it very vividly because first,

you never went out of your village, or hardly ever.

The furthest I had been up to the age of 12 was Switzerland,

which is just 100km away.

You didn't travel.

Going a la mer, as the French say, going in the sea, at the sea,

aller a la mer, it's a big thing for a little village boy.

So of course, I was completely excited on two counts,

meeting this Provence that I had heard so much, seeing the sea

and of course, meeting my friend, Rene,

because we'd spend a whole month together in that colonie de vacances.

Sadly, Rene died ten years ago,

but Raymond keeps in touch with his family

and he's happy to have been invited to lunch.

CHEERING

Martine, Rene's widow, is delighted see him.

Rene's sister, Bernardette, is also joining the lunch party.

And the great thing about good friends is they love you.

Of course you can! OK.

The ladies have decided that to escape the kitchen bustle,

Chef should join them for a picnic.

It's a bread which is very much a speciality, OK?

And it's made with white flour and a bit of olive oil inside.

It's a very old bread, which is local, made back to the 13th century.

And that's very smart because what they would do,

they would have some rouille or aioli, little bits of saucisson or lettuce

or garlic and tomatoes and then the whole idea is it's moist.

When you put all that moisture inside,

you do it at least two hours before,

so the crumbs, they soak up all that lovely moisture.

So you have one wonderful bite of Provencal flavours and textures

and of course 13th-century history in one bite.

Then, in the spirit of the local ingredients, olive oil over butter.

That's a beautiful tapenade, the ripe olives. They were picked very late.

It's pureed with a bit of olive oil, maybe a few capers,

some put garlic, anchovies, whatever. It's very simple to make.

Chez les gens qui me donnaient mon huile depuis 27 ans!

-Hop!

-Hop la!

Voila, le classique! Raymond... Regarde, mais regarde ca.

-Voila!

-Bien vu.

Voila. Tres bien.

And then the sandwich is not... It's a sandwich.

Le sandwich was...

-Le sandwich a ete, en fait, cree en Provence.

-Oui.

The sandwich has been created in Provence, you see,

13 centuries ago.

As the sea dominates life here, they head for Raymond's treasured spot

on the coast, the dramatic cliffs of Les Calanques.

Rene's brother, Jean, is on the beach to greet them.

Vous avez faim?

This place means a lot to each of us here.

That's where I learned to dive.

And I didn't know how to swim, but I knew how to dive.

All I had to do was launch myself into the sea and look for that rock.

And hopefully the wave wouldn't take you back.

Very tricky place, very tricky place.

Once, I dived from 12 metres.

It was my first dive at 12 metres and the sea was quite rough.

Today, it's quite calm.

And I landed very badly...

..flat on my tummy, and you are winded out.

You cannot move. You are paralysed.

And Rene had to dive into the sea to get me back.

Thank God he's such a better swimmer than I am myself

because I would be at the bottom of this wonderful sea.

After a day at the beach,

Raymond is thinking about including some sunshine in his dessert.

The strawberries of Provence are heady with perfume.

Known as gariguette, the best grow wild in the mountains,

but Raymond has picked these up at the market.

C'est tres bien, c'est pour les cameramen.

He'll be serving them three ways - pureed, as a sorbet and macerated,

all topped off with a raspberry tuile and some mint and basil jelly.

A refreshing end for his Provencal feast.

You need the best fruit and it is so, so important.

When you have the best fruit, it's easy.

And they're so fresh. They're the very best variety.

First, Raymond macerates them in some sugar and lemon juice.

The sugar penetrates slowly into the fruit.

You can bring at least 30% more flavour, or more.

Now, one quantity is pureed, sieved and churned into a sorbet.

While it freezes, Raymond makes a raspberry tuile.

Voila.

My raspberry coulis.

Raspberry puree is creamed together with icing sugar, butter

and a little flour before being spread into a thin layer

on some greaseproof paper.

Voila.

That's good. That's good. That's the right thickness.

The tuile mixture is cooked until bubbly.

You can pull them down like that.

Directly on here.

Before it cools and hardens, circles are cut.

Well, bravo, Kate! C'est la perfection.

-It's perfection.

-Oui.

-Look.

And shaped on a rolling pin.

Let's fetch everything - the coulis, sorbet.

Coulis, parfait.

To serve, a base of strawberry coulis.

When I was young, I could do a perfect circle.

THEY LAUGH

Next, some simple macerated strawberries.

OK, so use the gelee, just a tiny little bit, like that.

And for a cooling contrast,

Raymond has made a little basil and mint jelly.

It's peppery, it's lemony, it's herby.

It's beautiful, it's a fresh, different texture.

Next, the sorbet.

And the final touches.

The most dainty one. Maybe a bit of mint?

Voila! Take the heart of it.

So that's the dessert recipe,

tried and tested, and glowing of Provence.

I think there is nothing I want to change with this dish.

-I think it works, it's fresh and they will like it.

-Oui.

The peace and ambience of the hills, just inland,

provide a stark contrast to the bustle of the coastal towns.

-Look, sage. "Sauge".

-Sage.

Wild sage.

The heat and warmth of the region

doesn't just make for an abundance of fruit and vegetables,

but surprisingly adds to a special cheese.

The robust herbs that grow wild

on the dry hills of the Provence interior,

provide a flavoursome diet for these Rove goats.

Thus, giving their milk a taste

that makes the much prized Brousse du Rove cheese, a local delicacy.

Those goats are feeding on these wonderful herbs

so I bet, when we taste this wonderful Brousse cheese,

you are going to find some incredible perfumes here.

-You know, you are what you eat. Remember that.

-Oui!

As a chef, very important to remember that.

WHISTLING

It's amazing, eh?

The Gourian family have been artisans of this special cheese for hundreds of years.

-Est-ce que ca gele de temps en temps ici?

-Oui.

The technique for making the cheese has been passed down

through 14 generations

to Andre's wife, Marie-Ange.

Marie-Ange is very, very strong.

The milk is simmered and one ingredient added.

Voila, Marie-Ange.

That's very interesting - Marie-Ange is using vinegar.

Correct?

Which will separate water from the solid.

She doesn't take all the whey.

Some of it to keep the moisture.

What I love about these things, how simple it is.

Finally a chance to taste the end product.

There's a little bit of sweetness. Milky sweet.

Although it's been soured, there's that lovely sweetness,

which gives sweet, sour lengths of flavour.

Raymond knows the cheese from Andre's goats

will make a defining centrepiece to his cheese course,

bringing a strong local note.

But he still has to create a starter

and two of the strong themes of his journey are forming an idea.

The great bouillabaisse he tasted with his friend Gerald

and the region's distinct use of grilled vegetables

will come together in a dish

that uses a technique he's been perfecting for decades.

Layers of Mediterranean fish

are encased in a gently set stock,

all wrapped in a thin layer of aubergine.

A jewelled mosaic of scent and flavour.

This is Raymond's bouillabaisse terrine.

Ah, they are here. They are all hidden away. For you.

A magnificent selection of fish has been delivered to the restaurant.

Raymond is spoilt for choice.

A lovely John Dory.

-What do you have here?

-A type of bream, Chef.

-Yeah.

-Pink.

-Yeah. It's called royal sea bream.

-Royal sea bream.

First, Raymond fillets the fish.

Voila. We're going to keep the skin on. It's delicious.

You've got a little gelatinous flavour as well.

Raymond is using classic bouillabaisse fish,

including John Dory and bream, but there's one that is vital.

-This one is a "rascasse".

-A scorpion fish.

It's essential for the bouillabaisse.

It's a hooligan of the sea. It's tough, it's hard flesh,

but beautiful and meaty like a steak. The steak of the sea.

Next, the fish is marinated.

The marination will be based on saffron, which is very popular. Maybe two little pinches.

Raymond is using powdered saffron rather then the traditional threads

so that the flavour and colour permeate the fish more evenly.

Tres bien. I'm going to dilute it with some water.

Voila.

And olive oil. Mon dieu, it's a gift from God.

Into the base, Raymond adds garlic

and Provencal herbs - fennel, thyme and rosemary.

Tres bien. A bit of cayenne pepper.

-Just here, Chef.

-Yeah. And salt.

-Seven big ones.

-Seven big ones.

Tres bien. Voila.

Fish.

You see, Kush, all the flavours of the South of France. Smell that.

-See?

-Yes. You can really smell the olive oil as well.

If you use good olive oil, that's it.

Good olive oil, good dish. Bad olive oil, bad dish.

Bad fish, bad dish, no?

The flavours are allowed to develop for about an hour.

OK.

Nothing goes to waste in this recipe.

The bones are essential to the stock that gives the dish its bouillabaisse heritage.

Look at that. All these wonderful flavours.

The stock is used to poach the marinated fish very gently.

-What oven temperature?

-Chef, it's just over 100 degrees.

The low heat helps preserve the fish's taste and texture.

Next, Raymond cooks thin layers of aubergine skin in olive oil.

-Flat. A bit of colour underneath?

-Just a bit, Chef.

-Yeah?

Put the skin side outside. This is going to be very dramatic.

When softened, they are used to line the terrine.

Perfect. Ready to receive the fish.

Once cooked, the fish is removed from the liquor.

The fish. Bouillabaisse fish.

To create the mosaic effect and add colour and flavour,

Raymond adds pieces of grilled pepper, courgette and fennel.

Gently. Very gently. Tips of my fingers.

Raymond mixes very gently

so as not to break up the fish before adding to the terrine.

As the fish cools,

Raymond adds gelatine to the stock and allows it to thicken slightly.

You can see now, it's quite oily. The gelee is ready to set.

This process is known as oiling.

Too little and the terrine won't set,

too much and the texture will be all wrong.

The jellified stock is poured over the fish

and it is allowed to set for at least 12 hours.

I know it's quite a lot of work, but I wanted to please them

and I wanted to do something a bit different for them.

The dish is one of my oldest dishes back in England.

It's what inspired me, actually. Provence inspired me.

It's going to be absolutely delicious. I hope, anyway.

OK. Tres bien.

He's gambling that serving the locals their beloved bouillabaisse as a terrine won't backfire.

For someone to whom food is almost a religious experience,

coming back to Provence is like a pilgrimage for Raymond.

He's been drawn away from the kitchen to a festival that blesses food.

Inland, at Aix-en-Provence,

he's joining the annual Blessing of the Calissons.

Such a wonderful little celebration.

Just not of food, but of community, of people and of their city.

Aix is the heart of the almond industry

and Calissons are small almond biscuits created some 400 years ago.

Thousands of people dressing up for these Calissons.

ORGAN PLAYS

That priest was absolutely brilliant.

Completely focused on the meaning of it.

And he was saying man ate for sustenance.

He killed and he ate his food and that was it.

Then came civilisation and food was at the heart of it.

Fire came in and we cooked the food

and we created some delicious specialities, like Calissons.

And it gathered families around the table

so food was part of the community, food was part of life,

food was part of the joy and celebration.

And that was wonderful, really to see all these Provencals,

their beautiful dress, in that moment.

Raymond was an alter boy at his local church

and grew up with a deep understanding of the connection between religion and food.

It is a very French thing to bring food into religion, or religion into food.

Oh, that is so lovely.

I think I've been given Calissons by the most beautiful girl

in the whole of Aux-en-Provence, two actually. Thank you very much.

Of course, this is made with the almonds of this region.

Almonds are the biggest industry of the whole of Aix-en-Provence.

And do you know what? Not a single feeling of guilt. Do you know why?

The priest has blessed my Calisson. That means I've got hands of God into this Calisson

so that I can eat it without guilt.

That is delicious! Really delicious.

The sunny life and the great ingredients Raymond

found in Provence, when he first set foot here as a 14-year-old boy,

changed his palate for life.

Now, he's come to the region armed with culinary skills in abundance,

although he knows pure and simple would have made an uncompromising feast,

that wouldn't be Raymond, who likes to raise the bar wherever he cooks!

It's feast day.

It's always complicated, different cuisine, different equipment,

different ovens, different produce.

A lot of things can happen wrong, I can assure you.

The kitchen of La P'tite Cour is gearing up for a busy service

and no French meal is complete without bread.

Raymond has decided to make his own. but is short of a key ingredient.

Kush, can you get me some yeast from the local bakery, please?

Rising to the challenge, Kush races out to get some yeast,

but he's forgotten his French isn't fluent!

Je voudrais acheter un peu de "levin" pour le pain.

-Pour la farine?

-Non, farine, non.

Farine, sel, l'eau...

"Yeast" en anglais?

Oui.

15 grammes.

-C'est bon?

-Oui. C'est combien?

-C'est bon?

-Oui.

-Pour moi?

-Oui.

-Merci beaucoup.

-De rien!

-De rien.

-Au revoir, et bonne journee!

-Thank you very much, Kush. Is it alive?

-It's alive.

It's not strong, but we'll try.

Bread prepared, it's time to get it in the oven.

At 300 degrees centigrade and with the door open,

Raymond is having a few problems.

Look! The paper is burning. It's incredible, I've never seen that!

Oh, it's ridiculous!

And every oven is under siege to fill his bread basket.

A bit of water, Kush! Throw it in.

That great steam giving volume, crustiness! I hope, I don't know!

It's all in my head!

The terrine has set beautifully and is sliced, ready to be served.

Lovely, eh?

The courtyard is cleared and being turned into an elegant setting

for Raymond's discerning guests.

-In the kitchen, things aren't going quite so smoothly.

-Aha.

Oh la la. Oh la la. Oh la la...

I've never seen it happen like that, never in my life.

It's so hot, I've never seen that.

It's been nearly 30 years

since Raymond worked in a kitchen this small.

In my restaurant, we've got 42 chefs.

Here, I've got two!

And it's nearly 50 years

since Raymond first fell in love with the food of Provence.

That reconnects me with my first experience

and the world was to be discovered.

As the guests arrive, nothing remains for Raymond

but to hope that passion in his chosen menu will bring joy to their tables.

First course - the bouillabaisse terrine presented with

a drizzle of saffron oil.

Normally, the bouillabaisse, it's a soup

and so that's the reason why it is... C'est surprenant.

-The fish is perfect. Perfect, perfect.

-It's really surprising.

And colourful and really fresh.

-Kush, ready?

-Yes, Chef.

-Excellent.

One course down and well-received.

Keeping things on track,

the fish course is lightly fried in olive oil...

and will be presented with two local dishes -

barigoule - artichoke stew -

and ratatouille - another local staple.

Then, the final touches.

The braised fennel with the controversial choice

of the red wine jus for the fish.

More flavour. The fennel.

-They are beautiful, come on - don't be so mean.

-Yes, Chef.

There is nothing worse than meanness for a chef, OK?

Apart from being a murderer, maybe.

-Chef.

-Service, s'il vous plait.

Just delicious. I think red wine goes very well with the fish.

It's very disorientating, obviously. I love it.

Actually, it's very good to drink red wine also with this fish -

it's very nice, it goes very well together,

so I think it's a great idea.

See, that's a Frenchman,

who has mopped the sauce completely with the bread!

Wonderful. It still doesn't diminish, that pleasure,

after so many years. It doesn't.

Then, that Provencal speciality made from aromatic milk -

Brousse de Rove goats' cheese, drizzled with honey.

And with a nod to the years Raymond has spent cooking in England,

home-made apricot chutney.

I love this idea of teasing some of my Provencal friends.

A bit of good English chutney, no? Voila.

As the meal progresses, so the guests' pleasure increases.

The finale - the fragrant red fruit dessert featuring the sorbet

and delicate, crunchy raspberry tuile.

Sorbet first. Put the tuile last, OK?

-There's more macerated fruit there.

-Merci, ma belle.

Raymond has forgotten to add the legendary Provencal

wild strawberries, but it's not too late.

It's a little restaurant, it's like being home for me.

For me, it's very good

and of course this is perfect!

Amazing experience, you know.

I really like... What do you say in English?

This is typically English, I think -

-la gelee?

-Jelly?

-Jelly.

For me, a surprising experience,

because I'm afraid about this kind of product, but it was nice.

Clean plates and happy faces mean that it's been challenging,

but ultimately rewarding.

It's been quite a day.

But it's been very rewarding as well.

We all have learned a great deal.

All that remains to be done is to wipe down the kitchen.

And soak up a well-earned round of Provencal applause.

Well done, OK? Et serveurs. Ces jeunes!

APPLAUSE

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