Along the coast from Nice you’ll find Hôtel Les Roches Rouges. Plotted in Saint-Raphaël, a 19th-century fishing village, the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant ‘La Terrasse’ presents – as you might expect – a seafood-centric menu (with a side of sweeping sea views).
In addition to ‘La Terrasse’, Chef José Bailly also helms the all-day eatery ‘La Plage’. Serving up modern riffs on traditional Provençal dishes, ‘La Plage’ places focus on easy dining in a relaxed setting. XL pepper-white parasols, a dress code that likely lists shoes as ‘optional’, and 360 views of the Med – this is beach dining at its best.
For a taste of spring/ summer in the South of France, try Chef Bailly’s recipe for Swiss Chard Tart – a popular Provençal dish, best enjoyed as part of a late al-fresco lunch.
Photography by Benoit Linero
INGREDIENTS FOR THE SHORTCRUST PASTRY:
200g T45 flour
50g potato starch
6.5g salt
6.5g sugar
100g softened butter
1 egg
50ml water
INGREDIENTS FOR THE FILLING:
1 bunch of Swiss chard
60g parmesan
3 eggs
1 white onion
1 garlic clove
40g pine nuts
Pinch of salt and pepper
Dash of olive oil
Optional: zest of ¼ orange and ¼ lime
METHOD
Add all of the shortcrust pastry ingredients in a large food mixer and mix everything on a medium speed (speed 4 on a scale from 1 to 10) until thoroughly blended and smooth. Using your hands, make a ball with the shortcrust pastry and place it back into the mixer bowl. Cover and let it rise for an hour in the fridge.
In the meantime, wash the Swiss chard and set aside. Peel the onion and the garlic clove and mince them. Strip the chard leaves from the thick stems, roughly slice the leaves and finely chop the stems. In a pan, add some olive oil on high heat and sweat the minced onion and garlic. Add the pine nuts (being careful not to colour them too much), then add the sliced leaves and chopped stems. Season with salt and pepper. Wilt the Swiss chard and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside in a colander and let it cool.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Roll out the shortcrust pastry and place this into a tart dish, keeping the excess pastry around the edges. In a bowl, mix the three eggs, add the parmesan and the Swiss chard preparation. Mix everything together and pour the filling into the tart pan. Fold the excess shortcut pastry over the filling and cook for 15-20 minutes.
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