Today’s special at Café Presse combines lovage from our own garden with morel mushrooms:  Creamy potato-leek-lovage soup garnished with morel mushroom and Comté beignets

For those not familiar with lovage, it is an herb that has a flavor similar to wild celery, more pungent and earthy than its domesticated cousin. The lovage for this soup came from the garden of Cafe Presse’s dining room manager, so it doesn’t get any more local than that.

It has been a banner year for morels, so if you haven’t had the chance to try some this season, try some while they are here.

What:  Cooking demonstration and tasting by Le Pichet and Cafe Presse Executive Chef Jim Drohman as part of the Chefs on the Cobblestones series

When:  Sunday June 22, 2014, from 2pm to 3pm

Where:  The Pike Place Market demonstration stand, the corner of Pike Place and Stewart

Please join Chef  Jim Drohman for a cooking demonstration in the Pike Place Market on Sunday June 22, 2014 from 2 to 3 pm.

Jim will be cooking “Soupe aux pistou”, an early summer white bean and vegetables soup served with basil-walnut pistou.   And he will be giving out tastes to the audience when the demonstration is finished.

Here is a useful recipe for using extra Summer herbs when they are plentiful and cheap.  This recipe is based on one found in the book The Unprejudiced Palette by Angelo Pellegrini (which is a colorful read, by the way).  It is very easy and economical to make and the final product adds a burst of Summer flavor to salads throughout the year.

This recipe is intentionally lacking in specific quantities so that you can adjust to the amount of herbs you have on hand.  Similarly, other mixes of herbs and spices will be successful as well. Use this vinegar in vinaigrettes, sauce Bearnaise or Beurre Blanc.