The Last Supper in Lyon.

Yesterday was a lovely Spring day here in Lyon. I got up early, which on a Saturday means about 10:30am. I went down the street to the outdoor market at Montplaisir to search for some things to make for dinner. I decided to do something that would be good, simple, and enough for everyone who might show up. In the States it is usually hard to get people over and I always have too much food left over. Here, my dinners have become somewhat of a legend and everyone is always sending me a text to see if they can attend. I always try to think about what I am going to cook before I go so I have a game plan. However, like some writers I usually suffer from a cooker's block. So, I went without a clue what I was going to prepare. I was walking through the market listening to Jack Johnson and enjoying the odors of fresh produce, Spring, and some roasting chickens. I passed some small potatoes and could not resist, they would make a lovely hot potato salad with some fresh herbs, creme fraiche, lemon zest, and nice merguez sausages. Passing along I noticed some nice lettuces in the center of the market and my mouth began to produce it's own idea for the dinner. A nice green salad with some plump grape tomatoes. I love the smell of fresh cultivated tomatoes, it takes me back to my neighbor's garden when I was a small boy, it's one of my favorite smells ever. I got some nice creamy roquefort to top it off and my now crowd favorite herbed balsalmic vinaigrette. I may actually post the recipe just for Alex and the other filles. Lastly, I have always passed one of my local butcher's shops wishing that I had the money to stop and get some of there brightly painted meats for a great dinner. This time I could do it because I had the whole group chipping in as well. I got a 1.5 kilo roti du porc and the merguez sausages that I used in the potato salad. I had been reading some things on my favorite chef Jacques Pepin the day before and I decided to let the pork speak for itself and not go crazy with a rich sauce. I roasted it with some coriander spice, pepper, salt, and fresh time. Giving it a light glaze of maple syrup and mustard just at the end. It was perfectly cooked to medium and after giving it 15 minutes to rest it was the juiciest pork I have ever dropped on my tongue. You could cut it with a fork, this is pork I am talking about too, not veal. It was perfect and I think I should go thank the butcher's shop for there wonderful job in selecting a fine loin of pork.
For those wondering what we were quenching our thirst with I will tell you about my punch. It is getting warm and I wanted to have a nice aperitif that would open up the pallet a little. I bought some raspberries, watermelon, oranges, and young yellow peaches to toss in the bowl. I am not a big fan of tequila but I love prickly pear martini's so I decided to try and make something close. I picked up some fresh pear juice at the market and followed with some orange juice, white grape juice and a bottle of white tequila. It was gone in a matter of minutes and everyone wanted to know how to make it. Dead simple, spend a little more and get real juice, not concentrate and it will make all the difference in the end. Everyone was also asked to bring some wine or beer along with the 5 euro ante.
The dinner was a lovely event and a great way to say goodbye, some memories may fade quicker than others but with the taste and smell of food it enhances your memories. Smell is the strongest memory jogger there is. I hope that some day long from now the people that my dinners brought together last night and every time before will taste or smell something that was in my pork roast, or banana bread and remember the unforgettable times we had here as students, friends, lovers, and teachers. I would not trade it for anything in the World, you are my inspiration in everything I do, every new dish I create, every smell that lifts my soul. You are my passion in life, I will never forget you. Thank you for your friendship, your laughs, your days in the park, your spirit, I hope to see you all again one day soon. You are welcome in my home and at my table whenever the thought suits you.