This month, Prospect's food columnist Wendell Steavenson scours Paris for the perfect bistro—but finds that it doesn't exist. These days, she discovers, eating well in France is all about bistronomy.A mixture of the words "bistro" and "gastronomy," bistronomy is about taking high-end food out of stiff, grand restaurants and transporting it to the lively, casual settings usually associated with bistros—with lower prices to match. Michelin stars and impressive formal training are no longer considered essentials for the chefs of Paris: delicious food without the pomp is the order of the day, making great food available to everyone.Here, two of France's top bistronomy chefs share some of their favourite recipes with us.Pizza soufflé by Jean-François Piège Jean-François Piège runs the hugely successful Brasserie Thoumieux and restaurant Jean-François Piège in Paris. Michelin stars are not considered necessary for bistronomy chefs—but he has two anyway. He was voted Chef of the Year in 2011 by 6,000 industry professionals. This is the recipe for the luxurious "pizza soufflé" (pictured above) served at Brasserie Thoumieux. One for special occasions, the pastry puff is stuffed with rocket and topped with smoked mozzarella. To serve eight peopleIngredientsFor the pizza dough 500g all-purpose flour (T55) 50g olive oil 140g water 60g egg whites For the topping 2 balls of smoked mozzarella (250g each) 1 small aubergine 125g tapenade 100g sobrassada (spicy Spanish sausage) 125g wild rocket 125g of parmesan ¼ bunch oregano 15cl olive oil For the pizza oil 15 cl olive oil ½ head of garlic 1 sprig rosemary ¼ bunch thyme 15g Espelette chili pepper Directions 1. Make the pizza oil by adding all the ingredients to a saucepan and heating, without bringing to the boil. Cover and steep for two hours. Pass through a mesh chinois. Do not store in the refrigerator. 2. To make the pizza dough, heat the oven to gas mark 10 and put in a baking sheet to warm. Add the rest of the pizza dough ingredients to the flour. Form a homogenous ball of dough. Roll it out into a thin sheet using a pastry sheeter. Fold and roll it through again. 3. Cut the dough using an 18cm circle cutter or a bowl of the same size. Immediately place the circles of dough to puff up on the warm baking sheet. 4. To make the topping, cut the aubergine into 1cm slices and salt them. Steam for around 15 minutes, then brown them in a frying pan with some olive oil. Drain and cut into quarters. 5. Trim, wash and spin the wild rocket. Season it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Place at the centre of the pizza, making a little hollow in the top of the crust. Turn it over. 6. Thinly slice the smoked mozzarella and arrange across the entire top. 7. Season the tapenade with olive oil and chopped oregano. Sprinkle it over the mozzarella. 8. Arrange the aubergine slices and sobrassada on top of the smoked mozzarella, season with salt and pepper. 9. Place under the grill for a minute. 10. Grate a generous amount of parmesan. 11. Drizzle with pizza oil, add a good pinch of Espelette chili pepper and garnish with a small bunch of seasoned wild rocket. Brasserie Thoumieux, 79 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris www.thoumieux.fr Melon caramelised in honey by Stéphane Jégo and Sophie Brissaud Stéphane Jégo learnt to cook from his grandmother and left school at a young ag to pursue his craft. He was trained by renowned chef Yves Camdeborde, a father of the bistronomy movement, and now runs the ever-popular l'Ami Jean in southwest Paris—where, the New York Times reported a few years' ago, "it’s common to exclaim loudly over a dish or be offered a spoonful of pork belly and lentils from a neighbour’s casserole; tables of four order magnums; and there’s a wait for 11:30pm reservations." This recipe for caramelised melon—to be eaten as an aperitif, starter or side dish for a barbecue—comes from Jégo's cookbook À peine cru, co-written with Sophie Brissaud.Ingredients 2 ripe, medium-sized Charentais melons 50g fresh ginger 3 tablespoons honey 10cl white vinegar Juice of 2 limes 2 sprigs of thyme Directions 1. Remove the rind from the melons, cut them in half and remove the seeds. Collect the melon juice as you do this. 2. Peel the ginger and cut into thin slices. 3. Mix together the honey, vinegar, lime juice, ginger and thyme, thinning it with some water, and immerse the melons in this marinade. Put it all into a large freezer bag, seal and put in the fridge for 12 hours. After this time, remove and drain the bag, but keep the marinade. 4. Put the melons—flat side facing down—in a large pan, add the ginger from the marinade and a little juice, then caramelise under the broiler oven or salamander grill. 5. Add a little marinade at a time over each melon and replace under the grill; repeat until well-coated. Slice thickly. The surface of the melon should be shiny and caramelised, while the flesh should still be raw and flavoured with the ginger, thyme and honey. l'Ami Jean, 27 Rue Malar, 75007 Paris www.lamijean.fr or follow on Facebook or TwitterRead moreWhat's the difference between a bistro, a brasserie and a restaurant? Prospect's food columnist Wendell Steavenson eats her way around Paris in search of the answer.
