Without a Hitch Ms. Wells developed these recipes as part of everyday cooking at Chanteduc, her summer home in Provence. Many of the recipes, therefore, are typical of Provence. Many more have typically Provencal ingredients. However, this is not a cookbook of traditional Provencal dishes. The recipes may originate from other regions in France, or even other countries.
Some recipes are mind-bogglingly simple.
Which makes them, for me, special occasion rather than everyday fare. Wells has indoor and outdoor wood-burning ovens, for heaven's sake. A cookbook at this level can do one of two things. It can make the average Joe who reads it feel like a shmuck who will never in his wildest dreams achieve even an iota of the style and skill of the author. Or, it can inspire a cook to pick and choose new dishes and techniques which broaden and deepen her repertoire.