Oven Fries a la Nicole

From 'Joie de Vivre' by Robert Arbor

10 cloves garlic, 5 smashed and 5 whole
3/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
Herbes de Provence
6 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and kept in water to preserve colour

Preheat oven to 375F
Mix the garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and heres de Provence in a bowl.
Cut peeled potatoes in half lengthways, then into 4 wedges each.
Put potatoes in bowl and toss with olive oil mixture.
Arrange potato wedges on a sheet pan one by one so that the point of each wedge faces up.
Cook in oven until tender and brown, around 30 - 35 minutes.

I have already made these, and they taste wonderful.

Basic Fruit Compote

Another recipe from the book 'Joie de Vivre' by Robert Arbor

3 pieces large fruit such as pear, apple or peach - if using apricots, figs or plums, double the amount
Butter, a thumb size chunk
Juice of half a lemon
1 vanilla bean, split with insides scraped out
1 cup sugar, or to taste

Peel the fruit, remove cores, and cut into half-inch chunks
Melt butter in skillet and add fruit. Add lemon juice and vanilla bean scrapings to the butter mixture. Add half cup of sugar.
Cook on very low heat, covered, just until the fruit is tender. Do not brown. Add more sugar as needed. Kep in covered glass jar in the fridge.

Immediate Gratification Jam

This is from the book 'Joie de Vivre' by Robert Arbor.

If you like jam, try making little batches of your own. This jam will keep for a week or so in the fridge, so you don't need to use airtight jars etc...
The ratio is 1 pint fruit to 1 cup sugar.

2 pints small fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries or raspberries
2 cups sugar

If the strawberries are large, cut them into 4 wedges. The blueberries and raspberries don't need to be cut.
Toss fruit in sugar until coated, and then place fruit in a saucepan. Add enough water to come halfway up the fruit. Do not cover.
Bring to the boil, then immediately lower heat to a simmer. Stir occasionally. When the fruit has melted into liquid, check for sweetness and add more sugar if needed. When the extra sugar has melted into the fruit mixture, your jam is ready to use. It will be quite runny, but will thicken up in the fridge. Store in fridge, and use with a week.