Jean-Denis Rieubland shares favourite food

If you are what you eat, then it could be said that chefs are what they cook. In an exclusive series from Relaxnews, some of the top chefs from around the world share their favourite food ingredient to prepare and eat, every week. Whether it be lemons, apricots, or sea urchin, the answers are as varied as the chefs themselves. Jean-Denis Rieubland, chef at the Negresco in Nice, France, opted for white pattypan squash. What led you to choose this ingredient? I chose it for its taste -- which is half artichoke, half squash -- as well as for its shape and color. It looks like a flying saucer! Your most cherished memory related to pattypan squash? Pattypan squash paired with lobster -- that's my top cooking memory. When is pattypan in season [in France]? The best times are July, August and September. What is the best way to prepare it? I like to pan-fry it with butter or cream. What other foods can you cook it with to bring out the flavor? I find that when you cook it with bacon, the result is particularly interesting. What are the most common mistakes people make when cooking pattypan squash? When it's not peeled well and and some of the skin is left on, it gives it a bitter taste. How do you serve this ingredient on your current menu? We serve a creamy pattypan squash recipe with blue lobster and bacon. What kind of wine goes best with pattypan? The 2008 Jaboulet Hermitage Blanc "Chevalier de Strerimberg" is an especially good choice. Source : AFP