Just me, Mario, Patricia and Ina

These past few weeks, I have been basking in the splendor of having a big kitchen. For the first time in my life, I actually have room to chop, stir and make an even bigger mess than usual.

Who would have thought it even possible in a Parisian apartment?

Like a baguette in a dish of olive oil, I have been soaking up the thoughts, cooking tips and recipes of my dear friends Mario Batali, Patricia Wells and Ina Gartner and I have never eaten better.

I can't lie, it does help having a daily farmer's market just down the street with the freshest of summer's bounty.

And as Mario shared with me just last week as we were sharing a glass of Viognier together, 'A chef is only as good as her ingredients.' Such words of wisdom that man speaks.

With all the delicious tomatoes on hand these days, I decided to make this recipe: Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons - orginally created by Ina but readapted by SmittenKitchen.com. Instant love. The pictures do not do this dish justice, but I promise you will be back for 2nds, 3rds...

Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons

- 3 tablespoons olive oil

- 2 cups bread from a French Boule or Italian bread, cut into 1/2 pieces or smaller (really, any fluffy fresh bread will work)

- 2 1/2 pounds of whatever delicious tomatoes you can find, cut into 1/2 inch diced pieces. (Make sure to keep all that yummy juice!)

- 3 gloves garlic (or 4 if you like more...), minced

- 2 tbls sugar (I put in just 1 because tomatoes are already so sweet)

- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt

- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

As a sidenote, Yann called the dish 'Very American'. I called it 'Very Delicious'.

The view from the kitchen...