Culture

Daniel Boulud's Picture-Perfect French Picnic

More fun in the sun with America's fave Frenchman.
Image may contain Food Meal Vacation Human Person Leisure Activities Picnic Plant Dish and Lunch
Alex Lau

When chef extraordinaire Daniel Boulud treated us to the picnic to end all picnics in Central Park a few weeks ago, we ended up with way more plein air food porn than we knew what to do with. So here we are: More fun in the sun with America's fave Frenchman.

  • Image may contain Vacation Food Meal Human Person Leisure Activities Picnic Grass and Plant
    Alex Lau
    1/11

    Breaking Bread

    Boulud doesn't truck with bread knives, at least not on a picnic—it's all about that tear-and-share baguette.

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    Alex Lau
    2/11

    Eat Your Veggies

    Spicy breakfast radishes and bracing celery hearts accompanied by a cooling yogurt dip started the feast off on a light note.

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    Alex Lau
    3/11

    Between Two Slices

    As a part of the "aperitif" portion of our afternoon, Boulud brought a "pain surprise"—a whole loaf of seeded wheat bread that, through some feat of culinary wizardry, had been gutted and filled with tiny smoked salmon and cream cheese finger sandwiches.

  • Image may contain Food Meal Human Person Vacation Clothing Apparel Leisure Activities Picnic and Cafeteria
    Alex Lau
    4/11

    Look Sharp

    Like any chef worth his whites, Boulud arrived at our picnic with several of his own razor-sharp folding knives.

  • Image may contain Vacation Food Meal Leisure Activities Human Person Picnic Pizza Furniture Table and Dining Table
    Alex Lau
    5/11

    DIY or Die

    We brought a chef along to help style the shoot—the illustrious Gerardo Gonzalez of El Rey Coffee Bar and Luncheonette, no less—but Boulud isn't one to stand by and watch other people work. He dove right in and made sure everything looked proper.

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    Alex Lau
    6/11

    Salad Days

    When it comes to picnic salads, the chef opts for sturdy vegetables that can stand to marinate without going all droopy. This salad of roasted beets and lightly steamed haricot verts with a simple red wine vinaigrette, crumbles of goat cheese, and candied pecans didn't mind a little sun one bit.

  • Image may contain Vacation Food Meal Human Person Grass Plant Leisure Activities and Picnic
    Alex Lau
    7/11

    "Water" Boy

    I made sure the chef stayed hydrated with plenty of cold Provencal rosé.

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    Alex Lau
    8/11

    Winner, Winner

    Cold roast chicken is one of Boulud's go-to picnic proteins. He likes to cook and carve the bird the night or morning before, and serve it with a herb-flecked mayonnaise fortified with the chicken's roasting juices.

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    Alex Lau
    9/11

    Peas, Please

    Ditto for this spring pea and carrot salad, which was plated on top of—rather than tossed with—a bright pea pesto dressing.

  • Image may contain Vacation Food Meal Human Person Leisure Activities and Picnic
    Alex Lau
    10/11

    Sharing is Caring

    When Boulud noticed that a ripe wheel on the cheese board was about to run all over the picnic blanket, he was quick to swipe it up...with a cheese straw...and hand it to me. #blessed

  • Image may contain Plant Food Fruit and Produce
    Alex Lau
    11/11

    Fin

    May all picnics end with an outrageously beautiful apricot tart crowned with ACTUAL EFFING GOLD LEAF.

Amiel has worked at Bon Appétit in some capacity since 2012(!)—a sentence that makes him feel very old indeed. In that time, he has focused primarily on writing and editing service-driven cooking content across all platforms but has also developed recipes, penned travel guides, and hosted more than a few videos. These days, he ... Read More
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