In the northern Alps of France, east of Lyon, there is a region called the Savoy. The city of Albertville, where the 1992 winter Olympics were hosted, can be found in the Savoie region. It has a particular cuisine specific to the cold mountain conditions. Very hearty and very cheesy is the jist of it. … Continue reading
This summer I picked up a Vin et Cuisine (Food & Wine) magazine that was a bonus issue for subscribers. It has 132 summer recipes organized by main ingredient, i.e. tomatoes, eggplant, figs, etc. I have been systematically cooking recipes from it since August. For the past several weeks the farmers have been getting … Continue reading
We happen to have 4 fig trees in various locations around the property. Out of those 4 trees, there are 3 different types of figs, which represent the 3 varieties of figs grown here in Provence. Every year, I pick the figs in several different batches and make jam. It’s possibly the easiest jam you … Continue reading
If you like butter, chocolate, sugar or nutella in general or on bread, then you will love this spread. I was watching Cuisine TV the other day and Guy Martin was making 2 lovely butters. He used ‘beurre de barratte’, which means ‘churned’, to make this chocolate spread and one with lemon. I immediately made … Continue reading
This is one of two egg recipes that we did at the 1 hour atelier organized by Stéphanie Ginoux of Cuisine Évènements and taught by Chef Saucier Philippe Houy from Restaurant Christian Etienne a 1* Michelin restaurant in Avignon. Eggs can be presented in so many interesting ways, so I of course needed a new gadget after this lesson. The ‘toque oeuf’ … Continue reading
I love to watch cooking shows on TV! In France, there is only one channel and it’s called Cuisine TV. They have quite a variety of shows including English chefs like Jamie Oliver and Nigela Lawson, as well as American chef Giada de Laurentis. Yesterday I saw a super easy recipe for chocolate mousse. He … Continue reading
A year or so ago I went to a chili cook off here in Aix. I of course made a pot with my dad’s recipe. A classic ground beef & pork combination with some lovely chili powders he orders from Pendery’s in Texas. When he makes it it’s great. When I made it…it was less … Continue reading
This week at my producers market my seafood guy had some mussels that looked nice. So I took home a sac (1kg) and cooked them in the traditional french method. It’s actually quick and easy. If you have never tried them at home before, then give this a shot sometime. I didn’t have any … Continue reading
Recently I spent a lovely saturday at Dalmeran winery not far from the house. They have a beautiful kitchen where cooking classes are easily presented. Chef Mathieu Desmarest, Meilleur Apprenti de France, from Restaurant Paul Bocuse, led the course. There were 7 of us and the class was about 3 hours long. Our host Stéphanie Ginoux, … Continue reading
My Kitchen in Provence 