The cheese pie from France known as a quiche has its origins in Lorraine, but this recipe called quiche aux pignons, traces its roots to the garrigue (moors) of the Camargue of Provence. Although simple to make, its taste is luscious. To make this properly, you will need to focus on the bacon lardons. Make […]
Summer Salad from French Catalonia
August 6, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Hot summer days demand cool salads and one couldn’t do better than the one I first encountered in the village of Collioure in southern France. There I had a salade Collioure, Collioure being a small French Catalan fishing village on the Côte Vermeille, the coastal Mediterranean of the French province of Roussillon which is considered […]
A Provençal Stuffed Cabbage for A Cold Day
March 5, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Sou fassum, the Provençal name, is known in French as chou farci à la Niçoise. It is a specialty of the region around Grasse. Traditionally, the stuffed cabbage leaves are placed in a net made of thick threads called a fassumier that is then lowered into a good chicken broth to be cooked. Although cabbage […]
Luscious Duck Breast Inspiration from Gascony
September 12, 2017 by Leave a Comment
In this classic dish from Languedoc and Gascony in France the duck breast is sliced thinly and cooked rare. Most ducks sold in supermarkets are sold frozen and whole, so you’ll have to first defrost the whole duck, then you’ll have to cut the duck into pieces. The parts you don’t use can be reserved […]
Potato Gratin with Swiss Chard is for Wintertime
February 6, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Potato gratin is one of those preparations that speaks to people. When a gratin comes out of the oven it is one of the most inviting foods. It’s also a dish perfect for winter. Swiss chard developed from the beet and was first mentioned in a book about plants published in Basel, Switzerland in 1596. […]
Old French Recipe for Veal Rump Stew, A Cold Weather Delight
November 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment
This nineteenth-century recipe is from Anjou, the capital of which, Angers, sits in the middle of fertile land and excellent vineyards in the Loire valley. The traditional home cooking of Anjou was simple and not ostentatious. This recipe is adapted from the book Recettes des provinces de France that was produced in honor of Curnonsky, […]
Luscious Winter Braise from Provence
March 8, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Winter isn’t over yet and if your culinary sensibilities are like mine you’re still in the “fire-up-the-oven” mode. There’s nothing cozier than a winter braise wafting through the house when the chill of the end of winter still lingers. Many people think warmth when they think of the Mediterranean, but the Mediterranean can be surprisingly […]
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