Cotignac is a small but lively village in the Var region with a rich and fascinating history that goes right back to medieval times. It is an ‘open village’ that already provides a colourful history, but for lovers of art, there is far more than meets the eye, as Cotignac …

Why does Mark get this 15 minutes of fame? Because even though it’s my birthday dinner, today’s recipe — his “Chicken Marccata” recipe — takes but 15 minutes to make and less time to eat, if you like it as much as I do. Yes, Mark can cook, and could …

One of my favourite desserts is seasonal fruit tarts (tartes aux fruits). These tarts also make nice afternoon treats. So, I make them all year with local, in-season produce. In California, you find puff pastry sheets at most grocery stores (Ralphs, Gelson’s) and at French supermarkets like Carrefour or Intermarché. …

On Monday, August 16th, a fire broke out near a motorway service station close to Gonfaron. Although the exact cause is to be confirmed, human carelessness caused the blaze. The ignition found the fuel needed with dry scrubland in the Var resulting from hot summer temperatures and near-drought conditions. The …

Chef Liz Thompson and I had lots of fun delivering “Baking with Herbs,” an online cooking demonstration. One of the recipes was a twist on the French classic a Lemongrass Crème Brûlée. In just over an hour, we showed participants how to use fresh herbs and flowers from their garden …

The origin of the Apple Tarte Tatin aux Pommes is rooted in France’s Loire Valley in the small town of Lamotte-Beuvron. Born out of an unintended mistake in the kitchen, this tarte is the sweet result. At the time, the two Tatin sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline, owned and operated the …

I have started to note a pattern emerging in my tasting notes during the past couple of years, which shows just how much I love Grenache Gris white wines. I love their richness, texture and structure. But I also noted how few of these wines, in their purest form, are …

Hilltop Village La Cadière-d’Azur is a small medieval village perched on the edge of a cliff on the hill across from Le Castellet in the south-west of the Var region. After we finished our walk-about Le Castellet, we decided that since we were in the area, we should cross the valley …

Just 10 minutes down the road from Cotignac is the charming village of Carcès, home to the stunning Lac de Carcès. The views are simply breathtaking and you don’t find many more romantic spots to watch a sunset in the area. But today I wasn’t after of romance. I wanted …

By Elizabeth Gabay: Tasting the wines of Provence has been a bit erratic this year. While Cotes de Provence had a stand at both WineParis (11-13 February) and Prowein (17-19 March), the 2018 vintage had often only just been bottled and were still quite young and closed. My preferred time …