A couple of years ago, we spent a transformative week in the historic hill town of Cagnes sur Mer, widely considered the ‘Montmartre’ of the South and long favoured by impressionistic painters for its alluring beauty. Within five (5) days we went from our hurried, busy lives to a more …

Recently, I felt inspired to bake some delicious Lemon and Lavender Honey Madeleines. I hadn’t made madeleines since I left my last restaurant job several years ago. My madeleine moulds were still wrapped in the same plastic from the day when my pastry chef handed them back to me. The …

Poached pears might be one of the easiest French desserts to serve. The preparation time is short and there is quite a variety of combinations you can create. It’s a simple dessert to master and can be easily altered to suit your tastes. To better understand where the dessert “Poris Belle …

One of the most endearing and favourite of all Provencal dishes is Petits Farcis or stuffed vegetables, also known as lu farçum in the Niçard (Nice) dialect. They are the perfect and easy family meal that can be served hot, cold, or warm and everyone loves to eat them. Petits Farcis are …

The holidays call for rich dishes full of flavour and lots of love. This quick and easy Christmas soup is packed full of sweet earthy flavours that you can pair with duck confit or shredded pork rillette (or even no meat at all, for the vegetarians!). Chestnuts are highlighted in …

Confusingly, the word tian has two meanings: it is both an earthenware dish and whatever you are preparing inside of your tian. Every French person I know has their family favourites. This tian was ours. It is super colourful and will be the star of any meal. Confession Time. I …

Mille-feuille (pronounced meal foy), or thousand layers, is a rich dessert of several layers of crispy crunchy puff pastry layered with a pastry cream filling and/or fruit. In my version, I layered lemon curd, whipped cream, and ripe strawberries. If you do not have strawberries use other berries or even …

Although not typically Provencal, quiche is definitely French. You find variations of this savoury tart in most bakeries, grocery stores and many lunch menus. The Quiche Lorraine is indeed the classic version, originating from the northeastern region of France. Any quiche recipe starts with eggs, cream, and (usually) cheese. After …

If you could pick your last meal – what would it be? For my last meal on Earth, I would select a dish that is both humble and classic. I would choose a duck confit. There is something utterly delicious about obscenely crisp duck skin mixed with succulent duck meat. It …

This past weekend I made my favourite dessert of all-time; a seductively simple warm chocolate tart that I first encountered at Joel Robuchon’s restaurant in Paris many years ago. It is a rich and decadent dessert, with a silky-smooth custard-like chocolate filling that truly has no peers. The first time …