Did you know that the word cereal comes from Ceres, that beautiful Roman goddess of harvest and agriculture? Humans have been cultivating grains since time immemorial; even Neanderthals collected them to bake into some reasonably complex dishes (mentioned in the blog post Breaking Bread in Palestine on my website). Grains, …

Regarding dessert, tiny fruits merit tiny tarts like this recipe for a fresh apricot tart. I am trying to make smaller desserts: small-batch cookies, cakes, and (case in point) tarts. This approach yields fewer tempting leftovers. As it turns out, I have a very small and rather adorable pie plate …

Saint Rémy de Provence has it all, shopping, galleries, a big market on Wednesday mornings and (almost) too many restaurant choices. The picturesque, lively town snuggled into the base of Les Alpilles, the miniature Alps. With a rich history—highlighted by the Romans, Nostradamus and Vincent Van Gogh—plus heritage celebrations and …

Author and wine expert Göran Boman shares tips for wine tasting and exploring the vineyards in Provence. This part of the South of France includes wine-growing areas stretching within the urban limits of Nice on the French Riviera to the Northern Rhône Valley. While wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, villages such as …

With petits-enfants (my grandchildren) to cater for, I was pleased to visit the family-friendly Italian Trattoria, which replaced Quick in Aix centre-ville. I remember searching for this very type of place with two increasingly-hungry little girls – we ended up with a ‘Pizza Capri’ while sitting on a bench. Not …

In reality, cooking with lavender isn’t au fait with the locals, but used with subtlety and restraint, the perfume of Provence pairs perfectly with the more traditional native ingredients – garlic, honey and oil – for this simple dressing. Serve with lots of bread for scooping up the juices. This …

Do as the French do and bring a flair of Provencal culture to your tabletop with this exquisite selection of artisanal French cheese and charcuterie pairings ready to serve. Mix honey, berries, walnuts, olives, fresh baguettes and excellent wine. As you curate the perfect French charcuterie board, remember that balance …

Until recently, I had never poached anything solely in butter. When Provence WineZine friends Susan and Towny gave me some vanilla salt, I wanted to use it as a finishing salt for halibut poached in butter. I googled “butter poached halibut” and was alarmed to find that fully submerging four …

While we often think of soup as a cold-weather dish, some recipes bridge the seasons perfectly. Filled with vegetables and legumes, la soupe au pistou is one such dish. In Nice and traditional Cuisine Nissarde pistou soup is a summer dish. A mix of seasonal vegetables, potatoes and beans cook …

If you’d like to visit one of the best markets in France and Provence, don’t miss the Apt market in the capital of the Luberon Valley. Don’t just take my word for it: Apt’s market has been named one of France’s 100 “exceptional markets” by the French National Council of …