At least once a year we head to the Jean Martin Boutique in Maussane-les-Alpilles for a cooking class. The Ateliers de Cusine are short workshop-style classes which last for two and a half (2 1/2) hours. The menus change roughly every two months, but the class format is always the …

To bringing a course for the meal that related to our interpretation of the song. My contribution was this delicious Lemon-Frosted Pistachio Cake, a recipe by food writer, author and chef Nigel Slater.

Provencal Bistro Classic We stumbled across the Bistrot du Paradou quite by hazard, on one of our drives around the Alpilles villages. It turns out that we were quite naive with regards to this restaurant’s gastronomic reputation and its loyal fan base. We now understand just how lucky we were …

This chocolate-based sauce for the steak adds a slightly decadent finish to the grilled meat. The sauce worked well in a pairing with the Hermitage La Petite Chapelle (2012) from Paul Jaboulet-Aîné, a red wine from the Northern Rhône Valley.

A Winter Gathering with Friends Generally, we head back to Los Angeles for the winter months, but my culinary heart remains tied to France. The flavours of Provence inspired the following winter dinner party menu. These three dishes will warm your insides, serve with some delicious French wine and the …

Pears are a fruit that is well-suited to desserts like this one with Roasted Pears and Crème Anglaise.

My variation on Salmon Wellington en Crôute includes other seafood (sole, scallops and shrimp), it was “born” out of necessity when we lived in Maine. Over the years, I have lightened-up the recipe ingredients a bit.

We served this dish as a side at Thanksgiving. However, it also works well as a starter course. Begin your dinner party with a warm salad of roasted leeks with edamame, fresh herbs, parmesan and mozzarella. Join us in May for the Pitcher & Powell culinary adventure in Provence, where …

Luckily, this recipe for Creamy Mushroom and Chestnut Soup is so delicious it has stopped my brown food colour rant in its tracks.

Slow-cooked lamb (agneau) dishes are typical on menus in Provence. You see sheep herds grazing in farmers fields or often free-range in the hills of the Alpilles, Luberon, Var and Haute Alpes de Provence.