Raising sheep and goats has been part of the fabric of life in Provence for centuries. Before grocery stores, small animal husbandry was necessary for nutrition and is the basis for traditional recipes. We highlight eight (8) of these dishes further down in this article. Grazing Land In a landscape …

After a long year and a half, our good friends and neighbours Ursula and Bob returned to the neighbourhood from their other home is in upstate New York, in the Catskill Mountains. It’s nice to have them back. We had them over to dinner to celebrate their return and wanted …

Salty food and oily fish is a wine pairing challenge. However, nothing that Cocoa & Lavender wasn’t willing to try. Taking inspiration from southern France, this delicious warm platter of feta and sardines paired beautifully with two Acquiesce wines. Producing only Rhône-style white and rosé wines, Acquiesce Winery is a …

We love our little house and the garden we’ve made here. I have a fig tree, a little cherry tree and even an apricot sapling, all in large tubs on the terrace, but the one thing that we don’t have is an olive tree. We planted one many years ago …

As the weather in the Sonoran Desert finally cools down, the morning temperatures are just low enough to use the fireplace. Once winter arrives, I  look forward to that first fire and spend all morning staring into the flames. Along with those indolent desert winter days come the addictive comfort …

Originally, we created this gin and tonic cocktail recipe for Halloween, but why wait that long to enjoy this drink? The recipe uses our Maison Mirabeau dry gin. A refreshing gin and tonic drink alternative for any occasion   Additional Drink Recipes:

You might shy away from bread making, but this simple Cocoa and Lavender recipe for a French Brioche Loaf will make you reconsider. Our friend Barbara took a no-knead brioche bun recipe and turned it into a loaf. This easy loaf has become one of our favourite bread for sandwiches …

While this recipe is not typically Provencal, aubergine (eggplant) and tomatoes are plentiful in the region, and we highly recommend trying this vegetarian dish. While we will always love a variety of meats, poultry, and seafood, we add more vegetarian options for our health! Melanzane a’Scarpone is one of our favourite …

A Lebanese Mezze consists of several small dishes for sharing with others. Every culture has its culinary creation to bring people together over a meal. For instance, Spanish tapas and American picnics! These are several recipes from Le Pistou Cooking School in Uzès for a workshop called Lebanese Bites. You …

Whether you are with friends or that special someone on February 14th, celebrate by starting your evening with a few bubbles. We combined two of our favourites, La Folie sparkling rosé, with our pink gin to create a festive version of a spritz. Enjoy this cocktail while you prepare our …