Growing up, the beginning of winter was marked by the first pot au feu appearing on our table. My mother’s version is more traditional and typical of what you would find in most homes. It is made with different cuts of beef that are slowly simmered together. The vegetables are …

What is a daube? It’s a slow-cooked beef stew served in Southern France, especially Provence. When I look at daube recipes and compare them to other beef stew recipes or bœuf bourguignon, there are a lot of similarities, but daube has a lighter body, more like a soup. For me, …

A daube is a slow-cooked stew you will find simmering at a grandmotherly pace in kitchens across France, though the best known are from southern France. Traditionally daubes can be made from lamb or beef, though one does not need to travel too far to find pork daubes, bull daubes, …

La daube provençale – A provençal specialty with beef (or other meats) that you may try during your French immersion program with me in Provence Hello everyone. Today I’m talking to you about one of the most typical dishes of Provence. Here, everyone knows this specialty. That doesn’t mean everyone …

Today’s recipe is inspired by a meal I had years ago in Italy’s wine country – Montalcino. However, it could just as easily appear on a menu in Provence, where grapes are grown locally, and meatballs (boulettes de viande) are popular. The Italian dish, Polpettine con le Uve, not only …

There is little debate that most things sound better in French than in English, and this dish, les Alouettes sans tête (English: “larks without heads”), is one clear example. In this old Niçoise recipe, thin slices of beef are stuffed with a mixture and slow-cooked in a tomato-based sauce. Like …

Where’s the beef, you ask? It’s cleverly wrapped like a little holiday gift for your table! I often think of Beef Wellington as a holiday dish, but it’s perfect for any special occasion. Including my birthday, which is in August! A French chef might put you through your paces to …

While in Provence last fall, I began reading L’appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home. Why read about Paris ex-pat experiences while living in the South of France? I wanted to read this book for several reasons, starting with the fact that I love David Lebovitz’s culinary …

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 …

Are you looking for winter comfort food? This French meat stew makes a cold day a little warmer. Gardiane de Taureau, or gardianne, is also known as a daube camarguaise or daube des gardians. Our recipe for this traditional Provencal stew includes marinaded, slow-cooked meat from the black bulls (taureaux) …