Crab and tarragon is a flavour combination that goes particularly well with flat-ribbon pasta like linguine, tagliatelle and fettuccine. The result is light, yet filling and an ideal companion to a chilled glass of Mirabeau Pure. The recipe can easily be adapted to one’s taste preferences. I quite often add …

Apparently, when Alice B. Toklas went on a picnic, she did not fool around. I say “apparently” because I can find no evidence that today’s recipe was either taken on a picnic by Toklas or is actually her recipe. I have an uncredited magazine clipping — most likely from the …

The latest dish from the Mirabeau Kitchen is pork chops with Ben’s signature adaptation of a ‘sauce verte’. This is a simple recipe, that works nicely for a Summer BBQ. Even better, you can make the sauce the day before to save time, and if you have any leftover sauce …

This recipe for Tielle Sétoise (fisherman’s hand pie) is from the kitchen at La Maison du Rire, a Food and Wine School in Corbières, France. Author, wine instructor and gourmet cook, Emma Kershaw has lived in the region with her family since 2010. You can make these pies as bite-sized …

Similar to Marseille’s bouillabaisse, Zarzuela from Catalan is hard to pin into a category it’s either a hearty soup or a stew with a tasty broth. And with both soup/stews, there are endless different recipes. The following recipe for Zarzuela Fish Stew comes from Emma Kershaw’s Taste of le Sud …

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 …

There is no question that my heart is equally split between France and Italy, which is why I run small-group Goût et Voyage tours in both Provence and Tuscany. The scenery is similar, yet architectural and cultural differences make travel in both locations pure joy. However, when it comes to …

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 …

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 …