Chef Francois de Mélogue Visits the Côte d’Azur

A Guest Post by Chef and Cookbook Author François de Mélogue.

“Cuisine of the Sun cookbook is a savory collection of over 60 classic and reimagined Provençal recipes peppered with anecdotes that will cast a ray of sunshine onto your plate.”

This is what happens when a chef comes to Provence. All the wonderful ingredients that we have here, some of the best in the world, send them into rhapsodies, or at least they certainly did for Chef François de Mélogue. Read on to chuckle at his experiences with French parking in hilltop towns, discovering a pétanque festival and sourcing delicious ingredients in Nice.

Continue reading here for the full post by this famous chef. He and his wife Lisa travel through Provence on a culinary journey based in the hilltop village of Cagnes sur Mer.

Their day-tripping centred almost entirely around food and markets including Nice for socca and Marseille for bouillabaisse. François de Mélogue tasted AOC goat cheese from Banon, sipped Bandol wine, savoured the lamb from Sisteron and much more. Read this post for travel and shopping tips from his sejour in Provence.

How to Make Socca

A gluten-free chickpea pancake that everyone will love.

Check out this recipe

Marseille Classic Bouillabaisse

Ideally, a bouillabaisse should be prepared for at least 6 to 7 people, allowing the cook to purchase a wider variety of fish. Below is the luxury version of the traditional recipe, as it differs from the original fishermen who were simply recuperating the damaged and unsold parts.

Check out this recipe

Ashley Tinker

Ashley was born and raised in Montréal, Canada. She has always been drawn to the history, way of life and beauty of Europe. Her feelings for Europe were reconfirmed while studying art in Florence, Italy. Ashley says that stone buildings, colourful shutters and terra cotta tile rooftops fill her dreams and now her days.

Ashley moved to Provence in 2014 with her partner Robin (he also shares her Francophile passions). They are in search of the French joie de vivre, which they find at every turn in the local markets and natural beauty of Provence. This couple are indulging in local olives and wine as the Provencal sunshine changes craggy rocks into things of beauty.

You can see all of Ashley's blog posts on Curious Provence.

Take a look at Ashley's beautiful fine art photography on her Photographer in Provence website.