Alpes-de-Haute-Provence is nature’s patchwork quilt featuring mountains, gorges, rolling valleys, lavender fields and pockets of remote villages and busy towns. The Durance River plays an essential role in this department that features high mountain peaks of the Alps and the lower alpine foothills with remote villages. While there are other …

We all know that French pastry chefs have perfected tempting (and beautiful) fruit tarts, but there is an equally long repertoire of savoury tarts. Perhaps the best known is a classic quiche Lorraine. Then there is the delicious combination of sliced onion, lardon and crème fraîche that makes Flammekueche (Tarte …

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 …

Regardless of where you spend your summer, it should mean less time in the kitchen so that you can enjoy the weather. On a hot day, the last place you want to be is behind a stove, which is why a summer salad is an ideal light meal.  This recipe …

It is the height of tomato season, and I cannot get enough of their bright red deliciousness. I will sometimes buy a couple of pounds from one vendor at the farmers market, then see more at another stall and buy them, too. Yes, I have even bought from three different …

Sophie Claire just published her latest novel, An Escape To Provence. Her writing features uplifting emotional stories with their heart in Provence, where she spent her childhood summers. Half French, half Scottish, Sophie Claire was born in Africa and grew up in England. She felt she didn’t belong anywhere – …

It is no wonder why strawberries and cream are a “thing” at the Wimbledon tennis tournament. The combination of fruit and cream is light and delicious. Honestly, fresh berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries) and sweetened cream, I have lost count of how many times I have made this dessert over the …

The team at Maison Mirabeau loves summer, and we’re embracing the Provençal lifestyle with strolls to the market, walks near the lavender fields and toasting long evenings with our rosé. Not that we ever get tired of rosé, but we have had a lot of fun experimenting with these great …

I think that apricots are one fruit that signals the arrival of summer in Provence. Stonefruit apricot or the Latin name Prunus sect. Armeniaca, are related to plums. The fruit grows on a small tree, about the same size as an olive tree. While it’s not unusual to see apricot …

Those iconic images of rows of lavender, fields of sunflowers and bright red poppies, Roman ruins and cobblestone villages are beautiful landscapes of Provence but not likely to interest your children for long. Family Vacation in Provence Whenever friends visit the Alpilles with their families, it has been our experience …