For many, Peter Mayle’s best-selling novel A Year in Provence was their introduction to the Provencal countryside. Images of the Côte d’Azur have long covered the pages of travel magazines. Still, it was Mayle’s descriptions of bumbling through a home renovation in the arrière-pays (translation: backcountry or hinterland) that shifted our …

As summer segues into fall, I cannot help but hope summer will linger on just a bit longer. It’s not the Pacific Northwest’s impending rainy season or even the imminent cold weather that I fear, it’s just that no other season expresses Provence more succinctly. Fall in Provence Summer is …

Often, as the weather turns cooler the tendency is towards warm, slow-cooked meals, and roasted meats. These menus beg for a table of good friends and great wine. However, you don’t want the meal to be too “heavy” this tasty combination of autumn vegetables – marinated mushroom and roast pumpkin salad – is a perfect starter course

French Lessons welcomes Rachael for the second year running as our annual guest contributor. Last summer, she explained how she dealt with her impounded car at the local fourrière (pound). This year her automotive theme continues, as does her – ahem – fast wit. A few months ago, I was …

Contributor blog post by Laura: Are you spending some time on the French Riviera and would you like to do some sightseeing? Here are our Top Ten suggestions for a day trip along the Côte d’Azur: Nice’s old town Nice is a beautiful city and you could easily spend a few …

This recipe has a few steps, although none are too complicated. You need to make sure there is enough time to freeze the cannelloni thoroughly before cooking, so best done the day before. Enjoy the combination of citrus and shellfish.

No other soup, save for bouillabaisse (which really can’t be called a soup), clearly defines Provence more aptly than Soupe au Pistou. It’s the edible history of the ‘arrière-pays’ or hinterlands of Provence, where farmers have long tended their fields of vegetables and fruits. There are several versions of Soupe …

Where are the vegetables? Do you find yourself grappling with the “myth” of French gastronomy? French Riviera Green Cuisine Expecting to eat mightily well in France, I think the most commonly penned critique among omnivores, is the lack of vegetables. Frustrating of course, and even more so for visitors who are …

Double-Oscar winner, American actress Jessica Lange, is currently showing her photography at the Campredon Centre d’Art, at Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, for the first time in France. Back in 1967, she won a scholarship from the University of Minnesota to study photography, but Hollywood beckoned and she played many leading roles: her Oscars …

Provencal Cuisine ‘Cuisine of the Sun, A Ray of Sunshine on Your Plate,’ the first cookbook by Chef François de Mélogue, wraps you in a culinary bear hug. The book is seductive, filled with beautiful photography that will make you hungry. Even if you just ate. You need to have …