Once again, I was awakened by a dream about food. This one, though, was even more specific than the one for Bistecca con Crema di Porcini. This dream was about a dessert and included all the parts of the recipe — the crust, the fruit layer, and the custard. I …

Scallops are inherently sweet, so adding the sweet flavours of butter, tarragon, and carrots to the scallops adds more sweetness to the dish. It is delicate and delicious, but my taste buds crave a little contrast. So to create the perfect Cocoa & Lavender culinary marriage of sweet and tart, …

This panna cotta recipe is made with local saffron, light and refreshing the perfect dessert to enjoy at the end of any meal. Panna cotta (cooked cream) is a dessert with Italian origins.

You don’t need to spend much time at the Marseille airport or at the city’s Noailles market (le marché des Capucins) to sense a strong North African influence in the region. At the market, you can shop for all the ingredients that you need for this B’stila b’djej recipe

This curry is full of flavour but mild when it comes to heat. Once you start cooking, you can have the savoury saffron shrimp on the table in under 30-minutes.

The number of local farmers producing saffron in Provence is increasing – it used to be widely grown in the south of France, but phylloxera wiped it out early in the last century – so it is good to see that it is being produced once more. Harvesting is an …

This savoury recipe for Saffron Chicken comes from the Mirabeau Wine kitchen in the Var. The chicken is matched with an easy side dish of potato and courgette (zucchini).

Fresh sea bass poached in a delicious shrimp and saffron broth.

Ragoût of Fennel and Langoustine with Saffron for a dinner party? This savoury “stew” is served on little boxes of puff pastry. Inspired by Provence, David decided on a pink-theme for their dinner starting with a potted salmon appetizer and this served this impressive seafood main course.

Like everything that David Scott Allen prepares for his Cocoa & Lavender blog, he makes it look easy. In the case of soups, most recipes are relatively straightforward including this one. Cauliflower is the base for this dish, which can be prepared for vegetarians using a vegetable broth.