A mountain of gold and other delights

montdor

Once upon a time there was a prince in Médoc. He was actually a marquis but as he owned so many châteaux (all the best ones) king Louis XV declared him, “Prince of the vines”. In those days my favorite Médoc village, Saint-Estèphe, was known as Calon and the “prince” once famously declared “I make wine at Lafite and Latour (the most famous wines in the world) but my heart belongs to Calon. He was referring to his estate in Saint-Estèphe, Calon-Ségur, a property he aquired by marriage and as he was Nicolas-Alexandre de Ségur he added his name to it. Because of his famous words they also added a heart to the label on the bottle, a revolutionary gesture and in hindsight, quite modern. The morale of the story is: Design something revolutionary and wonderful, give it a few hundred years and everyone will love it.

apples2

church

I was quite familiar with Calon-Ségur, but I might never have heard the story of the prince had my husband not been commissioned by an agency in Bordeaux to shoot the harvest for the château. It was all very mysterious, they asked him to photograph a château but wouldn’t say which one. Then one day he drove off into the uncertainty and came back beaming – he too loves Saint-Estèphe. The job took a few days and on the last one he asked me to come along and bring the kids. What can I say, it was lovely. I so enjoyed our moments there, walking around the manicured gardens, cutting a few grapes. Unfortunately the yield is not so high this year, down 50% from a normal year. It all comes down to a few precious days in June when the weather was unkind to little grapes. I hope the ones that survived will be all the better for it. We had a taste of the ’89 – to think I was only 16 when that wine was bottled. Was I ever 16? Well I won’t get into that.

calonsegurharvest

goldenapples

On our way home we drove past one of those beautiful “châteaux in ruin” that are practically all over Médoc. I think they put them there so we mortals can dream about restoring them and throw lavish parties there and then we too would put hearts on the bottles. Talking of hearts and what they mean, we had some lovely people over this month. Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott. I was filming my show and finishing my book – (which explains the lack of blog activity. There will be none of that now, I’ve promised myself, “a blog post every week” – it really is my favorite thing.) Anyway it was so nice to have them over, sometimes you just know you will “click” with people and then you do. They too loved that château in ruins and I think it made them dream. From now on we will call this château “Herriott Graydon House”. Nikole also had her eye on a fox terrier puppy, our last one, called “Cornichon”. All dogs should be named after food.

calonsegurwalk

herriotthouse1

Then we had a quick stop in Vertheuil, another favorite pitstop in Médoc, where they have an old boulangerie that’s transformed itself into a B&B with a crèperie on the side. The créperie was closed but the little shop that sells … well everything, was open so we had some chips instead. A guilty little pleasure. Then we visited the church for atonement.

apples

chestnuts

Médoc is all about wine and the harvest season is the main event. If wine was football, this recent period would be the world cup. So it’s impossible not to cook something inspired by the “vendanges”. Grapes, apples, chestnuts. These are the main players in the markets these days. We’ve had beautiful harvest lunches and dinners with our friends Florence and Fabien at Château Tour Haut-Caussan (you may remember him from the winemaker’s lunch post) My mother in law says he’s the best guy in Médoc and she may be right. This week we had a harvest lunch by ourselves, all the things that have inspired me in the last few weeks. All the flavors that I have yearned for. It had to be apples, it had to be grapes, so I worked around that. But I felt something was missing. A showstopper, a special appearance. I went to the market with a clear head and an open heart – something would speak to me, I just didn’t know what. And there it was, a mountain of gold, the one and only Mont D’Or. A treasure of France and my very favorite cheese. Now imagine this. You pierce a hole in it, fill it with garlic and wine and serve it with the most delicious potatoes. When you pair this with sausages baked with grapes in apples your are, maybe not in heaven but you are in Médoc.

MY heart belongs to Médoc.

p.s. A tree just at the edge where the Pauillac vineyards meet the ones from Saint-Estèphe, is lovingly referred to by my family as the “Tim Burton tree”. The Mont D’Or in this post may not be a brie but the combination of cheese + tree brings to mind a poem by Tim Burton that always puts a smile on my face:

Brie Boy

Brie Boy had a dream he had only had twice,
that his full, round head was only a slice.

The other children never let Brie Boy play …
… but at least he went well with a nice Chardonnay

harvestsausages

Vendanges sausages/ Harvest sausages
8 good-quality pork sausages (or chicken)
1 large onion
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 apples, peeled and cut into large chunks
A few sprigs of thyme
A bunch of grapes
30 ml/ 2 tablespoons olive oil
250 ml/1 cup red wine
Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F

Heat olive oil in a frying pan and cook onions for 5 minutes on a medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and the apples, toss them in the onions for a minutes. Set aside.
In a large oven-proof roasting pan, crush the grapes lightly with the palm of you hands. Add the onions and apples, the sprigs of thyme and scatter the sausages. Season lightly with salt & pepper, pour 250ml/ 1 cup of red wine.
Transfer dish to the oven and bake for about 50 to 55 minutes, until the sausages are cooked through and the sauce is thick and glossy.

montdor2

Mont d’Or and almond potatoes

1 Mont d’Or cheese
45 ml/ 3 tablespoons white wine
1 garlic clove, finely sliced

Preheat oven 190°C/ 375°F

Wrap the edges of the Mont d’or container with aluminium foil. With a knife, dig a small hole (remove about one teaspoon or so of cheese), gently stir the cheese inside to allow the wine and garlic to go through.
Pour wine and stuff the garlic in the hole. Place the cheese in a preheated oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, until melted and slightly sizzling.

Almond potatoes

900 g/ 2 pounds potatoes
1 onion, chopped finely
45 ml/ 3 tablespoons olive oil
50 g/ 1/3 cup ground almonds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Hash the onions very small. Peel and slice potatoes into rondelles, about ½ cm thick. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan, fry the onions for 5 minutes, then add the potatoes and continue frying for 2-3 minutes. Cover the potatoes with just enough water to cover them, bring to a boil and cover. Cook for 15 minutes until cooked through.
Add 50 g/ 1/3 cup of ground almonds, toss the potatoes gently.
Serve immediately as a side dish, along with the melted Mont d’Or. Generously drizzle the melted Mont d’or on the potatoes. Serve with the sausages.

pommes

Baked apples with almond cream

1&1/2 tablespoon honey
90 g/ 3/4 cup ground almonds
1 egg yolk
70 g + 20 g/ 1/3 cup + 1&1/2 tbsp (for garnishing) salted butter, at room temperature
6 apples (medium to small-sized)

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.

Rinse apples and pat dry. Cut the top ‘hat’ off the apples and set aside. Core apples (with the help of an apple corer). Place apples in an oven-proof dish.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix ground almonds, egg yolk, butter and honey together. Use a spoon and gently place mixture inside the apples. Spoon more mixture on top of apples and place the top hat on top. Dot each apples with butter and transfer baking dish to a preheated oven 180°C/350°F. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until apples are tender and golden. Serve immediately.

chestnutmuffins

Chestnut and black chocolate chunk muffins

250 g/ 2 cups plain four, sifted
350 g/ 12 ounces puréed chestnuts
120 ml/ 1/2 cup milk
90 g/ 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and at room temperature
A pinch of ground nutmeg
100 g/ 1/2 cup brown sugar
150 g/1/3 pound black chocolate – cut into small chunks
12 g/ 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
2 eggs
(makes about 8 large muffins)

Preheat the oven to180°C/ 350°F.

Cook the chestnuts in large pot of boiling water for 45 minutes. Peel the chestnuts and mash them with a vegetable masher or a food processor.
In a large bowl mix flour, baking powder, brown sugar, nutmeg and salt together. Add the puréed chestnuts, milk and eggs. Mix well. Stir in the melted butter. Add the chocolate chunks.
Cut little squares of parchment paper, large enough to fill your muffin mould. Spoon batter in each paper-lined muffin mould to 3/4 full.
Bake muffins in a preheated oven 180°C/350°F for 25-30 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown. Leave to cool on a pastry rack for 10 minutes before serving.

timburton

128 thoughts on “A mountain of gold and other delights

      1. I love everything about your site.
        I love France.
        I Love the Food.
        I love your house.
        I love your beautiful children and you are beautiful too.
        The photography is fabulous. Let me know who takes the pictures.
        I have always wanted to live like you are living now.
        Next year I am purchasing 10 acres in the Virginia, USA countryside and have a house built and live the way you do. It’s not France but, it will be wonderful.
        i think your site is fabulous and can’t wait until I get back to it.
        Thanks so much for posting this wonderful site.

  1. Oh, Mimi…there are so many wonderful things wrapped up beautifully in this one post! The intrigue, the ruins, the history, the guests, the food – it all sounds divine!

    Is it really true that there are so many lovely old chateaux that are falling into ruins? You have to wonder where the families are that own them…abandoned homes always intrigue me.

    Every dish here sounds so delicious! I was thinking this year of having a non-traditional Thanksgiving meal and I would love to make every one of these dishes. Thanks so much for all the beauty you share with us. xo

    1. Bonsoir Sarah,
      There has been so much happening lately, I am so happy to share the best of the season – it’s been all about the harvest and the grapes. There are a lot of châteaux in ruins here, and around France. The renovation fees are enormous… it’s all so tempting, no? Wishing you lots of beautiful thanksgiving dishes – I hope some of these will inspire you 🙂 Mimi x

  2. My jaw is hitting the floor!The food the chateau’s and the fact that I have done the math!You are 40!!!!!!!!!!!I would never have guessed your age!Keep eating keep cooking YOUR DOING SOMETHING RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!XOXOX

    1. Halllooo! Oh dear, I knew someone would add the numbers together!! And thank you mille fois for the magazine – you are one amazing woman! The photo with your boys in Paris is absolutely divine! Love love love! Mimi xx

      1. Merci!
        In a few days I will be posting some more photos from the shoot!I hope, if I can figure out how to copy and paste!!!!!!!!I know…..la computer and me do not get along that well!
        YOU ARE A STUNNING WOMAN.You will only get better with age…….the 40’s are the BEST years in my opinion and look at all you have to look forward too!You deserve a chateau.I can see you and your divine family living in that one you posted about without any remodel!!!It’s gorgeous AS IS!
        XOXOO

  3. I love the photos that Oddur takes. I sell photographs to stock agencies and to magazines so I’m always taken by his work. This time I feel like I miss Europe so much. Vancouver is lovely this time of year and I love my home here, but I wish I could be in the two places at the same time. Oh well, one more month and I’ll be back in our home in England and off to visit some beautiful country house. I’m glad you’ll be blogging a bit more. I love catching up with you and miss you when you go away for weeks at a time. 🙂

  4. Mimi, when will the book be ready? I am thinking I’ll need at 3 copies, one for me and 2 for gifts. Off to Budapest tomorrow for a Danube River cruise with darling daughter, so excited!

    1. Oh Jean you are too sweet! The book is scheduled to be out in Fall 2014 – so you will have to wait just a little longer! I am so very excited – have seen some of the artwork recently and I am so happy about it so far 🙂 Lucky you, your river cruise sounds like a delight! Wishing you happy days! Mimi x

  5. Once again the photography was a feast for the eyes and my mouth watered as I read each recipe. I have never wanted to visit France so much as I do now that I have been reading your blogs. I love meadows, trees, the sound of rippling brooks, and seeing crops in the fields. I think I would love your Medoc. Thank you for sharing your blessed life.

  6. Oh, a feel of fall image and “mountain of gold” title really got my attention.
    Gorgeous Post! Now I want to finally use the Chestnut puree in the can I was eyeing in the store recently for those chocolate muffins.
    You look so casual elegant always and not a day over 22.

  7. Once again your writings take me there…I love your blog…and photos..recipies. Thanks so much for sharing with me in California

  8. Hi Mimi, beautiful story of Médoc and the prince, I would love to visit Médoc, love it there from your posts and amazing photos.
    Your recipes look delicious, I love the Mont d’Or recipe, great recipe for cheese and wine with friends. Thank you for another amazing and inspiring post Mimi. Have a wonderful weekend
    P.S I sent you an email, but I am sure you are very busy at this time, best wishes xx

    1. Bonjour Rowaida! Thank you for such kind words! You must let me know if you ever come to Médoc! Enjoy the recipes, the Mont D’Or sure is a crowd pleaser and oh so decadent! And yes, I did receive your email – I am so sorry for not responding sooner – my life has been caught in a whirlwind this past month 🙂 I am catching up as we speak 🙂 Bon week end! Mimi x

  9. Oh Mimi, once again you have worked your magic. Visiting your blog is one of my very favorite things and I’m never disappointed. Although you are three years younger than my son, I feel we are the best of friends. You bring such pleasure to my day and I feel honored to be your guest. I am so looking forward to your book. Thank you for the trip today. Have a blessed weekend.

    1. Oh Sandy you are too kind! I am so delighted to hear you enjoy the blog – it is an honour for me to share the beauty in Médoc 🙂 Thank you for being my friend 🙂 Mimi x

  10. A delight as usual . Your husband is lucky to have such a photogenic family! ….I know, I know…… he is very talented.
    Summer here in Australia, can’t wait till Autumn to try these recipes. I hope I can get Mont d’Or here. Will all these recipes you have posted be in the book? What show are you filming? Thank you Mimi.

    1. Thank you Maggie! How lovely it is to enter summer – I remember spending Christmas on Palm Beach in Sydney – what a lovely souvenir that was!! I heard that pasturized Mont D’Or are easily found at selected cheese stores – fingers crossed you will find nice one! Wishing you a lovely week-end! Mimix ps: A few (very few) recipes from the blog will be in my new book, as for the show – it’s in French and called ‘La table de Mimi’ filmed in Médoc – it’s a bit like the blog, just in a TV format 🙂

      1. I live in Sydney often go to Palm Beach, it is a lovely easy beach to get out of the city to. Am going to search Youtube, maybe someone has put your show on there. I’d love to see it.If it is like the blog it will be fabulous. Shall seek out Mont d’or too.

  11. Your posts are always so inspiring. I wish I could spend some time just watching you cook! 🙂 I may have to give a few of these recipes a try soon! ! !

  12. Oh my god, what a wonderful post, I love this place I still don’t know, MEDOC… and you really gave me whishes to come here soon… and take a rest et “Herriot gaydon House”… exactly the kind of story I like… merci beaucoup mimi et a très vite pour les posts a venir!
    LAU

  13. “She has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she had spread her table…”

    Thank you for inviting us to your “golden” table and sharing a taste of your beautiful life.
    The “chateaux in ruin” are reminders of a past life in which one seeks comfort and shelter without altering time, how wonderful for your children to be soaked in such a moment.

    I recently gathered some chestnuts at our local park, a carpet of these sturdy little nuts lay shaded underneath this glorious rooted tree. And now instead of staring at them in wonder as to how to use them, I know now how I shall make them useful!
    I am looking forward to Fall ’14 and your weekly post!

    Many thanks for the set of recipes,
    a lovely weekend to you as you dream once again…

    1. Thank you for such a sweet comment – I hope you will enjoy the chestnut muffins – peeling them takes a bit of time – but so worth it 🙂 Here’s a little tip before cooking them – soak them in a large bowl of water, and discard those who rise at the surface as they are either rotten or infested. Bon week-end! Mimi x

  14. love your stories! That cheese looks like the easiest most delicious recipe wonder how i’ve never heard of it before! keeping the muffin recipe on the side, i picked up chataignes from the garden last week end so it seems like a great idea! thanks for this post
    M.

  15. MImi, your love for the Medoc is infectious… I must visit this region one day… you have inspired and intrigued me…
    Thank you for more delicious temptation… Have a wonderful weekend… xv

  16. Beautiful and evocative post, as always. You create a little bedtime dream so beautifully. We knew the book was in the works but the TV show is exciting news. May we know at least which country stands to have the pleasure of this? I hope it is the UK!

    1. Bonjour Tricia! Thank you for such kind words 🙂 The TV show is so far in France (on Cuisine+/ Canal+)! An English version is certainly in the horizon one day 🙂 Have a lovely week-end! Mimi x

  17. I think this has been my favorite post of yours yet. You have a way of transporting us into the life and scenery of Médoc in a manner that is so calm and captivating at the same time. Now that I have been living in France for the past few months, I am drawn to your site more than ever – I think I am understanding more and more the connection of good ingredients that have been cooked with for hundreds of years… all of that tradition and history is in the cheese, wine, chestnuts and apples. I love it.

    Looking forward to your now once-a-week posts. x

    1. Merci Amy! I hope you are enjoying yourself and making all your dreams come true 🙂 I love spending time at local markets, I get so inspired by observing and talking to everyone around me 🙂 Have you tasted Mont D’Or yet? I hope so! Bon week-end! Mimi x

      1. I haven’t gotten the chance to try Mont D’Or yet, no. But this is yet another reason why I love your blog – it is a great reminder and guide for me about the things I need to make sure to taste during my stay here! I hope to try it soon (hopefully with white wine and garlic and almond potatoes) and will let you know what I think.

  18. How I love your husband’s photos and your writing and recipes, Mimi. And those chestnut muffins.. I want to give them a try. Do you think tinned unsweetened chestnut puree would work? I have some on hand..
    Thanks!

    1. hello Magda! Thank you! And yes, unsweetened chestnut purée will work just fine – enjoy! I love the lightness and slight nuttiness it give sto the muffins, and with the added chocolate chunks – well it just délicieux! Bon week-end! Mimi x

  19. Bonjour Ma Chere Mimi!!!
    I think we’ll all be happy to have you back to our greedy selves soon. Mind you, I believe things are just going to get busier somehow.
    I keep thinking about that teaspoon of Mont D’Or you hollow out so you can insert the garlic and wine. Do you do what I would probably do with that spoonful!?
    I bet it tasted good.
    Bisous xx Anita

  20. Your beautiful blog never fails to amaze me! I’m always looking forward to your inspiring posts. I already tried the blackberry soufflées (which were amazing) and can’t wait for you to post a proper french crème brulée :)…

  21. Your blog is already like a book Mimi and I can’t wait to have more of these in a book form. These stories and photographs are so captivating and so French, which I enjoy very much. I can’t wait to visit Médoc. Have a wonderful weekend.

    Betül

    ps. J’ai préparé le gâteau à la crème de marron pour l’anniversaire de mon copain comme je te l’ai dit, il était délicieux! Tout le monde l’a adoré et demandé que je le faire encore lol
    Merci! 🙂

    1. Merci Betül! La crème de marron, les chataignes, les raisins, les pommes – l’automne est une saison très gourmande! Bon week-end! Mimi x ps: Happy belated birthday to your boyfriend!

  22. ( in the beggining sorry for my english )
    I don’t know where I saw link on your page but I thank God for this…. It’s the best blog about food I ever seen !!!! I love it <3 I love every recipe, every picture… Thank you for do this because this is what makes my day better. Thank you very much
    :Klaudia:

  23. Dear Mimi,

    you have such an extraordinary talent to create true beauty. Beauty in so many ways. What a gift.
    And oh… I can’t stop thinking of Mont d’Or for the past hour…

    Have a beautiful Sunday,
    Mina

  24. oh, Mimi! I love your wonderful stories about food and wine and what makes it so special there in Medoc! Whenever you post something I can’t wait for the next time!

  25. Lovely, lovely post this time. This should last us awhile; scrumptious. I am definitely trying those muffins this week!

  26. My daughter (aged 10) just made the Almond Apples with windfalls from our garden. They were REALLY lovely! Yum! Thanks!

  27. Hi Mimi ,
    I like your blog very much. It’s full of beautiful recipes and pictures . I will try to make the chestnut muffin.
    You make French food seem easy to make. Thank you so much for that.
    Araya

  28. I love that you put the Tim Burton ‘Brie Boy’ poem in your post! Just makes me like you even more. I envy those visitors. Thank you for being so inspiring and reminding me what is most important. p.s. I bought Bon Appetit to see your spread and it looks amazing!

  29. Oh you have been a busy bee! Have missed your posts and this latest one is so delightful…My family and I are off to France in December and I look forward to discover your show, eat Mont d’Or, drink Medoc wine…even squeeze a visit there if we can! Thanks for being so inspiring!!!
    Oh and that poem at the end was so sweet and funney. Do you mind if I re-blog?

    1. Bonjour! Thank you for your kind words 🙂 So happy you are coming to France in December – I will be thinking of you when you buy your mont D’Or! 🙂 Please re-blog that funny little poem ‘Brie Boy’ by Tim Burton – it’s a family favourite! There’s actually a lovely illustrated Tim Burton book with lots of poems, a real ‘dark humour’ delight! Enjoy! Mimi x

  30. Mimi, thank you for this post! Your absence was sorely missed. I visited Paris for the first time this summer and cannot wait to discover more of France (which I do visually through your posts!). Additionally, I just came across a local market that sells chestnuts, so I will be baking your Chestnut and Black Chocolate Chunk muffins soon. Merci beaucoup! à bientôt!

  31. It would be my dream to restore a chateau in France and to surround it with beautiful gardens. My fiance and I will be going on our honeymoon to Paris but I would love to see these chateaux, so romantic in a way. And so happy to see that you will be posting once a week!

    1. It is our dream too! Well, one day 🙂 A big congrats to you! How lovely – enjoy your honeymoon in Paris! My husband and I love going to the bar at Hotel Lutécia (in the 6th) for a drink before going to dinner – it’s very old school and we love that kind of atmosphere art deco-esque !Best, Mimi x

  32. Congratulations on finishing your book! Very exciting. Now we must patiently wait until November 2014…

    I’m sure you’re glad for a little break between filming, having finished your book. I can relate. I have a little reprieve between events and have been saving this post for today. Just beautiful. Adding it all to my list of your recipes to try! I’ll be searching out Mont D’Or this week as well 🙂 I’d forgotten about it (shame on me!) and your blog post is the second or third writing I’ve read on it in a very short time span. I think it’s a sign!

    Bonne semaine, Mimi!

    1. Thank you Amy! I can finally find some time to catch up on everything, and enjoy these golden autumn hues. I agree with you, it is a sign that you must get a Mont d’Or! Hurry hurry! 🙂 Mimi x

  33. I am completely overwhelmed with your spirit and talent. I love it that your family is included + the dog. This is the life, isn’t it? If I were ever to go into my kitchen again I would take you along as you surely make magic happen. xx’s

  34. I must agree with several comments above…. your absence has been sorely missed! Your writings, recipes, and photographs are so beautiful.

    Garlic, cheese, almonds, potatoes…. mmm… I am most surely going to make this for my family! & merci… I am so very glad that you have included US measurements <3 xx jena

  35. I found you via Stacey Snacks blog and she is right…….your blog is a feast for the eyes! I will be back! Beautiful!

  36. Hi Mimi, With your blog, you’ve brought me to places I never thought exist. Your post makes me feel like I am on holiday. Coming all the way from Singapore, I wish one day I can visit these beautiful places. Thanks for sharing!

  37. Hi Mimi, your dishes look delicious. I noticed for many of them you use a glass of wine. I was just wondering if I can give those to my daughter? Do your kids eat them? Thanks in advance for your reply.

  38. Mimi!! I am beyond thrilled for your cooking show! I just saw the news on Facebook. A huge congrats to you! I hope they let us see it in Norway!

  39. Mimi,

    I found your blog a few months ago after reading Bon Appetit. It is beautiful and inspiring. I have made several of your recipes over the last few weeks for my husband and three small children and everyone has loved them. Many thanks!

  40. “The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy” is such a classic and I’m thrilled to see it here in this post, snuggled between dreamy images and tempting recipes!

    I will forever have the poem about Stick Boy and Match Girl memorized. That, and the line about Chardonnay in Brie Boy. Let’s get Mr. Burton to publish more poetry!

  41. Hello Mimi,

    Dreamy blog. Thank you so much for your efforts. I’m trying the muffins tomorrow. I tried a chocolate and chestnut galette several years ago and was disappointed -dry, but this looks amazing. Chocolate and chestnuts have such an affinity.

    Thank you again!

    Caroline
    Extravagantgardens.com

  42. Everything you give recipes has me instantly craving it. I suppose my taste buds must align with the French countryside. I am always enamoured of the coffee you have on the table as well. Can I ask how you prepare your coffee? Perhaps it is a subject for the future!

  43. Thank you, again, Mimi!
    I made the sausage bake twice in the last week, and it is my new favorite quick fall dinner!
    I made the apples tonight and I just love how subtle, tasty and wholesome they are.
    Perfect fall food on both counts – thank you!
    I sincerely can’t wait until your book comes out. Will it be available in north america and on Amazon?

    1. Hi Dijana! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts – nothing makes me smile more than knowing my recipes made someone happy. To answer your question, yes, my book will be available in USA – it will be first launched in America, and I am pretty sure it will be available on Amazon too. Wishing you a lovely week-end! Merci encore! Mimi x

  44. What a beautiful harvest lunch! Maybe I can bribe my children to hand over their Halloween treats if I make them the chestnut & chocolate muffins! Happy Nesting.

  45. What a pleasure to read you latest blog post. Especially after having visited St Estephe, Vertheuil (et la creperie!) last summer. This trip was inspired by your blog and like you I believe this region of France is a show-stopper. Good luck with your new show. Happy cooking and enjoy Medoc for us!

    1. Thank you Camille! I am so thrilled to hear your trip was inspired by the blog 🙂 I am glad to hear you liked Médoc – Vertheuil & St Estèphe are my favourite local villages – the main ‘place’, the churches, so picturesque and perfect. Bon week-end! Best, Mimi x

  46. Oh man, there goes my productivity levels down the drain! I’ll be dreaming about fixing up all those châteaux in ruin for the foreseeable future!

    The almond potatoes with cheese sound heavenly – most certainly making those this fall!

  47. Mimi,

    what a wonderful world you created!!
    I love your blog about food, but I mostly love your interest on the farmers and the land.
    We have a certified organic apple orchard in upstate NY and make most of the food we eat daily, and we know how hard it is to grow healthy and delicious fruits, vegetables and animals, so thank you so much for always write a note on the farmers where you buy your products.
    We just made our first sausages, salami, pancetta etc. for the first time and I’m excited to try your dish with grapes, can’t wait!!

    Best,
    Fabio

    1. Thank you so much Fabio! We think it is such a privilege to be able to meet farmers on a daily basis, admiring their work and enjoying all the delicious local produce. I must say, your farm looks amazing! Thanks so much for saying hi. Enjoy the recipes 🙂 Mimi x

        1. Oh merci beaucoup Fabio! That sounds like a heavenly invitation. I just read the NY times article – huge congrats on such a dream come true! Would love to come and visit – one day soon I hope… same goes for you and your family, if ever you come by Médoc. We have lots of good food and great wines :)Bon week-end! Mimi x

          1. Mimi,

            Thank you so much for your invitation, sounds great!!
            Love the apple tart video!! Hope we can try it soon.

            Fabio

  48. Your life is beautiful, as are you! What are your beauty regimes that you can recommend? They are obviously working! Thank you for sharing so much with your loyal readership.

  49. Chère Mimi,

    I have to make those chocolate chunk/chestnut muffins! Black chocolate? I don’t think I can find it here in the states, but the darkest chocolate I can find will do.

    Your world is fabulous, and you are beautiful! Anita

  50. It’s wonderful that you showcase local, seasonal produce. I love these last days of autumn and the treasures they yield – we were lucky enough to find a haul of chanterelles in an enchanted forest, carpeted with moss.

  51. We had such a wonderful time! And the Herriott Graydon House sounds perfect. Our trip definitely has us dreaming. Thank you for such an amazing time. Can’t wait for next time. Say hello to everyone for us. xoxox

  52. Ces recettes automnales sont très inspirantes -je crois que je vais les garder de côté pour les tester bientôt ! Ton blog est à l’honneur sur le site de cuisine-plus et je découvre que tu vas aussi avoir une émission tv ? Bravo, il me tarde de voir ça à la fin du mois !

  53. bon giorno-mimi-perfetto-i love your blog so much-wish i was there! i made your grandmother’s vegetable potage last week-exactly- except for the added butter when serving-so delicious-thank you-merci-gracie!

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