2 recipes from my new cookbook

cover

Around two years ago I was walking the streets of Toulouse after a wonderful meal: the local Cassoulet and some heavenly desserts. We had invited my aunt, Francine, who more than anyone inspired me to start cooking and I was in high spirits as I walked the streets of the “pink” city in the beautiful afternoon light. Then came the blow. One phone call from my banker telling me that the loan everybody had told me we would get, wouldn’t be coming after all. It was complicated, it had gone fairly smoothly through the system but stopped at the top. But he wished me a great weekend. I still remember the street I stood in, the pretty rose-colored patina of the house next to me, the joyful sounds of my children walking ahead of us. The worried look on my husband’s face.

We had found the house of our dreams, and through the kindness of the man selling us the house we had already spent precious moments there, made little visits, had picnics. The kids had been scared by the ghosts, the bat and the cat. We had peeled off some wallpaper, found an old gramophone, we had danced in that house. And now it might never be ours. After an hour of some anger, some frustration, we got optimistic again. That house would always become ours, one way or the other. Then we had pizza. I even had spritz. And I don’t like spritz that much.

1 rue de Loudenne was always more than just a house to us, even more than a home. It is an idea, a project, one that will keep evolving. I knew from the first day I set foot in it that this house could only lead to good things. It has, wonderful workshops, countless family meals and moments, a long list of beautiful feasts with people we care about. That crazy pop-up ‘family restaurant’ we did last summer.

And last but not least …
… the cookbook I wrote last year.

mimirestaurant

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I had already written one cookbook but I was overflowing with ideas for new recipes and eager to include some classic ones. Oddur said the other day “that’s a good recipe I think”. I looked at him and answered “they are all good recipes”. And I mean it. Why would they ever have gotten in there if I didn’t think that. I just love this book so much, in some ways it was harder to make than the first one, we were after all, renovating a house at the same time, and raising a little girl, uh-hum and a few other kids.

The pop-up family ‘restaurant’, what an adventure. We assembled a very curious team, we had so much fun. Perhaps most meaningful of all, I think the guests who came loved it. At least I was satisfied. We set out to do something, sort of impossible, and at the end it all my goal was this: a restaurant I would have liked to have gone to and been happy I did. I think we managed that.

one

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‘French Country Cooking’ is my new love and I can’t wait to have her in my hands in a few weeks. The best feeling is that for better or for worse, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Like I say somewhere in the book, it’s the cookbook that wrote itself, these are the recipes I love and the memories I treasure.

October 25th can’t come soon enough so I can share it all with you.

I’m so excited about this book and of course I want as many of you as possible to have it … which means, at least in most cases, to buy it. I think that’s what any creator wants, for people to enjoy what he has made. So we came up with this little incentive, for those of you who are as impatient as I am. Anyone who preorders the book before October 25th will get a special, pocket-sized notebook for keeping notes and planning meals.

To receive the notebook all you have to do is sign up here and provide proof that you have preordered French Country Cooking. The many who have already preordered the book are of course also eligible for the notebook.

I’m very happy with this idea of a little kitchen notebook, in fact I can’t wait to have a few of them myself, very useful in the kitchen these little books. This time we had a French illustrator help us with a few images and one of them will be on the notebook, a Smooth Fox Terrier – of course.

French Country Cooking‘ available for preorder at:

Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Indiebound

eveningservice

service

We decided to share two recipes from the book, something light and easy that everybody would like. By the way, the book is divided into several sections and these two I’m sharing come from Goûter (the special snack time in the afternoon for children of all ages) and Staff Meals (inspired from our moments before or after service last summer).

All I can say is that I’m waiting very anxiously for this book and I hope that at least some of you are a little bit excited too.

Love
Mimi xx

macncheese

Mimolette and Comté Mac and Cheese
Serves 6 to 8

This section of the book turned out to be a who’s who of comfort food—and it wouldn’t be complete without the king of comfort foods: mac and cheese. As a kid in Hong Kong, I remember reading about this exciting dish and desperately wanting to try it. I also remember my disappointment when, having coaxed my mother or some nanny into buying a ready-made version, I realized that maybe it wasn’t the best food in the world after all. But all that is relative. You reap as you sow. I still believe in the power of mac and cheese when it is done right. With just enough glorious, pungent cheese, it can still be, on a good day, the best food that a little girl ever dreamed existed.

1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 garlic clove, halved
5 tablespoons/60 g unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups / 600 ml whole milk
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
Pinch of nutmeg
Pinch of piment d’espelette or mild chile powder
1 pound/500 g dried small penne or macaroni pasta
10 ounces/300 g mimolette cheese, grated (about 2 2/3 cups)
5 ounces/150 g comté cheese, grated (about 1 1/3 cups)

1.Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter a large ovenproof skillet.
2.Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
3.In a food processor, pulse the bread crumbs with the garlic and 1 tablespoon / 15 g of the butter.
4.In a medium skillet, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons / 45 g butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour. Immediately whisk in the milk, little by little, and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the mustard, nutmeg, and piment d’Espelette and season with salt and pepper.
5.Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook to al dente according to the package directions.
6.Whisk half of each cheese into the sauce. When the pasta is al dente, drain and mix the pasta into the sauce in the pan until well combined along with the rest of the grated cheese.
7.Pour the pasta mixture into the buttered ovenproof skillet. Scatter the breadcrumb mixture all over the dish and transfer to the oven. Bake until bubbling and golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve hot.

staff

mimifigs

figcake

Fig and Pistachio Cake
Serves 6

This is my garden party cake, the one I’d make if the Queen of England ever came to visit. She’d have to come in fig season, of course, and we’d have tea and a slice each of this moist cake. We would sit there and discuss our dogs and she would comment that fox terriers have a terrible reputation and that, in her opinion, corgis are a much more interesting breed. She’s the Queen so I wouldn’t argue with that; afterwards we’d just stick to the weather and have more cake.

1 1/3 cups/200 g unsalted pistachios, plus more for garnish
8 tablespoons/120 g unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
¾ cup / 150 g sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
6 large egg whites pinch of fine sea salt
½ cup / 120 ml heavy cream
¼ cup / 60 ml mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons honey, plus more for drizzling
2 tablespoons orange flower water
10 small fresh figs, quartered

1.Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C.
2.In a food processor, combine the pistachios, butter, ½ cup/100 g of the sugar, and the vanilla and pulse for a minute or until you get a smooth paste. Add the egg yolks, one by one, and pulse until well combined. Transfer the pistachio mixture to a large bowl.
3.Using an electric mixer, whip the egg whites, and when the mixture starts to foam, add the salt. Continue to whip on high-speed, gradually adding the remaining ¼ cup/50 g sugar, until the whites hold stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the pistachio mixture.
4.Grease an 8-inch/20 cm cake pan with butter. Pour the batter into the pan and bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5.Using an electric mixer, whip together the heavy cream, mascarpone, honey, and orange flower water until the cream holds stiff peaks, about 3 minutes.
6.Spread the cream on top of the cooled cake and arrange the quartered figs on top. Crush some pistachios and scatter all over. Finish with a drizzle of honey to gloss it up. Serve immediately.

figtree

louisefigs

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156 thoughts on “2 recipes from my new cookbook

  1. Thank you for these recipes, especially as the figs on our tree are nearly ripe!
    The photos here are always so incredibly dreamy. And the one of the kids pulling off wallpaper is hilarious–they must have loved what most people hate doing!
    I am in huge admiration of your work and of how you managed to pull off a pop-up restaurant in a country like France. I tried to get our village school on board for one as a fund-raiser, and nobody wanted to deal with all the regulations involved in such an undertaking. Sigh. But all the best to you!

    1. Thank you – I know I can’t wait for the figs this year, every day I walk past the fig trees in our village and squeeze a few green ones to see how long we have to wait. The pop-up was incredibly fun and because it was more an event in our family home – sort of like playing restaurant, it wasn’t too complicated 🙂 All the best to you too! Mimi xx

  2. Dreams do come true: a wonderful dream house, a pop up restaurant, cookbooks etc. And Mimi, I am really excited about this new cookbook and cannot wait to get my hands on it. Your first cookbook already got a lot of delicious use in our home! Thanks for sharing those recipes early.

    1. Thank you Yolene! I am always so touched to hear good reviews from the first coobook 🙂 I hope this new one will give you lots of joy and delicious meals. Best,Mimi x

  3. J’ai vos superbes livres de cuisine que je lis comme un roman,et j’attends avec impatience le nouveau en octobre,que j’acheterai à londres ou ici en suisse,
    Est-ce qu’il sort avant à new-york?
    Vous meritez chaque seconde du succes qui vous arrive!

    1. Bonjour Chantal, Merci pour tant d’enthousiasme et de gentillesse! Le livre sort à l’internationale le 25 Octobre (c’est à dire en anglais), donc vous pourrez l’acheter à Londres ou en Suisse. Un grand MERCI et bel été à vous! Mimix

  4. Woooeeeee… SO exciting. Really looking forward to this and that cover, just makes me smile.

    I JUST booked my travel for October – doing the stopping off in Paris and coming by train thing and leaving on the 25th!! But I’m going to stay in Bordeaux a night I think and have a little explore. Anyway, my book will be waiting for me when I get back home at least – a big consolation for having to say au revoir.

    Oh, and I loved Aunt Francine’s soup on Sunday…yum yum yum.

    Both these recipes look and sound delicious but I think I shall be trying out the fig cake – not sure about entertaining the Queen though, although she is a little closer to me.
    xx

    1. Ha ha Susie – you are always a ray of sunshine! Can’t wait to see you, I’ll make sure to give you good tips on where to stay in Bordeaux, there are new hotels popping up everywhere! So happening! Big hugs, Mimi x

      1. Ahhh…I hope I will be Mimi (a ray of sunshine, that is!). Definitely headed in the right direction.

        I shall email you re Bordeaux coz, bien sur, I’m going to book something soon-ish – with that famous credit card of mine..haha.
        xx

  5. Once again you’ve made my day with your post. Those pictures and the stories you tell, it makes me feel like I was there! I don’t know how you do it all, 7 (?) kids, cookbooks, workshops, etc, etc, etc, but you make this girl, all the way in San Diego dream that I can too! I can’t wait to get your new cookbook, and try that fig and honey cake. YUM!!

    1. Thank you Sarita! I am so touched by all this kindness and support. The book comes from the heart, from the family – it’s all there. Enjoy the recipes, we will be sharing more very soon, so stay tuned! Mimi x

  6. Lovely lovely! Beautiful lady, beautiful family and beautiful food! Thank you for sharing your picturesque life with us, very inspiring. It is my dream to visit France and later, eventually own a hundred-year-old store here in western Colorado and turn it into a lovely Cafe with delightful food, not unlike yours 🙂

  7. Just soaking into the atmosphere of the photos is an adventure, so one can only imagine the whole dream come true in reality – the house, family, food… I’m so glad for you and looking forward to your new book and trying new recipes!

    Thank you for sharing, Mimi, bless you all! 🙂

  8. Perfectly perfect as always! Cannot wait for the second book as I simply adore the first, it’s even looking a bit dog eared at the corners from the constant use! As for these two recipes, Mac and Cheese is a favourite with the kids and I can’t wait for them to try this version and the fig cakes looks divine, our figs are still a couple of weeks away, but soon we will be overrun with them. Have a wonderful week, Susan xx

    1. Thank you Susan! And an extra big thank you for being so kind and sweet about the first cookbook 🙂 Hope you are having a great summer – love the month of August, it feels very cozy and quiet. Bel été à toi! Mimi x

  9. The recipe for mac and cheese seems to be missing a step – or am I mis-reading the recipe? In step 1 you preheat the oven. Then in step 6 you add the cooked pasta to the sauce. When do you put it in the oven and for how long do you bake it?

    1. Thank you SO much! It was a mistake when I copied and pasted from my manuscript, I missed a line. It’s all there, obviously it had to go in the oven! 🙂 Mimi x

  10. Stunning photos, beautiful setting, nice recipes but first of all: great enthusiasm!
    All of you deserve the best

  11. Please allow me to make a critical comment today…
    The Mimolette sounds great but
    it is difficult (i believe for the most of us) to get those special
    cheeses. I would recommend to give alternatives (like J.O.do)
    but otherwise it makes no sense
    to buy a book where the most
    ingridients are not available.
    Anyway I love your recipes and your writing and I really adore you what you have achieved yet.

    1. Hi there. I don’t think your comment is too critical and ingredients availability is always a fair subject. In making this book my editor and I took special care to make sure that most ingredients are readily available in as many territories as possible. So let’s just say we stayed away from the “crazy stuff”. But I also wanted the book to keep the integrity and be faithful to French cooking traditions. For any cookbook writer this is always a dilemma. For instance, when I cook Italian recipes and can’t easily get some special cheeses or other ingredients I simply search the internet for suggested substitutes. I’d rather suggest that approach than give like for like alternatives. As for this particular recipe it’s more an idea – that you can dress up (or spice up) this family favourite with your choice of cheese. I love to use Mimolette and Comté but you could try it out with other similarly strong cheeses.
      I can also assure you that you won’t find the ingredients in this book hard to come by 🙂 Mimi xx

  12. I can’t wait to try the fig and pistachio cake as I love both of them.

    Question, I was planning to pre-order the book but under your terms and conditions you have to be a resident of the US only. What about us Canadians?

  13. Dear Mimi, thank you for sharing these beautiful recipes, stories, and pictures. I look forward to stepping into your beautiful world in your new home through your second cookbook soon. Also, it’s wonderful to see how you connect with your readers by sharing the disappointment of the home loan news and how you overcame that. Bravo to your strength and elegance. -Minju

    1. Thanks Minju! Oh that homeloan… it was a lot of hard work! But it feels so good to have accomplished all the administrative snakes & ladders steps 🙂 I hope you will enjoy the new cookbook – enjoy the recipes! Mimix

  14. First and foremost: congratulations on your new book!! Having published my first earlier this year, I know all too well how exciting it is, and how delighted you must be. It is a book I would love to get my hands on, for sure, I love the country french cooking, so homely and balanced and tasty. Must begin saving up for it, money is always so tight around here that my gigantic list of cookbooks to buy just seems to grow and grow!! I love reading about your life in the Médoc, such beautiful region, and such a different life from my own, as a novelist I am always drinking up from other’s lives, their habits, their experiences, their outlooks, and when they’re from very different walks of life I tend to drink it up even more: their experiences are unique and something I would certainly not experiment myself, so I abosrb it all and let it take time and simmer inside me – sometime later I will notice a trait, a road, a car, a hand gesture pertaining to someone else’s life experience pop up in a character I created and wrote about, and to me that is how writing becomes richer. YOu have a way with words that makes it so easy for me to envision the things you write about and I find that delightful! Thank you for that!
    http://bloglairdutemps.blogspot.pt/

    1. Oh, how I love fig season! I envy your big fig tree, but I’m hoping to plant one of my own in the spring.

      1. Hi Emily,

        The fig trees are not ours. We have olive trees, plum, peach, pear and apple but not figs. The gigantic fig tree stands in the garden of Château Lynch-Bages and we were invited there last summer by our friends, the Cazes family, to join in the fig picking and fun. The other fig tree (the one with Louise and the dogs) belongs to a dear friend and neighbour, Linda, who came for a workshop, bought a house in the village and adopted a puppy (she’s in the photo and named after the village). She’s not always here so she lets us enjoy the figs in her absence. Good luck with your tree 🙂 Mimi xx

  15. Thank You Mimi for the recipes to make while I anxiously await your beautiful new cookbook – your post brings back special memories from the amazing workshops.
    Still hoping to find a little cottage in Medoc!! Enjoy the fleeting summer with your lovely family. My best to them all.

    1. My dear Kathleen – I am thinking of you everyday! Pardon for not answering, I will get back to you this week promise regarding ‘that’ cottage! Anne from the brocantes can’t get a sign of life so we are still pushing but I think I found a solution through the mairie/townhall. Big big hugs, Mimi x

  16. I am so excited about your new book, Mimi! I have your first book which is exquisite!! I also have already pre-ordered your New book!! I did it a while back so hope I get a little “notebook?!” ;-). Xo Jenny

  17. Ahhh, October, my favorite month of the year. Now, I have two reasons to look forward to its arrival – invigorating cooler weather, hopefully, and the arrival of your new cookbook, a certainty.

    And, of course, I also had to sign up for the little kitchen notebook – a lovely little cadeau. Merci!

    I will definitely be making your mac & cheese as soon as it’s bearable to turn on the oven again.

    And, you and the figs are looking beautiful, as well as that fabulous cake.

    All the best to you and the family as the summer runs down,
    Jerrine

    1. Thank you Jerrine. I am back after a lovely holiday, feeling just about ready to conquer the fall season. Thank you for your sweet comment regarding the new book, I hope you will enjoy these recipes! Mimi x

  18. Fig and pistachio cake… I’m enraptured. In the southern hemisphere, will have to wait till figs come in season again, for the fresh version. In the meantime, will drive 1&1/2 hours to the city for pistachios, because want me a slice of heaven. Thank you Mimi 🙂

    1. Dearest Peni, ooh, sorry to tempt you with figs in the southern hemisphere! But yes, you can make the cake with pistachios first, and perhaps alternate with berries? Big hugs, Mimi x

  19. Just read your most recent post…how I would love to make you mac & cheese but I live in somewhat of a food wasteland and would not be able to mimolette cheese anywhere within 100 miles…any other suggestion? My husband thinks he does not like mac & cheese and I aim to change his mind. Your recipe would do the trick I think..Many thanks.

    1. I’m curious about this too – would maybe a good cheddar be a substitute? I live in southern california and even I’m not sure where I’d find it…..

  20. I love this post and thank you for the recipes. I live in Texas and we have a large fig bush in our back yard. My husband loves to make dishes with figs. What about the beautiful house, did you get to buy it? I live in a 1895 very small Victorian, but want to redo my kitchen to resemble yours. Thank you so much! Have a great week and yes, I will be purchasing your book.

    1. Thank you Deborah! Oh how lucky to have abig fig bush. Yes, we did manage to buy the house in the end, with lots of insisting and more insistng with our bankers! Happy summer! Mimi x

      1. Mimi, I know you are very busy, but when you have free time, can you put the rest of your kitchen on Instagram?
        Thank you! Deborah

  21. I’m SO excited for your beautiful new book! I’m just waiting until my next paycheck (I always save a little for a treat for myself each time, and this time it’s earmarked for French Country Cooking)!

    And, even though it’s 90 degrees and humid and muggy out, that mac’n’cheese STILL looks so so so good!

  22. Dearest most wonderful Mimi the magnificent! How do you do it all??? I ‘m going to order this beautiful book for my mean little sister who I love despite her meanness! xo

    1. Ha ha! Your little sis is lucky then! How do I do it all? I have absolutely no idea, but I am always thinking about food and a good meal, so that but be my motivator, no? 🙂 Mimix

  23. How lovely for you to share two of your recipes from you upcoming new cookbook. I cannot wait to get the book and see what lovely stuff you and your husband have been cooking. Hope you’re well with your family especially Lucien. xo

  24. Oh Mimi..if you could see my copy of your first cookbook you would laugh out loud! It is battered, splattered and tattered which just attests to the wonderful memories we’ve made using your much loved recipes. The apron you are wearing in the picture on the dust jacket is sporting a red wine stain and the cookbook opens as if by magic to page 135 for my favourite the Cherry Clafoutis receipe. Your second book has been pre ordered and I can’t WAIT for the day it arrives!

  25. Dear Mimi and all of your hard-working staff and family,

    I have been awaiting your next Cookbook title with great anticipation. My family and I found out when my Grandma turned 94, in answer to her prayers about her father’s heritage (he died at sea when she was just a baby, the Captain of a Merchant Schooner carrying goods back and forth from Europe to Canada.) As a family, we had been drawn to France and many people asked us if we were, especially my handsome, nephews. Well one day, I found my Grandma’s heritage and it traced our family back to Toulouse and surrounding areas. So when I receive your posts in my inbox, I am so delighted. It is like welcoming a piece of home and heritage all at once. I live my dreams through your posts. Thank you for sharing small pieces of your life with us. I have one of your husband’s beautiful pictures in our newly renovated kitchen. It sits on the Garde Manger, looking very much at home. Thank you for making these available to us with the purchase of your first cookbook. I was wondering if your new cookbook offer will be available to those of us in Canada? One last thing before I close, I am wondering which recipes you use your beautiful copper bain marie for? Perhaps on future recipes you could list some of the traditional specialty tools that you make use of.

    From my heart, thank you Mimi for bringing a bit of joy, happiness, great food and a picture of a loving family to my inbox. We are not all blessed to have families of our own; so it is so delightful to see a family that with a little hard work and a lot of love work so well together. May God bless you and your family with more beautiful adventures.

    I am very much looking forward to making both of these recipes. I now know what I’m going to make with the fresh figs growing in my West Coast garden.

    avec grace et bonte,

    Katrina

    1. Thank you for such a sweet and kind message Katrina! regarding your question about the offer in Canada, please send a mail to [email protected] . As for the bain marie pot, I use it especially for dessert making, like lemon custard, melting chocolate. It’s so beautiful I often bring it to the table. 🙂 Wishing you a beautiful summer! Mimi x

  26. I’ve got your first book in Polish and I love it! It’s perfect – both the text and photos. It’s definitely my “comfort book” on a rainy day. Can’t wait for the second one <3

  27. But you do not answer the most pressing question: how did you manage to get the house after all?!!!!!!! unless you plan to make a second post … some kind of magic trick, a generous advance from the publisher, or the queen of England who decided to make a generous gift???!! how did you do it? (I just found the prettiest new york townhouse myself and some tricks to get the loan would help!!!)

  28. I’m just a little excited! So much so, I think I accidentally requested TWO kitchen notebooks! Apologies. I’m still excited though!

  29. I loved your first cookbook so of course I will need to have your second cookbook!! It was a definite sign when I saw that it is available October 25th, my birthday!! Now I have a real treat to look forward to and Yes, it can’t come soon enough! Love, love, love that you share your photos and stories with us! colette xx

  30. Oct. 24th is my anniversary, so your new book will be a wonderful gift to myself (and new recipes to cook for my husband!). Thanks for the continuing inspiration!

  31. Love your first book Mimi , fabulous recipes and stunning photos too! I am looking forward to your new book as Rosie my wife ordered one for my birthday , cannot wait

  32. My amazon invoice is #109-8154219-9117042 and you will see that not only did I order your new cookbook, I ordered the first one. I already subscribe to your blog. Thank you for all the wonderful photos and recipes and for sharing your magical life with us. I hope to be at one of your pop ups someday….
    Best wishes,

  33. Mimi,

    I was so excited for your cookbook I ordered it as soon as I found out about it in your blog when you first announced it. I can’t wait to get it. Both you and Oddur are so classy and charming. I love your blog, it’s a little vacation at my desk.

  34. Congratulations to your new book. Can’t wait to have a copy in my hand.
    Thanks so much for your recommendations for the hotels and restaurants in Bordeaux and I managed to book them. I am all set to see Bordeaux. I am sure it will be a wonderful place to visit and plan to drive around the area. Hope I will see Medoc as well. Is there any special places I should visit, please give me some recommendations.

    Thanks,
    Kally from Canada

  35. I’d love to try your heavenly-sounding summery cake! Is it two tablespoons or two teaspoons of orange flower water? Looking forward to a new collection of inspiring recipes. 🙂

  36. yum! I am making that fig and pistachio cake this weekend with fresh ripe california figs….cant wait!

  37. Chere Mimi,
    Je me souviens de cette photo de Toulouse où tu avais Audrey encore BB dans les bras… Que de chemin parcouru et quel bonheur d’avoir pu finalement faire votre cette maison du bonheur!
    Je vais commander le livre à mon retour de Californie, l’été est très joyeux ici et j’imagine que c’est pareil chez vous!
    Et les photos toujours aussi belles ( il y a meme notre chere April!) et les recettes alléchantes. Le gratin de macaroni est un classique de la maison aussi , tres demandé par ma petite Eglantine!
    Bon mois d’août à tous! Et bravo 😘😘

    1. Coucou Cécile! Et oui, que de chemin parcouru. J’espère que tu as passé un bel été – je me glisse tout doucement dans l’âme de la rentrée. Pas si facile que ça! Je te souhaite une bonne rentrée. Mimix

  38. Ahh- as we anticipate snow to sea-level this week here in southern New Zealand, I can dream of summer and ripe figs! Thank you for a beautiful post- I almost feel a little bit warmer!

  39. Merci Mimi – your offer for a special little notebook is such a nice touch ! I pre-ordered your wonderful new book and signed up for the kitchen notebook right away. Looking over the gorgeous photos in this post I’m anticipating the pages of your second book. I’m sure I’m going to get lost in it just as I was with book number one. By the way, Fig & Pistachio Anything would get my attention, but your funny, imagined scenario with the Queen of England tops this recipe ! 😄Best wishes for lots of success on the new book ! xoxo – Linny

  40. OFF to pre-order if I did not do it before?!
    Yes, terribly exciting!THAT MAC and CHEESE I will make this week……..
    I love how the BANK MAN did not dampen your SPIRIT and when MIMI wants something SHE gets it!ALL things happen for a reason!What YOU have done there is MAGNIFICENT!I just do not know when I can get myself over there…..just know if YOU ALL come WEST for the BOOK SIGNING like SAN FRANCISCO a MEAL will be done for YOU by the CONTESSA & her side kick THE ITALIAN!He also makes his own LIMONCELLO and NOCINO!
    ODDUR…….you READING THIS!!!
    PLEASE EDITORS make HER come to CALIFORNIA!!I have a corgi LIKE the QUEEN and I even have HER NAME…….SO WE CAN PRETEND we all are sitting in BUCKINGHAM PALACE for a few HOURS!!!!!!!!I will even DON a TIARA for YOUR ARRIVAL……..truly I SO look forward to YOUR NEW BOOK and watching these children grow UP!
    THE FAIRY GODMOTHER from A FAR!!!
    XOXOXO

  41. I look forward to buying the book – both recipes shared look wonderful. I am unexpectedly going to be in St. Yzans next week. Are you teaching any classes next week for which you have had cancellations? I’m looking forward to my time in Medoc but would enjoy it ever so much more if I had the opportunity to cook.

  42. I tried the fig and pistachio cake yesterday. I scaled the recipe down as it was just my girl friend and I. It was so delicious and we both loved the cake. We will try the other recipe later this week:-) Thanks for sharing!

  43. Hi Mimi,
    Fantastic Blog, great photojournal.
    Looking forwqrd to that drink you invited me to visit. I am just down the road in Plautignan.
    Best wishes
    Malcolm

  44. Congrats on the new book, Mimi! I miss France, although we are in a beautiful part of the world, where mountains loom from pristine waters, with friends, lots of kids, fishing, foraging, and cooking Enjoy the rest of the Summer, hope it lasts a long time. X

  45. Congratulations on the book I am absolutely ordering it. I have a lunch party to cook for – not chez moi – on Friday and have a couple of fussy eaters – perfectly normal. I am making these two ! Thank you Mimi xx

  46. Hi Mimi! Love these recipes, but love your writing most of all! I’m curious what variety of fig you use — do you know? Here in California we have a lot of Black Mission figs, which look similar to the purple ones in the photo. Merci!

  47. Bonjour Mimi! What an exciting time!!! I’m so thrilled for you and cannot wait to receive my copy! The first book has been a glorious time capsule of our time spent with you all. I make special meals for Kev from it and we light candles and listen to Frank and Billy! We’re very excited for October! Just around the corner! 🙂 xo, Dana

  48. Hi Mimi,

    I’m writing to you from Italy !
    I ‘ve loved with all my Heart your first book!
    Do you know when your second book will be published in italian?

    XX Valentina

      1. Oh you mean this autumn or in autumn 2017?
        Thank you for your kindness! !
        Your book has become my favourite kitchen book because I live in the countryside, 20 km from Venice, and it is very inspiring for me ( i have a huge jardin potager )

  49. Bonjour Mimi,
    Toutes nos félicitations pour ce deuxième livre! Nous avons déjà hâte de se le procurer. Nous utilisons quotidiennement le premier livre et l’adorons. Nous serons dans le Medoc en vacances pour l’anniversaire de ma conjointe la semaine prochaine et elle serait vraiment très heureuse de pouvoir faire signer son livre de recette. Croyez-vous que cela puisse être possible? Nous passons la semaine à St-Seurin-de-Cadourne?
    Au plaisir!
    Hugo
    Quebec, Canada

  50. Mimi, I am so looking forward to receiving my pre-ordered copy of your new book French Country Cooking when it comes out in October. As plums are in season here in Seattle I just made your recipe for Red Velvet Plums! It was divine!!! Thank you so much and I’m hoping to attend one of your workshops in the near future.
    Maureen

  51. So excited for your new book, Mimi. I just know ts going to be a beauty – the kind you keep on your coffee table, not just one you get out for recipe reference. Congratulations on the fruition of your hard work!

    Catherine

  52. Chere Mimi, Si seulement vous saviez a quel point vous etes attendue avec impatience. Apres 30 ans aux US, la France me manque tellement et c’est un rayon de soleil de vous lire et de partager vos recettes. Merci de tout mon coeur.

    Licia

  53. Salud, Mimi,

    J’ai vu la photo de votre fils Lucian, prise (je suppose) par sa soeur ainée, Gunnhildur, et presentée sur Instagram.

    Lucian est beau; il semble sain et heureux. C’est tout qui compte.

    Félicitations tardives!

    Pat

  54. Hi Mimi,

    I just pre-ordered your new book and I’m looking forward to receiving the special notebook!

    I would love to know and see how you organize recipes, meals, and more in your personal notebooks.

    xM

    1. Hi Marisa, Thank you for ordering! Regarding notes, I love notebooks and have been collecting them forever. 🙂 I keep one for every theme – ideas, wish list, recipes, shopping lists, travel tips… Mimi x

  55. Dear Mimi,

    I cannot WAIT to receive your cookbook. They inspire me in so many ways. It is very much more than recipes. It is an art book! Thank you for sharing these two. My husband and I were drooling lol. I’ve been missing from the comments as of late due to my hard work in creating my own greeting card company. I hope that my creations are as beautiful and majestic as your creations. I look up to you and your husband. I am overjoyed to see you grow in your family and your success. Late congratulations on beautiful Lucian. Your family and work is a light. Thank you for bringing light to us all. P.S. I am going to be making some artwork for you in honor of your new book this October. I hope you like it!

    1. Hello Tiffany! I am so excited for your new adventure, I am sure your greeting cards will be amazing! There’s always a place to beautiful greeting cards, especially thank you cards, there never seem to be enough in stores. Thank you for all your encouragement and kind words, I hope to meet you someday! Mimi x

  56. merci Mimi pour ces nouvelles recettes, j’ai hâte de découvrir votre nouveau livre, à quand sa sortie en français?
    le plaisir de partager avec vous les bons produits, des recettes authentiques avec des produits simples de nos producteurs.
    je suis de Montauban ,région que vous connaissez puisque vous avez de la famille prés de Moissac; et je rêve de passer dans le Médoc pour découvrir votre restaurant et pourquoi pas m’inscrire à un de vos ateliers. Merci encore pour vos livres et votre blog .

    1. Bonjour Marie! Oh bien sûr je connais la région, j’ai hâte de retourner à Moissac! Je n’ai pas de restaurant mais plutôt une table éphémère (j’annoncerai les prochaines dates). Les ateliers recommencent à la fin du mois! Je réserve quelques surprises pour le mois d’Octobre à Paris (un pop-up), je vous tiendrai au courant. Mimix

  57. Hello Mimi – Your book and your blog inspire me to not only cook in a more deliberate manner, but also to live in a more simply luxurious way overall.
    Thank you for the inspiration; for me, at a time in my life when it is needed.
    I am looking forward to more books and blog posts.

  58. Hi! I’m very much looking forward to your second book! Loved the first one. I made the pistachio and fig cake. It’s stunning. I had such fun. The flavor was delicious, but I had a couple questions. My cook time was closer to 50 min at 350 degrees in a non-convection oven (I haven’t had any problems with my oven not cooking at the correct temperature). Also, the cake fell more than I expected once out of the oven. I gently folded the ingredients, eggs were at stiff peaks, and used room temperature ingredients. I did take the cake out of the oven multiple times after 25 minutes to check if it was done. It seemed sturdy when it initially came out of the oven for the last time, but then fell a good inch, resulting in a denser cake than I would have expected (although I don’t mind the denser texture). Could you tell me where I might have differed from your recipe?Thank you!

    1. Hi Laura! Many thanks for your kind comments about the new book. Regarding the cake, all I can say is that every oven are different, so perhaps cooking time can vary. Perhaps you can try to increase the heat slightly? I hope this helps. Mimi x

  59. Today I received your first book and after leafing through the pages with hunger to read, I can say without hesitation that cannot wait to get my hands on your second book.

  60. O.M.G.!!! A pop-up in Paris in October!? Now…I know that I’m being too greedy to hope that I’ll be able to catch that too but…..here’s hoping!! xx

  61. Mimi, oh Mimi. Knowing that you’re oh-so-busy with a new baby and a new book, I wanted you to know I’m so missing your posts. I hope they’ll be a new one soon. I make the recipes almost as soon as they’re posted! Can’t wait for the next installment of delicious.

  62. Querida Mimi, siempre te digo lo mismo pero cada vez que veo una nueva entrada me siento feliz,
    Hace unos días , hice el pastel de pistachos ,fue todo un éxito .
    Me ha parecido entender que la edición francesa saldrá en otoño del 2017, es así? ?,También quisiera preguntarte si es posible comprar los cuadernos.
    Ayer estuve en Barcelona, y cuando vi tu foto en la tienda L,Occitane, senti una gran alegría,.Muchas felicidades por todo.Me gusta tanto todo lo que compartes con nosotros.Un beso,Rosa.

  63. Dear Mimi,

    How can I get the book in Europe? Absolutely adore ur blog, ur instagram, your house and family! Hoping I will get one of your workshops as my next Bday 🙂

  64. Hi Mimi! First of all, I am such a huge fan of everything you do — I have your first book and can’t wait to get the second one. My parents are going to Milan to celebrate 25 years of marriage (!!!!) in a couple of weeks, and I already sent them all of the recommendations I could find in your posts… but I was wondering if you had any others. Great places to eat (obviously!), shop, or walk around. I’ll take anything! Thank you so much 🙂 Bisous!!

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