COMING SOON
NEW WEBSITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION Continue reading COMING SOON
NEW WEBSITE UNDER CONSTRUCTION Continue reading COMING SOON
Around this time last year we were putting the finishing touches on the first draft of my upcoming cookbook, A Kitchen in France. One of the last recipes we photographed was the one for pork cheek ravioli with cèpes (porcini mushrooms). By then we had been spoilt by so much success in the field of mushroom foraging that we never made any plans ahead when … Continue reading MUSHROOM STORY, A RECIPE FROM MY COOKBOOK
Last Sunday I got an early morning phone call from my neighbor Bernadette. She asked if I could pop by her house before lunch, she didn’t say why. I was excited, I wondered if the tomatoes she had promised me were ready and ripe. Recently I baked her a box full of canelés, her favorite, and when I brought them over she mentioned that some … Continue reading Les courgettes de Bernadette
Cooking is my passion. This summer, I’ve been cooking more than ever before in my life. Not only am I preparing meals for my big family (all 9 of us), but I have also been cooking recipes for my upcoming cookbook. I am very excited to finally announce that my book will be published by Clarkson Potter in New York, the publishers of some of … Continue reading Plenty of mussels
The last few weeks of my life have been all about crabs and clocks. In a literal way but also, and perhaps more importantly, in a symbolic way. The clocks symbolize the time I haven’t had, and crabs, perhaps my favorite food of all, are a good symbol for all the food madness that’s been going on around me. We’ve had very interesting and lovely … Continue reading Finding time for spider crab
Saint-Estèphe is a lovely village perched on a hill just above the banks of the Gironde estuary. It’s a tiny little place with a huge reputation – a reputation for making fine wines. Saint-Estèphe wines are considered to be some of the most robust and earthy of the region. Saint-Estèphe also happens to be my favorite wine-making village in all of Médoc. It has a very … Continue reading L’Intendant & his slow cooked lamb
Sometimes on Sundays I get the call of the sea, especially when the sun shines through my bedroom window as I wake up in the morning. The ocean is only a few minutes away and it’s as if the rays of the sun bring la mer closer to my home. On beautiful days like that, I love going to the market in Soulac-sur-Mer, a timeless … Continue reading Call of the sea
A well-spent Sunday is one of my favorite things. No matter what we do on a Sunday, it always involves a long family walk in the forest or by the sea, with all our children and most of the dogs. It’s a heart-warming ritual, good for the soul and revitalizing for the mind. There’s an absence of structure and restrictions, where I want to forget … Continue reading Butter chicken & Peshwari naan
Chicken Basquaise is a typical Basque dish, cooked in ‘piperade‘ sauce. It comes from the Basque word ‘biperra’ meaning chili. The piperade sauce is composed of onions, garlic, chilis, Bayonne ham, tomatoes and olive oil. Since fresh chilis (piments doux) aren’t always in season, they can be replaced by peppers and piment d’Espelette instead. I have an admiration for Basque cuisine, so full of flavors, … Continue reading Basque Chicken & Cake
This week I’ve been under the spell of two very different but equally delightful things. A favorite movie and a grand old restaurant. All the magnolias surrounding me, in the house and as I drive through Médoc keep taking me back to my walks in Palais Royal. This special place in the middle of Paris, so full of history and beauty is at its most … Continue reading Prince Rainier’s big night