One thing you will always see on our kitchen table are tomatoes . We never run out of them – they are the juiciest of all vegetables, always available, raw or cooked, to be part of the plat du jour. In Provence, tomatoes were called ‘pomme d’amour’ (love apples) because of their aphrodisiac properties. For me, they are the little black dress of the kitchen … Continue reading Tomates farçies ‘à la Provençale’
Last week-end, I was really in the mood for something tasty, juicy, something fun. My son Hudson made a request for ‘Pirate chicken’ (he named this dish because eating chicken with your hands is just like a pirate). This dish is very Caribbean influenced, with coriander, clove, cinnamon, lime, nutmeg and chilli. Drenched in squeezed lime, this is exactly what you need to slip into … Continue reading Pirate chicken
‘A cooked tomato is like a cooked oyster: ruined.’ André Simon, wine writer Today was a perfect summer day. The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the breeze smelt of rose bouquets. I couldn’t think of a better lunch than having a bowl of chilled gazpacho, the summer soup. I somehow feel like a ‘Bewitched’ character when I prepare this soup – there … Continue reading Gazpacho with garlic cream
Since I moved to the country, I’ve developed a passion for baking bread. I loved baking cakes in the past, but bread was never my forte. In Paris, I lived in the 7th arrondissement surrounded by ‘maîtres boulangers‘ (baking masters) – all I had to do was run down and follow the scented bread trail. Baking is extremely rewarding, and if ever there was a … Continue reading Kouglof
Some people window-shop, I sometimes like to ‘window-eat, especially when I am outside a store like Ladurée. I often give in to temptation, and go for that particular pastry that I have been eyeing like an eagle – the Saint Honoré. How can one resist the caramel colored puffy pillows sitting on a cloud of vanilla whipped cream? The Saint Honoré was named after Honoré, … Continue reading Saint Honoré
Iceland? I can’t think of a better way to describe this exceptional northern country than by introducing you to Haukur Morthens, the Blue Lagoon, the Sagas, folktales, elves, kleinur, kókosbollur, wool sweaters and fiskisúpa (fish soup). As my husband is Icelandic, I have had the chance to add another culture to my life. I am enchanted by Icelandic folklore, which is in many ways the … Continue reading Icelandic fish soup
There must have been something in the Atlantic ocean’s air this morning when I woke up – for all I wanted to do was to get the kids ready and drag everybody to Soulac-sur–mer for the Saturday seafood market. Deep coral colours marked my day and opened my appetite for a crustacean lunch. If a woman’s heart is a deep ocean of secrets, then mine … Continue reading Aïoli and seafood delight
A lovely pastime of ours since moving to the country is simply to get in the car and drive through the countless villages and vineyards that grace the eastern side of Médoc. It’s a wonderful maze of charming roads and invariably we get a little lost, chasing a beautiful Chateau we see on a distant hill or exploring a small road that seems all too inviting. Ranging from tiny operations, where the wine is literally made in the garage, to splendorous castles filled with rich family histories, Médoc has it all. Many of the villages are high on the authenticity list, not a souvenir shop in sight and sometimes, less conveniently, not even a loaf of bread. But that’s just the way we like it.
Bordeaux wines are a blend of the robust Cabernet Sauvignon and the smoother Merlot, usually with a dash of other varieties. In Médoc the blend favours Cabernet and this is why its wines are considered more earthy and powerful than wines from the “Right bank” such as St. Emilion and Pomerol. This is an oversimplification, of course, and there are different tendencies within Médoc itself. A wine from St. Estephe (the most Northern of the famous villages) are more earthy than wines from the southern Margaux, which have a reputation for silkiness. Continue reading “The spirit in the bottle”
Picture this – a little girl, straight off the plane from Hong Kong, dragged all the way to Montparnasse so her father can have a couscous royal. Yes, that was my earliest jet-lagged memory of coucous. One of France’s favourite dishes (and my father’s), the ‘couscous’ is certainly worth its fame. Having inherited the sunshine and warmth from North Africa, the couscous was originally a … Continue reading Couscous
Whenever I buy meat, I tend to get highly influenced by Michel’s (my butcher) opinion on what I should cook. I might be eyeing the attractive beef filets, but I can tell that Michel thinks I should be cooking something else by his body language as he positions himself away from my actual choice! Michel appreciates my passion for cooking and wants me to pick … Continue reading Pork filet mignon with apricot and prunes
