I started this blog over thirteen years ago, and for several years, it served as my way of sharing my recipes, life, and passions with all of you. Over time, Instagram became the primary medium for sharing and communication, making it feel a bit dated to continue this blog. So, I decided to close it […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]