It’s that golden time of the year again when I can finally make one of my favourite delicacies, acacia flower fritters. The English name is locust flowers, we call it fleurs d’acacia (Robinia Pseudoacaci). Real acacias are bright yellow (from the Mimosoideae family), quite different to what we call acacias here. The fragrant blossoms are […]
The sails go round with a heavy swing As the wild wind plays on the hill; And the corn is crushed, and the flour is ground Right merrily at the mill. March 30th, Birthday Book for Children , Kate Greenaway I couldn’t resist sharing this extract from Kate Greenaway’s ‘Birthday book for children’. It’s impossible […]
My heart fills with joy when I see March appear in my precious diary. This month marks the arrival of spring in Médoc, with pretty flowers blossoming on trees everywhere. If I had to match a painting to this month, it would be Gustav Klimt’s ‘Mäda Primavesi‘. The girl, the dress, the flowers – that’s March […]
One would think that after all these recent festivities, I’d had my dose of chocolate. But no. I wanted more. My friend Sheyenne gave me a recipe during the Christmas holidays for passion fruit chocolate truffles. Just the name is inviting enough. When I saw all the passion fruits at the market, I knew I […]
Some of my most delicious childhood food memories are linked with Shanghai. Growing up in Hong Kong, my family had a lot of Shanghainese friends with whom we would often feast on amazing meals from their region. I have such a soft spot for Shanghainese style cuisine. The food is all about slow cooking, seasonal […]
Blanquette de veau (veal stew) is what I call the mother of all French dishes. It’s the ultimate French home cooked meal, so traditional, bourgeois yet simple. Ever so often, when I go to the butcher, I have a natural inclination to say, ‘Michel, prepare me some veal for a little blanquette de veau please’. […]
What to cook for homesick French friends? Well, les grands classiques, bien sûr! My friends Jean-Pierre and Alexia came over for a visit last week-end. They left Paris three long years ago and came back to France for a little holiday. They absolutely love their new life, but had turned into homesick Parisians, or, should […]