Stuff

Green asparagus with warm goat cheese croutons

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The season for asparagus here in the Béarn has just about run it’s course, so its the moment to grab the last few tender spears before the long wait for next spring.  And goat cheese has only recently returned to the farmer stalls after the winter break for weening the kids. At the same time, […]

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The season for asparagus here in the Béarn has just about run it’s course, so its the moment to grab the last few tender spears before the long wait for next spring.  And goat cheese has only recently returned to the farmer stalls after the winter break for weening the kids. At the same time,

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Pantry

Preserved grape leaves

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Preserved grape leaves are a standard ingredient in many Mediterranean cuisines.  Greek dolmathes, those tasty little bundles of rice, herbs and spices wrapped in grape leaves, are perhaps the recipe best known to Americans.  But they are also great for wrapping meat and fish for grilling or for wrapping goat cheeses during aging. A warm,

Preserved grape leaves Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

Preserved grape leaves are a standard ingredient in many Mediterranean cuisines.  Greek dolmathes, those tasty little bundles of rice, herbs and spices wrapped in grape leaves, are perhaps the recipe best known to Americans.  But they are also great for wrapping meat and fish for grilling or for wrapping goat cheeses during aging. A warm,

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Stuff

Spring apéro plate

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Ah, spring! That most ephemeral and fleeting of seasons. Especially with the changing climate, it can often seem like we pass from winter directly to summer. All the more reason to scoop up spring veggies while they last.  Nettles, peas, asparagus, radishes, favas, strawberries!  Eat them in season, then say goodby until next year.

Spring apéro plate Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

Ah, spring! That most ephemeral and fleeting of seasons. Especially with the changing climate, it can often seem like we pass from winter directly to summer. All the more reason to scoop up spring veggies while they last.  Nettles, peas, asparagus, radishes, favas, strawberries!  Eat them in season, then say goodby until next year.

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Stuff | Wine

Appreciating Vermouth

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According to Wikipedia, vermouth is defined as “an Italian aromatized, fortified wine, flavored with various botanicals (roots, barks, flowers, seeds, herbs, and spices) and sometimes colored, produced mainly in Italy, France and Spain. The modern versions of the beverage were first produced in the mid- to late 18th century in Turin, Italy”. Fair enough. I

Appreciating Vermouth Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

According to Wikipedia, vermouth is defined as “an Italian aromatized, fortified wine, flavored with various botanicals (roots, barks, flowers, seeds, herbs, and spices) and sometimes colored, produced mainly in Italy, France and Spain. The modern versions of the beverage were first produced in the mid- to late 18th century in Turin, Italy”. Fair enough. I

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France | Recommendations

Paris dining for 20 somethings

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                                                                     Abri Soba, Paris 10eme I recently received this question from a reader named Brian: “Our son and his girlfriend will be

Paris dining for 20 somethings Read More »

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                                                                     Abri Soba, Paris 10eme I recently received this question from a reader named Brian: “Our son and his girlfriend will be

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The Garden

Bitter winter greens

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Wow, what a cold snap we had here in early January!  OK, it was cold for the SW of France, which, of course, is not the same thing as cold for a lot of people.  But we had a long stretch of nights in the 20’s and days not getting above 40.  The peaks of

Bitter winter greens Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

Wow, what a cold snap we had here in early January!  OK, it was cold for the SW of France, which, of course, is not the same thing as cold for a lot of people.  But we had a long stretch of nights in the 20’s and days not getting above 40.  The peaks of

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Stuff

Treats to ring in 2026

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Our Holidays here in Orthez are generally pretty quiet;  we usually avoid the crazy holiday travel rush by staying home and most all of our new friends here in France are off celebrating with their families.  But then, quiet Holidays is a tradition with us since the days when I worked in restaurants and Sheila

Treats to ring in 2026 Read More »

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Our Holidays here in Orthez are generally pretty quiet;  we usually avoid the crazy holiday travel rush by staying home and most all of our new friends here in France are off celebrating with their families.  But then, quiet Holidays is a tradition with us since the days when I worked in restaurants and Sheila

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Stuff

Fond farewell to Armandino Batali

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Here in France, I was late recieving news of Armandino Batali’s passing on November 28, 2025. It was not until a Seattle friend sent me Le Pichet’s Instagram post about it that I had the news. A very sad day and I am so glad that Michael and  Marcel took the time to point out

Fond farewell to Armandino Batali Read More »

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Here in France, I was late recieving news of Armandino Batali’s passing on November 28, 2025. It was not until a Seattle friend sent me Le Pichet’s Instagram post about it that I had the news. A very sad day and I am so glad that Michael and  Marcel took the time to point out

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Stuff

Bistrot Vivienne, Paris 2eme

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One of the joys of living in France is that you are never more than a train ride away from Paris. From our TGV station in Orthez, you can leave in the morning and be in Paris in time for a lunch reservation. A few weeks ago, we took advantage of the great French train

Bistrot Vivienne, Paris 2eme Read More »

[portfolio_slideshow]

One of the joys of living in France is that you are never more than a train ride away from Paris. From our TGV station in Orthez, you can leave in the morning and be in Paris in time for a lunch reservation. A few weeks ago, we took advantage of the great French train

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Stuff

French “Joy of Cooking”?

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I recently had a note from Brant asking the following question:  Is there any French cookbook that’s in the same vein as “The Joy of Cooking”? Good question and thanks for asking Brant! First off, I have to admit that I am not that familiar with  The Joy of Cooking.  Written by Irma S Rombauer

French “Joy of Cooking”? Read More »

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I recently had a note from Brant asking the following question:  Is there any French cookbook that’s in the same vein as “The Joy of Cooking”? Good question and thanks for asking Brant! First off, I have to admit that I am not that familiar with  The Joy of Cooking.  Written by Irma S Rombauer

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