Ginger and Nutmeg have discovered that within France, Provence is the land of abundance.  There is lots of sunshine, almost never ending wind, at times constant rain, olive groves, vineyards, orchards and endless markets.  One could be overwhelmed by the array of choices and local flavours. Nutmeg’s very practical side has decided that given the array of local choices it is best to narrow the selection and the following are her thoughts on the essentials in a Provençal kitchen:
Fleur de Sel

Literally translated as “Flower of salt”.  Fleur de Sel is the top layer of sea salt, it is hand-harvested before it sinks to the bottom of the salt pans. Traditional Fleur de sel in France is collected off the coast of Brittany, Ginger and Nutmeg are many hours from there, but the good news is there is lots also produced in Camargue (part of Provence). The salt appears to be slightly pinkish grey as some sand is collected in…

Recipes & Travel:
French Food, Provencal Food, Provencal Traditions, Travel in France

Due to a wedding cancellation only few days before the event, a lucky group of foodies received an email invitation, to participate in a rare Saturday morning cooking class. La Petite Maison de Cucuron is the successful restaurant run by chef Eric Sapet and his lovely wife. They offer a top quality seasonal menu and limited cooking classes.
The restaurant has been open since 2007 in the charming medieval village of Cucuron, in the Luberon. The Luberon is filled with one delightful village after another so it is difficult to choose a favourite. Cucuron although small, it is unique among the hamlets, as it has a truly distinctive shaded main square with a large water feature l’etang or pond.

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Cooking classes, Cucuron, Desserts, La Petite Maison, Provence, Tomatoes

Nutmeg can hardly believe that she is actually going to put this in writing; she is almost ready for the summer silly season to be over. Totally out of character, right? For anyone who knows Nutmeg, there is no doubt that summer is her favourite season.
Summer, in a Provencal village, translates into plenty of socializing. The town fills with owners who have their holiday homes in the area, and throngs of tourists enjoying the scenery. The cafés are filled at all hours of the day with clients enjoying a morning coffee, a light lunch, or a tempting beverage and bar snack in the early evening. That is exactly the problem. Apero Hour!

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Provencal Food, Recipes for Olive Tapanade, Recipes with Olives, Travel in France

Ginger does most of the driving when the duo is “on the road”. In an effort to break up a longer drive he decided that an overnight stay in Pisa would be a good idea, so he found a great little hotel in the historic centre.  Nutmeg had been to Pisa in the 1980’s involving a quick trip from Florence on the train for dinner.  The idea was to take the late afternoon train, allow some time for a few quick photos of the famous Leaning Tower or Campanile (bell tower for the Cathedral) and allow more time for dinner and beverages.  Nutmeg will admit that her memory may be the odd bit fuzzy but at that time the tower was interesting, the grounds were crowded and the rest of the site under-promoted.
Things have changed in Pisa, since Nutmeg’s last visit. The Leaning Tower and the rest of the site were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. …

Recipes & Travel:
Pisa, Travel in Italy

The Cinque Terre, literally translated “The Five Lands”, is part of the Italian Riviera.  A visit to this part of Liguria has been a dream of Nutmeg’s for a long time.  The rugged coastline is noted for the beautiful vistas, and the walking trails that connect five fishing villages – Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore.  The villages, the coastline and the surrounding hillsides are now classified as the Cinque Terre National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  The villages remain tiny and relatively undeveloped, compared to other resort towns on both the Italian and French coasts. To this day there is no road joining all five villages.

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Cinque Terre, Hiking, Italy, Travel in Italy

Summer!
Summer is festival time, and France is no exception. The only problem is making a decision, with the overwhelming variety of events. Famous events like Jazz a Juan in Antibes (started in 1960) or Le Festival d’Avignon (started in 1947), which attract large crowds and well-known performers. All the principal cities and many small towns host at least one noteworthy event during the warmer months. Ginger and Nutmeg both love music, although, neither of them can sing nor play an instrument with any level of competency. With the balmy Provencal evenings, they decided to take advantage of some of the local events and listen to the experts. The following is a musical summary for your listening pleasure:
The Festival de Musique d’Eygalières, this event is only four years old, in 2011 they hosted four nights of mostly classical music – alfresco. This is an extremely well organized event, held at the beautiful private residence Mas de la Brune. The evening…

Recipes & Travel:
Artists, Music, Music Festivals, Provence, Summer Festivals, Travel in France

A couple years ago Nutmeg had the pleasure of biking through Tuscany with a group of friends. Ginger was at school so he was not able to participate.  The moment Nutmeg arrived at their beautiful bed and breakfast accommodation, in the middle of a vineyard; she knew that Ginger must visit Tuscany.  Anyone who loves wine, history and beautiful countryside should visit, and fall in love with Tuscany in their lifetime.  Ginger and Nutmeg set-off on an early season (April) visit to explore Tuscany.  At this time of year the fields are only just starting to turn green and the gnarled grapevines are showing their first shoots.

So what is Tuscany all about? Wine, History and Countryside
(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Italian wines, Travel in Italy, Travel to Tuscany

One of the things on Nutmeg’s “Top-10” list for their trip to France was to behold the lavender in bloom. Arriving in October after the lavender season, with only the winter months ahead, it would be a long wait. The happy news is that even in January, the fields are beautiful (see below). The wait was well worth it, in the last few weeks of June when the weather is Provencal “perfect” the countryside comes alive, awash in shades of purple. The fields flower at slightly different times depending on the plant variety, the altitude, specific geographic area and of course mother nature herself. In other words, one “field” trip will not suffice. With their cameras prepared, Ginger and Nutmeg were fortunate on several occasions to witness the fields in full colour and take some of their own pictures.
Click here to see the whole gallery.

So what happens to all that lavender?
Much of the lavender is distilled to create essential…

Recipes & Travel:
Artisans, Lavendar Fuseaux, Lavender, Provence, Traditions, Travel Tips

Happy Birthday!
Joyeux Anniversaire!
Buon Compleanno!
Feliz Cumpleaños!

Nutmeg would like to wish two friends a very happy birthday. One friend is Canadian and the other native French,  they are both much older. However, her French friend promised that he would share his birthday cake tonight.
Ginger and Nutmeg is officially TWO years old today. The idea for this blog germinated over a nice dinner and several drinks. After which, Nutmeg felt a bit of peer pressure to do a wee bit of writing. The blog has grown from three faithful readers, on day one to thirty a year ago. Today our little “lark” of a project has over 350 regular readers, 330 Facebook fans and even a growing number of Twitter followers (43).
Both Nutmeg and Ginger would like to thank every single one of our readers! Without your continued support and encouraging feedback this idea would have ended quite sometime ago. If you like what we are publishing please let us know!

We would…

Recipes & Travel:
Travel Entertainment

Nutmeg is a bit embarrassed to admit that after many months in France, they have barely explored all of Provence.  The departments within Provence are all beautiful and vastly different. The departments include Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhone, Var and Vaucluse. So much to visit! Clearly a break from their holiday was in order!!  Nutmeg booked two nights in a lovely chambre d’hotes (B&B) called Les Quatre Saisons near the village of le Castellet, in the Var.  Le Castellet is a medieval village dating from 1153. It is a fairly well preserved town on a hill, so there are magnificent views from the top.  The town buildings are highly picturesque. Les Quatre Saisons is easily accessible from the major regional centres, and it is a true oasis.

The weather was smoking-hot, reaching 32C under cloudless skies. Patrice cool, calm and well practised in the kitchen. He and his partner Didier ran a small Parisian bistro for nine years and then a restaurant…

Recipes & Travel:
Cooking Classes in Provence, Easy healthy desserts, Exploring the Var, French Food, Provence Travel, Recipes with Peaches, Tiramisu with Peaches, Travel in France