French Riviera (10)
15.05.2011
Gourmet: Add some zing to your salmon mousse
This is the month where it all starts happening. Wash down the terrace, open up the pool, scrub down the barbecue, and start inviting people round for long, warm lunches and stress-free suppers under the stars.Read more … Maydays and holidays
20.03.2011
Gourmet: Steal yourself for some tasty tips
What a relief! Last month saw the arrival of the Chinese ‘Year of the Rabbit’. After the upheavals we’ve all been through in this last unlucky ‘Year of the Tiger’, the rabbit we are told ushers in a welcome period of tranquility, security, and even prosperity. Read more … Rabbit sees off Tiger
13.02.2011
Gourmet: Why the world's favourite aphrodisiac is under threat
As we approach St Valentine’s Day, did you know that the world is facing a scarcity of its best-known aphrodisiac? Since 2008 the oysterbeds of France have been ravaged by a killer virus, basically a type of herpes. (Not nice, I know. What’s next? Clams with chlamydia?)Read more … Larger, rarer and older
11.02.2011
Gourmet: Great ideas for an alternative Valentine's date
If the Beatles’ song is anything to go by then Valentine’s Day does not have to be about showering your partner with expensive gifts. Read more … Money can't buy me love
22.12.2010
Gourmet: A deliciously light dish to replace the board
The cheese course is often the one that we never stop to think about when planning our festive feasting, and this recipe is particularly attractive, because it includes the fruit and nuts (les mendiants) so connected to Christmas.
Compared to a full-blown cheese board, it also feels like a fairly light course to wedge in between all those other calories.Read more … Cheesy alternative
21.11.2010
Gourmet: A tasty alternative to costly monkfish
You may have seen saumonette in the fishmongers, and thought it was either a relation to salmon, because of its name, or some sort of eel, because of its length. In fact it is a member of the shark family (the Chinese use it for Shark Fin Soup), and it gets its name from its pale rose colour. Read more … Pretty in pink
17.10.2010
Gourmet: The Riviera Times serves up another delightful dish.
If you were inspired by our recipe for Saffron and honey pears, then you might like to try our next saffron infused dish: Chicken Bouillabaisse.Read more … Savouring saffron
16.10.2010
Gourmet: Believe it or not saffron has a long history in Provence
Saffron's heady perfume throbs at the very heart of Provençal cooking, and historically every good wife's potager from Marseille to Orange (appropriately!) had its saffron plot, up until the 19th century when for some unknown reason it died out. Nowadays there's just one saffron farm in the whole of Provence - and that was only established nine years ago.Read more … Mellow yellow magic
