Green Figs From Provence
They are in and splendid raw, but a nice and easy dessert Provence-style made everyone happy the other night.
Recipes
Spring Strawberry Soup
Visiting Provence for a few days late April, the scent of lilac and wisteria is at every corner in the …
Homemade Ricotta
Ricotta is very easy to make—easier than yogurt as you won’t need a machine—and it won’t cost more than what …
Cherry Compote
The cherry season is short, and usually Provence cherries are so sweet that it's best to serve a bowl of fresh …
Duck Breast with Blueberries
This recipe came as a “why not” alternative to the winter duck breast with apples, pears or even frozen cherries …
Rhubarb/blueberry compote
This recipe came after a trip to Union Square market where rhubarb (another acid fruit favorite) is in season. For …
Lemon/blueberry almost-soufflé
This idea came about reading a recipe for a Meyer lemon almost-soufflé from Aleksandra Crapanzano, one of my favorite writers …
Avocado Dessert
I love avocado but have mostly eaten it with salad and/or crab cake until Marisa, my Argentinan friend, mentioned she …
Butternut Squash Soup From The French Women Don’t Get Fat Cookbook
Serves 4 to 6
Pasta with crabmeat and zucchini
Strawberry French Toasts
Strawberry French Toasts…the French way…overnight
Cherry Verrine
A soup to serve in a verrine
Cherry Soup
Already the end of the season for cherries in Provence...and the last ones are not quite as "top" quality/sweetness, so …
Mom’s 21st Century “Roulades”
Prep your Monday dinner on Sunday night. Isabella (from Bologna) makes it with veal, Isabelle (from Aix-en-Provence) with pintade (guinea …
Chocolate mousse with tofu
Quinoa salad with Chabichou
Maybe it’s the recent press about all the “fake” food out there and the polluted fish or pigs raised with …
Red Fruit Verrines
An easy way to entertain: make it ahead and stay with your guests
Duck Breasts with Strawberries
This recipe is a summertime play on the “Duck Breasts with Pears” recipe included in The French Women Don’t Get …
Spring Greens Soup
Serves 4
Orange salad with cinnamon
Serves 4
Provençal “Greek” Salad
This is a sweet and savory Provençal take on the classic Greek salad. With melon so abundant in Provence in …
Pain Perdu with Fresh Cherries
Cherries are luscious. We have about a dozen varieties around here and last week, Julie, who has lived in the US …
Strawberry and Beet Tartare
I recently saw a young chef playing with the odd combination of beets and strawberries. So I had to experiment …
Red Cabbage Salad
Perfect for spring detox...cuisine quick and “minceur” par excellence. Like beets, red cabbage is a fabulous antioxydant with anthocyanin.
Chocolate Mousse with Mandarins
Peach Gazpacho with Gingerbread
My friend Alix studied pastry, is one of the finest home bakers I know and always comes up with new …
Gingered Chicken Soup
A friend was in China and felt stressed and tired. She was offered a gingered chicken soup that re-energized her. …
Cucumber verrines
French women consume over ten pounds of cucumbers a year, mostly in summer months. Julie, an adopted Provençale friend with …
Cucumber Salad with Goat Cheese
Strawberry Smoothie
With the heavy rain all over France this year, most fruits tend to be watery and make us nostalgic for …
Zucchini Bruschettas
Here is my dear friend Valérie’s variation on the traditional tomato bruschetta, a lovely way to start the evening with …
Gâteau de Ricotta au Concombre et Asperges (Ricotta Cake with Cucumber and Asparagus)
Chestnut Soup with Chocolate Garnish
Mousse au chocolat et gingembre
Duck Breasts with Apples and Chocolate Sauce
Chocolate-Espresso Faux Soufflés
Soufflés are easy to make once you know the technique and have had some practice, but they are not practical …
Carrots and Pumpkin with Herbs
Potage d’hiver
Chocolate Chestnut Cream with Lemon
Scallops Carpaccio with Mango and Parmesan
This winter, one of my favorite homemade meals was concocted in no time by my dear friend Sophie, who made …
Pumpkin Pie With Hazelnuts
After I moved to New York, I still visited my parents in France regularly, and my mother remained my key …
Gratin of Leeks and Turnips
I first had this dish during a sweet autumn sojourn in Provence. Paired with a slice of country bread and …
Leeks with Beets and Walnut Dressing
Chicken with Pastis
Pastis: the Provençal drink par excellence. Let me be honest: I have never been able to drink pastis, the anise-based …
Figs with Ricotta Cheese and Wildflower Honey
Paired with a dollop of ricotta and a stream of honey, ripe figs make a heavenly dessert. Ricotta cheese is …
Mireille’s Simple Tomato Salad
A real treat for us tomato heads is an entire meal based on them. To this day the only chef …
Grilled Peaches With Cinnamon and Rosemary
Peaches, like apricots, demand to be eaten when perfectly ripe, but because they bruise so easily, they are frequently picked …
Vegetables with Yogurt Dressing
Barbequed Duck with Peaches
Tri-Color Peppers
Peppers are another New World plant that has taken root in a big way in the Old. Far more than …
Cold Cucumber Soup
My Provençal friends call this soup Gazpacho á la Mireille, although it lacks the acidity of its Spanish namesake—something of …
Baked Apricots
Orecchiette with Tuna and Zucchini
Green Soup
My friend Jacqueline is nuts about greens and is always coming up with new recipes. Here’s her latest, which I …
Melon Soup
As refreshing as it gets, and a delicious tease for those with a sweet tooth.
Eggplant Tapenade
Beet Soup
For taste and texture, nothing beats beets in a salad or soup. I make this soup in advance and serve …
Sweet-and-Sour Fruit-and-Vegetable Salad
Cold Fennel Soup
My friend Christine is a fennel freak (not to be confused with fenugreek), and I daresay I am too. All …
Watercress Coulis
Red Mullet with Spinach en Papillote
Summer Vegetable Soup with Cheese
Those females in my family, with their tireless imaginations, would find no end of ways to slip in an extra …
Panna Cotta
A Recipe for the French Woman's Light and Simple Comfort Food
Steamed Zucchini with Basil
Vichyssoise (Cold Leek and Potato Soup)
Cold Carrot Soup
Sauteed Mushrooms
Strawberry Soup with Mascarpone
Dandelion Salad
One of the more startling cultural divides between Americans and the French (and Italians, for that matter) remains their respective …
Rhubarb-Strawberry Compote
Another simple, traditional recipe from childhood that has become the stuff of exquisite moments. The aroma of fresh fruit, so …
Spaghetti Alle Vongole
I think I may have been Italian in my previous life! This is a delizioso meal.
Sardines with Carrots and Leeks
There can scarcely be a health-conscious eater out there who hasn’t heard about the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in …
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
Mackerel with Carrots and Leeks
Mackerel, another salmon alternative, offers fine taste and excellent value. It reminds me of fresh tuna twenty years ago, when …
Petits LU à la Fraise (Strawberries on Butter Cookies)
Haricots Verts with Tomatoes
Brown Rice With Peas
We grew peas in our garden, and so they were another spring treat by which I was spoiled rotten. I …
Shrimp and Leek ‘Mimosa’
Curried Lamb with Eggplant
In Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, lambs have been sacrificed in connection with Christian, Jewish and Muslim customs …
Spaghetti with Fiddlehead Ferns and Prosciutto
Fiddlehead ferns are a spring delicacy you probably won’t find in your supermarket. The ostrich fern and a few other …
Asparagus and Cashew Omelet
Leeks Mozzarella
Fiddlehead Ferns
Spring Peas with Pearl Onions
Rack of Lamb Persillade
Easter Sunday was always my family’s first taste of spring lamb (after we had the one made of angel food …
Pappardelle with Spring Vegetables
Whenever I make this, I am reminded of pasta primavera (spring pasta), a dish that became all the rage in …
“Banana Cream Pie”
My friend Jeanne-Marie, who lives in France, calls this her “banana cream pie" (she is proud to have learned the …
Salmon and Spinach Salad
Where fresh wild salmon is not available, canned sockeye is a suitable alternative to farmed—the French are far from believing …
Sea Scallops and Leeks in Champagne Sauce
Asparagus with Honey Sauce
White Asparagus with Mayonnaise, Mamie’s Version
Salmon with Fennel En Papillote
Leeks Fettuccine
Leek and Spinach Quiche
Spaghetti with Cauliflower
Cauliflower can be sexy. My Venetian friend Carla thinks so. If it is not the sexiest of all vegetables, it …
Fettuccine with Scallops and Asparagus
Oysters on Steamed Leeks
Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts
Roast Chicken with Endives
Parchment-Baked Winter Fruit
Baking fruit in parchment concentrates its natural sweetness and creates a moist, tender dessert for the winter months.
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal
This is a hearty breakfast recipe for the cold winter months. The balance of carbohydrates, fruit and protein will keep …
Spanish Sandwich
My friend Marisa visited recently, and as we shopped together we looked at those pale red February tomatoes and passed …
Pumpkin Petits Pots
Yellow Pepper Soup
I recently received a recipe for Yellow Pepper Soup from an old friend. Always ready to try my hand at …
Georgia Gouda Gougères
Gougères, little puffs of cheesy choux pastry, are a classic French offering before a meal. (In France, you can buy …
Coffee Petits Pots
Leek and Salmon Tartines
Shrimp Tartines
Crabmeat Tartines
Goat Cheese and Fennel Tartines
Mango Carpaccio with Cinnamon
Quiche Lorraine
If French women take something as simple as cheese puffs personally, imagine how passions could fly in the province of …
Saint-Jacques Tartines
Marraine Alice, my godmother, was one of those stereotypical French women: thin, chic, with a great sense of style in …
Coffee Mousse
Hot Chocolate Soufflé
Ardèche Coffee
Ardèche was where my chef-trained Uncle Charles moved when he married Aunt Mireille. It’s also chestnut land, and for a …
Banana Mousse
Braised Carrots with Ginger
Duck Breasts Sweet and Sour
Shallots Confites En Papillote
A word on shallots. Onions, garlic, shallots, and leeks are all in the same family, but therein lies a world …
Salmon with Orange En Papillote
Chicken Tatin
Duck Breasts with Honey Glaze
Americans rarely cook a whole duck. Today, duck breasts are available in most supermarkets or on the Internet, making a …
Stuffed Cornish Hens
Garlicky Monkfish
Sea Scallops with Citrus Fruit
Scallops are another shellfish that intimidates some, but they are amazingly simple to make: the key, in fact, is not …
Shrimp and Tuna Salad with Banana and Yogurt
Celeriac Soup
As in their mashed potatoes recipe, the women in my family love to experiment with the ratio of potato to …
Mixed Vegetable Soup
Oysters with Garlic Butter
Oysters with Lemon Zest
Cocktail D’Huîtres
Oyster Soup
Today’s cutting-edge chefs are getting very creative with amazing combinations. As always, some work better than others. But the soupe …
Flourless Chocolate Cake
I always prefer this cake the next day. It’s a perfect, rich dessert for cool weather. There is no need …
Chestnuts and Honey
Chestnut Soup
Pear and Goat Cheese Papillote with Yogurt Sauce
Pears with Ginger and Chocolate Mousse
Pears on a Brioche
Spiced Apples
A nice autumnal accompaniment to white meat, and you can substitute pears if you like. With a little dollop of …
Baked Apple Aixoise
Another Provençal "variation" from my cousin Andrée, the creator of the Provençal version of Magical "Mimosa" Leek Soup. She also …
Turkey Scaloppine with Pesto
The French could pay more attention to turkey. Actually, Americans could, too: It’s a bit of a shame that turkey …
Jarlsberg, Apple and Mushroom Salad
Mussels in White Wine
A perfect dish to serve friends for a casual dinner. All you need to remember is to clean the mussels …
Farfalle with Edamame
Soybeans, a major harvest crop used for so many things, are something I discovered in America. Once the food of …
Macaroni with Spinach and Pancetta
Cauliflower Gratin
Escarole Sauté
Ultra Rapide Mashed Yukons
Mashed Potatoes (Mamie’s Version )
There is much dogma concerning great mashed potatoes. Some famous chefs regard it as essential to have almost equal parts …
Cod with Potato Salad
Braised Fennel with Ginger
I love fennel and don’t see it served in restaurants enough or in many recipes for home. Too bad. High …
Chocolate Brioche
Cocotte de Légumes (Vegetables) Croquants
I discovered this dish in St.-Rémy-de-Provence, the village that inspired van Gogh’s Starry Night vision. One late fall day, the …
Chicken and Haricots Verts Salad
What Americans call string beans are known as French beans elsewhere, and haricots verts (green beans) are recognized as a …
Lentil Soup
Potato Gratin à la Normande
Normandy being apple and cheese country, lots of regional recipes include these two delicious staples. If you’ve never savored a …
Potato-Olive Ragout
Another fruit that marries brilliantly with potato is the olive, of which so many varieties are available, even in America. …
Mimosa Soup
Pity those who don’t love the sweet taste and delicate texture of leeks. Eventually, you probably will. But if it’s …
Pear-Apple Compote with Honey
Skate with Capers
Skate is a wonderful fish; its thin, firm, but feathered white meat tastes sweet, with a surprisingly pleasant accent of …
Pears with Chocolate and Pepper
The pear is one of nature’s most remarkable inventions; its versatility is second to none. What other fruit could wed …
Butternut Squash Soup
Grilled Steak with Wine Sauce
There is not much more a good steak needs than a bit of seasoning and grilling. While I don’t generally …
Buttersquash Soup
Strawberry Salad with Tomatoes
Another recipe that I learned this past summer in Provence, and which is still possible to make for a few …
Sweet Tomatoes
I was recently in Provence for a few September days and experienced one of those happy instants when we appreciate …
Plums with Ginger
Late summer, early fall: it’s plum season. During my last few days in Provence, the market was filled with half …
Duck Breasts with Gingered Plums Compote
Plums with ginger make a great accompaniment to duck. Here’s how I serve it.
“Steak” Tomato Salad
By Susie Quick Mingle assorted heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes for maximum visual impact. Opal basil has deep-purple leaves; if it's …
Endive Salad
Roasted Potatoes
Tilapia with Capers
Sauteed Kale
Baked Apples
As kids, we always preferred cooked apples to raw, and so especially on those days when she was serving a …
Cucumber Salad
Mint Marinade
Ratatouille
Another French classic as interpreted by my mother (based on a recipe from cousin Andrée in Aix-en-Provence) is still something …
Orange Salad
Oranges with mesclun mixed with arugula or red oak lettuce with frisée
Pork Chops
Apple Accompaniment
We had lots of apple trees of many varieties in our orchards and the supply would last for the whole …
Cold Beets and Yogurt Summer Soup
This cold thick soup was always a crowd pleaser at my cousin’s home in Provence. Easy to prepare, easy to …
Yogurt Salad Dressing
Rosemary Marinade
Grilled Peaches with Lemon Thyme Marinade
Peaches are such a delicate fruit it’s hard—even in season—to find specimens perfect for eating raw. For this dessert, it …
Baguettes
These 18-24-inch wands of French bread are as much a symbol of France as the Eiffel Tower. And while French …
Chocolate Rice Pudding
This perfect comfort food is a wonderful winter dessert that’s easy and quick to make before your guests arrive and …
Basic Vegetable Soup
My mother cooked all the vegetables in water. Although potatoes were always included, the choice of other vegetables was often …
Quick and Easy Carrot Soup
Chicken au Champagne
Here’s a quick dinner that never fails to please. My guests always ask for the recipe and think I’ve been …
Duck Breasts à la Gasconne
We rarely ate only duck breasts at home because, like most people, we generally purchased an entire duck and prepared …
Homemade Yogurt with a Yogurt Maker
To make yogurt without a yogurt maker, see this recipe.
Homemade Yogurt Without a Yogurt Maker
To make yogurt with a yogurt maker, see this recipe.
Celery Root Rémoulade
Celery root is used as the coleslaw of French cuisine though it has a distinctive taste quite different from cabbage. …
Snapper with Almonds
I didn’t much care for fish when I was growing up, but I loved nuts. My mother knew both were …
Grilled Pineapple
Soupe aux Légumes de Maman
In the summer, we eat our soups chilled, in the winter piping hot and very often as a main course …
Halibut En Papillote
This is another simple dish that can be prepared in advance and put in the oven as your guests eat …
Cooked Pears with Cinnamon
Grandma Louise’s Oatmeal with Grated Apple
When we visited my grandmother in snowy Alsace, she used to serve us this delicious and filling breakfast rich in …
Plum Clafoutis Without Dough
The classic clafoutis (fruit tart) is naturally richer with batter. But as I learned from Dr. Miracle, the flourless version …
Blueberry Baby Smoothie
This versatile, very heathy drink, especially rich in antioxidants, can be the better part of our lunch, snack or even …
Salmon A L’Unilateral
Apple Tart Without Dough
The following recipe for an apple tart without a crust is less sweet - lower in calories - but more …
Grilled Spring Lamb Chops with Mint Marinade
This simple tasty dish will be ready in 40 minutes.
Apricot Tart