“Calissons” is the first of a three-part series that focuses on what you may find in Provence after the “big supper” (otherwise known as the “Gros Souper”) on Christmas Eve,  Called “the thirteen desserts of Christmas” or “Les Treize Desserts de Noël,” tradition dictates that the desserts consist of dried fruit and nuts, fresh fruit, and sweets totaling 13 desserts to represent Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles at the Last Supper. The desserts are set out after Midnight Mass, all at once, on three layers of white table cloths (that represent the Holy Trinity). People who live in Provence know that everyone should take…

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Rosé can be the perfect match for your turkey and its varied trimmings, especially when it comes from Provence, the birthplace of rosé. With hundreds of years of practice making this wine, it is not surprising that the best rosés in the world hail from this region. Light yet complex, nicely balanced fruit and acidity, Provence rosés are refreshing to one’s palate and versatile enough to go with the myriad foods typically found on the traditional Thanksgiving table. (Keep a bottle chilled for the leftovers, too!) I love Thanksgiving. I am one of those (obsessive) sorts who has a file bulging with Thanksgiving recipes and…

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 I read with some sadness that Ateliers Pleyel—the last remaining piano maker in France and one of the world’s oldest and most famous manufacturers of this beloved instrument—will end production next month. After making over 250,000 pianos for more than 200 years, this storied piano maker –widely known as Frédéric Chopin’s favorite—will take its final bow.   This news spread quickly beyond the borders of France and aroused a bevy of commentators to voice their feelings. Many lamented increased global competition (especially from inexpensive offerings from China and Korea but also from Japan’s high-quality Kawais and Yamahas); some cited the growing appeal of digital keyboards;…

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Although lavender, poppies, and leisurely lunches with rosé at poolside tables are the typical draw to Provence, Christmas Markets—Les Marchés de Noël—are another wonderful reason to visit this region. Okay, it is cold but the sun is bright, the relaxed pace prevails, and the spirit of Christmas warms your heart. The Christmas markets of Alsace are the most famous in France and probably the most authentic since that region neighbors Germany where such markets are thought to have originated way back the Middle Ages. Evidence suggests that the first Christmas Market took place in 1434 in the German town, Dresden. Today, the tradition can be…

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“Ah, the stress of meeting a French person,” an American friend once said to me. Remembering fondly her first trip to France, she said she landed in Paris where, after several weeks of introductions and various encounters with newly-made friends, she thought she had mastered the fine art of  la bise…. And then, she traveled south to Provence where she discovered the salutatory kisses were not at all carried out in any predictable manner. Her confidence crumbled. Is it one or two or even three kisses? Is it right-side first or left-side first? For someone already struggling  to remember how to say a few words…

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Okay, Patricia Wells is not really in my kitchen. But her new book, The French Kitchen Cookbook: Recipes and Lessons from Paris and Provence, has occupied a prominent place in my kitchen since I met its author last week in Darien, Connecticut. Wells made a stop at the Darien Library as part of her cross-country book tour to promote her newest entry in to the category of French cuisine cooking. The event, sponsored by Barrett Bookstore, packed the room with close to 200 people. Mostly women and many toting copies of earlier published books, this was an enthusiastic crowd with lots questions that demonstrated a…

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  To learn more about Provence rosé and Château d’Esclans, please read my earlier post, “Château d’Esclans’ Garrus Rosé Bedazzles.” I am grateful to Win Rhoades, proprietor of South Street and Vine in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for his quick lesson in viticulture. Any errors here are not those of Paul Chevalier or Win Rhoades; they are mine (although they may be related to drinking wine while taking notes!)    What could be more fun than sitting in front of six glasses of pale rosé from Provence’s Château d’Esclans? Well, tasting each one with guidance from wine educator Paul Chevalier. That is what my daughter and…

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This morning I received an email from Marc Perrin, from Famille Perrin (the well-known multi-generational wine family from Châteauneuf-de-Pape that is now in partnership with Château Miraval). As readers of Sunday’s TMT post (10/13/13) about Miraval’s grapes are aware, I had written to him but had not received a response prior to posting “The Curious Case of Miraval’s Grapes.” For those of you who are curious, I have answers. A little background: Famille Perrin, according to their website, is “the leading organic wine grower of the Southern Rhone Valley” and, although they produce a range of wines from various estates, they are probably best known…

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Note:  Marc Perrin, partner with Jolie and Pitt to produce and distribute Miraval rosé,  provided answers (after publication) to some of these curiosities.  To find out what he said, please see my updated post (10/15/13).   Back in the spring, readers may recall all the hoopla over the release of Brad and Angelina’s first rosé from their newly acquired chateau in Provence. The Modern Trobadors hopped on the crowded band wagon with a post about the celebrity status of Château Miraval long before the glam couple took up residence and I included a synopsis of our tasting notes wherein we gave their rose, called simply “Miraval,”…

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I was settling into the chair at my desk earlier this week, fully prepared to wax enthusiastically in this post about the merits of visiting St-Tropez any time after August, when the telephone rang and changed the focus of my story. I was all set to grumble about the inconceivable amount of traffic in July and, especially in August when everyone on the continent seems to have set their GPS devices set for the French Riviera. The notorious two-lane D98 becomes a virtual parking lot of vehicles—Maseratis, open-top Ferraris by the dozen, big Bentleys, tiny Fiat Pandas, and camping-cars alike—inching forward en masse toward the…

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