This post is the second in a series that will feature each of the ten markets that The Modern Trobadors always visit when in Provence. The markets were selected primarily on the basis of the quality of the offerings of the vendors and the ambiance of the venue although practicality was also considered to some extent (e.g., distance from our home in Lourmarin, market options on that day of the week, convenience of parking, etc.). Bottom line is that these are the markets we visit when we are in Provence. Again and again…and again. Cucuron, population hovering around 2,000, swells to capacity every Tuesday morning during…

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I have been known to follow the scent of a crêpe into the depths of an unfamiliar Parisian neighborhood thereby compromising our timely arrival for dinner with friends; into the longest line in Saint-Malo—in August around the French holiday, Assomption—at one of Brittany’s oldest and clearly busiest crêperies; and into the intricate maze of the Tuesday market on a very blustery November day in Vaison-la-Romaine. I adore those thin French pancakes and when the scent of a crêpe wafts past my nose, it beckons. With my daughter in tow and my indulging husband not far behind, the detour is invariably rewarding  for all! The French…

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This week’s posting is written conjunction with David Scott Allen, Editor of Cocoa & Lavender, who is posting a two-part series on truffles entitled, “Life in Black and White.” This past Wednesday (11/24/10), he discussed black truffles and featured his wonderful recipe for Fettuccine with Truffle Butter. Next Wednesday (12/1/10), he will focus on white truffles with an accompanying recipe. Towny and I have had the pleasure of enjoying many meals with David and Mark—I assure you that you will not be disappointed with any meal one or the other might suggest. Enjoy The Trobador’s posting on our truffle adventures in Provence, including how to…

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  Chapelle St-Sixte As one drives toward Les Alpilles, along the D24 between the tiny villages of Orgon and Eygalières, about 30 minutes from Lourmarin, there’s a very tiny chapel. Framed by lovely cypress trees van Gogh surely would have painted had he ventured a little further from the hospital in St Remy, the 12th century chapel stands atop a stony knoll now dotted with olive and almond trees and an occasional patch of grass. Chapelle St-Sixte was erected on the site of a pagan temple that was built in reverence to a nearby spring. Rituals involving that spring still exist today: a couple must…

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“What are Herbes de Provence?” I was asked. Lori, who has had the unenviable task of cleaning chez Manfull for nearly twenty years, raised the bag of herbs to her nose again, waved it back and forth, and inhaled deeply. The small bag of fragrant herbs that we had just purchased a few days earlier from the Lourmarin market reminded Lori that she really wanted to know which herbs defined herbes de Provence. She also wondered why she had never heard of them until we gave her a similar bag about ten years ago and why she had never seen them in the States until…

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Over the hill, past the Château d’Ansouis, and through the vineyards and sunflower fields, you will find not the house of Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother, but the home of La Famille Perrière, where over sixty flavors of ice cream and sorbet are regularly offered to their very happy patrons. Nestled into the Luberon hillside, about 5 km past Ansouis (and about 20 minutes from La Bonbonnière in Lourmarin), is L’Art Glacier. Customers who make the trek to this most unlikely location for an ice cream parlor are richly rewarded by the award-winning ice creams as well as the expansive views of a beautiful patchwork…

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