Audrey

This Mirabelle Plum Tart from the Lorraine Region is a typical late-summer treat from the area. If you can’t get your hands on mirabelles, try it with ripe golden plums.  With 10,000 hectares of orchards, the Lorraine region fruitages  nearly 40 thousand tons of Mirabelle plums each year  – representing 70% of the worldwide production. No surprise then that this sweet delicious fruit is the official symbol of the region. Two main varieties exist: the mirabelle from Metz (smaller, golden with red spots) and the mirabelle from Nancy (plumper with …

The Pepper Steak with Brandy Sauce is a classic of Bistro-style French Cuisine. A thick and juicy steak, adorned by a creamy and fragrant peppercorn sauce, with subtle notes of cognac… It must be enjoyed with a side of French fries, of course! Bastille Day is just around the corner (it’s July 14)! And what better time than the French National Day to cook the iconic Pepper Steak with Brandy Sauce, with a side of French fries? Or as the French would say, the “Steak Frites”. “Un Steak Frites, s’il …

The love of the French for “tatins” no longer needs to be proven.  These classic French upside-down cakes or pies are traditionally made with apples, but you can embrace the season by using other fruits: peach, blueberry or pineapple, or vegetables: endives, carrots or tomatoes. This simple Rhubarb Tatin Cake embraces the late-spring/early summer season and offers a great way to showcase this perennial vegetable (yes, rhubarb is a vegetable!). The cake is simple and light, with small hints of vanilla and lemon, subtle enough to let the rhubarb shine …

The entire week, I was craving a slice of delicious strawberry galette. Not a pie, not a tart, just a rustic galette. A simple buttery crust, filled with the first strawberries of the season. Simple, honest and oh so delicious. As a lover of all rustic dishes and of yesteryear, I have always loved galettes. I love that they don’t need to be fancy, they don’t really need to look pretty… and they let the fruits shine in all their glory. They are also very easy, and to me, always …

few weeks ago, I had the delightful surprise to be listed as one of “Five Niagara Food Bloggers to Bookmark Now” (in an article by Tiffany Mayer, author of eatingniagara.com, thank you Tiffany!). I was filled with content and humility when reading Tiffany’s admirative review of the blog. But my delight and curiosity reached another peak when I browsed through the list of bloggers and (re)discovered the amazing food blogs operated from my adopted region – Niagara, ON. This inspired me to come up with this article of the 9 French …

From our last recipe – Crepes From Brittany – to today’s recipe, a Corsican Caccavellu sweet bread. Yes, it’s quite a far stretch, with as many kilometers as there are cultural specificities that separate these two regions – which sit literally opposite on the French map. But on many levels, they are not so different, if you ask me. Both the Brittany and Corsican people are known to be proud, tremendously proud, of their origins, dialect and people. Both deeply attached to their roots and unique cultural heritage, these regions …

here are no rules about French pâtés. Pork, chicken, rabbit or duck. Breast, cheek, belly or tripe. Squelched in a baguette sandwich with a few “cornichons”, baked “en croûte” in a flaky pastry crust or delicately seared and served atop a succulent filet mignon. In a ploughman’s lunch bag or on a Michelin star table. Sometimes rough, sometimes a delicacy, pâté has seduced, seduces and will seduce generations of French families for decades to come. And for how many ways there are to eat it, you can find a way …

he French are not usually fond of fried treats (unlike their Spanish or Portuguese neighbours). But these bite-size fritters are timeless goodies that have been feeding generations of French families.  French regions come up with their own twists on the recipe … made with choux pastry, yeast dough, potato flour (Savoy Region) or chestnut flour (Corsica)… fried in oil or lard … referred to as “nun’s farts” (Brittany Region), “beignets” (Paris) , and on and on. They are commonly served plain, with a light dusting of caster sugar, cinnamon or icing …

T]here they were, grazing in the meadow. Enjoying the evening breeze and the gentle sunlight, wrapping up this hot summer’s day. As we rolled by, a few popped their heads over the fence and stared at us with googly eyes and humane-like smiles.  The excitement spread quickly amongst the field, and soon enough, our car was followed by their jolly echoes of “baaahs”.    A happy bunch of lambs and rams, roaming freely and cheerfully greeting guests. The kind of welcoming crowd you wouldn’t expect when entering a meat farm. But …

Just a simple, honest, rustic Peach Galette recipe, with fresh yellow peaches and a buttery crust. A perfect home-style summer dessert.  each season is in full swing here in Niagara. All the roadside farmers’ stands are overflowing with sweet and juicy tree-ripened peaches – a real feast for the eyes, and our stomachs!  And I just can’t wait for the Niagara Peach Festival Celebrations happening in two weeks. The whole town will gather to celebrate the Peach Harvest and the local growers – the kind of event right up my alley.  The …