Every year I look forward to hosting this group of friends here in Mison. Like me, they are all foodies and love good wine. So no matter what, we always have a great time!
Why Not turkey in Provence
After all, this region is known for different kinds of fowl. This recipe came from the Aquitaine region in the Southwest of France, same as Bordeaux.
My Birthday landed on the hottest day of the year! I changed the venue at the last minute because it was 116 degrees in Portland!! Thank goodness for air-conditioning!
I’ve cooked paella for as many as 45 people for a birthday dinner party, and as few as four in the countryside of Germany. Generally when I make paella, it’s for 12 to 25 people (see recipe at the bottom). This past week I took my paellera and fire set-up to the south of Portland for an elegant dinner of eight in which I was not only the paella chef, but I was also a guest.
Poisson for the last two 5-course dinners before heading off to surgery
January 5th and 7th, 2020
This dinner sold out within a couple of hours once I posted it. So, I added another one on Tuesday, two days later with the same menu.
Boeuf Bourguignon was on the 5-course dinner party menu served with potato parsnip purée
December 15th, 2019
Wow, what an evening! I had a blast in the kitchen with two of my favorite girlfriends who have so generously offered their time to help me pull off this Fine French dinner!
New friends and lots of laughter!
Twelve happy dinner guests enjoyed poulet confit as part of this 5-course dinner party
Over the years, I’ve enjoyed getting to know some good friends of my parents that visit annually from the states. They are such gracious guests! The first time I met Larry, he asked if he could go to the store with me. He wouldn't let me pay for my groceries. Extremely generous!
I'm planning my summer trip to Europe and have been thinking about Nice. When I'm at my France studio, I need a vacation from the countryside. It's an easy drive to Nice in which I spend a lot of time. I love the markets on Cours Saleya and I love Old Town Nice!
Ten lovely guests came for an evening of delight this past Valentine's evening. People seemed to have a great time! I know I had a great time preparing all of the food. Especially because my friend Santha came and helped. We had so much fun together in the kitchen making this fabulous feast!
This winter, I met a friend in a wine group that knows everything about every wine made! I wanted to host a dinner with the flavors from Provence, and asked my wine friend, Chick Wells, to pair each dish with wine. It was fantastic.
I love quail, and decided it was the perfect food for this special day. The one above I made in the spring with fresh morel mushrooms.
I had a real desire to make beet purée after seeing a beautiful image on @cookniche’s instagram post. The color was intense, and made the plate beautiful. So, I worked on making a beautiful and tasty beet purée to pair with duck breast for a dinner in which I was developing a menu. It was lovely! I played around with how much water – bay leaf, or no bay leaf. Garlic or no garlic. I was happy with the outcome.
An inspiring new Provençal menu
Duck is simply my favorite food. In my Provence countryside kitchen, I decided on this rich and luscious menu for my Portland friends stay.