It's spring, and summer is fast approaching - on the 21st we'll be there. Barbecues and salads will be the order of the day for a few months, with aperitifs and fine dining among friends and family. I've prepared 3 "special barbecue" blends, one traditional, one west-facing and one east-facing. The latter is an Indian "tandoori-style" blend that will allow you to season your skewers and chicken/turkey fillets the way Indian malsachi do. A Jaipur atmosphere for this opening...Continue Reading

It's decided, the barometer looks set to stay on a high, so barbecues are out. Olive wood, beech wood or charcoal for the less patient, it doesn't matter what you use as long as you've got embers. So get out your chicken thighs (or sleeves only), remove the skin (unless you like fats that aren't super-essential for our good health 😉 and score the flesh widely, forming crosses. In a bowl,...Continue Reading

Alexander's conquest of India... 326 BC // year 47 We stopped at the beginnings of the future Suez Canal, 500 BC, which would have made it possible to avoid the long route taken by Ishmaelite merchants to Egypt. Alexander the Great entered India from the north-west in 326 BC, in a bitter battle (as was often the case in those days), and decided to open up two other routes by which he could transport spices from that country....Continue Reading

Barigoule is originally a mixture of mushrooms stuffed with bacon, shallots and carrots. There are different ways of writing it, depending on the era and region of Provence (bérigoule, barigoula, barigoulo, brigoule, bourigoule or baligoule). Our recipe here is much simpler. Serves 4: 16 small violet artichokes from Nice 4 nice cebettes niçoise (alternatively fresh spring onions) 4 nice slices of bacon...Continue Reading