FOOD

Perhaps you would like to get in the Provençal mood as you are planning your trip--cook a Provençal meal.  Browse through any of these cookbooks and I promise that you will be inspired as you become familiar with the renowned cuisine of this region.

Bon Appétit Special Collector’s Edition (1999)
Some terrific meals--classic Provençal dishes--await those who have this magazine.

A Chef in Provence:  Edouard Loubet by Edouard Loubet (2002)
This is, for me, more of a "coffee table" cookbook because so many of the ingredients are not readily available.  What I have made has been fabulous-- the Spiral Tart with Woodland Aromas and Courgettes filled with Tomato and Basil Sorbet--and other dishes are simply fascinating to read about.

La Cuisine de Reine by Reine Sammut (1997)
This book is only available in French.  It will certainly whet your appetite for a visit to La Fenière, Reine Sammut’s restaurant in Lourmarin.

The Flavors of Provence by Isabelle de Borchgrave and Jean-André Charial (2004)
Charial, chef and owner of one of the most acclaimed restaurants in Provence--l’Oustau de Baumanière in Les Baux--offers simple but delicious recipes here.

The Food Lover’s Guide to France by Patricia Wells (1987)
This book has restaurant "reviews" of Wells's favorite restaurants as well as a few recipes.  Although I am sure that Wells has added other restaurants to her list of favorites since 1987, with few exceptions (in Provence, at least), those in the book live up to her reviews, written some twenty years ago.

Michel Biehn’s Healthy Recipes:  International Cuisine from a Provençal Table by Michel Biehn (2003)
I love this book.  The recipes are simple, healthy, and delicious.  And, the book is pretty.

Patricia Wells at Home in Provence by Patricia Wells (1996)
We have made so many dishes from this cookbook (some, like the Chanteduc Winter Salad and the Quick Chicken-Lemon Soup, over and over) and they have all been met with unmitigated rave reviews.

The Provence Cookbook by Patricia Wells (2004)
Many dishes are on my list of those I’d like to make, but, unfortunately, we have only had time to make a few soups from this cookbook.  However, they have been terrific.  Both require truffles, which we were fortunate enough to receive last year from Heidi and Mark Stanvick, proprietors of Vervacious Truffles.

When Our Grandmothers Cooked in Provence by Frédérique Féraud-Espérandieu (1998)
This book was a gift from a very good friend in Lourmarin.  She is a marvelous cook and this book, she felt, captured the essence of her cooking--in English.