Le bonheur ç'est la bonne bouffe et le bon vin...

we'll all be here in a few short months!

 There's a very famous French saying: Le bonheur ç'est la bonne bouffe et le bon vin... (Happiness is good food and good wine!)

If France is one of the culinary meccas of the world, then the region of Provence in The South of France is definitely one of its prized jewels! The fantastic Mediterranean weather is not only great for wine, sunflowers, lavenders and olives but a plethora of fresh produce as well as meat and fish, which are integral to Provencal cuisine.  Indeed, the heart of Provençal dishes lies the interplay of heightened French technique of cooking where the flavors are preserved without any one ingredient being dominant. There is a wonderful interplay between color & flavor, vegetables and meats, and it all comes with a hint of spices that truly define the The French countryside, but are not too overpowering. 

As many of you know, Terese and I do a lot of research and work to come up with not just the itineraries for our Tours, but also the menus for our Tours...  We go to a lot of restaurants in the region when we're researching our Tours... We take photos of their menus, and try a lot of the classic regional cuisine so that we might learn what would likely work best for some of our meals...  From Ratatouille to Salade Niçoise... and from Pastis to Tapenades... and we also  the hardships tough sacrifices of researching and tasting the wines!

A Provençal favorite; Pieds et Paquets

And while we like the menus to be authentic to the region, we've learned over the years to be careful not to over-do the authenticity, as French and American palettes can be quite different... For example, in Provence,  Pieds et Paquets is a regional favorite... (It consists of sheep's feet and stuffed sheep's tripe stewed together). And while the locals find this to be a truly outstanding dish, we tend to shy away from dishes that might not be a favorite among our guests...

So this morning Terese & I are having The Croque Madame for our Breakfast . 

The classic French Croque Madame... oh la la!!!

The Croque Madame is probably one of the very most popular French Bistro Classics... It would be hard to find a French restaurant without this on the menu...  Layers of special French Ham mounded with a generous blend of grated Gruyère, Cheddar, Emmantal & Parmesan Cheeses smothered in a rich rue of Bèchamel sauce spiced with a sprinkle of shaved nutmeg and Herbes de Provence... atop velvety smooth Brioche breads spread with a classic French Country Dijon Mustard... broiled in a hot oven to golden brown and topped with an over-easy fried egg.   

As they say in France; Oh La La...  (once you have this, you'll never go back to the Egg McMuffin!)