RACLETTE: THE BEST MEAL YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF

Posted on January 20, 2013December 30, 2015 by Susan Manfull

It is 12 degrees outside as I write this post. The wind is howling and the ground is covered with several inches of snow. Portsmouth, New Hampshire is not in the Alps, the place from which this Swiss dish hails, but the blustery weather makes me long for a roaring fire and one of Switzerland’s storied and traditional meals. Hint: it has a French name. Not fondue...the other Swiss meal with the French name—raclette. In the United States, nearly everyone is familiar with cheese fondue, but v...

VIBRANT MONDAY MARKET IN GIONO’S PROVENCE: THE FORCALQUIER MARKET

Posted on October 8, 2012December 28, 2015 by Susan Manfull

Sixty kilometers (38 miles) from Lourmarin, in the French department Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, lies Forcalquier where, every Monday morning, a lively market transforms the sleepy city. It is well worth the hour-or-so drive from Lourmarin to go to the market as well as to see a different side of Provence. So different that, in fact, some would not even consider this area Provence. Technically, Forcalquier is part of Provence. The administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azure (PACA) certa...