La Raffine
The Vaucluse is the top producer of table grapes in France and the Muscat du Ventoux are the most popular black table grape. Table grapes have less acidity and thinner skin than grapes cultivated for wine and the Muscat du Ventoux are particularly sweet and juicy: the perfect before-bed snack in a small bowl of yogurt. Grapes are the only fruit containing melatonin so you are boosting your sleep cycle too.
The season for figs is short. For a couple of weeks in mid-September I devour as many as I can. Sweet, fragrant and juicy, figs team up very well with other ingredients: honey, yoghurt and toasted nuts; fresh young goat's cheese; salty prosciutto; tangy blue cheeses and even anchovies.
You can buys figs in the market but it is best to eat them fresh from the tree if you can find one. Watch the country roads as they grow like weeds in Provence.
The variety of tomatoes available in the Luberon is a joy to experience. I have my favourites and like to blend several different sorts in a brightly coloured tomato salad. Below is a guide to some of my favourites (including some of the minis we grow in our new potager) : red, orange, yellow, green and black and other heirloom tomatoes popular in the markets along with suggestions on how they are best served.
So many choices when preparing a salad nicoise: mesclun or gem lettuce?; scallions or thinly sliced raw onion?; olives Niçoise or olives Provençales?; tomatoes cérises or quartered vine tomatoes?; anchovies (fresh?, in oil or salted?)
While it is well loved throughout the world, no one seems to be able to agree on the definitive salade Niçoise. This is how we prepare it at La Raffine.
The Provence lavender fields are among the best in the world, and they’re certainly the most famous. Come early summer, when the spring poppies have all but disappeared, bright lavender flowers transform landscape into a patchwork of colour. Be warned that season is short and at its best in early July. The best nearby place for viewing the expansive upper Luberon lavender fields is off the D36, en route from Lacoste to the Point Julien. where there is an field easily approached for photography, with less tourists.
Melons are one of the glories of Provence; their sweet and juicy fruit, the result of the 300 days of Provençal sunshine. Cavaillon has been nown for centuries for its melons. You will find melons from Cavaillon everywhere in the Luberon, but choosing one that is perfectly ripe is an art learned by experience. I find the best way is to smell the ‘navel’, it should have a strong melon smell, another sign is if there are cracks around the little stem, and the stem is ready to come off.
This year I really discovered feves, not sure why I didn’t notice them before. The Provençaux eat them raw (especially early in the season when they are small and tender). I prefer them boiled quickly in hot water and then peeled to add to pasta or a salad. . I also love this Barbouillade of beans and artichoke hearts: from: La Cuisinère Provençal, a 19th century cookbook of Provencal recipes by J.B. Reboul.
The long summer evenings are filled with music in the Luberon. The festivals season is underway.
Gordes: Les Saisons de la voix
Lacoste: Pierre Cardin’s Festival Lacoste includes concerts and theatre in the Château et the Carrières.
Ménerbes, Bonnieux et Gordes: Les Musicales du Luberon focussed on women musical artists.
Lourmarin: Festival des Musiques D’été: held is the relative intimacy of the château,
Cherry blossoms dot the landscape of the Luberon in early Spring. By early June the trees are laden with ripe fruit. Cherries are loved fresh f but also in jams, conserves, liqueurs, and desserts. Apt is known for its candied cherries.
Wild blackberry bushes can be found on many country roads in the region. We have a hedge the full length of the property and each year we enjoy the wild berries at the end of August. Smaller and less sweet than the commercially cultivated varieties, I prefer the taste and feel a primal satisfaction each year as I collect my daily rations. In the 15th century they were served as an hors d’oeuvre with sugar for dipping. Today a blackberry crumble is easy and delicious way to serve