Edmond Fallot Dijon Mustard “Cuts the Mustard” in Beaune, France

Edmond Fallot Dijon Mustard “Cuts the Mustard” in Beaune, France

Unexpectedly, a potent aroma – eye-watering, nose-piercing, heat-inducing – engulfs me. Next, the ground beneath me shimmies, accompanied by loud rumblings overhead. Fortunately, the shake-rattle-and-rolling gyrations are nothing like the undulating tremors that years ago startled me awake from aRead more

Beaune, France, Burgundy’s Wine Capital, is Rich with Ancient History

Beaune, France, Burgundy’s Wine Capital, is Rich with Ancient History

I’m walking along a promenade on ancient ramparts (La Promenade des Remparts). The pathway encircles the old town of Beaune, the celebrated wine capital of Burgundy (Bourgogne) in the Côte d’Or department in eastern France. This strategic fortification, with itsRead more

Molly Wilkinson Bakes Sweet Tastes of France in Virtual Pastry Classes

Molly Wilkinson Bakes Sweet Tastes of France in Virtual Pastry Classes

Dallas-born pastry chef Molly Wilkinson stands behind the butcher block counter in the kitchen of her charming, light-filled, 18th-century apartment in Versailles, France. She’s demonstrating how to make a simple puff pastry dough for a French apple tarte tatin. SheRead more

French Cooking with Chef Jean-Marc Villard in Provence

French Cooking with Chef Jean-Marc Villard in Provence

I watch in awe at the precision and speed with which Provençal chef Jean-Marc Villard peels and cores a Gala apple. The chef is demonstrating how to make a single-serving-sized tart tatin. He spoons granulated sugar into a ramekin toRead more

Provençal Charms and Personal Challenges in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Provençal Charms and Personal Challenges in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

In a flash of self-pity, I think about what I’m not doing while staying in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France, the enchanting and historic island town ringed by the Sorgue River in the Luberon region of Provence. I’m visiting nearby Gordes, one of theRead more

Paying Respects at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

Paying Respects at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum

Bill’s and my visit to the imposing National September 11 Memorial and Museum during a recent trip to New York City was a potent reminder that the horrific events which occurred that day in 2001 bore such monumental significance that they becameRead more

Paris in Pittsburgh

Paris in Pittsburgh

If you still operate under the assumption that Pittsburgh is predominantly the “Steel City” belching out columns of thick, smelly, black smoke, a place that Boston writer James Parton is said to have called “Hell with the lid off” duringRead more

Normandy, D-Day, and Remembrance

Normandy, D-Day, and Remembrance

“D-Day, June 6, 1944, was a day without precedent,” said our guide, Stuart Robertson of Normandy Battle Tours. We were on the Normandy coast of France, the region that was the site of the D-Day invasion and the subsequent 11-week-longRead more

The Great Apple Tart Hunt

Apples have always been my favorite fruit. Baked, crisped, sauced, sautéed, turnovered, caramelized, roasted, or juiced – or best of all, just freshly picked from a tree – apples are an enduring touchstone in my life. When I was learning theRead more