Eats around the World Archives

Rosemary and Maple Syrup Apéro Nuts

December 24, 2025 by ashleyt Leave a Comment

These rosemary and maple syrup apéro nuts are very simple but so delicious. It’s tempting to add paprika etc for more flavour but actually the simplicity of this recipe allows you to really taste the individual nuts. All these measurements are “about” this amount. Go with your gut and add a tiny bit more butter, salt and maple syrup if you’re adding both pecans and walnuts as we did. In my opinion, the pecans are the most delicious!

Of course, buy unsalted, whole nuts. Expensive- but a (relatively) healthy delicious snack!

No additives. Just goodness.

This recipe is adapted from cookieandkate’s recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups / 320g whole unsalted almonds
2 cups / 320g pecan or walnut halves
1 ½ cup / 180g green pumpkin seeds
1 cup / 135g hazelnuts
4 heaped tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary (from 4 large sprigs)
3 tablespoons good quality maple syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons seasalt
1 ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper (reduce or add more if adventurous)

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/180 degrees Celsius. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients (or any other added seasonings). Mix well until all the nuts are coated.
Pour the mixture over the nuts on the prepared baking sheet. Spread the mixture in a single layer across the pan.
Bake, stirring after the first 10 minutes and then every 5 minutes thereafter, until almost no maple syrup remains on the parchment paper and the nuts are deeply golden, 23 to 26 minutes. Put a timer on- nothing worse than burnt nuts!
Remove the pan from the oven and stir the nuts one more time, spreading them into an even layer across the pan.
Add a final generous pinch of salt
Let the nut mixture cool completely on the pan. They’ll taste more flavoursome when cooled at room temperature.

This recipe makes a large batch. However, they’re so addictive that shouldn’t be a problem. In a sealed container they will stay fresh for 2 weeks.

If you’re a jar-collector like me, I used an old Cassoulet jar here, it’s an easy thoughtful gift.

Private Catering in Provence

August 1, 2020 by ashleyt 2 Comments

My Catering Provence is a one-woman business offering private catered meals delivered to your rental in Provence. Eliane is infinitely inspired by the local produce we have available here as well as the dreamy lifestyle. Each of her meals are different and inspired by seasonal produce. She is based in the Luberon area, but could be available in the Alpilles area.

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Centuri, Corsica: Searching for Langoustine

February 14, 2020 by ashleyt Leave a Comment

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Foodie Moments in Corsica Series: Sartène

November 22, 2018 by ashleyt 1 Comment

Eating in Sartène, the Heart of Corsica

*Forgive me vegetarians, this one is for the meat lovers- well, the entire island of Corsican, not just Sartène, is for the meat lovers. This is number 2 of a 5 part series about our experience eating in Corsica after a 3.5 week trip in the Autumn of 2017. Yum.

Once you’re familiar with the history of this evocative village, you look around at the buildings composed of large grey blocks of granite and can’t help but wonder about the vendettas and women dressed all in black that occupied these streets for centuries. Despite the austere history and architecture, it was in Sartène that we experienced the most welcoming locals.

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5 Souvenirs to Bring Home from Alsace

November 19, 2018 by ashleyt 5 Comments

Best Foodie Souvenirs from Alsace

You’re visiting Alsace and your brain is saturated with so many charming scenes that you think you’ve had your fill. You feel the choucroute garnie and specific wine of Alsace can only be consumed in these particular surroundings. You can make choucroute at home if you’re ever craving it. But who wants to?

Forgive me Americans, Australians, or anyone that travels to Alsace by plane outside of the EU. Three of the five things on this list of souvenirs from Alsace to bring home are for consumption. They’re for those chilly February nights when you need a break from boeuf bourguignon, roast beef, carbonara, spicy curry or whatever your go to winter comfort food might entail. You can always live on the wild side and become a raw milk cheese smuggler (the clothes in your suitcase might not be in agreement). I have a friend who does this for friends back in the US and even managed to fit 8 bottles of local wine into their suitcase. At your own risk…

Keep an eye out for these delicious and traditional products from Alsace and think of the people at home, or that night when you need a deep casserole… The old lady next door ate this cheese as if she’s never had any. Our wheel of munster was displayed proudly on her windowsill, where French people keep stinky cheese, for 4 whole days before it was impressively consumed in its entirety!

If you’re curious about beautiful Alsace, see my extensive article on 5 Villages to Visit in Alsace. It doesn’t get much more Christmassy than this. I wish you a delicious holiday!

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Orange Wine by Domaine Henri Milan in St Remy

April 23, 2018 by ashleyt 1 Comment

Natural Wine Trend

If you’re not currently living in London, New York, Paris or Japan you may not have heard of orange wine, or even biodynamic wine for that matter. We were introduced to it 5 years ago when living in London with the Terroir biodynamic wine bars. Robin is absolutely crazy for this liquid delight. However, it is quite different from wines you may be used to in that there are absolutely no additives and they have been manipulated in no way. Another word for them is raw wine. And that can sometimes describe the taste and experience.

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A Cheatsheet to Corsican Cuisine

March 20, 2018 by ashleyt 7 Comments

A Brief Summary of Corsican Cuisine

Arriving in Porte Vecchio on the ferry from Marseille.

We felt almost obligated to visit this stunning island; it’s the favourite vacation place of people living in Provence. You’ll often notice the stickers still proudly displayed on many cars here from the Marseille-Corsica ferry. We still have ours! We figured that if the people from the already beautiful place that is Provence overwhelmingly choose a specific place to relax- that place has got to be something else. After 3 weeks last autumn of nonstop landscapes combining mountains, turquoise ocean and hearty cuisine, we were not disappointed.

Sitting on the dock of the bay with turquoise waters.

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Foodie Moments in Corsica Series: Zonza

March 20, 2018 by ashleyt 4 Comments

Zonza

This is the first part of a five-part Eating in Corsica series about specific restaurants and food moments that we experienced on the “île de beauté” as it’s called in France, last autumn. This island is known for its love of meaty deliciousness; therefore, vegetarians, you might want to skip this one.

Zonza is close to the beautiful Aiguilles de Bavella mountains. From here, you can see the way to the sea. A must if you’re staying in the area.

Straight from the ferry, we drove from Porte Vecchio to Zonza, an hour drive from the coast into the mountainous interior. We asked our Airbnb host where to eat and he mentioned the restaurant right next door to our apartment. This, we later learned, was indeed very good and we were tortured for our 3 day stay with the smells of the meaty stews creeping up the stairway from the downstairs kitchen. However, the experience didn’t compare to the feast we had at A Pignata….

A Foodies Guide to Porto

February 15, 2018 by ashleyt 10 Comments

Best Eats in Porto

Rustic Cuisine On a Budget

During my month-long stay in Porto, or anywhere I visit for that matter, I’m always searching for the traditional rustic cuisine of a place. There is so much one can learn from the history of a country when you taste its food.

Porto Eating Experiences

The cuisine of Portugal and Porto, in particular, does take some getting used to. A lot of the food is quite heavy while being simple at the same time. The peculiar arranging of fries in a circle around the plate is a little odd. The enormous stacks of dried whole cod in the supermarkets can be overwhelming. The sausages labeled chorizo have nothing to do with the paprika filled Spanish version. The cheese is often made from the milk of cow, goat, and sheep at the same time. Then there’s alheira, a bready sausage or kind of meat patty made with various meats other than pork; it seems the more types of animals the better. Alheira is the type of rich sausage that finds itself on your burger in a Portuguese restaurant or with fried eggs at a worker’s café. It’s a good thing that Porto is a city with lots of hills, you’ll need to walk off the food! Oh, and then there are those very creamy desserts thick with egg yolks…

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Finding Spice in Provence

February 2, 2018 by ashleyt 5 Comments

The French are Saucy, but not Spicy

A very small portion of my spice shelf.

Many expats move to lovely small towns in Provence and after a couple months being spoiled with ratatouille, slow cooked lamb, bouillabaisse and all other French Mediterranean delicacies, they start asking where is all the foreign food? It’s human nature to want more, isn’t it?

So pizza and the odd “nem chinois” available at the larger markets can be the extent of your horizon in some towns. Thankfully, there’s harissa and preserved lemons in many markets at the olive stands to mark the influence of Moroccan cuisine. But that’s about it!

Cook it at Home

Now, I’m not complaining (too much) because my man and I took to cooking curries and all kinds of particularly Asian flavours at home early on. We had, after all, moved to France from England at the time. International cuisine is the staple there! I also subscribe to my favourite food magazine, Delicious, which features recipes from all around the world on a monthly basis. I have to get my hands on those ingredients!

The French aren’t known for their love of spice. I once put too much pepper on a steak and had a Frenchie fanning his mouth as if it was a scotch bonnet! But, we can’t expect these Frenchies to be perfect, can we? They do have, after all, have Larousse Gastronomique.

If you’re living in a small town, your best bet is a large city in Provence. Many rural, even large grocery stores won’t carry such things as fenugreek, tamarind, hot smoked paprika, fennel seeds, Mirin sauce etc. Things are getting better, but I suggest going to Tam-Ky in Marseille. Stock up there to make your palate jump around with delight on that dreary Monday night.

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