Hiking and Cooking in the South of France

The interior of St-Tropez peninsula is sparsely inhabited, thanks to government intervention, complex ownerships and the value of some local wines. The best views of this richly green and wooded countryside is from the hilltop village of Gassin, its lower neighbor Ramatuelle, and the tiny road between them, Route des Moulins de Paillas.

The southern tip of the peninsula is a wonderful coastal conservation area. The beach, Plage du Gigaro, is the start of the paths to Cap Lardier. You can continue along the coastal path to Cap Taillat and L’Escalet, and further to the lighthouse of Cap Camarat.

Ramatuelle is surrounded by some of the best Côte de Provence vineyards. We visited first

Les Celliers des Vignerons de Ramatuelle, which is a wine cooperative. 70 % of their production is rosé, 25 % red and 5 % white. The leading grape variety is Tibouren and the rest of the production is made of the vintage varieties of Grenach, Syrah, Cinsault, Mouvèdre, Carignan and Merlot. The creation of the cooperative in 1954 allowed the small owners to follow the technical evolutions in wine making.

Gassin is a small hilltop village which is now, of course, highly chic. It is a perfect place for a blow-out dinner or a long leisurely lunch sitting in one of the restaurants offering spectacular views. Today we, however, opted for a simple pizza in La Croix- Valmer because of the planned the seaside hike to Cap Lardier in the afternoon.

When driving from La Croix-Valmer to Plage du Gigaro, you take the road towards Cavalaire and at the roundabout turn left and follow the signs to Plage du Gigaro. There is a spacious parking right behind the small Spar shop.

View from Cap Lardier with Cap Camarat lighthouse in distance

The seaside trail to Cap Lardier starts from the end of the beach. It is a rugged trail with several steep stairs, so hiking shoes are advisable. It is almost 4 km from Plage du Gigaro to Cap Lardier, and it took us 1 h 10 along the shorter seaside path. On the way back we took the slightly longer inland trail which later joined the coastal path. On a sunny day the hike offers super views in fresh sea air, and the drive back along some small and winding country road

gives further visual enjoyment.

Noilly Prat is a dry vermouth from the South of France. It is made from white grapes grown in the Marseillan area and matured in oak casks. It is said that about twenty herbs and spices are added to it.

I always thought that Noilly Prat is a slightly decadent and old fashioned aperitif. But during a visit to Eilenroc, where I saw it among the aperitifs in the winter garden, I somehow became interested in its origins. I googled it, and discovered its extensive uses in cooking, especially for sauces to accompany fish.

The following two sauce recipes are the results of my experiments with Noilly Prat. If you have any favourite Noilly Prat recipes, please let me know.

The following sauce is especially good with grilled or roasted fish or scallops:

2 servings

75 ml good vegetable stock (for instance from Bjorg vegetable cube)
75 ml Noilly Prat
2 tbsp fruity olive oil
2 tbsp crème fraîche 15 % fat
Freshly ground black pepper
Basil or dill to decorate

In a small casserole, cook the vegetable stock and Noilly Prat over a moderate heat until reduced to almost half. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp crème fraîche. Whisk thoroughly until everything is well-mixed and smooth. Add the pepper and decorate with herbs.

The sauce below goes very well with magret de canard, duck breast: See our earlier post.

2 servings

Juice of 1 large orange
75 ml Noilly Prat
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp corn flour dissolved in a small amount of water
Fresh parsley or chives to decorate

Press the juice from 1 large orange. In a small casserole, cook the orange juice and Noilly Prat over a moderate heat until reduced to almost half. Dissolve the corn flour in a small amount of water. Add the black pepper, and whisk in the corn flour- water mixture until the sauce has thickened as you wish. You may not need to use all the corn flour- water mixture. Decorate with fresh herbs.

For many visitors, the road D28 along Cians valley up to the mountain resort of Valberg is just a thoroughfare.

You enter the Gorges du Cians almost immediately after the intersection near Touët-sur-Var in the Var river valley. In spite of many improvements, some parts of D28 are still quite narrow. On one web site, it is even listed among the most dangerous roads in the world! The steep mountain walls on both sides change their colour from limestone grey to red as you ascend towards Beuil. A local bikers´ web site calls the valley “Le Colorado Niçois”. Similar colours can be seen in Gorges de Daluis as well as in some parts of Tinée valley.
Many mountaintops around Cians River have a round form reminiscent of fells in northern England and Scandinavia. In spite of this, many of them reach 2000m and more. The landscape is different compared with the Alpine peaks visible not that far in the north.

This is hinterland, arrière pays, and when you hike here you are more or less off the beaten track. We describe a hike that starts from the valley at 1288 m from a place called Pré de Chaudi. It’s basically a parking lot by the D28 road. Unfortunately, a large part of it was filled with red land and rocks probably as a result of last winter’s landslides on the road.

The first challenge was crossing the Cians River as the trails at this point start on the other side. As this was our first hike here, we could not know if there ever had been a bridge. Nothing resembling even remnants of a bridge was visible. In early May, the melting snow in the Mounier Mountain massive (2817 m) obviously results in a lot of water. As you can see in the clip, it’s by no means a wide river at all but you don’t want to start the hike with wet gear! After a while we located a fallen tree trunk suitable for the crossing.

Our goal was Les Cluots at 2106m. There are many variants. Diehard hikers even have the option of climbing all the neighbouring peaks (Tête de Pérail 2016 m and Tête de Giarons 2027 m) as well. The initial ascent goes through a forest to a sheepfold at 1600m. The trail marked with yellow is perhaps less clear after this point but one can actually walk almost everywhere; shortcuts are possible. As you continue above the tree level navigation should be easy enough in clear weather. In early May numerous alpine flowers, such as the edelweiss and gentian, were in full blossom. At signpost 76 (1950 m) all three peaks are visible. We could immediately conclude that Les Cluots northern flank was still covered with snow. With our gear, we therefore opted for Tête de Pérail instead. The vertical ascent was 730 m, duration 4.5 hours and driving distance from Nice 65 km.

Map: Moyenne Tinée No 3641 ET

Image courtesy of: Les Plus Belles Randonnées des Alpes du Sud (Bernard Ranc); Éditions Gap. This recommended book also has the description of the hike in French.

In spring, I love the combination of fresh cod, tender green local asparagus, fruity olive oil, lemon and new potatoes. The following recipe was inspired by a beautiful picture in a French magazine. But when I started reading the recipe, I thought that, oh no, a simple but major change is necessary.

Cod is almost fat-free white fish with plenty of protein and, like all fish and seafood it is healthy for the heart. But unfortunately this recipe, like many cod recipes, was made with loads of butter. Butter has high saturated fatty acid content and is best used sparingly if you want to keep your heart happy.

But you can easily swap the butter with olive oil. Olive oil is a heart-healthy fat and is one of the secrets in healthy Mediterranean diet. I love olive oil, and it is interesting to find different flavors. For this dish I would choose a very fruity type of olive oil. You may wish to add a pinch of salt, because olive oil has no salt, whereas butter normally has some salt added.

2 servings

2 nice cod fillets, pavés de cabillaud
4 tbsp fruity olive oil
1 organic lemon, zested and juiced
About 3 tbsp chopped chives
Freshly ground black pepper
10 asparagus spears
A pinch of salt (optional)

Preheat the oven to 200⁰ C, roast.

Place 3 tbsp olive oil in a bowl. Wash the lemon and grate the zest from it in the bowl. Press out the juice from half the lemon into the bowl. Add the black pepper, salt if using it, and chives. Mix well and set aside.

Wash and dry the asparagus spears. Cut off the bottoms. Peel the asparagus spears if they are thick. You do not need to peel the tender and thin ones. Cut the asparagus spears into about 5 cm long pieces.

Oil an oven proof dish with 1 tbsp olive oil. Place the cod fillets and asparagus in the dish and divide the olive oil- lemon mixture on top. Roast in oven for about 10 minutes. Serve with steamed new potatoes, and spoon all the nice sauce that has accumulated in the oven proof dish over the fish, asparagus and potatoes.

Peaks above Menton rapidly reach 1000 m and more. Hiking trails are numerous and very popular in this region. The old village of Castellar is located about 5 km north of Menton. The access to Castellar is relatively easy from the A 8 motorway, although the normal route towards Sospel is not available at the moment because of the landslide last winter.

Both GR 51 and 52 pass through Castellar. The hike featured in this video clip to Mont Carpano is included in the selection of hikes in the booklet Pays Côtier and on their web site in French.

If you are planning a hike with extraordinary Riviera views combined with a moderate effort this is your choice. The vertical ascent is 450 m, duration about three hours. The ascent is initially along GR 51 to Plan du Lion then along GR 52 to south about 15 min before bifurcating left up to the nearby “summit” (772 m) at the Italian border. There is not a clear mountaintop, just a ridge. The descent is first along GR 52 (a bit steep with loose gravel, poles recommended) as far as to an intersection. From there, an unpaved road leads back to Castellar, whereas the GR 52 trail descends all the way down to Menton.

We have done this hike three times so far, sometimes with visiting friends, and it has always been a success.

If you browse through cookbooks about classic recipes in Provence and Nice, you will not find any turkey recipes. But in Nice supermarkets you will easily find nicely prepared and packaged turkey cuts. You’ll find thin and even extra thin turkey slices, escalopes de dinde, which are ideal for filling. You’ll find cubes and eminces, small turkey cubes and slices which can be cooked fast for turkey salads or used in various sautés and casseroles. You’ll also find turkey fillet, filet mignon de dinde, which I will use in the following recipe. You’ll find free range Label Rouge turkey, which is raised according to the same principles as free range Label Rouge chicken.

French magazines, new cookbooks and small recipe booklets have now plenty of turkey recipes. Times change, and the French are nowadays interested in cooking lighter and healthier. But the French don’t want to sacrifice the taste, and many known chefs are now contributing to the simple recipe booklets that are sold in supermarkets.

Skinless turkey filet is practically fat-free and a super source of protein. Rapeseed oil is a heart-healthy neutral oil for all sautéing and frying. And the rest of the ingredients in the following recipe bring a lot of taste to this lean dish.

2 servings

About 350 g cut of skinless turkey filet, filet mignon de dinde
2 thin slices of prosciutto di Parma
2 small courgettes
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
50 ml white wine
100 ml chicken stock
2 tsp tomato pure
2 tbsp rape seed oil
1 tsp herbes de Provence
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp crème fraîche, 15 % fat
Fresh parsley or chives to decorate

Halve the turkey cut lengthwise. Wrap each half in a slice of prosciutto.

Warm the rapeseed oil over a medium heat in a frying pan. Sauté the turkey wraps on both sides until nicely coloured. Add the minced shallot and garlic in the pan. Reduce the heat, and then add the tomato pure, white wine, chicken stock, pepper and herbs in the pan. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, turning the turkey wraps once. Add the crème fraîche when about 5 minutes of the cooking time remains. Stir to mix everything evenly.
Meanwhile cook the brown rice. I use the precooked brown rice which only needs about 10 minutes cooking. Wash and slice the courgettes. Microwave the courgettes for about 3 minutes until soft.

Divide the turkey wraps, courgettes and a portion of brown rice on the plates. Drizzle with the sauce and decorate with fresh parsley or chives.

Tourrettes-sur-Loup, about 6 km west of Vence, has a well maintained medieval centre. When driving from Vence, there’s a spacious parking just before the village. From the parking, the village even has free shuttle bus transportation.

Tourrettes-sur-Loup is known as an artisan’s paradise. There are many ateliers for sculpture, jewelry and designer household items, all pretty classy and expensive-looking. In spite of this, the village has none of the touristic feel that some other similar villages in the region have. The town hall is in a small castle with a free art exhibition. The village is also famous for its violet festival. There was a market on the day we visited the village. Unfortunately we did not have time to explore this as we were heading for our hike and showers were forecasted for the afternoon. The market seemed to have quality products, so we have to come back later. Our goal was Puy de Naouri (1024 m) above the village (400 m).

The hike follows the trail suggested by the randoxygène guide. The initial part ascends through rather affluent residential areas before continuing in the woods towards north. The trail joins Grande Randonnée for about 1 km heading west then bifurcates left towards the mountaintop. The route actually circles around the whole mountain. Signposts are clear enough and the rest of the trail has yellow marks. The descent is rapid; consider using poles because of loose stones. From a place called Le Caire the descent is along a paved road about 2 km before turning left and eventually reaching even a more upscale residential district called Les Virettes.

The guidebook rates this hike as sportive. We agree with that. The trail is easy but distance is 13 km including the longish ascent.

Chicken legs with saffron and almonds

This is a carefree but tasty way to prepare chicken legs. For this recipe I would choose free-range chicken legs, cuisses de poulet fermier and preferably Label Rouge. Tasty ingredients are important for this simple recipe. I would choose organic dried apricots and organic chicken stock simply because they have more taste. Saffron filaments work better in this recipe than saffron powder.

Preparation time:20min
Cooking time:60min
Total time:80min
2 servings

2 chicken legs,cuisses de poulet fermier, Label Rouge
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 shallots, in quarters
1 clove garlic, minced
6 dried organic apricots, halved
1 yellow paprika, cut into large chunks
½ lemon, pressed into juice
100 ml organic chicken stock
A handful of sliced almonds
Freshly ground black pepper
A good pinch of saffron filaments
Parsley or mint to decorate

In a heavy casserole warm the rapeseed oil over medium heat. Fry the chicken legs on both sides until nicely coloured, about 5 minutes on each side.

Warm the oven to 200⁰ C.

Add the paprika chunks, shallots, apricots and garlic in the casserole. Pour in the chicken stock and lemon juice. Add the saffron filaments and black pepper and sprinkle the almond slices over the chicken legs. Bring to a boil. Then transfer the casserole in the oven and bake for 45 minutes. You may need to cover the casserole towards the end of the cooking so that the almond slices do not burn.

Divide the chicken legs, vegetables and the sauce on the plates. Serve with steamed broccoli and brown rice. Decorate with parsley or mint.

Èze village (11km from Nice on the moyenne corniche ) is an elegant hill top village, village perché. From a distance the village has the monumental medieval unity, and its vaulted passages and stairways were designed not to charm but from fear of attack.

Èze- sur-Mer is the seaside extension of Èze village, and the upper part of Èze, Col d’Èze, is on the Grande Corniche.

The Fragonard perfume shop in Èze village has become a popular stop among tourists. And no wonder because it has all the latest Fragonard scents and a much better selection than their small shop in Nice. Fragonard fragrances are reasonably priced, natural, classic and still rare enough that few people would be likely to wear the same scent that I do. I won’t be telling the names of my favourite scents…

The hike described here is certainly one of the classic littoral hikes on the Riviera. Named Circuit du Mont Bastide, the starting point can be from Èze- sur-Mer or, as in our case from the Èze village at about 350m. The trail is well signposted and marked with yellow. In spite of its rather modest altitude at 570m, Mont Bastide offers stunning views not only down to the coastline but also to north where the Alpes du Sud peaks are visible. The guide booklet Rando Pays Ĉotier gives additional information in French. The booklet says that the total vertical ascent is about 600m, duration about 4 hours. With a very moderate pace, we completed the circuit in about 3.5 hours. Having done this circuit twice, we consider this hike more like moyenne than sportive as far as the difficulty and effort are concerned.

Sea bass fillets with orange and lemon compote

Sea bass, loup de mer, is a tasty white fish. In winter and spring it is regularly available in our local supermarket, usually already filleted and without skin. Sea bass is now farmed extensively in the Mediterranean, which has kept the price reasonable. It seems that the wild sea bass from Sète has become a luxurious product.

The delicate sea bass is best cooked simply. For this simple recipe, a really good and fruity olive oil is essential. I like Alziari Fruitée douce which is a classic olive oil from Nice. Alziari has a small and cosy traditional shop in Vieux Nice, 14 rue St Francois de Paule, not far from cours Saleya market place.

2 servings

2 nice loup fillets, about 150- 200 g each
2 tbsp fruity olive oil
1 orange
1 lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
Parsley to decorate

Preheat the oven to 200⁰ C, roast.

For the sauce, peel the orange and lemon. Divide into sections removing all the tough membranes. Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a small casserole and simmer gently the lemon and orange sections. Grind over some black pepper. NB! Just warm gently the lemon and orange sections, do not cook. In 10- 15 minutes they will turn into a kind of compote.

Place the sea bass fillets on a baking tay Sprinkle 1 tbsp olive oil and grind a little black pepper over them. Roast for about 10 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.

Divide the fish on the plates and spoon the orange- lemon compote over the fillets. Serve with new potatoes and wilted spinach. Decorate with parsley.

Hiking and Cooking in the South of France

Visit to Gassin and Cap Lardier

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Noilly Prat sauces, two recipes

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Green and red in Gorges du Cians

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Spring cod -how to change a recipe healthier

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Stunning hike above Menton

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Turkey filet recipe wrapped in prosciutto

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From Tourrettes-sur-Loup (artisans' village) to Puy de Naouri

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Chicken leg recipe with saffron and almonds

Chicken legs with saffron and almonds

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Perfume shopping and hiking in Èze

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Sea bass fillet recipe with orange and lemon compote

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