Provence: The Beautiful Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from the Regions of Provence - Hardcover

Richard Olney; Michael Freeman

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0002551543 ISBN 13: 9780002551540

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993

Synopsis

Each title in this award-winning series offers an exquisite region-by-region taste tour filled with culinary specialties and surprises. Included in each large-format volume are gorgeous food and landscape photographs.

About this title

About the Author

Richard Olney was born in Marathon, Iowa, and has lived in France since 1951. A renowned authority on French cooking, he is the author of numerous cookbooks, including The French Menu Cookbook--and the awardwinning Simple French Food. Olney was also chief consultant on the Time-Life series, The Good Cook. Equally well-known as a wine writer, he is the author of Romanee-Conti and Yquem which received the Prix Litteraire des Relais Gourmands 1986. Olney is a member of L'Académie Internationale du Vin and other wine and food organizations. In 1992, he received le Prix de I'Académie du Vin de France "pour l'ensenmble de son oeurve et de son action iternationale en faveur du vin. "

Reviews

Provence has long been a magnet for artists, writers and those in search of a good climate. And yet, while Provence was the birthplace of Auguste Escoffier, the patron saint of French cooking, Provencal cooking itself has been relegated to the sidelines of French cuisine. It relies on simple ingredients like garlic, onions and anchovies, and therein lies its charm. Provence is composed of the Alpes Maritimes, Alpes-De-Haute Provence, the Vaucluse region, the Bouches-du-Rhone and Var. Within these five areas can be found lavender fields, Marseilles fishing boats and the celebrity-laden Cote d'Azur. Likewise, the cuisine varies, drawing heavily from its Italian influence and from local bounty from the sea and soil. This latest in Collins's "Beautiful Cookbook" series features recipes gathered by Olney ( Simple French Food ), who has clearly enjoyed himself while doing so. He ably introduces the reader to the traditions of Provencal cooking with clear, articulate recipes. The book is divided into 10 chapters, five of which discuss the history and gastronomic development of particular regions, the other five of which cover soups, fish, meats, vegetables and desserts. Olney also includes a useful glossary of terms from which the reader will learn how to make aioli, coulis and mirepoix, the building-blocks of Provencal cooking. He also includes valuable advice on matching Provencal wines with dishes. With its lush photographs of food and scenery, this is a book to savor, whether in the library or the kitchen.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hard on the heels of Robert Carrier's Feasts of Provence ( LJ 8/93) comes this entry by Olney, widely respected as an authority on French food and wine. Olney, who has lived in France for more than 30 years, is the author of Simple French Food (1974) and the now-classic The French Menu Cookbook ( LJ 12/85. rev. ed.), among many other titles. In contrast to Carrier, who includes both new and old interpretations of Provencal cooking, he focuses on authentic regional specialties, many of them far less familiar than the ubiquitous ratatouille and bouillabaise. His knowledge and expertise are evident both in the thoughtful headnotes and in the 200-plus recipes. Gantie's background text lacks the spirit of Carrier's writing, and the photography in Feasts of Provence seems somehow more vivid, but these are relatively minor points. Most collections will find this title a necessary purchase as well.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0002551543
• ISBN 13: 9780002551540
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256