The Hundred Glories of French Cooking - Hardcover

Courtine, Robert J

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374173575 ISBN 13: 9780374173579

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1973

Synopsis

The most famous gourmet in France, Robert Courtine (1910-1998) was a world-renowned authority on French cuisine. For over 25 years he wrote an avidly read column called "The Pleasures of the Table" for the Paris newspaper 'Le Monde'. Like many of the great gastronomes in history and fiction, Courtine was a marvelous story teller: highly opinionated, even cantankerous, but always entertaining. His anecdotes about unusual dishes, superb or dreadful restaurants, prodigious eaters, and imperious chefs were written with gusto, and well-seasoned with salt & pepper comments. This profusely illustrated book is the crowning glory of Courtine's career, a selection of his hundred favorite recipes out of the entire range of French cookery: from simple country-style dishes to the triumphs of the haute cuisine. To those who could not follow him across France into the high places of culinary art, Courtine said: "No matter, make these dishes yourself";, and he provides his own keys to the heart of the French kitchen. Drawing on the legerdemain of the great chefs, Courtine's book is virtually a cultural history of French cooking, with emphasis on those dishes that have stood the test of time: from such classics as Coquilles Saint-Jacques, Caneton Tour d'Argent, and Choucroute to lesser-known pleasures such as Estofinado, Dindon Farci, and Lapin en Gelee. The hundred dishes Courtine chose include soups, fish dishes, entrees, vegetables, and desserts. He introduces each recipe with a fascinating essay about its origin an development, interlarding all sorts of odd and intriguing tales associated with the dish. For each recipe, he also proposes the specific menu which will be complement the dish, and the wine to accompany the meal. Over 300 illustrations - old engravings, paintings, photographs, drawings - add to the charm of the gourmet's treasure chest. A delicious book!

About this title

Language Notes:

Text: English, French (translation)

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• Publication date: 1973
• ISBN 10: 0374173575
• ISBN 13: 9780374173579
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 506