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Description edit
Peter Mayle, francophile phenomenon and author of A Year in Provence , brings another delightful (and delicious) account of the good life, this time exploring the gustatory pleasures to be found throughout France. The French celebrate food and drink more than any other people, and Mayle... read more
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“P.17-18: Learning about food — learning to eat — is a series of edible adventures and surprises. For instance, just when you think you have mastered the potato, that such a basic ingredient could have nothing new to offer, you discover "aligot", a velvety blend of mashed potatoes, garlic, and Cantal cheese. Or you are introduced to the unlikely but triumphant combination of tiny wild strawberries served not with cream but with vinaigrette sauce. Then you encounter roasted figs. The education of the stomach never ends.”
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“P.89: I like cows. There is something very soothing about them. It is rare to see them hurry. At a distance, they radiate serenity, moving slowly, tails flicking, placid and picturesque. At close quarters, you notice their eyelashes, the steady oval motion of their jaws as they chew their cud, and, usually, the fact that they are caked in muck from chest to hoof.”
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“P.138: And the "pommes frites" have the satisfying texture that comes from two immersions in hot oil — the first to cook the interior, the second for a crisp outer coating. Anyone looking for a good lunch won't be disappointed.”
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“P.156: Another mystifying voyage through the vines brought us to Château Lafite Rothschild, the home of what has been called the most beautiful and aristocratic drink in the world.”
- Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
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First into the pan goes a generous knob of butter, followed by the chicken breasts and legs, a large onion cut into quarters, a dozen or so sliced champignons de Paris—those small, tightly capped white mushrooms—a couple of cloves of garlic en chemise, crushed but not peeled, and a bouquet garni of herbs. When the color of the chicken has turned
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crème fraîche is added. The bird is cooked for thirty minutes, the sauce is strained through a fine sieve, the dish is seasoned to taste, and there you have it.
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aligot, a velvety blend of mashed potatoes, garlic, and Cantal cheese.
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from my favorite food shop, the Bon Marché Grande Epicerie on the rue du Bac.
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Lynch-Bages, Lafite Rothschild, Phelan Segur, Latour, Pontet-Canet, Beychevelle, Cos d’Estournel—if there were to be a wine list in heaven, selected by the Great Sommelier in the sky, these names would belong in it.
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Bugs and ailments attack roses before they attack vines, so the vigneron has a chance to see the problem and treat it before any serious damage is done to the grapes.
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This is the Marathon du Médoc, run through the great vineyards of Bordeaux.
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Eugénie les Bains, about a two-hour drive south of Bordeaux, is one of the best-known spas in Europe, and the restaurant is one of only twenty-two in France to have been awarded three Michelin stars.
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sel de Guérande, the gray crystallized sea salt gathered along the Brittany coast; others prefer the white fleur de sel found in the Camargue.
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Saint Martin de la Brasque. It was a sight to restore one’s faith in shortcuts.
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First Sentence edit
The early part of my life was spent in the gastronomic wilderness of postwar England, when delicacies of the table were in extremely short supply.
Authors & Contributors edit
- Peter Mayle (Author)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 641.013
Subjects edit
- Books › Travel › Reference & Tips › Food & Lodging › Dining
- Books › Cooking, Food & Wine › Regional & International › European › French
- Books › Travel › Europe › France
- Books › Cooking, Food & Wine › Gastronomy
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