2006-4-06 2:01am
Provence Harvest by Louisa Jones and Jacques Chibois
The moment I read the title at Jessica's Biscuit I knew I had to have it; the moment it arrived, I knew it would quickly become a classic in my library. This book is beautiful in its layout and photography and is packed full of information. The recipes are fantastic for the home chef who likes to take his or her culinary creations to the next level.
I recommended this book to my friend Brigitte Harney, a woman from Paris who manages the retail shop of Harney and Sons Tea around the corner from Splendid Palate. She immediately began stocking this book on the shelves of her store. It is that good!
This book is in essence a tour of the cuisine of Provence, written by two individuals who have lived in the area. It is a breathtaking view of the history and style of Provencal cuisine with definitions and other tidbits thrown in so that you will fully understand the components of cooking a la Provencal. Interspersed throughout every chapter is sound advice from master chef, Jacques Chibois, a Michelin two-star chef who also developed the recipes of this fantastic cookbook. Chef Jacques Chibois was named Chef of the Year in 2002 by the prestigious Pudlowski Guide. He has a restaurant in Grasse, France La Bastide Saint-Antoine.
One of the first recipes that jumped off the page, with an image just as striking was Warm French Scrambled Eggs with mint, red berries and lavender sauce. Have you ever thought of combining lavender with scrambled eggs... or dressing eggs with fresh berries? Sure, presenting berries on the side of the plate... but all three components meshed with one another? An utterly divine idea in my book! Immediately following this recipe is a short respitet on French linens. Such is the design of this book... a bit of food, some history and a lot of style! There are recipes appropriate for all meals of the day in varying degrees of difficulty and taste. The ingredients are certainly indicative of a Provence Harvest... (in no particular order) lentils, verbena, truffles, rose, lavender, berries, quail, tuna, liver, fig, cod, olives, artichoke, etc...
I cannot recommend this book enough. Be sure to pick up your own copy of Provence Harvest. It is the type of book that you will be pleased to use as much as you will want to display it on your coffee table. NOTE: Splendid Palate does not sell this item, we recommend purchasing it at Ecookbooks.com
Technorati tags: cookbook, Provence, cooking, French cuisine, figs, provencal, Food and Drink, French food
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