Dining with Marcel Proust or Cooking with Jane Austen

Dining with Marcel Proust: A Practical Guide to French Cuisine of the Belle Epoque

Author: Shirley King

Marcel Proust's literary masterpiece À la recherche du temps perdu overflows with brilliant, minutely described accounts of food and drink drawn from the author's vivid memories. After all, it was the taste of one of those short, plump little cakes called petites madeleines, dipped into a cup of tea, that first impelled Proust into “a remembrance of things past.” He wrote with relish and exactitude about Françoise, the family cook in Illiers-Combray, the restaurant at the Grand Hôtel Balbec, meals at Rivebelle, La Raspelière, and the Guermantes' in Paris.

Shirley King, a professional chef and lifelong lover of Proust's works, was inspired to draw these two strands together into this tribute to a master: a collection of recipes representing the best of classical French cuisine from Proust's belle époque, ranging from the sophisticated elaboration of lobster À l'américaine or truffled partridge to the simplicity of croque-monsieur. King combines practical instruction, quotations from Proust's works, and rich illustrations in a way that will charm every lover of Proust and every cook.

Books about: Olives Anchovies and Capers or Savage Barbecue

Cooking with Jane Austen (Feasting with Fiction Series)

Author: Kirstin Olsen

One of the greatest writers of all time, Jane Austen drew upon her domestic culture to color her works. Included in this book are more than 200 recipes for the many, many meals she alludes to throughout her writings. Recipes appear in modernized form, along with quotations from Austen's writings and excerpts from cookbooks of her era. Sure to entertain her numerous fans, the volume provides readers with recipes for such dishes as fried beef steaks, broiled mutton chops, roast pork loin, buttered crab or lobster, Stilton cheese, syrup of mulberries, almond pudding, French bread, mushroom ketchup, and many others.

Anita Beaman - VOYA

The first book in this new series offers insight into Austen's books from the perspective of the kitchen. Olsen, author of All Things Austen: An Encyclopedia of Austen's World (Greenwood, 2005) and an amateur chef, delves into Austen's works with knife and fork in hand, presenting readers with everything that they will ever need to know about cooking in Regency England. Perfect for school projects that call for culinary information or for Austen aficionados, this resource begins with a thorough introduction describing the acquisition, preparation, and serving of food, delving into the details of each meal. The bulk of the book consists of recipes for the dishes mentioned in Austen's novels. Divided into chapters on various meats and seafood, eggs and dairy, vegetables, bread and pastries, soups, sauces, and beverages, each contains its own introduction. Recipe entries contain a quotation from Austen's work referencing the dish, a few sentences of commentary, the authentic Regency recipe, and a modernized one. The final chapter includes sample menus, and appendixes provide an essay on the use of butter and notes on ingredients and special tools. A bibliography includes the original sources of the recipes as well as additional resources. A must-have for schools and libraries where Austen or the Regency period is part of the curriculum, this book will be less popular where these topics are not emphasized. Be on the lookout for other titles in this series. (Feasting with Fiction). VOYA CODES: 5Q 2P M J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; For the YA with a special interest in the subject; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High,defined as grades 10 to 12). 2005, Greenwood, 432p.; Index. Illus. Biblio. Further Reading. Appendix., PLB $55.. Ages 11 to 18.

Table of Contents:

Foreword and Acknowledgments
Introduction
French Cuisine
Beef and Veal
Mutton and Lamb
Pork
Poultry
Game
Seafood
Eggs and Dairy
Vegetables
Fruit, Nuts, and Fruit Desserts
Bread and Porridge
Pastries and Sweets
Soups and Stews
Sauces and Spices
Beverages
Sample Menus
Appendix 1: What's with All the Butter?
Appendix 2: Ingredients and Sources
Appendix 3: Special Tools and Sources
Appendix 4: Jane Austen's Works and Their Abbreviations
Bibliography
Meet the Kitchen Maids / Meet the Tasters