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

By Shirley King

Book Overview

Marcel Proust's literary masterpiece 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 Fran oise, the family cook in Illiers-Combray, the restaurant at the Grand H tel Balbec, meals at Rivebelle, La Raspeli re, 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 poque, ranging from the sophisticated elaboration of lobster l'am ricaine 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.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0803278268
• ISBN13: 9780803278264
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Bison Books
• Length: 155 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.1" x 9.9"

Customer Reviews

This should become a philosophy...

Since applying the lessons learned here at dinner, I have become increasingly popular among the culinary set. Who would have ever thought that cooking verbose recipes and reading equally lengthy prose could sound so seductive. As Shakespeare famously said, "prose before ho's". I recommend this book to any bachelor with a stove and the ability to read.