With Bold Knife and Fork

By M.F.K. Fisher

Book Overview

The woman who elevated food writing to an art is at her best in this mouthwatering collection of memoirs and recipes.

Boldly confessing her prejudices and her passions, M. F. K Fisher includes more than 140 recipes in the 17 chapters of this book. Dishes for every course of every meal can be found here, from the simplest to the most esoteric: tidbits, appetizers, breads, pastries, fish, fowl, meats, soups, vegetables, desserts, and casseroles.

Whether recalling forbidden fruits from her childhood (such as mashed potatoes with catsup), her mother's legendary mustard pickles, or a Caribbean bride singing about peas and rice, each description is flavored with the eloquence, warmth, and wit that became Fisher's hallmark. Among the many admirers Fisher accrued during her illustrious and varied career was W. H. Auden, who said of her, "I do not know of anyone in the United States who writes better prose."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582435812
• ISBN13: 9781582435817
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Counterpoint LLC
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A memoir and cookbook both

"With Bold Knife and Fork" was the last book of culinary and writing great M.F.K. Fisher to focus solely on food. This book is a wonderful collection of recipes, with an especially interesting section on vegetables; and also contains humorous and moving anecdotes, written in excellent, finished prose. Only M.F.K. Fisher can make eating mashed potatoes with ketchup sound like a religious ritual; or make you laugh when discussing how a romance came to an end when a snoopy, ill-informed potential partner ruined a sauce for a dinner she was making. This is a terrific book for diehard Fisher fans, but also a very good, intelligent, and amusing cookbook in its own right.