Larousse Traditional French Cooking [Hardcover] Curnonsky

From Publishers Weekly This new edition of the pseudonymous Curnonsky's (aka Maurice Edmond Saillard) 1953 classic, augmented by full-page photographs of finished dishes, verges on self-parody, so little does it relate to today's dining. "Make it simple . . . and let things taste of what they are," cries this "Prince of Gastronomes." But the late Curnonsky's vision of simplicity involves ortolans, woodcocks, foie gras and "a thimbleful of truffle juice." Offering both metric and English measurements, the 1200 revised recipes seem intended for an American audience, but directions are so sketchy and odd--salmon, for example, is poached for 30 minutes to the "cardboard" stage--that they might as well have been written in Provencal dialect. Though practical dinnertime fare is in short supply, there is much for the mind to feed on: we learn that "soft down, a plump rump and a flexible beak" are the traits of a good pigeon, and that "potage . . . is to a dinner 'what a peristyle is to a building.' " Once readers get through that door, they might just try the recipe for "Oeufs Monstrueux," which calls for "three or four dozen eggs" to be combined in a pig's bladder. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal This is the first English translation of a classic work by the "Prince of Gastronomes," Maurice Edmond Sailland (1872-1956), better known as Curnonsky. More than 100 recipes are presented in a very accessible format, with color photographs of many dishes and wine suggestions for each. Along with the well-known classics of French cooking, there are old dishes that will seem new and a vast collection of local regional specialists that are especially interesting. This should serve as both an invaluable reference source and a practical cookbook. Strongly recommended. Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.