Elizabeth David > Quotes

“To eat figs off the tree in the very early morning, when they have been barely touched by the sun, is one of the exquisite pleasures of the Mediterranean.”
― Elizabeth David, An Omelette and a Glass of Wine

“Everyday holds the possibility of a miracle.”
― Elizabeth David

“There are people who take the heart out of you, and there are people who put it back.”
― Elizabeth David

“Take the greatest care of your knives; don’t cut with them on an enamel or marble-topped table or a plate; have a good steel for sharpening; keep your kitchen knives in a special box or compartment of the knife drawer; wash, dry, and put them away, with the points stuck into a cork, as soon as you have finished with them. Let it be understood by all members of the household that there will be serious trouble if your knives are borrowed for screwdriving, prising open packing-cases, cutting fuse wire or any other purpose for which they were not intended.”
― Elizabeth David, French Country Cooking

“To translate all this into practical terms I would say that a well composed mixed hors-d’œuvre consists, approximately, of something raw, something salt, something dry or meaty, something gentle and smooth and possibly something in the way of fresh fish. Simplified though it is, a choice based roughly on these lines won’t be far wrong.”
― Elizabeth David, South Wind Through the Kitchen: The Best of Elizabeth David

“CHOCOLATE MOUSSE 1 egg per person, 1 oz plain or vanilla chocolate per person. Melt the chocolate in a thick pan over a low flame with a tablespoon of water. A tablespoon of rum added will do no harm. Stir the chocolate until it is smooth. Separate the eggs and beat the yolks. Stir the melted chocolate into the yolks. Whip the whites very stiffly and fold them over and over into the chocolate, so that they are perfectly blended, or the chocolate may sink to the bottom. Put the mousse into a soufflé dish so that the mixture just about comes to the top (nothing is sadder than a small amount of mousse hiding at the bottom of a huge glass bowl) and leave it in a cool place to set. Unless in a hurry, don’t put it on the ice, as this tends to make it too hard. Instead of water, the chocolate can be melted in a tablespoon of black coffee. SAINT”
― Elizabeth David, French Country Cooking

“somewhere between Vienne and Valence, below Lyon on the Rhône, the sun is shining and south of Valence Provincia Romana, the Roman province, lies beneath the sun. There there is no more any evil, for there the apple will not flourish and the brussels sprout will not grow at all.”
― Elizabeth David, South Wind Through the Kitchen: The Best of Elizabeth David

“A sole cooked in a rich sauce of cream and mushrooms must be followed by a dry dish of entirely different aspect such as a roast partridge or a grilled tournedos, cold ham, jellied beef or a terrine of duck. It must not be preceded by a creamy mushroom soup, nor followed by chicken cooked in a cream sauce. Have some regard for the digestions of others even if your own resembles that of the ostrich.”
― Elizabeth David, French Country Cooking

“beautifully fresh-looking which will at the same time arouse your appetite and put you in good spirits,”
― Elizabeth David, South Wind Through the Kitchen: The Best of Elizabeth David