A Spoon With Every Course: In Search of the Legendary Food of France

by Mirabel Osler, Simon Dorrell (Illustrator)

In this quest for the traditional restaurant food and culture of a fast-disappearing France, Mirabel Osler travels the length and breadth of the country, focusing on individual restaurants which are preserving the tradition. The book explores producers and suppliers, and describes the travelling grocer and butcher, the local markets, the specialist skills of baker and patissier and the cooks themselves. The recipes included are adapted from the originals Osler discovered.

224 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1996

Reviews

[^ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in Great Britain twenty years ago, this book describes a pilgrimage of love: of exploration, of seeking and discovering the traditional cooking of France as exemplified through an avid countrywide search for the elusive salamander (a hot iron used in the making of a crème brûlée). The search encompasses Chartreuse, Lyonnais, from Périgord, to Normandy, from Ardèche & Lozère, from Gascogne-Languedoc and Alsace.

On the 12th April 1977, Mirabel Osler recorded in her notebook of leaving St Cere to take a wintery and lonesome road climb winding up to a leafless wood, and “an undistinguished village on the edge of nowhere”. There lies the small restaurant “Au Dejeuner de Sousceyrac” (apparently still in business in 2016: see http://www.au-dejeuner-de-sousceyrac....); where Mirabel greatly enjoys a lyrically haunting experience of perfection from a dinner that commences with “omelette aux truffes”. Where, I pondered, might I find a small, reasonably priced, independent restaurant in Southern England, to serve me with a similar flair and magnificence?

This enchanting, book celebrates the love of cooking as exemplified by that myriad of small French restaurants which, under the absolute rule of their chef-patron, open/opened daily primarily to serve their local communities. The concept of the present-day “celebrity” chef, so often away from his/her restaurant/s, because of PR and filming commitments, would have been pretty much unthinkable to the French in 1977. In 2016 this book is a wake-up call to all today; that when booking a restaurant table, to be thorough in questioning, and to carefully elucidate as to exactly what is actually being sold and bought, and by whom.

The sympathetic typeface selected, alas anonymous, enhances the reading pleasure of this book. Simon Dorrell’s charmingly observed and detailed illustrations draw the reader irresistibly in; a visual delight, lighting up the pages. The seasoned British chef Shaun Hill’s interpretation of a number of the remarkable dishes that Miriam and Simon discovered on their travels around the countryside of La Belle France will be welcomed by those who enjoy putting their own palate and cooking skills to the test.

An essential read for any keen foodie / professional chef.



Biogs. at:
Miriam Osler: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabel...
Simon Dorrell: https://silktophatgallery.wordpress.c...
Shaun Hill: http://www.greatbritishchefs.com/chef...

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the book is a charming homage to French food with really delightful illustrations. Not one that I plan to keep but I'm sure others will enjoy it when I pass it on.