Impressionist Picnics

Painters & Food

by Gillian Riley

San Francisco: Pomegranate Artbooks, 1993. Hardbound, 8vo (about 8'' to 9.5'' tall), 96 pages. Index, bibliography, glossary.

Genres: Cookbooks, Art

96 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1993

Reviews

[ellora ☁️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Contrary to what I had assumed.

[Alessandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting little book which brings together abundant reproductions of Impressionist paintings along with recipes for French dishes which are inspired by the art, depicted in the art, or are favorites of the artist. Basically it's a sampler cookbook of late nineteenth century French recipes illustrated by the Impressionists (with a few Post-Impressionists and Gertrude Stein slipped in). The recipes aren't really suitable for picnics except of the old-school, lavish kind, but they are good nonetheless. A fun, inspiring little read.

I did notice one glitch. The recipe for Coq Au Vin leaves out the Vin. There's no wine on the ingredients list. On the other hand, the recipe explains in detail how much wine to use and what to do with it, so one is not lost.

[Carfig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just got this from my mom and had to look through it right away. Lots of nice Impressionist paintings inside, including some I've never seen before from artists I'm familiar with and those I hadn't known. All centered on food and picnics, including recipes based on food depicted in the paintings--or at least from the time and place (France). Some amazingly clear paintings by Monet, obviously early, and Manet, Lautrec, Cassatt, to name a few. Background info on the paintings and the painters, so an interesting read. The recipes sound delicious for the most part, but a little too epic for my taste.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book helped fill a niche in my extensive collection of cookbooks. I already lean heavily toward the arts (literary and otherwise) when making my selections, but was especially pleased to find picnics as subject material. There are not too many recipes, but the selection is varied and good, albeit not geared toward tastes of today. I would say this is more a read-in-bed-at-night book, than to actually cull for many usable recipes.