Breakfast in Burgundy: A Hungry Irishman in the Belly of France

by Raymond Blake

Laced with compelling writing about French food and its ways, Breakfast in Burgundy is part travel memoir, part foodie detective story, and part love song to Raymond’s adopted home. This book tells the story of the Blakes’ decision to buy a house in Burgundy. Raymond describes the moments of despair-such as the water leak that cost a fortune-and the fantastic times too.Blake has admitted to being “fascinated by flavor and how it is created.” Breakfast in Burgundy contains tales from the kitchen, and the answer to the question that begins each day (“What’s for dinner?”) is given ample coverage. The hunt for the best jambon persillé is portrayed in detail. The same diligence is applied to the search for the best Comté cheese; for there’s Comté and there’s Comté-once nibbled, never forgotten.Yet to be perfected by Blake is Chicken Gaston Gérard, said to have been first cooked in Dijon in 1930 for the celebrated gourmet Curnonsky by the mayor’s wife. A neighboring winemaker’s wife prepared it for Blake, as he watched over her shoulder. Breakfast in Burgundy documents these results and more.Included are tips on how best to prepare, cook, and serve the various goodies, as well as the story behind the wines (some of the most sought after in the world) that complement the foods, telling of people and places, who made the wine and where it is from-without recourse to tedious technical detail or dry-as-tinder tasting notes.Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Good Books and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of cookbooks, including books on juicing, grilling, baking, frying, home brewing and winemaking, slow cookers, and cast iron cooking. We’ve been successful with books on gluten-free cooking, vegetarian and vegan cooking, paleo, raw foods, and more. Our list includes French cooking, Swedish cooking, Austrian and German cooking, Cajun cooking, as well as books on jerky, canning and preserving, peanut butter, meatballs, oil and vinegar, bone broth, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Biography, Food, France

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2014

Reviews

[Sammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ah, sorry, but... dull!

[Michelle Nash · Rating 2 out of 5]

This memoir fits into one of my favorite genres: food/travel stories. I was excited to read this but found it to be rather boring. Couldn't figure out the point of it. Just a story but not a very interesting one. Not sure why I bothered to finish it. I probably finished it because every time I got to the point I was ready to DNF it, it would give me a tiny morsel of something interesting or entertaining. Oh well, not ever read is a winner.

[Gayle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provoked lots of fond memories of my year spent in Dijon. Want to go back.

[LL · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

This would have been better without the wine , but this is the authors passionate interest so it's through out this book.. It's well written and the house and village observations are humorous .But tedious with wine minutia for this reader. I skipped a lot because it wasn't a good vintage for me, but for others into wine excellent.

[Luke Southard · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man alive, this book is dry. I was expecting so much more spirit from a book about a Dubliner moving to France, but it’s way more focused on wine than it is on France. Not super fun.

That said, there are a few things that I should mention because they’re good points:

1) It talks about the French lunch, which is long. It goes into how it’s not necessarily that the French just take long lunches but rather an expression of their philosophies that work will always be there (even when you cease to be) but you should enjoy the present. Savor the lunches. Take your time, enjoy the food, and bring a friend.

2) I like wine as much as the next guy (though you probably won’t ever hear me describe a wine as “feminine,” or “flirtatious”) but this book gave me a new appreciation and not necessarily in the way I think the author expressly wanted. I wasn’t lured in by the fancy descriptions or anything like that. What gets me going about wine is that the people who love wine and really pay attention to it are also paying attention to history and nature. Curt Wilson makes guitars from barn joists that might have been around since before the Declaration of Independence was signed. That’s beyond cool. And some people bring out commemorative wines that they’ve been saving. “This was bottled the same year we were married,” or the year your child was born. The author has a bottle from when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

Similarly, they pay attention to the outdoors and nature’s mysterious ways. The amount of rainfall in a region over a year or if it hailed or something.

I really like the focus on the world around us that enthusing about wine brings with it.

[Hui · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very much in the genre of "food-wine lover living in France memoir." The strength of the book manifested itself in the fact that I finished it as an audio book despite the annoying narrator, whose tone was that of a high-pitched children's book reader, with a strange tempo that really didn't make any sense. As to the many comments about the focus on wine: well, it is a book by a wine writer who decided to buy a house in a premier wine producing region. Keeping that in mind, the focus on wine is neither surprising nor excessive. I do wish I had experienced the book on paper rather than by audio: I think it would have been so much better without the narrator!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars; 7/10

Another Peter Mayle-esque version of moving to France and getting frustrated with untimely contractors—but with much less hassle and much more wine.

I don't drink, but I enjoyed this fun dive into the world of wineries and social life in Burgundy.

[Larisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am glad I listened to this book. The Irish narrator made it easier to get through the descriptions of various burgundies. I did find the details of wine making fascinating. And the meals described sounded lovely. I enjoyed the bumps and turns of the renovations on their house in France. A perfect book for someone looking to know lots of fine details about wine

[Lynn Wentzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a free book on Audible and involved France, food and wine. What’s not to like? The writer is a wine writer, and the book is part memoir of buying and renovating a home in France, part food journey, part travelogue and ALOT of descriptions of wine. I found the wine reviews my least favorite parts of the book, and the stories of renovating his home and cooking and visiting small towns in Burgundy my favorite. The audio book narrator has a heavy Irish accent, and I found the words in French difficult to understand through the accent and wish I had a hard copy reference and a map
of the towns and vineyards.

[Nancie Lafferty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting listening to an audio book bouncing between Irish and French accents. A memoir covering renovation of a needy house in France by an Irishman who loves food, cooking, wine and life. Not your average cookbook or travel book or memoir; worth a listen.

[Maggie · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you are interested in knowing about every single glass of Burgundy the author has ever drunk this is the book for you. Slightly pedantic and at times yawn inspiring!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nicely written. Recommended for readers who like to delve into details of home improvement projects.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super fun read that made me miss Europe.

[Caryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting in parts, but this book really only works if you are very into wine.

[Deborah Rusch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wine, food,culture, in France, bureaucracy, tradions, culture will delight any Francophile.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

[Dave Epperson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's how I envision a life in France to be

[Hilary Cockshaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

Audiobook.

[Denzel Struchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story

The author takes a brief look at laid-back Frencjh life and the making of Chardonnay. Comical but we'll written and would be a great primer before making the ju,p

[Lee Adourian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book if you like French wine and travel-type stories. A great story teller..

[Bree · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me ages to get through this. I didn't really gel with the narrator of the audio book. I may have enjoyed it more if I'd read the physical book.