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The Perfect Meal

In Search of the Lost Tastes of France

John Baxter

$26.95   $24.18

Paperback

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English
Harper Collins
29 June 2023
Just as species of plants and animals are expiring at an alarming rate, so are the traditional ingredients and techniques of classic cooking and eating. Nowhere is this trend more evident than in France, where the heart of the world's most revered and complex national cuisine is in danger of disappearing, as old ways of agriculture, butchering, and cooking are withering - leaving us with only a small fraction of the astonishing delights and surprises French cuisine has to offer. In this charming culinary travel memoir, the bestselling author of The Most Beautiful Walk in the World goes on the hunt for the most delicious and bizarre endangered foods of France, including: Ortolans - Tiny birds, drowned in armagnac, sauteed in butter and eaten whole, bones and all, ideally with a large napkin draped over your head to conserve the aroma; Bouillabaisse - Seafood stew that only tastes right if you eat it by the Mediterranean. The secret is an ugly fish called the rascasse that lurks around wrecks; 100 Year-Old Cognac - The old stuff never gets to the shops, but Baxter's wife is friendly with one of the big distillers, so readers get a taste tour of what only millionaires can afford to drink; Confiture Vieux Garcon - Literally, Old Boy's Preserves. Soft fruit in season is placed in a crock, covered in brandy and left to marinate for a year. Traditionally served on ice cream, but a few spoonsful in the morning really set you up. Ox. The book culminates in Baxter's participation in a traditional ox roast, in which an enormous whole ox is cooked on a spit over coals. The recipe begins on a practical note: First, catch your ox...
By:  
Imprint:   Harper Collins
Country of Publication:   United States
Dimensions:   Height: 181mm,  Width: 127mm,  Spine: 25mm
Weight:   277g
ISBN:   9780062088062
ISBN 10:   0062088068
Pages:   368
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

John Baxter is an acclaimed memoirist, film critic, and biographer. Co-director of the Paris Writers Workshop and former BBC commentator, Baxter is the author of the memoirs The Most Beautiful Walk in the World, Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas, and We'll Always Have Paris. A native of Australia, he lives with his wife and daughter in Paris, in the same building Sylvia Beach called home.

Reviews for The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France

A wonderful mix of travel memoir and French culinary history. --Shelf Awareness


  • Winner of IACP Cookbook Award (United States).
  • Winner of IACP Crystal Whisk Award (Culinary Travel) 2014

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