Classical Cookbook or Magic Of Provence

Classical Cookbook

Author: Andrew Dalby

The daily life of classical Greece and Rome, although separated from us by 2000 years, can be recreated in almost photographic detail. The Classical Cookbook is the first book of its kind, exploring the daily culture of the Mediterranean through the center of its social life--food and drink. Combining narrative texts and recipes, authors Dalby and Grainger draw on a mass of fascinating resources to describe household life for different social groups and occasions. Each chapter provides a historical outline, with translations of the original recipes followed by versions for the modern cook. The book is illustrated throughout with delightful scenes of food, hunters, and revelers from wall paintings, mosaics, and Greek vases. And the array of delicacies, from Sweet Wine Scones to Chicken Stuffed with Olives to Honey Nut Cake, is sure to tempt any connoisseur.

Table of Contents:

The homecoming of Odysseus
the banquet of Philoxenus
markets of the Mediterranean
a wedding feast in Macedon
Cato's farm
the wealth of empire
on Hadrian's Wall
supper at the baths.

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Magic Of Provence: Pleasures of Southern France

Author: Yvone Lenard

Yvone Lenard's look at her beloved Provence is light-hearted, fun, loving, and sensuous - celebrating its relaxed lifestyle and the abundant pleasures of its kitchens and vineyards.

Her purchase of an ancient ruin of a house in a hilltop village twenty-five years ago opened up an enchanted world, which she describes with verve, wit, and sympathy - and, as a native speaker of French, with unusual depth of understanding. Provence casts its spell on the very first morning in her charmingly restored residence when a prince bearing a jug of village-produced vin rose shows up in her kitchen. The visit provides an entree into the household of the local chateau where both she and her husband encounter flirtatious advances along with dinner. The duchess who heads the family eventually becomes a close confidante when they share a memorable evening during a bitter cold snap, drinking tea laced with rum and making soup over the embers in Lenard's fireplace.

Lenard and her husband have adventures at being chicken rustlers, dispatching graveyard ghosts, and traveling to Saint Tropez where, "breasts are everywhere." Terry, a friend from Connecticut, locates another village ruin with the help of a spirit at a seance in Lenard's basement, restores it to perfection, and establishes a profitable bed-and-breakfast and guided tour business for antique hunters. Lillian, an unhappy Los Angeles widow to whom Lenard lends her house for a desultory visit, finds a vibrant new life in the village. Others drawn to the region, whose stories are told are Vincent Van Gogh, Brigitte Bardot, and Princess Caroline of Monaco.

The "magic" extends to recipes for food and drinks, along with hints for entertaining in the Provençal style, temptingly placed at the ends of chapters. Like Alice you might eat a little of this and drink a little of that and be transported to the wonderland that is the South of France.

Publishers Weekly

On an impulse, during the final hours of a year-long stay in France, the author and her husband, who live in Los Angeles, bought a run-down house in a village in the Luberon mountains of Provence, gave vague instructions to a contractor for its restoration and left for home. When they returned the following summer, they found that, miraculously, the house had been renovated exactly as they wished. And so begins this enchanting collection of essays in which Lenard, the author of several textbooks on French language and culture, tells of a vacation home in a fairy-tale town where a duchess in straitened circumstances lives in an ancient castle, the townspeople are friendly and other Americans rush to find similar ruins to renovate. The village begins to work its magic when the husband of the duchess's niece, a deposed prince from a neighboring European country, acts as their welcoming committee. Soon, neighbors share drinks and conversation at the village caf , aged pensioners help Lenard water flowers in the square and her husband, Wayne, is invited on a ghost-hunting expedition to the local cemetery. Not everything runs smoothly: a gardener hired to care for their plants takes their money and never shows up; a cleaning lady turns nasty. For the most part, however, life in the village is delightful, and Lenard describes it with wit and affection. Adding to the book's appeal, tempting Provençal recipes end each chapter. (Mar.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Booknews

Lenard recounts daily adventures with neighbors and local royalty, tells of the adventures of others who have been drawn to the region (including Vincent van Gogh and Brigitte Bardot), and offers recipes for food and drinks along with hints for entertaining. The author was formerly head of the foreign language department at California State University at Dominguex Hills. The book is not indexed. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

What People Are Saying

Dominique Lapierre
From Dominique Lapierre; Author of Is Paris Burning?

The Magic of Provence is a wonderful book. A delightful mixture of living, eating, drinking and socializing in one of the world's most unique regions. Lively, witty and often touching reading. Bravo Yvone Lenard! A Provençal says 'Merci!' to you.

Raoul Aglion
From Raoul Aglion

This delightful and beautifully written book could be entitled "Joie de Vivre in Provence." With great talent Yvone Lenard writes of the magic to be found in that sunny part of France. Each of the twenty stories is followed by an exquisite menu of regional foods and wines that will enchant and inspire you to share in the spirit and joy of Provence.

Lucien Clergue
Lucien Clergue, Author of My Friend Picasso

The Provence of Yvone Lenard has a distinction, an elegance, a sense of humor and a fragrance! Her book brought tears to my eyes and made me proud of the country where I was born, more beautiful even, as seen through the eyes of this born writer

Peter Baldwin
Peter Baldwin, Emmy award-winning television writer and director

Reading each fascinating tale, I kept thinking,"Why can't these charming, warm adventures ever happen to me?" - and then, just before the end, voila! she pops out a couple of recipes letting me join her in the magic. Thanks, Yvone, for each delicious mouthful. You're the best!

Roger Cossack
From Roger Cossack; Host of CNN's "Burden of Proof"

If you want to taste the wine, smell the lavender and walk the country roads of Provence in the moonlight, this is the book for you.