Richard Olney - responsible for the legendary Time-Life cooking series
as well as other cooking classics such as his wonderful Simple French
Food (also published by Grub Street) -- moved to Provence in 1961 and
had the good fortune to befriend Lulu and Lucien Peyraud, the owners of
the noted Domaine Tempier vineyard in Provence, not far from Marseilles.
Lulu's Provençal Table tantalizes the reader with Olney's descriptions
of the regional food served as the vineyard meals at the Domaine. Then
he lovingly transcribes Lulu's recipes. She has an empathy with and
understanding of Provençal ingredients that is inspirational. There is
succulent Pot-Roasted Leg of Lamb with Black Olives served with
Courgette Gratin, and Potato and Sorrel Gratin, delicious with just six
ingredients. There are plenty of simple recipes, but the recipe for
bouillabaisse is a fascinating 10 pages long.
Her 150 recipes read like a roll call of the best of Provence ̶
tapenade, anchoiade, brandade, pissaladière, bagna cauda, sardines
grillées, bouillabaisse, bourride, daurade au fenouil, daube, gigot à la
ficelle and ratatouille. Starting with aperitifs and amuse-gueule and
finishing up with fruit desserts, hers is classic French country
cooking, featuring everyday ingredients cooked with respect for their
nature and flavor.
Having been described as 'a gastronomic love poem to France's most
exhilarating region, ' this is an essential book for any serious food
lover's library.
