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(More customer reviews)As a lover of the Impressionist movement, I felt compelled to make the pilgrimage to the house of Claude Monet located a few miles north of Paris in the small town of Giverny, Normandy. Monet's refuge is a shrine of the art world renowned for its beautiful and expansive garden filled with flowers, trees, a lake and its famous bridge.
When I entered Monet's home, the dining room made a strong impression upon me: large, very inviting and splashed in yellow as if Monet had tried to capture the strong summer sun to overcome the cloudy winter days of Normandy. The table for twelve was tastefully set with blue and white china with a centerpiece of dazzling fresh flowers, as if beckoning its guests to prepare for a savory adventure to be accompanied by lively discussion. As I passed through the dining room into the kitchen, I noticed that the old, black oven fitted with brass trim and graced with copper pots and pans was still capable of generating warmth, even if the fire went out of it long ago. It was at that moment that I decided to purchase "Monet's Table: The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet", and I have reaped far more from this book than the French francs I had traded in return.
In an interview published on November 26, 1900, in "Le Temps", Claude Monet declared "I am a Parisian of Paris. I was born there in 1840, ... I was born incapable of being disciplined. No one was ever able to make me stick to the rules, not even in my youngest days." Despite this boastful protestation, I am of the personal opinion after having studied his art, visited his home and read books and journals about the artist, that he was, if not disciplined, then certainly dedicated and devoted to the creation of the sensory arts of painting and fine dining in their truest form. These qualities are beautifully illustrated in this beautiful cookbook featuring 160 recipes of Monet's best-loved dishes such as Cezanne's bouillabaisse, Coquilles Saint-Jacques a la Florentine, Lobster Newburg, duck pate', chestnut soufflé, crepes made with Cognac, orange and almond cake and even banana ice cream. The book is comfortably divided into sections including soups, egg dishes, entrees, poultry, meat, game, seafood, desserts and conserves. I personally appreciate the range of simplicity to complexity offered by these recipes that enable me to select from those that are easy and fast to prepare and those that require more time and ingredients, depending upon the time I wish to allot. What I most enjoy sharing with my family and friends is the old world taste and richness of the dishes offered by this book that you do not readily find in most cookbooks. As an added and unexpected bonus, I am transported to a beautiful part of our world, rich in its history and creative in its many art forms that live on in my memory through this book.
The Preface was written in the form of a dedication to Claude Monet in May 1989 by Joel Robuchon, the Jamin Restaurant Chef de Cuisine. He researched the notebook of recipes kept and used by the Monet family for their family meals as well as those prepared for such noteworthy guests as Clemenceau, Renoir, Pissaro, Durand-Ruel and others. Mr. Robuchon adapted these turn of the 19th century recipes to accommodate modern day kitchen equipment that was unavailable at that time. His Preface ends with his grateful appreciation to Mr. Monet for all of his discovery, his generosity, his artistically beautiful and excellent tasting recipes which were a testament to authentic cuisine of the period, and lastly, for Mr. Monet's legacy to us of living art of every day life. The photography by Jean-Bernard Naudin is excellent. He was assisted by the stylist Nanou Billault in recreating the meals served at Monet's home; however, the subjects of his photography in this book exceed the replication of beautiful recipes such as foie gras truffe' en croute (foie gras encased in a crust) and oignons blancs farcis de Charlotte Lyses (stuffed white onions incorporating Gruyere cheese, fresh herbs, and roast pork or chicken). There are photographs of hand-written recipes on paper yellowed with age, framed by broken edges and stained by life's usage; "la sorbietiere" or the "ice pail" to make the traditional banana ice cream on Christmas Day; Monet's famed kitchen, dining room and studio; baskets filled with wild mushrooms; a picnic table on the grass under an apple tree; and, of course, photos of many of Monet's paintings, such as Le Petit Dejeuner painted in 1868, Le Dejeuner Sur L'Herbe painted in 1865, and Les Galettes. For devotees of the artist as well as history buffs, there are also some wonderful original photographs of Monet, including photos of the painter in his car leaving for his weekly trip to the market, in his garden with family members as they greeted the first American painters to his home, and in the company of Georges Clemenceau, former French prime minister, mayor of Mont Martre, author and teacher, in June 1921 on the Japanese bridge surrounded by wisteria.
The photography of Monet's garden is nothing short of breathtaking. I found myself lulled into daydreaming especially while browsing through the photos of the winter scenes of Monet's garden. One picture displaying the hues of green, blue and icy gray features Monet's lake surrounded by trees, bushes and tall blades of grass laced with frost. By the landing, there is a lonely rowboat on this mirrored lake with two paddles beckoning you as a passerby to come closer and fill the emptiness created by the chill of winter. As you turn the page to another beautiful winter scene, you can see the renown pink and white house with its vine-covered trellis in the background, and the forefront dominated by the landscaping filled with trees and their green leaves, shrubs, arches and even pink roses, all of which seem to be completely taken by surprise with the early frost clinging to the pink flowers and green leaves as though they were dusted with sugar crystals. I treasure this book as much for the memories of my visit to Monet's house and garden as for its insight into the realm of Monet including his time honored recipes.
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Monet's Table: The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet One of the most influential painters of modern times, Claude Monet lived for half his life in the famous house at Giverny. It was after moving here in 1883 with his future second wife, Alice Hoschedé, and their eight children that Monet's work finally achieved recognition. His growing success meant that he was able to indulge his passion for comfort and good living. Family meals, special celebrations, luncheons with friends, picnics: all reflected the Monets' love of good food. Just as the inspiration for many of Monet's paintings was drawn from his beloved gardens and the surrounding Normandy landscape, so the meals served at Giverny were based upon superb ingredients from the kitchen-garden (a work of art in itself), the farmyard, and the French countryside. A moody, reserved, and very private man whose daily routine revolved totally around his painting, Monet nevertheless enjoyed entertaining his friends, many of whom were leading figures of the time. As well as his fellow Impressionists -- in particular Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley, Degas and Cézanne -- other regular guests included Rodin, Whistler, Maupassant, Valéry, and one of Monet's closest friends, the statesman Clemenceau. They came to dine in almost ritual form, first visiting Monet's studio and the greenhouses, then having lunch at 11:30 (the time the family always dined, to enable Monet to make the most of the afternoon light). Tea would later be served under the lime trees or near the pond. Guests were never invited to dinner; because Monet went to bed very early in order to rise at dawn. All the guests were familiar with Monet's rigid timetable. The recipes collected in his cooking journals include dishes Monet had encountered in his travels or had come across in restaurants he frequented in Paris as well as recipes from friends, such as Cézanne's bouillabaisse and Millet's petits pains. For this book, the author Claire Joyes, wife of Madame Monet's great-grandson, has spent years selecting the Monets' favorite recipes and writing a wonderfully evocative introductory text. All of the recipes have been artfully prepared and brought back to life in Monet's own kitchen by master chef Joël Robuchon. Illustrated with sumptuous reproductions of Monet's paintings, spectacular original four-color photographs of Giverny, selected shots of finished dishes, and facsimile pages from the notebooks themselves, this book provides a fascinating and unique insight into the turn-of-the-century lifestyle of one of the world's most celebrated Impressionist painters.
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