A Culinary Legacy from Escoffier to Today

A Culinary Legacy from Escoffier to Today is far more than a cookbook. It offers the reader an entrance into the daily life of a small village in Provence, France through food and the interpretation of recipes over 100-years-old. The photos provide this journey with explicit depiction of not only many of the dishes, but of the lively activity of the markets and village life in a medieval French town. The book ties together the writings and work of a young Escoffier-trained chef of the late 1800's to the culinary endeavors of his granddaughter and a classical trained chef of Provence in the 21st century.

The liveliness of the foods of Provence are brought to the table through recipes that can be accomplished by any cook who has even basic culinary knowledge and experience. Each recipe is offered in a step-by-step process and often alternate suggestions are given for ingredients and procedure.

While the book offers recipes in every standard category of a normal cookbook, it does not repeat many of the typical recipes found in books on Provençal cuisine. The recipes are today's version of what a young chef created over one hundred years ago in kitchens along the Mediterranean Sea and later in elegant hotel kitchens of America.

The authors offer their interpretations of the original journal, relying on their years of experience in the professional kitchen and injecting their own styles and techniques. Consideration to ingredients currently available and affordable to home cooks is paramount and often substitutions are suggested.