Alexandra Leaf

A cookbook for the modern gourmet and a stunning book on the art and gastronomy
of nineteenth-century France, The Impressionists' Table evokes the French tradition of dining through the
Impressionists’ paintings of picnics, cafes and restaurants, as well as vivid, richly textured still lifes of food.
Coupling the Visual with the culinary arts, the author examines the close relationship between French
dining and painting in the nineteenth century. By documenting the steadily evolving state of gastronomy
in France during the Impressionist epoch and exploring social Change within French society at the
time, we can account for the popularity of dining scenes and food as subjects for such artists as Monet.
Renoir, Manet, Cézanne, van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Mary Cassatt, and Berthe Morisot.
By examining the works of the Impressionist painters that feature such food themes as picnicking in the forest at Fontainebleau or drinking beer at the Reichshoffen, much is revealed about the changes in French dining practices at this fascinate ing (moment in history. The book features fifteen complete menus with eight recipes each, along with wine suggestions for each menu. The recipes included here are all drawn from sources that date from the Impressionist era; the majority are culled from cookbooks in popular use at the time. Some, however, are the creations of the Impressionist painters themselves-namely, Claude Monet and Henri de Toulouse-Lautree, who were avid cooks. All of the recipes are modern-day adaptations of nineteenth-century favorites with enduring gourmet appeal.
ALEXANDRA LEAF is a New York University instructor, freelance journalist, and culinary arts specialist. She is an active member of The James Beard Foundation, The American Institute of Wine and Food, and The Culinary Historians of New York.
JACQUES PEPIN is a well-known cookbook author, educator, and the host of his own television cooking show.… (mais)