A Taste of Provence

This is more than a cookbook. I've not used a recipe from it yet. However, it's beautifully illustrated and a great read. The recipes are an eclectic lot and some of the ingredients may prove hard to find. But, for a Sunday read and the thought of being able to adapt some of the recipes to ingredients available in one's supermarket, it's a winner. It made me want to buy a ticket to Provence!

As a companion to her A Table in Tuscany, this volume is its equal in language and in art. It is also, regretably, its equal in difficulty. As with the other volume, this is no cookbook for beginners. I would rather use it to chart a tour of the South of France combined, perhaps, with Peter Mayle's adventures with knife, fork and corkscrew. Additionally, it reminds us that summer will always return, that gardens will always provide and that friends will be there to enjoy the results with us.