The Food and Flavors of Haute Provence

One of my go to ccookbooks....use it weekly...(and I have over 200, that's saying a lot!) Buy it, you'll not be sorry!

I have tried practically every single recipe in this cookbook and have never failed to impress guests/family. Compared to other cookbooks, the recipes are simple and highlight the flavors of each fresh ingredient. Her instructions are clear and complete. I have bought multiple copies and given it to friends.

In this well-conceived and beautifully written cookbook/memoir, Ms. Brennan transports her readers to a rural and rugged area of France that lies only an hour north of the glamorous Côte d'Azur. She offers an enticing collection of workable recipes both traditional and nontraditional, intertwining them with a treasure trove of personal reminiscences and invaluable information on foodstuffs. A pleasure to read as well as to cook from. Also recommended: "Madeleine Kamman's Savoie."

This is really a wonderful cookbook. The recipes are delicious, and whenever ingredients would be hard to find in the U.S., Brennan talks about more-readily available options and how they change preparation. Even better, though, are the descriptive essays that precede each section in the book. Brennan describes how the food fits into the culture of Haute Provence. It's not only pleasant reading, but you learn how the natives mix flavors, so you can begin to develop recipes on your own that have provencal flavors. I'm sorry to see it currently unavailable, so snap it up used if you see it!

I have been a fan of Georgeanne Brennan's writing and recipes ever since I picked up a copy of France: The Vegetarian Table several years ago. This book about Provencal cooking had exactly the same effect on me. Apart from being charmingly designed, it is well thought-out, organized into chapters based on typical Provencal ingredients (olives, certain herbs, cheeses etc) and so beautifully written that one is nearly transported to the South of France as one cooks. I have tried numerous recipes from this book and have never been disappointed with a single one: they have all been wonderful. They are uniformly precise and simple to follow. Georgeanne Brennan has a superb sense of cooking with what is to hand, following the availability of seasonal produce, and focussing on abundant fresh vegetables and herbs. This book is a total treat. I think it is one of the best books on cooking of this region since Richard Olney's efforts...