porters in, 281–82
relocation of, 288
Little Prince, The (Saint-Éxupéry), 214
Loncle, Anne, 215
Long Way Round, 164–65
Lord of Misrule, 339
Lottman, Herbert, 35
Louis XIV, King, 124, 131–33, 137
Louis XV, King, 63
menu served to, 133–35
Lully, Jean-Baptiste, 132
lumpfish, 66
macarons, 77–78, 80
Macdonald, Hector, 325–26
MacDonald, Jeanette, 200
Machiavelli, Niccolò, 96
“mad cow” disease, 222
madeleines, 29, 76, 78, 79, 81, 84, 87, 91–92
Mad Max II, 221
Madonna of the Sleeping Cars, The (Dekobra), 200
Ma Maison, 230
mandolines, 97
Man Ray, 208, 304
maple syrup schnapps, 45
Marie-Antoinette, 75
markets, 15–17, 22–24, 157, 243
in Antibes, 216–18
in Bergerac, 116–18
Les Halles, 238, 241–42, 279–82, 281, 285–88
onion soup outside of, 287
porters in, 281–82
relocation of, 288
Marmite, 299
Maroons, 324–25
Mary, Queen, 298
Mathews, Harry, 270–71
Mayle, Peter, 203–4
McDonald’s, 223–26
McGregor, Ewan, 165
McMurtry, Larry, 61
meat, 159–78, 221–22
bear, 176
beef, 219–20, 226
bourguignon, 243, 255, 258
bourguignon recipe, 364–66
burgers, 8, 222–26, 234
carpetbag steak, 99
ox, 8, 24, 38, 53, 75, 220–21, 258
ox roast, 326–28, 329–41, 344–51, 349, 350
scandals connected with, 222
tartare, 226–35
truffles and, 108
dormouse, 164
elephant, 171, 172, 174
ham, 239
haggis, 182–84
hare, 240–41
horse, 168, 175, 344
kangaroo, 176, 347–48
kebab, 184–89
monkey, 172
pork, 7, 163
pigs’ feet, 241
potted, 300
rat, 168, 176
testicles, 164–65
tripe, 164, 170
veal, 164, 219
wolf, 176–77
zoo animals, 171–72, 171
mecs, 283, 284
Medici, Lorenzo de’, 96, 125
Melba, Nellie, 263
Melba Toast, 263
menus:
author’s Perfect Meal, 353–55
for Louis XV, 133–35
of 1912, 18–21, 25
Voisin Christmas dinner, 173, 175–78
Milhaud, Darius, 200
Miller, George, 221
Millet, Catherine, 303–4, 305, 314
Mine au Poivre, Le, 252–58
Minipalais, 2–6
Mitterrand, François, 127
Molière, 132
Monde, Le, 10
monkeys, 172
Monte Carlo (film), 200
Montel, Marie-Dominique, 51, 55–60, 64, 70–71, 103–4, 112, 115, 189, 194–96, 202, 226–29, 234–35, 247–48, 291, 329–39, 343, 345, 350
Montmartre, 239, 286
Cimetiére, 252–53
Montmorency, 238, 238, 239, 240
Montparnasse, 240, 241
Montreuil, 238
Morris dances, 339
moules, 190–93, 237
Moulin de Mougins, 212
Mousse d’Écrevisse, 14
Mouvet, Maurice, 284–85
Murphy, Gerald, 205, 206, 208
Murphy, Sara, 206, 208
mushrooms, 98–102, 115, 239
button, 100
truffles, 95, 97, 103–9
beef and, 108
hunting of, 104–5, 109
wood, 101, 102
mussels, 147–48, 190–93
eclade, 189–90, 193–97
moules, 190–93, 237
Mystique de la gare de Perpignan (Dalí), 302–3
napkins, 130
Napoleon III, Emperor, 166, 174
New Yorker, The, 228, 286, 301
New York Herald, The, 325–26
New York Times, 272
Nijinsky, Vaslav, 253
Ninotchka, 170
Noailles, Marie-Laure de, 207, 304–5
nobility, 125
noisette, 315–16
Noix de Marcassin Sauce Chasseur, 20
nostalgie de la boue, 192
Nouvelle Observateur, 228–29
Nuoc Mam, 310
onion soup, 241–42, 244, 247–48, 252, 255–56, 274–75, 279, 286–87, 287
making of, 288–92
wine in, 287
On the Origin of Species (Darwin), 172
ortolans, 126–27, 126, 181
Orwell, George, 268, 282
Osborn, John, 300
ox, 8, 24, 38, 53, 75, 220–21, 258
roasting of, 326–28, 329–41, 344–51, 349, 350
oysters, 244
pain Poilâne, 36
pansies, 1, 6, 7
Paris:
dishes unique to, 237–42
Les Halles, 238, 241–42, 279–82, 281, 285–88
onion soup outside, 287
porters in, 281–82
relocation of, 288
siege of, 166–76, 321
Paris Diary of Ned Rorem (Rorem), 141
Parker, Dorothy, 208
Parker, Robert B., 95
pastries, 76–77, 79–80
Patti, Adelina, 263–64
Patum Peperium (Gentleman’s Relish), 300–301, 310
recipe for, 357–58
Paz, Octavio, 279
Peach Melba, 263
Pearl, Cora, 262
pensées, 10
Peppermint Crisp, 28–29
Perelman, S. J., 41
Perpignan, 301–2, 306, 307
Pershing, John J., 4–5
Petite Cour, La, 108
petit fours, 75–76
Petit Vatel, Le, 139
Petronius, 179–80
pet de nonne (nun’s fart), 80, 80
Piaf, Edith, 81
Picasso, Pablo, 201, 208, 340
pigs’ feet, 241
pineau, 51
Piping in the Haggis, 182
plateau de fruits de mer, 154–55, 157, 158
Plath, Sylvia, 64
Pommes de Terre à la Crème, 36–37
Pope, Alexander, 113
pork, 7, 163
pigs’feet, 241
Porter, Cole, 202, 206, 208
porters (forts ), 281–82
Potage Gentilhomme, 269–70
potage printanier, 246–47
potage St. Germain, 239–40
potatoes:
Pommes de Terre à la Crème, 36–37
Potage Gentilhomme, 269–70
potted meats, 300
Pottery: Home Made Potted Foods, Meat and Fish Pastes, Savoury Butters and others, 295
poulet chasseur, 36
Poulet String Quartet, 36–37
poultry, 125–26
chicken, 20, 125, 162–63
tikka masala, 190
duck, 8, 21, 125
canard Montmorency, 239, 240
Guinea Hen à la Escoffier, 272
recipe for, 360–62
lark, 125, 177
ortolan, 126–27, 126, 181
Powell, Michael, 200
Pride and Prejudice (Austen), 145
Procacci, 103–4
prostitutes, 282–83, 288
Proust, Marcel, 29, 36, 55, 56, 82–89, 91–93, 272
Provence, 202–4, 209–10
Cannes, 211–
12
Côte d’Azur, 199–209
herbes de Provence, 210–11, 212, 216
Provence (Sarton), 199
Prussia, 14, 166, 174, 267, 268, 292–93
Psalm 78, 343
Pulp Fiction, 219
Pump Room, 184, 188
rascasse, 151, 153, 155–56
rat meat, 168, 176
Real Barbecue (Staten and Johnson), 179
recipes, 357–66
Boeuf Bourguignon, 364–66
Bouillabaisse, 358–60
Gentleman’s Relish, 357–58
Guinea Hen à l’Escoffier, 360–62
Kir Royal Florian, 357
Parfait Swann, 363–64
Sautéed Figs as a Vegetable, 362–63
Red Shoes, The, 29, 38, 200
Renaissance, 95–96
repas, 10–13, 166
restaurant, origin of word, 249
restaurants, 21, 230
Auberge du Vieux Château, 214–15
Café au Chai de l’Abbaye, 67–68
Café Croissant, 33–34
cafés, 23, 35, 35, 285–86
Chandelle Verte, 31–33
coffee in, 319, 320
fast-food, 224
McDonald’s, 223–26
Léon de Bruxelles, 193
losing temper in, 250–52
Ma Maison, 230
Mine au Poivre, 252–58
Minipalais, 2–6
Moulin de Mougins, 212
Petite Cour, 108
Petit Vatel, 139
Pump Room, 184, 188
Rhumerie, 318–19
on Sunday, 243–48
Voisin, 170–71, 173–78
Rhumerie, La, 318–19
Ritz, César, 170, 259–60, 265–66, 268
Ritz-Carlton, 266, 271–72
Ritz Hotel, 36, 265–66
Ritz Hotel Development Company, 265–66
Riviera, 199–209
Rorem, Ned, 141, 207, 304
rosolio, 47
rouille, 155
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (Fitzgerald), 60
Russian service, 128, 268
Saint-Éxupéry, Antoine de, 214, 216, 218, 340
Saint-Germain, 238, 239
Saint Simon, Duc de, 131
salads:
mixed, 224–25
Niçoise, 210
Salt (Kurlansky), 306
sandwiches, 297–99
cucumber, 298
sugar, 299
sappers, 164
Sarkozy, Nicolas, 11
Sarton, May, 199
Sartre, Jean-Paul, 322
Satyricon (Petronius), 179–80
sauces:
Choron, 178
tartare, 233
Saucier’s Apprentice, The (Perelman), 41
sausage, 24
Sautéed Figs as a Vegetable, 362–63
Savoy Hotel, 170, 260–61, 265–66
Sax, Adolphe, 253
scorpion fish (rascasse), 151, 153, 155–56
siege of Paris, 166–76
service à la Russe, 128, 269
service française, 269
Sète, 146–52, 237
Seven Deadly Sins, The, 246
Sévigné, Madame de, 136–37
shashlik, 184
Shearer, Moira, 200
siege of Paris, 166–76, 321
Smollett, Tobias, 249
snails, 7–8
socca, 217–18, 237
Soufflé de Volaille Talleyrand, 20, 21
soup, 243, 248
asparagus, 5–6, 252
bouillabaisse, 142–44, 150–58, 150, 152, 202, 237
recipe for, 358–60
bouillon, 248–50, 252, 258, 275–77, 288–89
powdered, 293
cabbage, 32–33
onion, 241–42, 244, 247–48, 252, 255–56, 274–75, 279, 286–87, 287
making of, 288–92
wine in, 287
Potage Gentilhomme, 269–70
potage printanier, 246–47
potage St. Germain, 239–40
spaghetti sauce, 141–42
Spain, 312
Star Wars, 87, 114
Staten, Vince, 179
Stein, Gertrude, 27
Stoppard, Tom, 137
Street, Julian, 261, 283, 286
sturgeon, 62–66, 69–74
Swann’s Way (Du Côté de Chez Swann) (Proust), 82–84, 92–93
sweetbreads, 164
tablier de sapeur, 164
Tacitus, 123
tapioca, 66
Tarantino, Quentin, 219
tartare, 226–35
tarts, 76–77
tea, 323
tea, afternoon, 296–99
Tender Is the Night (Fitzgerald), 208–9
testicles, 164–65
Texas caviar, 66
Thanksgiving, 181
theatre and spectacle, 179–97
tikka masala, 190
Tim, 153–57
Toklas, Alice B., 162–63, 292
Tolkien, J. R. R., 1
Toujours Provence (Mayle), 203
Train Bleu, Le, 199–201, 209
tripe, 164, 170
truffles, 95, 97, 103–9
beef and, 108
hunting of, 104–5, 109
Tschirky, Oscar, 273
tzimmes, 246
Ulysses (Joyce), 22
UNESCO, 10–13, 18, 25, 37
Utrillo, Maurice, 287
Valéry, Paul, 148–49
Van Damme, Jean-Claude, 190–91
Vanity Fair, 273
Van Lancker, Léon, 193
Vatel, 137
Vatel, François, 122–24, 123, 128, 132–33, 135–39, 179, 261
Vaugirard, 238, 239
veal, 164, 219
Vegemite, 299, 310
vegetables, 160, 170, 221–22
vegetarianism, 160, 221
Vendôme Table Delicacies, 62–63
Versailles, 132
Victoria, Queen, 105
Vie Sexuelle de Catherine M., La (Millet), 303
Villa America, 206, 208
Villain, Raoul, 33
Voisin, 170–71, 173–78
von Liebig, Justus, 293
Walbrook, Anton, 29, 30
Waldorf-Astoria, 273
wedding cakes, 76, 181
Wharton, Edith, 49–50
whitefish, 67
Wilhelm II, Kaiser, 14–15
Willan, Anne, 239, 241
Wilson, Robert Forrest, 78–79
wine, 43, 174, 287–88
in onion soup, 287
wolf, 176–77
Worcestershire sauce, 310
Wordsworth, William, 207
“Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, The” (Benjamin), 303
World War I, 50, 85, 333
Wren, Christopher, 122
Year in Provence, A (Mayle), 203
Young, Terence, 298
Zeus, 113
Zola, Émile, 280, 285
zoo animals, 171–72, 171
zucchini flowers, 111, 216
About the Author
© Rudy Gelenter
John Baxter has lived in Paris for more than twenty years. He is the author of three acclaimed memoirs about his life in France: The Most Beautiful Walk in the World: A Pedestrian in Paris; Immoveable Feast: A Paris Christmas; and We’ll Always Have Paris: Sex and Love in the City of Light. Baxter, who gives literary walking tours through Paris, is also a film critic and biographer whose subjects have included the directors Fellini, Kubrick, Woody Allen, and most recently, Josef von Sternberg. Born in Australia, he lives with his wife and daughter in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood, in the same building Sylvia Beach called home.
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Other Works
Also by John Baxter
The Most Beautiful Walk in the World
Von Sternberg
Carnal Knowledge
Immoveable Feast
We’ll Always Have Paris
A Pound of Paper
Science Fiction in the Cinema
The Cinema of Josef von Sternberg
Buñuel
Fellini
Stanley Kubrick
Steven Spielberg
Woody Allen
George Lucas
Robert DeNiro
Translated by John Baxter
My Lady Opium by Claude Farrère
Morphine by Jean-Louis Dubut de Laforest
The Diary of a Chambermaid by Octave Mirbeau
Gamiani, or Two Night of Excess by Alfred de Musset
Copyright
Cover design by Milan Bozic
Cover illustration by Joe Ciardiello
All images from the collection of the author.
THE PERFECT MEAL. Copyright © 2013 by John Baxter. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks.
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* For anyone who harbors such low intentions, the recipe (among others) is included at the back of this book.