Aromas and Flavors of the Past and Present (Cook's Classic Library) [Paperback]

Alice B. Toklas (Author), Poppy Cannon (Introduction)

Book Description

Series: Cook's Classic Library | Publication Date: December 1, 1997

Two hundred recipes by a renowned intellectual and epicure, from her Paris kitchen.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you peruse the table of contents of Aromas and Flavors of Past and Present, you'll find such delectable dishes as Quo Vadis Cake, Perfumed Goose, Ribbons of Sarah Bernhardt, and Artichokes in the Greek Manner. This classic cookbook gathers more than 200 recipes that Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein's companion, put to use in thrilling and entertaining the artists, glitterati, and literati of 1920s Paris. At times her dining guests included world-renowned notables Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso, Sherwood Anderson, and Matisse. This edition of the cookbook leaves both the recipes and Toklas's comments unchanged. Editor Poppy Cannon of House Beautiful magazine has added brief remarks in italics that help contemporary understanding of traditional cooking, as well as an introduction to the book that relates the history of the recipes' collector and the collection.

From Library Journal

Toklas did a lot of cooking to feed Stein's guests while Gertrude was pontificating at their Paris salon. In 1958 she pulled together more than 200 of her favorite recipes covering everything from meatloaf to perfumed goose. Some of the dishes might not be considered healthy by today's standards?lots of butter?but some of the most famous people of the century dined on them with great joy (and no apparent ill effects).
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (December 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558216332
• ISBN-13: 978-1558216334
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,028,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Aromas and Flavors of the Past and Present, January 7, 2008

By 

hobo (France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aromas and Flavors of the Past and Present (Cook's Classic Library) (Paperback)

This collection of recipes is less anecdotal than 'The Alice B. Toklas Cookbook' however the notes that accompany each recipe are very useful. It is a relief to consult recipes that are elegantly simple compared to the glossy and overcomplicated creations so often described in fashionable cookbooks.

5.0 out of 5 stars Extravagant potato, July 10, 2009

By 

Jason Hoy "Jliscious" (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

What a sensational book.
Alice B. Toklas was Gertrude Stein's main squeeze and hilarious. Although this book doesn't have the famous hashish recipe that appeared in the `Alice B. Toklas cookbook' from 1954 it does have some great recipes including `extravagant potato' that is simply potato and a POUND of butter. I hope your heart can take it.

Heavily annotated by Poppy Cannon (of which Alice B. Toklas did not approve) with even funnier references as to how to behave around men, at cocktail parties and how to treat the hired help it becomes more politically incorrect as the years pass but this is all part of its charm. Ahh the good old days. I wonder how Alice would react if she were alive today?