Customer Reviews

Auberge Of The Flowering Hearth

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

One of the other reviewers noted DeGroot's gift for description, and was amazed when he learned that deGroot was blind. I, who knew he was blind before I read the book, was also amazed and continue to be -- though there are telltale clues throughout, as, for example, when he describes eau de vie de prune as deep purple in color. Not in his lifetime or mine: it is clear as water...it simply tastes dark purple. But no matter about DeGroot's blindness or occasional factual slips; this is one of the greatest (and oddest) cookbooks in English, one of the very few to sit comfortably on a shelf with the works of Madelaine Kamman, Elizabeth David, Richard Olney, and MFK Fisher. Like the best works of those other authors, this is fundamentally a book about life-well-lived, not merely about cooking, eating and drinking. Nonetheless, the recipes work well and the stories behind them provide more than enough context and inspiration to pursuade you to try them. The oddness comes from the fairy-tale atmosphere DeGroot creates and maintains throughout. The mysterious old inn (no longer extant, of course) in the village at the top of the alpine valley could almost have come from the Brothers Grimm -- except there are no evil witches, just two kindly and aging lesbians, and the cauldron in the kitchen is not bubbling over with unspeakables. I have been cooking seriously for thirty years, have taught cooking in Parisand other places, and have been the executive chef of a Michelin rated restaurant in London (I'm now a lawyer and business consultant in California). In my restaurant in London (6 Clarendon Road, W11, now run by my friend and grand gourmand, Paul Fisher) I gave a copy to all the senior cooks, and insisted that they read it -- not for the recipes specifically, but for the wonderment, dedication and attention to detail I felt sure it would inspire. It did. Truly, a not-to-missed book.

This is a book I turn to again and again, a book to savor by the fireplace on a cold night, while sipping a glass of wine, a book that transports me to a place and time where the enjoyment of food and drink is paramount, and nothing else really matters much.

The descriptions of the meals are wonderfully delectable. The author had such a keen eye for observation and such a facility for description that it came as quite a shock to me to learn, long after reading the book, that he was blind.

I have never dined this way--these glorious, elegant, leisurely meals must have lasted for hours--but what fun to read about them! You will never look at that dusty bottle of Chartreuse in the back of your liquor cabinet the same way again.

This book is essential reading for foodies, and a pleasure for anyone who enjoys food or travel writing. Buy this book; you won't regret it!

This is, without a doubt, the most extraordinary book on food and gastronomy ever. Brilliantly written, a true snapshot in time.

This is not a "cookbook". It is a wonderfully descriptive book about the cooking in the mountainous region from which Chartreuse originates. There are recipes, but one reads this book for pleasure rather than details

I was given this book as a gift...then had to yank it away from the giver! It brought back memories. Growing up, my best friend from the fifth grade through college was the daughter of a French war bride. Although her father worked for Ford Motor Company, like many of the father's in my suburban neighborhood, their family was different. One of the strangest differences was the way my friend's mother treated stomach upsets. In our family, like most of the families in the area, we would be given a glass of Vernor's Ginger Ale. My friend's mother administered small glasses of Chartreuse. After Elizabeth David and Colette conspired to infuse a love of all things French in my character, I began to collect books about France, hence the gift. How wonderful to read this cookbook from a wonderful auberge in the neighborhood of the grand old monastery of Chartreuse. I have never had the liquer -- although I have looked at the bottles in stores -- but I have tried the recipes and reveled in the stories of this wonderful old inn.

Roy de Groot wrote this food and recipe journal describing French dining, listing the menus, and the way dinners were served to guests, each accompanied by recipes and instructions in detail for their preparation. His journal has marvelous reports on private dinners, the histories of recipes, and the sources of the foods used. It was published in 1973 by Bobbs-Merrill Co.
For instance, he describes how the cheeses used are made and how they taste.
He injects his opinions of how dishes tasted, how they were served and the wines that accompanied them.
In addition to recipes, he describes how the dishes are prepared in depth, something left out of most cookbooks.
One such menu is for an Au Revoir Buffet Lunch for Friends from Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse. It starts with a bread and garlic soup topped with Alps Gruyere cheese, and includes FOUR main dishes, salad, a cheese tray and a mocha ice cream parfait. Goodness.
If you can find this book, buy it. It takes us to a time and place of peace, friends and and savoring food and companionship.

If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to that Auberge! (if only it were still there) The way he describes his first steps into the hidden valley, sound like the opening to The Sound of Music ... I read this book with growing love and fascination. It inspired me to study cooking at the French Culinary Institute. I haven't tried these specific recipes yet, though they sound like French classics. Thank you, thank you, for telling this story.

this book, published in the early 70's takes on a new meaning for serious cooks seeking inspiration. when you read this book be prepared to be transported to a world before mass transport, the specter of iqf (individual guick freezing) and strawberries year round... this relates a tale of two strong women putting great regional food out; not because it is the trendy thing to do, but because it is the only option. instead of being repetitious, it shows the durability of the classics. read this book as a primer for alice waters and local eating.

I originally read this book as a library book in it's first edition. It was one of the seminal influences in my discovering France and discovering my own love of cooking and fine food. Over the years I acquired several other books by Roy Andries De Groot and he never failed to inspire me. This one is absolutely a classic for any one who loves food and travel.

This Classic and anything other written by Richard Olney, Juiia Child, Elizabeth David and the Big Book by Cook's Illustrated (try their pot roast or chili, coupled with Le Creuset cast iron cookware and you won't find a restaurant that serves food this soul satisfying heavenly...

Great red wine, bread, cheeses and a roaring fire....Who says us Mid-Westerns don't know the best things in life.....

Warning: not for vegetarians!

Carnivores mecca!

If you can spare 3-4-5 hours on a Sunday to let chuck roast and boneless pork roasts come to their tender perfection, you will eat like a king for the next few days....I was part of the slow food movement 20 years ago, it was what our grandmothers from Europe called homecooking....at it's most authentic.